Page 37 of Fervent

“Yeah, why?”

Rafe cranked his head, apparently searching for something, and his gaze landed on a shed. “I have an idea.”

I swallowed hard, remembering what happened the last time he had an idea. He pulled me along after him, and Jax scuttled to catch up.

“What’re you doing, man? I just killed my cousin down there. The old man is gonna be on our asses soon. We need to get the fuck outta here.”

Rafe tried the knob on the shed without success. “Stand back,” he warned, letting go of my hand. I retreated, and he studied the door for a few seconds before sending a swift kick below the knob. After four more strikes, all impacting the same spot, the frame cracked at the latch, and Rafe pushed open the broken door.

“Dude, what the hell are you doing?” Jax followed him inside.

“Looking for something,” he mumbled.

I pulled the jacket tighter around my body and cast a furtive glance toward the driveway that ended at the garage, expecting to find Lucas’ black SUV pulling in. The next minute passed in an eternity, and I heard nothing but my rapid breaths mixing with the subtle chirp of birds and passing of vehicles.

They exited the shed, playing tug-of-war with a gas can.

“Don’t be stupid!” Jax shouted. “If you blow the power, those girls will never be seen again. They’ll just move the operation elsewhere, and the old man will lay low, protected by his fucking cop buddies until it blows over.” He yanked the jug from Rafe, and fluid sloshed inside. “We need some time to figure this out.”

Rafe swiped a hand through the air. “I’m not fucking kidding. Hand it over.”

“No way!” Jax put the jug back in the shed. “What are you thinking?”

“He’s gonna pay for this! That’s what I’m thinking. He killed Nik…that bastard fucking hurt Alex.”

“It’s always about your lying whore, isn’t it?”

The harsh words punched me in the gut, and Rafe pummeled Jax in the nose. They tumbled to the ground, Rafe wailing on his face, unleashing blow after blow as if he couldn’t stop.

As if hewouldn’t.

“Stop it!” I screamed.

Jax pushed against his shoulder and raised a knee. He squirmed from beneath Rafe by a few inches, and they rolled. But Rafe was too irate.

Out of control.

His face scrunched in exertion, blanketed with sweat. Rafe pinned him to the ground again, his hand reaching for the gun in Jax’s waistband. He pulled it free and held the barrel to his head, then pressed an arm across his throat. “Youdid this.”

“Rafe!” I grasped his back, but he applied steady force to Jax’s neck, and he wasn’t letting up. He was too far gone.

“You’re killing him. Please, Rafe! He got us out!” Biting back a sob, I tried pulling on his shoulders, but they were like rocks under my hands. “Rafe!”

With a roar, Rafe sprang to his feet, breath coming fast and hard, his body trembling from the surge of adrenaline.

Jax gasped for breath, fingers clawing his throat, feet kicking the ground. He rolled to his side and spasmed with coughing fits.

“Her brother raped her!” Rafe waved the gun in the air. “Those fucking assholes in there violated her.Ifucking violated her. Don’t youevercall her a whore again, do you understand me?”

Jax pushed to his knees and stared up through his shaggy hair, the tips tinged with the blood dripping from his nose. “I got it,” he said, pulling his T-shirt off. “She’s not a whore.” He bunched the shirt and pressed it to his nose.

“She’s fucking mine, and I’ll kill anyone who touches her again.”

“I’m on your side. I got her out, didn’t I?”

“Which is the only reason you’re still alive.”

Rafe’s words seemed to pummel Jax more than his fists had. His shoulders drooped. “Won’t happen again.”

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