“Take away everything he loves and then make him bleed,” I reply, without thinking.
He stops moving and stares straight at me, his expression turning blank.
For a long moment, neither of us says anything, and I try not to twist to face London, even though I’m aware of her every breath and move.
Come on, you bastard. Do something already.
Abruptly, he lunges, and I intercept him with a quick swipe. He darts sideways to avoid it, and I throw a punch in, making him lose his footing. He growls and bares his teeth at me. Then I shove London back, and the two of us collide. Pain erupts behind my eyelids when he aims for the jaw and clips the side of my head. I blink back the tears and dive for his stomach, knocking him onto his back. He uses his legs to hold me in a headlock, and I buck against him.
Fear and fury pump their way through me in equal measure.
When I head butt him, he drops the knife and rolls away. I stand back up, adrenaline coursing through every inch of me, and offer him a grim smile. “We both know this only ends one way.”
Jack straightens his back again, and there’s cool calculation in his eyes.
I kick the knife away and curl my hands into fists. “Let’s settle this the old fashioned way.”
He looks from the knife to my face and back again. Finally, he straightens his back and gives me a cold and cruel smile. “No.”
I frown. “What?”
Jack’s expression is one of cold fury when he draws himself up to his full height and smiles. “You will be brought to heel, boy, one way or another.”
Without waiting for a response, he spins on his heels and leaves.
I hold my breath for a few moments longer and stare at the space he occupied. When London releases a shaky breath, I exhale and cross over to the door. After locking it, I twist to face her, and London is leaning against the wall, the gun held away from her. As soon as she feels my eyes on her, she throws the gun away, and the cover falls into a heap on the floor.
She’s still shaking when I take her into my arms. “What the hell was that?”
I draw back to look at her, and my eyes sweep over her. “We’re fine. It’s okay.”
London licks her lips and rubs her hands up and down her arms. “Was that your father?”
I pause and nod, slowly. “Yes.”
She runs a hand over her face. “He’s going to kill us.”
I take her hand and lead her back to the bed. After making sure she sits down, I bend down to retrieve her clothes and hand them to her. “He’s not going to kill us because he needs us.”
London pulls on her shirt first, and her eyes are still wide when she looks at me. “He needs you. He doesn’t need me.”
“I need you,” I reply, a little harsher than I intend. “And he knows that if he makes a move against you, there will be hell to pay.”
“Mason—”
“My father likes to play mind games,” I interrupt, pausing to help her wriggle into the sweatpants. “He likes making people wonder what he’s going to do next. His bark is worse than his bite.”
Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself as I wait for London to get dressed and splash some water on her face.
He’s not going to make a move against his own son, not with everything else happening.
Still, there’s a part of me that can’t help but wonder.
How far is he willing to go to prove a point?
And what kind of punishment is waiting for me at the end of it all?
My chest tightens when London slips a hand through mine. I tuck her into my side and use my free hand to press two fingers against my temples. Slowly, she draws back to look at me, but I don’t turn to face her. Instead, I step away and turn to the window.
