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This has better not be bad news.

“What’s up?” I answer, turning my head to glance down one side of the street before turning to the other side. Everything is, thankfully, still quiet but I can’t help the dread creeping into my veins.

“You still at Raya’s place?”

I nod, turning back to the house as the hair on the back of my neck stands up. “Yeah. Why?”

“I just got word that Derek was bailed out about an hour ago. I guess as soon as the judge set bail, his mama was waiting to get him out.”

“Fuck,” I hiss. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice my brothers stand up a little straighter but I don’t look at either of them. Instead, I scan the street again before turning to the house. Everything looks fine but dread is turning my stomach. “How in the hell are we just finding out about this now, an hour later?”

He scoffs through the phone. “Man, you know it takes for fucking ever for the system to update. The only reason I know now is ‘cause Mobley called as soon as he heard that Derek had been released.”

“For fuck sake,” I whisper, more to myself than anything else. I knew something didn’t feel right and everyone called me an asshole for wanting to be more diligent. “We’ll wrap up here as quickly as we can.”

“Sounds good. Rowan and Carly got the guest house all cleaned up for them so we’re ready on this end.”

I release a breath and nod. “Yeah, okay. See you soon.”

“What’s going on?” Gear asks as I hang up and shove my phone back into my pocket.

“Derek made bail an hour ago.”

Jumper’s face falls. “Shit. Rooster, I’m…”

“You stay out here and watch the front of the house,” I say, cutting him off before turning to Gear. His hand is behind his back and when he pulls it out to his side again, he’s gripping his pistol with a determined look on his face.

“I’ll cover the alley.”

Before any of us can say anything else, a muffled scream pierces the air and I’m in motion, moving across the front lawn before my mind even has time to catch up to what’s happening. Racing up the front walk ahead of my brothers, I move with deadly intent, letting my natural rage take over. The monster is truly out of its cage, ready to take on whatever threat lies in front of me and I’ll do it with a smile on my face. This is the part I live for. Most days, I keep a tight leash on my anger but in a moment like this, I can truly let my demons out to play. And they are chomping at the bit.

I come through the front door first and jerk to a stop as I take in the scene in front of me. My blood heats in my veins, my heart thundering in my ears. Derek is in front of me, Raya’s dark hair held tight in his fist and her back pinned against the living room wall. His other hand is around her throat. Her eyes are wide and terrified as she stares up at the man who has abused her for the last four years. There is a fresh cut on her cheek and rage surges through me as I realize he already got in a hit or two.

They will be his last.

None of that is the most disturbing part, though.

No.

It’s the sick little smile on his face as he stares down at the utter horror in her eyes. It’s the way he soaks up every moment of her terror, feeding on it, getting off on it, and it makes me want to end him.

The monster whispers all the things we could do to him in my ear, tempting me to abandon the man I’ve worked so hard to become in recent years, as my brothers spill into the room behind me.

It’s too late, though.

I’m already moving in his direction as I assess the best way to handle this. My priority, no matter how enraged I am, no matter how much my demons try to lure me into the darkness, is to get Raya to safety first. Which means I need him to release his death grip on her hair. If I were to hit him in the face, he would only stumble and take her down with him. He turns to look at the commotion my brothers are making behind me and his eyes widen as he realizes just how close I am to the two of them.

Then my gaze drops to his throat and I smile.

Perfect.

As soon as I’m within range, I throw out a punch and hit Derek right in the Adam’s apple. His hands leave her body entirely as a low gurgling sound wrenches itself from his throat. He tries to grab at it to soothe the agony he’s feeling but my brothers are already there, each grabbing one of his arms and holding him back as he coughs and struggles to suck air into his lungs.

“Piece of shit,” I mutter.

I turn toward Raya and gently lay my hands on her upper arms as I look her over. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she whispers with a tiny nod. “He didn’t have time to do much before y’all were rushing in here. I’m okay.”