My gaze floats to where Ash is aiming the barrel, but the way he’s shaking, he’s in no fit state to hit his target. All the air leaves my lungs as I lock eyes with Lilly. Black tears stain her cheeks, a switchblade at her throat as Levi pulls her hair, exposing the vein in her neck, pulsing as wildly as my heart.
“Get your dirty fucking hands off of her,” I say, trying to not sound emotionally invested. If he knows I care too much, he’ll hurt her just to get at me.
Levi laughs. “I haven’t even started yet.” His tongue licks at her tears running down her cheek. Every bone in my body wants to rip his head off for even looking at her.
With a stride of my heavy boot, my muscles burn with rage.
“Come any closer, and I’ll slit her throat.” Levi presses the knife harder against her neck.
Lilly stills, her shallow breaths the only movement along with her swollen eyes as they search mine. Her gaze flicks downwards, and I follow her line of sight to the small can of pepper spray clenched tight in her fist.
Kane’s hand squeezes my shoulder, holding me back from tearing into Levi and ripping his throat out. “This isn’t gonna end well for you. Let the girl go before you add murder to your sentence,” Kane says as if there’s a chance this guy’s getting out of here alive.
He’s already a dead man.
I can’t see Dom behind me, but I sense him in the room, taking everything in like a hunter watches their prey before they attack.
A skeleton mask stares at me from the arm of the couch, confirming Levi’s the one who's been burgling the old folks’ estate and the one who attacked Lil in her home.
My body vibrates under Kane’s hand, every muscle on fire needing to get to her. “You think you can break into Lilly’s home and attack her without consequences? I’m gonna enjoy killing you.”
Ash shakes, still pointing the gun in Levi and Lilly’s direction. “You broke into her place?”
Levi grins, showing his black, rotten teeth. “I wasn’t gonna let the pig here have all the fun.” He grips Lilly’s hair with one hand and waves the knife towards me in the other, “You’re the one paying her, aren’t you?” He laughs, bringing the knife back to her throat. “I watched you enter her house wearing a mask.”
Ash waves the gun between me and Levi. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Your sister’s a fucking whore, and the cop here has been paying to fuck her. Where do you think she was getting all the money from?”
“Is this true?” Ash aims the gun straight at me, his hand steadying. “Isn’t one sister enough for you, man? You have to take both?”
I hold my hands up in surrender, taking a step towards Ash. If I get the gun off him, I might be able to salvage this mess, butnot before blowing Levi’s brains to smithereens. “Ash, it’s not like that.”
Kane’s by my side, ready to take a bullet for me. “Easy, Ash.”
“Don’t come any closer.” Ash’s hand trembles. “I should kill you now I have the chance. You ruined my fucking life, man.”
“Asher, please don’t hurt him,” Lilly shouts, her voice strained.
“Why not, Lil? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blow his head off right now?”
“Please. For me,” she sobs, making my heart ache with the need to make everything all right and get her as far away from this place as possible.
“Why? He’s done nothing but bring our family misery. Our own mother thinks more of him than she does us.”
“It’s not true, Ash. Please don’t hurt him.” Her nails claw at Levi’s hand as he holds the knife at her neck. “I love him, Ash.”
My chest stutters. I always knew she loved me like a brother, but the way she shouted it just now conveyed so much more.
Ash snarls at Lil, his face twisting. “You can’t be serious.” He straightens his arm, pointing the gun at me, sweat dripping from his temples. “You ruined my life, man. That night you arrested me, you ruined my fucking life.” His entire body shakes as if remembering back to that night.
I step closer with my hands up. “You ruined your life yourself. You shouldn’t have been at the robbery.”
“You know I had nothing to do with what went down. I was in the wrong place, wrong time. Do you have any idea what my life’s been like since?”
Kane matches my steps, remaining at my side. “Put the gun down, Ash, and we can talk about this.”
“No,” he shouts. It’s one simple word, but full of so much emotion. “You’ve no idea what it was like for me.”
