Page 165 of Her Beast

“It was that bastard Carl! He threatened to tell Tommy everything about Jenny if I didn’t help.”

“So, it had nothing to do with the twenty percent of the company that Tommy promised if you joined their little plan?”

Brian’s eyes threatened to roll out of his head. “Bloody hell! Who told you—”

“Quit lying!” Malcolm shouted. His blood thundered so loudly that it took him a moment to realize the noise he’d been hearing wasn’t inside his head—it was the rattling of the panel door, as if somebody were flinging—

The door suddenly banged open and a blue whirlwind swept into the room.

Malcolm blinked at what had to be a hallucination: Julia.

“Julia?” Brian gasped, convincing Malcolm that he wasn’t imagining things.

“Youmurdering swine!” Julia yelled as she launched herself at Brian Harlow.

Malcolm leapt from his chair and charged across the room.

Julia was clamped onto Brian’s back, her legs wrapped around him, hands clawing and pummeling his face and head while he writhed and howled beneath her fury.

“You killed her! You killed her!” The words were so thick with rage he could barely understand them.

Malcolm slid his hands beneath her arms and tried to pull her away, but it was like trying to pry a limpet off a rock.

Brian suddenly shrieked, the sound blood-curdling.

Malcolm slid his whole arm around Julia’s slender waist and pulled.

“Myhead!” Brian screamed, stumbling after them as Malcolm hauled Julia away, her teeth still clamped to his ear.

Malcolm shifted her until he could see her face. “Julia—darling! Let him go.”

Her eyes were wide and crazed, her teeth still buried in the torn cartilage, blood streaming down her chin.

“Now, Julia!” He had to shout to be heard over Brian’s squealing, but it caught her attention and she let go so suddenly that Malcolm stumbled back a few steps while Brian fell onto his arse, screaming and writhing.

Malcolm swung her into his arms and kicked at the other man. “Get up and get out of here!”

“But—myear!” Brian sobbed, clutching his head.

“I don’t give a damn. Get out or I’ll let her go. And this time I’ll hold you for her.” Malcolm turned to Julia, who’d begun to shake badly.

“Julia, darling?” he murmured, only vaguely aware of a door opening and rapidly receding footsteps.

“He killed her,” Julia whispered.

“I know, love. I know.”

She broke then, her body shuddering with sobs.

Malcolm lowered them both onto the settee, holding her close. “Go ahead and cry, sweetheart. Let it out.”

And then he closed his eye and grieved with her.

Chapter 34

“Are you going to kill them?”

Malcolm startled, jolted from his fugue by Julia’s question. According to the clock on the mantlepiece, they’d been on the settee for a little over an hour.

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