Remy's shoulder muscles were screaming. But that wasnothingin comparison to the wails of old trauma that Anton had forced up from their grave. Flashbacks of Gavin were swirling.
No to a man doing with her what he wanted against her will for the second time. If Anton gained control of the gun, they'd all be at his mercy. No to letting Anton shoot Jeremiah or Jude. No to being defenseless. No to letting it go down this way.No.
Jeremiah was clearly willing to sacrifice himself for her, but the truth was that she would sacrificeherselfbefore she’d let Anton hurt either him or his brother.
God, she cried in the chaos of her thoughts.I need you now. Help me.
In response, power surged through her like a mighty wind. It blew everything away, leaving room for clarity of thought.
She understood two things in a flash. One, her body was in full fight-or-flight mode. Two, this time she was going to choosefight.
As soon as Anton released the arm around her neck to reach for the gun, Remy used her free hand to yank her twisted hand down. She’d practiced this maneuver dozens of times in her self-defense classes and muscle memory activated. Anton jerked forward and she drove her elbow into the side of his head, then spun and moved to press his upper body down—
He was too fast. He wrenched away just before she could gain control. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he lunged for the gun.
Before he got there, Jeremiah connected a right hook to Anton’s jaw. The force of it loosened Anton’s fingers from her hair and Remy stumbled free. Jeremiah drove Anton back into the carpet. They hit with bruising force. Jeremiah straddled Anton and Anton grabbed Jeremiah’s neck, hard enough to cut off his air.
“Let go.” Jude stood above Anton, handgun aimed at his forehead.
Anton’s hands remained locked on Jeremiah’s throat. Jeremiah punched him again.
“Let go,” Jude said loudly, “or I will have no choice but to fire. Three, two, one.”
“Shoot me,” Anton snarled.
Jude dropped to a knee and punched the center of Anton’s throat. Anton’s body curved inward involuntarily and Jeremiah thrust both of Anton’s wrists against the hardwood floor above his head.
“And this is how we’ll stay,” Jude said, “until the police arrive with cuffs.”
Without removing any of his force or weight from Anton, Jeremiah turned to look for her. “Remy?”
“I’m here.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Actually, she was on the verge of hyperventilating, as she had during her rape, but this time,this time, the outcome was different. This time, she was on her feet, hands balled. This time she’d done enough to give Jeremiah and Jude an opening.
Angry red marks from Anton’s grip blazed across Jeremiah’s neck. But he was alive. Jude was alive. She was alive.
“Remy,” Jude said, “sit down, put your head between your knees, and concentrate on slowing down and deepening your breath.”
She did as he asked. As if witnessing herself from a distance, she noted that she was dizzy and shaking. Her brain, heart, and history were waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It’s fine, she told herself repeatedly.That’s not going to happen.
Gradually, she gained control of her breathing. The shaking was a lost cause, nothing she could do about that.
Distant sirens reached her ears.
At the sound, Anton tried to buck Jeremiah off. Remy flinched but Jeremiah redoubled his efforts and Anton remained pinned.
“We have video,” Jeremiah told Anton, “of what happened between you and Alexis that night on the cliff. We know you pushed her.”
Anton cursed but said nothing more.
Several seconds later, two policemen flowed into the room, asking questions and taking control of the situation.
Relief started to trickle over Remy like a hot shower on a cold day. She remained sitting but she watched and reveled in the watching as they secured Anton’s wrists in handcuffs. Jude did most of the talking—law enforcement to law enforcement. A policeman read Anton his rights, then walked him toward the front door.
