I panted, staring into his feverish eyes. My Alphas were here. The door creaking forced me to turn my head. Pinpricks from his grip in it assaulted my scalp, but it was worth it.
Rafe was already behind Roberto, hands bracing his head and twisting with a hard yank. After a loud snap, Roberto thumped onto the floor, lifeless. Rafe’s gaze raised to Father, still not looking at me.
“Stay back,” he snapped and shook me. I yelped from the pinch. “Stand up.” I followed the order, my knees shaking. “If you let me leave, I’ll let her?—”
Everything happened so quickly. Cade barreled into Father, Rafe bolted forward, and Dorian was suddenly sweeping me into his arms so my face didn’t meet the floor.
I grunted from the force of his hug, pulling back in time to watch Cade ram his fist into Father’s nose. Blood sprayed in an arc. Cade stood and stomped on his stomach, forcing him into a curl. While Cade caught his breath, Rafe rolled Father onto his stomach and put a boot in the middle of his shoulders, pinning him.
“Can you stand, Eva?” Dorian’s gentle voice made tears well, and a purr vibrated from him. My shoulders incrementally relaxed from the calming sounds. He cupped my jaw and swiped his thumb under my nose. I could only nod because of the thick emotion in my throat. “Good.”
He let me go, rubbing my blood between his thumb and other fingers. He strode over to Father and crushed his ankle with a well-placed kick.
Father screamed, thrashing under his boot. Stepping back, Dorian nonchalantly reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter as Rafe stood behind Father, blocking him from escape.
Dorian lit a cigarette, dangling between his lips. I hadn’t seen him smoke since that time in the car. Smoke plumed from between his lips, and he crouched and gripped Father’s hair, making sure he couldn’t move. He pressed the lit side against my father’s cheek. This time, the scream turned into a sob.
“Doesn’t feel so good, does it?”
I backed up, stumbled, and banged the wall with my elbow. Dorian straightened, striding to Cade who wore a smile as he watched my father writhe.
“Wait for us in the car, baby,” Dorian drawled. I numbly nodded, giving Alfonso a final look, the terror on his face evident. The same fear that had haunted me at his hand.
I managed to walk a few steps, then my legs gave out like strings had been snipped, and I thudded onto the floor.
“Eva!” Cade was suddenly at my side, cradling me in his arms. I blinked up at his worried face. I couldn’t feel their emotions, which meant they were likely shielding me from them.
Dorian approached and placed the keys on my stomach. “Go,” Dorian ordered. “She doesn’t need to be here for this.”
“What are you going to do?” I croaked, my throat still raw. He leaned down and kissed my mouth.
“Get home and rest,” he murmured. He eyed my face, and the anger in his eyes only became worse.
Cade strode away, holding me in his arms as he kicked open the front door.
Screams echoed behind me. Then repeated hard thuds that faded with each step Cade made.
I let my head drop onto his chest against the rumble soothing my unsettled stomach. After this, I had no doubt they’d had their abusers killed.
Good.
Chapter 44
Cade shuffled Eva out of the house. Her bleeding nose wouldn’t leave my memory, and that would not do the bastard under Rafael’s boot any good.
I strode to the other foot and angled it just so. I placed my shoe on the heel and stomped. A loud crunch was followed by his scream.
I watched him, apathetic to his pain.
He’d almost kidnapped her.
After she’d disappeared so many times, we installed a tracker in her phone that dinged every time she left the house. It had saved her life this time, and ours. Because without her . . . I couldn’t bear to give it more thought.
It hadn’t happened, andshe would never be taken from us.
This man had forced her to be strong and resilient because of violence I should have protected her from.
But he would feel every inch of her pain tenfold.
