I don’t need to see him,though. I know who it is. I’d recognizehim in the darkest depths of hell or in the brightest light of the heavens.My soul sees him. My heart beats for him.
Every muscle in his body is coiled, ready toattack. He’swaiting on Niko to make the first move. He wants him tomake the first move. He’s waiting likethe alpha waiting for the challenge.
Niko stands with a smirk then makes his move. He chargesJake, who deftly dodges his attack, slipping behind him, wrapping his arm around Niko’s neck while using the otherfor leverage.
Niko struggles against the hold, but the more he struggles, thetighter the hold seems to get. In an act of desperation,Niko throws himself against the wall, causing Jake to lose his grip just long enoughfor Niko to get free. He stumbles across the room then turns back to Jake.
Jake’s eyes are dark and dangerous. He watches Niko without a word. He simply stares. It’s predatory.
Niko again, unable to back down, makes his move once again. This timeinstead of dodging, Jake is hit. He spits out a mouth full of blood, then smiles a smile so vicious and cruel it’s almost beautiful.
He swings, connecting withNiko’s jaw. The larger man stumbles back a few steps, but Jake doesn’t back down. He moves toward Jake with his own wild swingthat Jake dodges, thencounters. Blow after blow, I watch as the man who has declared his love to me for weeks fightswith the man who has haunted me for years.
When Niko takes Jake to the ground, I cry out. Pleading and begging for him to let go. Istart to go toward them but stop in my tracks when Jake somehow gets his arms around Niko’s large neckand his legs around his waist.After more struggling, I see the fight leaving Niko until his arms are limp at his side.
I expect Jake to let go.
He doesn’t.
My eyes snap up when I see Maddox and Henry run into the room. Their attention falls to me in the corner of the room,taking in my torn and dirty clothes, then falls to Jake, who is still holding on to Niko’s limp body.
Maddoxsquats next to him, pulling his arm gently. “Let go, Jake.”
Jake’s eyes flash toMaddox, but it’s like he’s looking right through him. So much rage fills his face it breaks my heart.
I feel myself being pulled to him. I crawl across the room until I’m right beside the limp body of a man I’ve hatedand the man I love.
I reach to him. Taking his cheek in my hand. Turning his face to meet mine. “Let go, Jake,” I whisper.He still doesn’t seem to see anything beyond his anger.
“I need you,” my voice cracks around the words.
Hisdistant eyes focus on me. He releases his hold, pushing the man off ofhim. He sits up and quickly pulls me into his chest.
“Are you okay?” he whispers, cupping my face.
“You came for me. You found me and came for me,” I say with disbelief.
“I will always come for you,” he tells me, pressing a kiss against my forehead.“Always.”
“We need to go,” Henry tells us. “Ghost town or not, gunshots aren’t going to go unnoticed for long.”
I stare at him in confusion. I never heard any shots. I don’tsay anything,though. And he doesn’t answer my questioning gaze.
Jake stands, bringing me with him.He scoops me up, heading for the door.
This time the gunshots don’t go unnoticed. I jump in Jake’s arms but don’t scream. I’m too tired to scream.
We turn to see Maddox standing over Niko’s body. Smoke still swirling above the barrel of the gun. Niko’s head now has multipleholes filling it.
“Not making the same mistake twice,” he tells us.
Jake nods, then continuesout of the house. He places me in the backseat of the SUV, climbing in beside me. Soon as the door is shut, he pulls me into his lap.
We drive through the darknessin silence. Within moments I’m leaving the same way I came to this hell, but this time when the world goes black. It’s exhaustion that takes me.
Jake
We pull to a private entrance of the hotel. The trip didn’t take long, but she was asleep before we pulled onto the main road.I’m not sure how I’m going to let her go after this. How I’m supposed tolet her be anywhere, but in my arms after this, I don’t know.
