I lean in, voice low. “Stay here. Help is on its way”
Emma nods, swallowing hard. Ella presses her face against her sister’s shoulder.
I brush a hand over Emma’s curls, just for a second. Then I rise, grip my rifle, and turn back toward the fight.
Time to finish this.
I move into position, circling wide, keeping my eyes on Mia. Jason’s got her locked against his chest, gun pressed under her chin. Her wrists are raw from struggling, her breath coming hard. She’s terrified—but not broken. Not Mia.
“Come on out, boys.” Jason’s voice rings through the trees, smug as ever. Like he still thinks he has the upper hand. “Let’s finish this.”
I watch Damon step forward first, slow and deliberate, his gun aimed at Jason.
“It’s over, Jason.” His voice is curt, no room for argument.
Jason laughs, the barrel of his gun pressing harder under Mia’s jaw. Her flinch is barely noticeable, but I see it. I feel it.
“Nothing’s over," Jason snarls. “She’s mine. The girls are mine.”
A flicker of movement. Asher, flanking left.
“No,” his voice cuts through the tension like a blade, dark and cold. “They’re ours.”
Jason stiffens. His grip on Mia tightens. His confidence wavers just a second, but I catch it.
His plan is unraveling.
Jason’s laugh is cruel, cutting through the early morning quiet. “Three against one? Not very sporting.”
Then the brush rustles. Shadows shift. Jason’s men emerge, rifles up, forming a loose ring around us.
Shit.
“I’ve got the kids,” someone yells out. “They tried to run but I caught them.”
My blood turns to ice. Damon howls. “Touch my daughters and everyone here dies.”
Mia’s gaze snaps to him. Silent tears roll down her eyes. She must have waited for this moment, for Damon to truly claim them for years. And now here it is, going down in such a twisted manner.
“Your daughters?” Jason chuckles. “That’s rich.”
“They’re mine,” Damon says. “When you abandoned your wife all those years ago, she found solace in me. I gave her everything you couldn’t.”
Jason’s jaw ticks. He’s trying to rattle the bastard and it’s working.
“Lies,” Jason jerks his gun in front of Mia. “No more lies. Mia and the girls belong to me, and since you can’t get that in your stupid head.”
“You’re certifiably insane,” Zane says.
Jason smirks, his confidence sliding back into place. “Maybe, insane enough to do this.” He nestles the gun against her neck. “Move, and I kill her, because if I can’t have her, nobody can,” he taunts, pressing the muzzle harder under Mia’s chin. She doesn’t even flinch.
And then she speaks. “Four against one.”
Before the meaning registers, she drives her elbow back—just like I taught her.
I smirk. That’s my girl.
A sharp cry bursts from Jason as she connects with his ribs. His grip loosens. Mia ducks.
