As their weight falls from me, I turn into my attacker with one of my elbows.I throw them side to side to his face until I’m able to knee him in the groin.Once he drops, I raise my dominant hand and bend my elbow while rotating my hips toward him.Then I bring my arm down and smack him in the nose with the meaty part of my fist.
I counter with another hammerfist punch before Verena stops me by blocking the hit.I blink heavily a few times as my brain comes back online.
It’s not Frankie in front of me.
A tanned, built man with curly blond hair and laughing blue eyes cups a hand over his nose.
“You did well,” Verena praises.“You froze for a minute, but your brain worked quickly to break you free from what held you hostage.Birdie, meet Arik.Resident playboy of Tapping It.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he replies in a nasally voice, causing me to wince.“Don’t worry.I don’t normally sound like this.A beautiful woman almost broke my nose.”
“Arik, her old man will literally slit your throat with a smile on his face,” Verena tells him.
He peers at me warily as he climbs to his feet.“Who is your man?”
I lift a brow and cross my arms with a smirk.“Pope.”
“Jesus,” he gasps, stumbling back and shooting Verena an incredulous look.“You let me attack that crazy fucker’s lady?I’m dead.Fucking dead.Tell my mama I love her.Tell her I went out like a man and not a scared little bitch.”
My head falls back as laughter bursts from me.“Don’t worry.He knows.”Then I nod to the door of the gym where Pope is standing with our kids.
“Oh, fuck.And you’re the mother of his kids?I’m a dead man walking.”
“Relax, pussycat,” Verena sneers, patting the top of his head.“Do you really think I wouldn’t have cleared it with him first?”
They bicker back and forth, forgetting I’m there.So, I shake my head with a smile and head over to my family.
“Can I kill him?”Pope asks as soon as I reach them.
“No,” I say with a laugh, lifting to my toes to kiss him.
“Fine,” he pouts when I pull away and turn to the kids.
“Did you all have fun with Dad?”
“Yes,” they shout.
They tell me everything they did while I was here, and I listen patiently, smiling, nodding, and humming where appropriate.I soak in their happiness.Their peace.I store it in my heart, never wanting to forget the reason I won’t let myself be beaten again.
Not by Frankie.
Not by anyone.
Iamstrong.
Idohave a fire inside of me.
It’s what Frankie tried so hard to extinguish.
Because Verena is right.
Men fear powerful women, and somewhere along the way, I forgot that.
When there is a threat to her cubs, a mama bear demonstrates power by being loud.
It’s time for everyone to finally hear my roar.
Chapter Forty-One
