Carter was by my side, checking her pulse. “She’s alive. Her pulse is strong.”
I heard his words but couldn’t respond because emotions clogged my throat.
“The ambulance is on its way,” he assured.
“Don’t leave her,” I demanded, rising to my feet.
I had Mia, but she wasn’t safe just yet. She wouldn’t be until I took care of the bastard in the driver’s seat—if the accident hadn’t already done that. I heard other cars pull up, but I didn’t bother to see who or what they were.
When I made it to the driver’s side of the car, I found Taggert pushing open the door in an attempt to flee.
“Get the fuck back here.” I grabbed his shirt and yanked him backward, making him stumble and fall on his ass.
Immediately, I went down on top of him, whaling on his ass. He threw up his arms in a pathetic attempt to cover his face.
A scream accompanied the first crunching sound I heard.
“Yeah, scream like the bitch you are!” I yelled. All I could hear was the sound of Mia yelling for help as he dragged her out of that nightclub. All I saw was the way he’d hit her right before pushing her into his car. I pounded his face, skull, and chest. Anywhere I could find, I punched it.
It was like an out-of-body experience, watching myself destroy him the way he’d tried to kill me. Because whatever he planned to do to Mia would’ve destroyed me. As it stood, I was a wreck, not knowing the extent of her injuries.
“Brutus!” a voice called. I knew the voice but was powerless to respond to it.
One.
Two.
Three more hits, I thought,will satisfy me. But I kept punching.
“Brutus, the ambulance is getting close,” someone said next to my ear.
Aaron.
“We have to get him back in the car. Go take care of Mia.”
Joshua and Aaron placed their hands underneath either of my arms, helping me to stand. By the time I rose to my feet, Taggert wasn’t moving at all. The stillness of his body indicated only one thing.
The bastard rested in hell where he belonged.
“Go,” Joshua said. “Mia’s calling for you.”
I turned and ran back over to Mia, collapsing by her side.
“Brutus,” she whimpered.
I hated to see how swollen her face was. Either from the accident or from Taggert’s hit.
“I’m here,” I told her, taking her hand in mine and pressing a kiss to it. I knew I probably looked like a mess, covered in Taggert’s blood, but I couldn’t leave her long enough to wipe it away. “I’m here,” was all I could get out.
The paramedics soon arrived, and I insisted on riding in the back with her. I wasn’t about to let her out of my sight. I must’ve looked crazy enough for them not to argue because they didn’t.
The entire ride to the hospital, I thought this was all my fault. And that if anything happened to Mia, I wouldn’t survive.
CHAPTER34
Mia
I sat up in bed and stretched my arms overhead before smothering my yawn. As usual, when I looked over to Brutus’ side of the bed, it was already made up. Empty.
