Page 68 of Thunder

She's lying; I know her better than anyone else: the sound of her voice, the feel of her skin, all engraved on my heart; she's in trouble, I can sense it.

"Open the door, Lia," I insist, gritting my teeth.

"Marcus, just go!" she snaps, a sob catching in her throat.

"Lia, I need you to open the door. It’s important. I have to know you’re okay."

"Marcus, this is important. You need to go," says, her voice walking the fine line between determined and broken. "Just... go."

"Damn it, Lia! I can't leave you like this!" My voice cracks, raw emotion lacing each word. There's no way I can walk away from her when I know she's in danger; my loyalty to her runs deeper than anything.

"Please, Marcus. If you love me, you’ll go. Just... go."

"Fine, Lia. I'm leaving," I say, though my heart wrenches with unease.

For a moment, I go quiet, listening to her hurried breaths. It's then I hear her crying—furious, choked sobs that echo through the door. The sound is agonizing, and it pierces me to the core. My heart shatters at the sound. It doesn't matter if she's telling me to leave; if she's crying, I'm there for her. With resolve burning in my veins, I step back and deliver a powerful kick to the door. Wood splinters, hinges groan, and the door bursts open.

I take in the scene before me, time slowing to a crawl: Lia, trembling and tear-streaked; a man—Brian Russell—looming over her, gun in hand. Rage ignites within me like wildfire, an inferno that cannot be contained. In an instant, I lunge at him, fist connecting with his jaw and sending him reeling back.

"Get away from her, you piece of shit!" I snarl, fury coursing through every fiber of my being.

I swing again, and Brian ducks, my punch going wide.

Brian recovers quickly, aiming the gun at me now. I dodge just as it fires; the bullet embedding itself into the wall behind me. My heart thunders, adrenaline pumping through my veins like fire.

"Son of a bitch!" I roar, launching myself at him.

We collide like titans, our fists flying. Grunts fill the air as we exchange blows, each desperate to emerge victorious. Our fight carries us across the room, crashing into furniture, shattering glass, and toppling chairs.

"Marcus, look out!" Lia screams, her voice a mix of terror and urgency.

I barely dodge an improvised weapon—a broken lamp that Brian swings at me with brutal force. The fury within me escalates, and I charge at him, driven by the need to protect Lia from this monster.

"I'll fucking kill you for even daring to touch her!" I bellow, unleashing a stunning series of punches that leave Brian reeling. Blood sprays from his broken nose, spit, bile, and a broken tooth shooting from his busted mouth.

A wild swing with the jagged ceramic lamp creates distance between us.

"You’re both in way over your fucking heads. It doesn’t matter what you do to me, you’re both dead!" he spits back venomously.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" I growl, sending another punch crashing into his jaw.

"Give it up, you fool," Brian taunts, smirking despite the blood dripping down his face. "You'll never be able to protect her. You want to make this easy? Just let me shoot you both. That’s your only way out."

The fight continues, each of us giving and taking vicious blows.

But it's the thought of Lia, of keeping her safe from harm, that keeps me going. I won't let this bastard hurt her, never again. And I'll make damn sure he knows it.

"Remember this, you piece of shit," I hiss, my fist connecting with his face, breaking flesh and bone beneath my rage. "No one—and I mean no one—hurts the woman I love."

I draw on every ounce of strength, every lesson learned from wars survived fighting alongside Bullet and Rook, and unleash a torrent of punches against Brian; lefts and rights, uppercuts and jabs, I give him no chance to recover. My heart is on fire, fueling my muscles with pure rage even though they scream at me in exhaustion.

"Stay the fuck down," I growl between gritted teeth, landing one final knee to his face.

Brian crumples to the ground like a rag doll.

But I’m not done.

I don't hesitate, following up with a series of savage kicks to his head. The satisfying crunching sound echoes through the room, drowning out the ringing in my ears.

---