“Geneva!” I shout, the sound echoing around me, amplifying my stress.
She twists in his grip, using her other hand to claw at his face, her nails catching his cheek. He howls in pain but tightens his hold on her and she cries out. The panic in her eyes ignites something primal in me, something depraved and savage.
The vent finally gives, the cover clattering to the floor. The scene below burns into my mind—Geneva, pressed against the wall, her face pale but fierce as she fights back, and Lobo with his filthy hands on her.
I launch myself out of the vent, dropping down into the room with a quiet thud. The second my boots hit the ground, I move. Lobo doesn’t even have time to react before I’m behind him, my arms snaking around his head like a viper. The chain of my cuffs digs into his throat as I pull it taut, locking him in place.
He thrashes, clawing at my arms, gasping for air. But I’m stronger. And I’m fucking pissed. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to touch what doesn’t belong to you?” I ask.
Geneva stares at me, frozen in shock, her chest heaving as she catches her breath. Her wide eyes lock onto mine, and for a moment, the world ceases to exist. Becausesheis my world.
I give her a crooked smile, tightening the chain around Lobo’s neck. “Did you miss me, Doc?”
She blinks, her lips parting as if to say something, but no words come out. Her silence doesn’t matter. I see the answer in her eyes.
Lobo’s body jerks violently, his gasps turning to wet, desperate gurgles. He claws at the chain, his nails scratching at my skin, butI don’t let up. My grip only tightens, fueled by the image of him attacking her, of her fear. Of her pain.
“No one touches her,” I growl, leaning closer to his ear. “No one.”
Geneva finally moves, stepping away from the wall, her hands out in supplication. “Ghost, stop,” she says, her voice shaking but firm. “You’ll kill him.”
“That’s the idea,” I deadpan.
She almost smiles, but the seriousness of the situation stops her. “Let him go. He’s not worth it.”
“Not worth it?” I repeat, my voice low. “That might be true. But you are worth it. Always.”
I palm the sides of Lobo’s head to pull the chain-link more taut, even as it opens me up to getting elbowed by him. The pain of his blows reinforces how badly he could’ve hurt Geneva.
Eventually, his body goes slack in my arms, his futile struggles ceasing. The weight of him is oddly satisfying, but he’s a heavy fucker, so I’m quick to release him.
Then I kick him for good measure. “Motherfucker.”
Turning to Geneva, I find her staring at me with wide eyes. Her chest rises and falls with rapid breaths and her face is pale. She’s shaken, but she’s still standing. Still breathing.
“You okay, Doc?”
She nods slowly, as if she’s not quite sure. “You took long enough getting here.”
“What can I say? I like to make an entrance.”
CHAPTER 31
GENEVA
Ghost stands a few feet away, his expression calm, almost amused, as if he didn’t just strangle someone with his cuffs and drop out of a vent like fucking Batman.
No, he’d be the Joker. Heath Ledger style. Hot but deranged.
I exhale sharply, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, making my knees weak. I hate the way my body betrays me in his presence, not just with fear, but with the uncomfortable heat that coils in my stomach.
“You didn’t have to kill him,” I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.
Ghost arches an eyebrow, his gaze steady on mine. “Really? You think he’d have stopped if I asked nicely?”
My stomach twists, and I look away, avoiding the body on the floor. Ghost is right, of course. Lobo wouldn’t have stopped. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if Ghost hadn’t been here.
I shift my attention back to him. His gaze hasn’t left me, astuteand unrelenting, as if he’s dissecting every emotion flickering across my face.
