Page 73 of Cruel Vows

Before I have a chance to stop him—not that I would since I’m dying to beat the hell out of him—his fist cracks forward, catching me in the same spot Aiden punched me earlier.

If there isn’t a bruise there yet, one will be there shining a deep shade of purple in the morning.

I run my tongue over my teeth, checking for a loose one. The second I determine there’s none, I lunge.

Dad groans as I take him to the ground, getting on top of him.

My thighs keep his arms pressed to either side of his body as I deliver one punch after another to him. He groans, head shifting from one side to the other.

Cuts open on his cheeks, blood pooling at the corner of his mouth. His nose crunches beneath another punch, more blood obscuring his face as Rebecca screams something I can’t quite make out in the background.

It’s only when I hear tires screech and the crack of a gunshot through the air that I roll off him, diving to the side.

More gunshots echo through the quiet neighborhood as Dad shouts for his men.

I scramble to get to my feet, pulling my gun from my waistband and firing at the white car as it zips away.

The car doubles back, a man with a black bandana and a gun popping out of the window. Another shot cracks out, the gun pointed just past me.

A pit opens in the bottom of my stomach as I spin around just in time to hear Rebecca’s pained shout and her hands clasping together over her stomach.

Crimson blood seeps around her hands as she sits down on the front steps, reclining and taking shallow breaths.

I hurry to her, ripping off my shirt and wadding it up. “Hold this to the wound. You’re going to be okay, you hear me? Everything is going to be okay and you’re going to get through this. You just need to hold this.”

She takes the shirt from me with a shaking hand and presses it against her wound. The color is gone from her face, her skin so pale it’s nearly translucent, even as sweat beads on her forehead.

Men rush from the edges of the property, picking Dad up off the ground and hauling him inside.

A couple stay back with me and Rebecca as I stand and look around, no sign of the white car anywhere on the street.

A red car pulls up along the curb, and the door opens.

I tense, finger wrapping around the trigger of my gun as I take aim.

Noah steps out of the car, a wide smirk on his face as he waves, the car blocking a good shot. “It’s a shame about what happened to your sister.”

Even from several yards away, I can hear the sarcasm dripping from his tone and all I see is red.

My finger squeezes, but the shot goes wide, pinging off the car.

Noah laughs, eyes narrowing. “If that’s the best you’ve got, I have a good feeling about the outcome of this war.”

I’m torn between running closer to him and turning back to Rebecca. “Hunt him down.”

The men beside me take off, running through the yard and firing shot after shot as Noah gets back in his car. From what I can tell, not a single shot makes contact.

Spinning, I turn back to Rebecca, pressing my hands hard over hers. “I’m going to get you help, okay? You just need to hold on.”

Rebecca’s breath comes in gasping waves. “It doesn’t feel like I’m going to be okay. I didn’t think getting shot would hurt this much.”

My chest tightens as I force out a laugh at her bad joke. “Normally it feels better.”

She rolls her eyes before she starts coughing, the horrible hacks turning into wheezing. “I think you should hurry and get that help, Sean.”

Tears blur the edges of my vision as I push down harder on the wound. My hand shakes as I reach for my phone, calling the one person I know who is going to be able to help.

“Hey.” Ellie’s voice is warm and friendly, but there’s a tension there too. “What’s happening? Dominic said you were going to meet with your dad.”

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