Jesus fucking Christ.
I barely recognize her. One of her eyes is swollen shut. Face, wrists, arms have bruises and gashes running up and down them. The shirt she has on is covered in blood — more than likely from the beating she took. And she is covered in a rash — hives all over her.
Wicked anger shoots flames to my fists, and the visual of him beating Ellie, along with the high possibility he’s raped her again, instinctively sets fire to my muscles. I spring forward, gripping Shadow around the neck, hurling him feet away from her. Barreling at him, I drill a fist into the side of his head, knocking him to the floor. I straddle him and nail another into his face.
Before he can recover, I wedge a knee under his throat and press into his Adam’s apple. Rage surges. I take pleasure in it as I press down until his face turns red.
“You are going to die, you pussy ass piece of shit. Until then, I’m going to fuck you up.”
Tilting his head, he spits blood and what looks like a piece of a tooth at my face.
“Cute, Shadow. Fight me back with those hands you used on Ellie, I dare you. I’d let you up if I thought you’d be man enough.” I’m seething — a red river of ire.
“Well if it isn’t Seth, Logan and the fucker who couldn’t protect his girl the same way Logan couldn’t. Should I be pissed the wrong Mitchell brothers are here, or happy big brother will live his life tucked inside a straitjacket and drooling out the side of his mouth while his brain bounces off four white padded walls? The three of you might have found me, but after what I did to Ellie, she doesn’t have much longer to live. I pumped her full of so much heroin after I stuck it to her good, I’m surprised her heart hasn’t burst yet.”
Fuck.
“Is she breathing?” I ask, ignoring Shadow as he laughs, his eyes turning savage, silently telling me he planned to do something worse to her.
Crazy psycho was going to kill her.
“She has a pulse. It’s faint.” This, coming from Lane.
My lips thin into a frown. The noise coming from behind me raises the hair on the back of my neck as I hear Lane speak softly to Ellie, telling her he’s here and promising she’s going to be alright. It’s what I hear in his tone that distinct unsureness that scares the hell out of me. I know Lane’s trying to soothe her, but fuck me if he’s not in a roundabout kind of way telling me he’s not sure if she’ll come out of this alive.
“Get Ellie the hell out of here now, Lane. We called the doctor; he should be at the house by now. Check with Rocco to see how long it’ll take him to set up and get a hold of Gabe,” I yell, nailing another punch to Shadow’s face. This one splaying blood and cracking bones in his nose.
“Ah, I see the Mitchell brothers are still afraid of getting caught for all the bullshit you’ve done to take someone you supposedly care for to a hospital. Fucking pussies.”
Shadow doesn’t deserve a response, not after the things he did to Ellie. Not after every crime I know he’s committed against other innocent people.
His savage eyes show no fear whatsoever, only the same desire to kill stares back at me.
When a sudden stabbing sting strikes my thigh, I look down to see the handle of a straight razor embedded into my leg.
Shit.
“Tell me; you wouldn’t happen to know where my sister’s dead body is, would you?” he chokes out, reaches for my face, and presses his fingers into my eyes, distracting me long enough for him to pull the razor out and slice me in the arm.
That shit only angers me more, so I nail another punch into his face. As the blade falls out of his hand, I swipe it, jerk him up and slam him face-first into the wall. His head flings to the side to where he spits out another piece of tooth.
“Don’t know, don’t care. Cunt is rotting is all that matters to me.”
As he fights to get out of my hold, I take hold of his wrists and slice two fingers clean off.
On impulse, my lips twitch as he screams like a newborn baby. I’ll gladly tell him where she is as soon as Lane gets Ellie out of here. Me? I’m not going anywhere. I plan on making this psycho wish I’d put a bullet through his head.
Chapter 10
Logan
“Logan, I’m going to need you to step away from the bed. I’ll let you and Lane know when you can come back into the room.”
The doctor places his hand on my uninjured shoulder, giving it a little reassuring squeeze. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s done this. Every time Lane and I walk out, we slump against the wall, both lost in thought. This time though, I’m not going anywhere.
I don’t answer. Instead, I shove up from the chair, and settle my ass on the floor directly across from the bed, leaning my head against the wall, my fingers already angry from the loss of holding Ellie’s hand.
Ellie shouldn’t be lying here in our bed cocooned in cold compresses that the doctor, Renita, and Norah are changing about every fifteen minutes, running a fever, a rash that, thank God has started to fade from what Lane said, and the doctor confirmed from bloodwork is heroin.
She should be sleeping peacefully in my arms is what she should be doing — having sweet, sweet dreams.
The beating she took to her backside isn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be. Still, she’s going to be hurting. That, plus, the fact remains, Shadow whipped her, punched, and hell if I know what else.
I shake my head — clearing the tiredness from my mind. I’m exhausted, mentally and physically drained, but I’m not closing my eyes or thinking about anything else until she wakes.
Norah and Renita appear at the door with more wet towels; eyes troubled as they take in the doctor who starts to remove the previous ones giving us a view of Ellie’s backside. There are a couple of spots where her flesh is gaping open; a few will likely leave scars. Physically, she’ll recover. It’s the traumatization to her mind that scares me more than anything.
Fearful tears form in the back of my throat. I hold them in, saying nothing as I hold my breath, hoping Ellie would wake this time when the doctor looks her over.
She doesn’t move at all, the same when Renita and Norah cleaned her up. If it weren’t for the rise and fall of her back, I’d think she was dead.
Once the doctor moves to the other side of the bed, I move right back to the same spot and cup one side of her battered face.
Angling my head, I gently glide my hand down until I hit that fluttering pulse in her neck. It’s slower than usual, but it’s there. Vibrating to let me know she’s alive.
I take in her slightly parted mouth as it blows out slight wisps of air. She’s so out of it in her fragile state it frightens the fuck out of me. Her gorgeous face took the worst of it.
After seeing how badly she was covered in bruises and blood when Lane rushed through the door, up the stairs and laid her on the bed. The way the doctor started working on her right away, the anger I had toward Rocco and Seth after I collected my thoughts from when Renita shook me awake to tell me Lane was on his way here with Ellie, dissipated.
My brothers and Rocco schemed behind my back, but if they hadn’t, Ellie would likely be dead by now.
“Once I’m done, I’m going to need one of you ladies to talk to her; the other to hold her hand while I check her over elsewhere. Her eyes are responding to stimuli, which is a sign she’s coming around.”
I stiffen. Both relieved and reining in an infinite amount of emotions I’m unsure how to handle. He’s going to check to see if they raped her.
Fuck.
My gaze flicks to Lane who is hunched over, his hands on his knees and breathing out of his mouth. He straightens, glances toward the door, and with a lift of his chin and relief in his eyes, I know without looking that Gabe is standing outside of the room.
My muscles release the helpless tension stored in them over the past few days as Lane strides toward the door.
“How many years have you wanted to kill Shadow? How many times have you mentally slaughtered him in your head? How long have you protected
Ellie? Too long, Logan. It’s time to end this so you and Ellie can move on. Seth and Rocco are holed up at Cole’s house with Shadow. Either you can go there and finish him off or I will. Cole was dead when we got there. How he died isn’t irrelevant. What matters now is killing Shadow and giving Ellie peace of mind when she wakes that he’s gone.”
Those were the words that came out of Lane’s mouth as I held Ellie’s hand while the doctor worked on her, hooking her up to an IV, drawing her blood and sending it off to have it checked.
I told him there wasn’t a chance in hell I was leaving her until she woke. I knew all it would take was a call to Seth, and he’d kill Shadow. Knew he and Rocco would wait me out for as long as it takes for me to get there. But I don’t blame Lane for wanting me to leave. It was his way of killing two birds with one stone — me not to see Ellie like this, and to exterminate a long-time plan that took too many sharp turns. The good thing is, one of those turns brought me to this woman who has forgiven me for my sins.
The longer I kneel, the more my thoughts darken. There is something about finally having Shadow right where I want him that sets me at ease. That deep sense in my gut that there isn’t a chance in hell Shadow can get away this time, that I could end him once and for all.
I jerk when a scream rips from Ellie’s throat. It’s raw and brutal as if she’s having a nightmare.
Panic swells in my chest, crushing my soul.
“Oh, God. Am I home? Is Logan okay? Please tell me Shadow is dead, please.” The sound of her voice knocks the breath out of me. It’s rough, dry, and frightened.
Doesn’t stop the chuckle that escapes, nor the shaking of my head. Here she is worried about me after everything she’s been through. Typical, along with another reminder of the type of woman she is — the perfect one for me.
“I’m right here, Ellie. Much better now that I have you by my side.”
The room suddenly falls silent—this time, I welcome it.
She swallows, frown lines appearing as she struggles to open her eye. The lid on the other one is about the size of a golf ball and at least ten different shades of purple.
That breath that was knocked out of me, it draws right back in when her lips split into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. Bright and blinding. This woman is so much stronger than I’ll ever be.
Stunned.
For the second time since bringing her home with me the night we met, Ellie Wynn has blown my mind.
“I love you, Logan, I do, so much. Are you sure you’re okay?” she whispers. Those words I never thought I’d hear again bring moisture to my eyes.
“I’m okay, Ellie. We’re all okay. I love you too, so much. My strong woman. God, baby.”
I want to weep, and so I do. The tears I’ve been holding fall, the pent-up misery, anger, and grief break free, and I cling to it, letting it flow through me — a reminder of who’s to blame for her condition — the cocksucker who needs to die.
My heart stops when my vision clears, and Ellie lifts her trembling arm out toward me. Her right eye opens wide, giving me a slight glimpse of her mesmerizing blue. Nothing has ever felt as good in my life when I lean in and she runs her fingertips down my face, collecting my tears.
Jesus.
“A wise woman once described the difference between want and need to me. When the two combine, they equal desire — a wish, a craving that only the person you love can hold. There are lots of things I want, Logan. Right now, there’s only one thing I need.”
A gasp tears from Renita. With that, I know who the wise woman is. Never a doubt about it in my mind.
“Ellie, you need to rest,” I whisper, overcome with emotion that only she can bring out of me. It erupts from the spot in my chest belonging to her.
“I will right after you kiss me.”
If it’s possible, I fall in love further right there.
Pull and tug.
It slackens with each passing second that I think about refusing because her lips are cracked and puffy. I’ve caused her enough pain. But when Ellie sheds a tear, I lean in and lightly brush my lips across her forehead, down her face to the sensitive corners of her eyes. Reaching her lips, I slant my mouth over hers, gently giving in to the passion that lives like a fizzling wire between us.
I’d give anything to part her lips and sensually dance with our tongues, so I settle for the gentlest of one. It’s enough for now.
“I missed you,” she says, her face pinching in pain.
“I missed you more. Sleep, baby. I’ll be right here when you wake.”
Frantically, she shakes her head.
“I need one more thing from you. You didn’t answer me, is Shadow dead?”
“No, we have him, Ellie. He won’t get away with what he’s done. Not this time.”
She breathes deep; a sign talking is overexerting her.
The gush of air releasing from her body, the way she clenches her fist, the way she glares with hatred tells me all I need to know before the next words leave her mouth.
“I need you to go kill Shadow. I heard Lane and you talking. I heard Seth. I heard everything; I just couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. You have to kill Shadow right now, Logan. You have to tell Seth and Rocco thank you. I know they saved my life. As I said, I’m home, and…” She pauses, licks her lips and flutters her eyes shut. “This home, my heart, my everything is with you. I…” Her words rush out in what I sense is panic — the last thing she needs is to have an attack.
“Hey, you’re safe. I know I’ve said that before. This time, you are.”
“I’ve always felt safe with you. Please, get rid of him. I’ll be right here waiting when you return.” The desperation in her voice is what has me looking up at Renita. A silent plea bleeding from my eyes for her to switch places with me.
“Ellie, I’d much rather be here with you. You are more important to me than killing Shadow.”
Love. I see so much of it staring back at me I about slide off the chair.
Transparent.
“I know you do. I need to tell you something. Shadow didn’t rape me, but…” She pauses, lips trembling slightly. “He has some of my dad’s guns; I don’t know where he has them; he placed one inside me. I was so afraid he was going to shoot me with it. He deserves to die by your hand, holding the trigger of that gun. That’s what I need you to do.”
I know where Shadow got them from, and it makes me want to open up and tell her. Think I’ll hold off until she’s a little more herself.
Sickness churns in my stomach. My hands ready to unleash. Once I get them on Shadow, I’m going to make him pay.
“Go, please. I’m going to sleep until the pain goes away. I need some water, please.”
I nod, taking my time while I push out of the chair, watch Renita give her water, and take care of her the way only Renita can.
I wait for Ellie’s breathing to even out. Relief hitting me that Shadow didn’t rape her.
Doesn’t mean what he did to her with the gun doesn’t set worry ablaze that it’ll affect her the same, the entire drive to end this once and for all.
* * *
Before Lane cuts the engine, Gabe and I are jumping out. Adrenaline picking up speed, every muscle in my body is coiling with tension as I notice a couple of men flanking the yard like soldiers. Shaking my head with the knowledge of how quickly my family pulled this off, I make my way up the sidewalk and enter the house.
Years of pent-up anger, hatred, and determination give me the strength to ignore the twinging pain in my shoulder. None of this is about me, or the years I spent trying to ruin Shadow and Whitney, it all has to do with the woman who means everything to me. The woman I will spend the rest of my life making up every sleepless night Ellie has ever had by Shadow’s hands.
A woman I spent years protecting only to have her taken from her home.
Her family.
From me.
More recollections involving Shadow than I care to count flicker through my mind faster than the
speed of light as Gabe hands me a knife.
“I used this knife the first time I killed someone. Seems fitting to me you use it to make your last kill. I told you a good woman would stand by your side if she loves you. A good woman can also change a man if he loves her enough. The past few months I’ve watched you change, son. Gut that motherfucker, then shoot him between the eyes and get back to your woman. We got it from here.”
Gabe’s words echo in my head as I grip the hilt of the knife firmly in my hand. Giving him a solemn nod, I look to my right as light flickers across the floor.
I notice Rocco. His form is barely visible, but the determination on his face is evident from the flashlight parked in his mouth. Without completely turning around to face me, he says, “You have about fifteen minutes to make him pay before I have this place wired. Seth has him upstairs. Shove that knife up Shadow’s ass and leave it there.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice.
With that, I follow the low lights along the wall allowing me to take the stairs two at a time — the smell of death, the taste of revenge and redemption ripples through the stagnant air.
Heading toward the only room with lights, I pause at the doorway, plow my boot covered foot into the face of the dead body on the floor just for the hell of it and feel every ounce of blood drain from my face when I take in the blood-stained sheets on the bed.
“Well, would you take a look at this? If it isn’t the Mitchell brother you wanted to see, Shadow. Wake up and get ready to take your last breath.”
Briefly taking notice of Shadow hanging from the ceiling like a punching bag, I meet Seth’s eyes where he sits in a chair in the corner. For a split second, I see the little boy clinging to our mother’s leg. The one I vowed to protect for life. Just as quickly, the vision is gone. In its place is a man much like me—A brother who’d sacrifice his life for those he loves.
I ought to beat his ass.
“You want to kill him with that knife or with this gun?” Seth holds up a 9mm Beretta in his hand. “Asshole must have gotten tired of keeping his mouth shut while he was locked away. Either that or he thought he’d get to me by letting me know about a storage unit full of things belonging to Ellie’s family. It would be a shame not to use her father’s gun on him, don’t you think?”
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