Page 136 of Legacy of Danger
"Seems like a fair fight to me." Wyatt's laugh scraped like dead tree branches against a glass pane.
"Put down the fucking gun and maybe I won't call you a wimp." Vaughn glanced back and stepped to one side, blocking any clear shot at Mariah.
"Once we've dealt with you Taggarts, we can finish our business with Dr. Mariah."
"The hell you'll ever touch her again."
"You have no idea what you're messing with," Wyatt growled, eyes flashing red. Mariah reared back at the wave of hot sulfur that blasted past her. Odie kept a solid grip on her arm.
"Neither do you, sweetie pie." The voice came from the mouth of the cave, and suddenly the gun flew out of Wyatt's hand and off the cliff.
"What the hell was that?" Wyatt spun and swatted at empty space, then stumbled.
A shrug, then Wyatt ran straight at Vaughn.
When they hit the ground and rolled, Mariah leapt forward, reaching out to Vaughn. Odie pulled her back to a safe distance. Punches flew faster than she could follow.
Unlike in the octagon, this fight had no rules.
But it had an outcome.
Her heart stopped when Wyatt caught Vaughn across the face with an elbow.
On the far side of the ledge, Kerr suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind Linc, nailing the guy in his kidney with several solid punches.
Linc spun, swinging at Kerr, but Vaughn's little brother ducked and disappeared. Disappeared. She squinted. Linc staggered close to the brink of the ledge and howled. Garrison tried to get past Vaughn and Wyatt, who were locked in a brutal pummeling match, but couldn't pass.
"Leave her alone," Vaughn panted, driving Wyatt back with several blows. "And leave my family alone."
Wyatt shook the blow off like he'd been hit with foam, not a hard fist. "You cannot win." His voice reverberated off the rocks in an eerie echo that seemed to get louder the more the sound bounced around. "We need one more. And then we will have all of the Taggart family."
"The hell."
"Exactly." Wyatt's teeth gleamed in the moonlight before he tackled Vaughn.
Mariah gasped.
Vaughn's head landed on... empty space over the cliff edge.
Her palms sweated.
Kerr reappeared and danced around Linc as best he could. Linc shot forward with a jab, sending Kerr sprawling on the ground. Garrison caught an opening, leapt around Vaughn and plowed into Linc's midsection. Then the two brothers worked together to level the big fighter.
After a solid minute of relentless punishment from both Taggart brothers, Linc lay on his side, air rasping in and out. Garrison and Kerr stood over him, their postures daring Linc to get up.
Vaughn rolled Wyatt under him but couldn't get a good angle to punch. Wyatt's hands kept moving, darting blows to Vaughn's torso and face. Screams and yowls flowed out of Wyatt and grew until they became louder than a police siren. Mariah clapped her hands over her ears.
"You. Cannot. Win." He spat blood, his voice ringing. Gravel and frozen clods of dirt rained down on them from the hillside above. "We cannot be destroyed. The Great One is coming. Soon. You'll see."
Vaughn locked his hands around Wyatt's thick throat. "Know what? I don't care about your future plans. You just need to stay away from me"—he slammed the man's head into the ground—"my family"—another slam—"and the woman I love." Wyatt's eyes rolled back in his head.
Mariah's heart stopped.
Pushing up and away from a limp Wyatt, Vaughn turned and stalked toward her as she leaned against the cliff wall. In the moonlight, the shadows poured over his face, casting his features into skeletal hollows.
Vaughn stood in front of her, facing away from the drop-off.
Wyatt lunged.
