Page 61 of Knot Letting Go

I briefly closed my eyes, taking in a few deep breaths. Praying to whoever was listening, I didn’t care, I wanted the girls and Konstantin to come out of this unscathed. I wanted Lillianna to laugh again and live the happiest of lives. I wanted Aubrielle to light up the world with her smile and get everythingher beautiful soul deserved. I wanted Konstantin to have the family he’s always needed and to finally find some peace.

Me, I wanted to be the guy who made those things happen. And right now, that meant playing commando.

One more breath. Fuck.

Gripping my weapons, I peered around the post. My head and shoulders were above the patio, but most of me was still hidden. The man by the patio door was still there. I needed to get his attention to draw him outside, and hoped there was only one of them.

I scooped up a rock from the sandy ground and tossed it onto the deck. It thunked and rolled, coming to a stop against a table leg.

Hidden behind the post, I heard the swish of the glass door opening and the footsteps of a heavy man. I bent my knees to keep as low as possible, but up enough to see where he was. The big ugly bastard looked bored as he glanced to the left and then the right. Not in front of him or even down to where I was hiding. He was shit at his job.

He took out his phone and, seeing nothing that got his interest, put it back into his pants pocket. Then he pulled out a thin piece of torn white fabric. Rubbing it between his fingers, he brought it up to his nose and inhaled.

What the fuck?

That was the same color of the shirt Aubrielle was wearing today.Hehad a piece ofherfucking shirt.

I bared my teeth with a growl as rage surged through my veins.Fuck him.

I raised the flare gun and fired.

The bastard lifted his head just as the flare hit his chest. He let out a shout as his shirt erupted in flames and ran to his right to fall into the sand, beating his body to try to put the fire out.

Dropping the gun, I ran up on him with the carjack handle in both hands and roared. I would smash in his skull. This fucker touched my Omega. He wouldn’t live to see another day.

He saw me at the last second and raised an arm to block my first blow. I whacked him again, and he kicked me in the gut, sending me falling backward into the sand. Scrambling to my feet, I fought to get in a good breath.

Pushing himself up, he let out a pained cry as he glanced at his chest. The flames were gone, leaving behind a sizzling raw mass of flesh and blood. One of his nipples was completely gone and a tattoo seemed to be melting as it continued to bubble. Bits of his shirt had been fused with his body as everything oozed down his torso like a grotesque landslide.

“I’m going to fucking kill you!”

I dodged his first punches and swung with the handle, but the few hits I connected with didn’t seem to phase him at all. He’d gone berserk with the pain, and fuck, he was a solid wall of muscle.

“Look at what you did!” He smashed a fist into my shoulder. “You’re dead, Birk! Dead!”

All I could do was duck and weave. He knew me. I tried to pick out his face from my memory, but all I came up with was that he was one of Lorenzo’s nephews.

His name didn’t matter. He’d hurt Aubrielle. The burn was the least I was going to do to him.

I kicked up sand and tried to take him out at the knees, but nothing worked. The bastard was insane.

He frothed at the mouth and wasn’t slowing. I had a metal bar and all he had were his fists, but I was the one starting to falter after each hit. My arms were burning and sweat was stinging my eyes.

A fist connected with my jaw and sent me stumbling.

I spun back around and slammed the handle against his side. Once, twice.

He grunted and hit me again. This time, my feet went out from under me and I lost my weapon.

The fucker was instantly on me. His heavy weight pressed me into the sand as his hands wrapped around my throat. I elbowed his legs, jabbed his ribs, and kicked my feet, but I couldn’t get away.

“I’m going to fucking choke the life out of you!” His fingers dug into my flesh as he squeezed. The world grew hazy around the edges.

I hadn’t gotten the girls yet. It couldn’t end like this.

Smacking his burnt chest, I dug in my nails and ripped the flesh like crepe paper. He bellowed at me, but didn’t let go.

My lungs screamed for oxygen and my head felt like it might implode.

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