Page 46 of Lethal Weakness

“I’ll call the police!”

“Yeah, go and try. I’ll have them putting you in cuffs before you can utter any of your bullshit to them,” he threatens, and unfortunately I think it’s true.

I think his family has every cop and official on speed dial, and I am no match for their power. I never have been.

Tears stream down my face as his nose digs into mine. “I should have killed you and that baby when I had the chance,” he spits through gritted teeth, pinning me to my storm door so hard my skull bounces off the glass.

His fist raises, and I whimper in terror, bracing for the hit, when instead, air whooshes in front of my face.

I blink up at nothing but the streams of water being reflected off my porch light.

I hear high-pitched ringing, but I feel hands… Gentle hands on my face. “-you okay? Linden, are you okay?”

Jack? Turner’s intoxicated screams still have my eardrums buzzing.

My eyes finally focus on the black eyes in front of me. Those gentle hands swipe at my cheeks, and then my forehead, and I cling to his forearms. “Are you okay?” His voice is clearer now.

“I’m okay,” I barely murmur.

He searches for the truth on my face and nods curtly before backing away.

My hands claw for his. “No, Jack,” I beg, and his focus drops to our linked hands, but I don’t know what I’m begging for.

“He’s out of his mind drunk,” I warn as Jack’s gaze finally raises from my hands to my face.

Turner’s stumbling up from the ground after being launched off my porch, gasping for the breath that was knocked out of him.

“He’s leaving,” he says calmly.

“Fuck you, asshole. This is my wife,” he threatens raggedly.

I let my hands fall, clutching them to my chest instead as Jack puts his body between us. “Not anymore.”

Turner tries to get in his face, but Jack twists his arm into a chicken wing behind his back so quickly, he screams like a baby. Jack walks him like a dog back to his Lincoln before shoving him up against the side. “I’m going to kill you for coming after her.”

I don’t know if he realizes that I can hear him, but I can. I hear every menacing word.

“Ahh.” Turner struggles painfully against Jack’s grip. “Fuck you!” He spits.

Jack’s hand grips Turner’s wet head, and for a moment, I think he’s going to bash his skull in.

“Jack, don’t!” I scream. Hurting Turner is practically a death sentence. “They’ll ruin your life if you hurt him.”

“They can try,” he seethes against Turner’s ear.

“I won’t have anyone if they take you away,” I plead, risking a few steps into the driveway, and Jack’s shoulders drop slightly.

He yanks Turner’s neck back at an unhealthy ninety-degree angle, making him yelp. “If you ever lay a finger on her again, I’ll kill you,” he threatens seriously. “I’ll take you into the depths of hell, and I’ll torture you slowly. I’ll only kill you after I break every bone in your fucking body. These girls do not belong to you anymore.”

He hauls his entire body back, and I prepare for the impact, but instead the driver’s side door opens, and Jack flings his wimpy opponent into his car.

“Get the fuck out of here,” he growls, stepping back until he’s between me and Turner’s front bumper. His rain-soaked shirt and heaving shoulders block my ex from seeing me.

Turner’s car rumbles to life nearly at the same time he throws it in reverse, but his tires only make it a quarter down my driveway before they lurch to a stop. He can see me now, and the way his eyes bounce between Jack and me, I know he’s livid.

Blood coming from somewhere is dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes are wild and fully crazed.

The longer he stares us down, the louder my heart thunders. When his hands tighten on his steering wheel, I see the evil intent brewing.