He surged into her space. “Let me fix it then.”
She tried to step away. “It’s too late for that.”
“This is ridiculous, Emily. Just . . . get over it. We need to move on with our lives.”
“I already am,” she told him.
No doubt, the asshole took that as her admission that she was with someone else because he grabbed her by the arm. She squeaked a sound of surprise.
Destruction screamed through my veins.
I eased off the side of the porch.
“You think you’re going to walk away from me? After I sat around here waiting for you to get over this stupid fantasy world of yours for twelve fucking years? I don’t think so, Emily.”
“Let her go.” I pressed the demand through clenched teeth, hard as stones that pummeled him from behind.
The prick froze. He was still gripping Emily’s wrist as he turned to look at me. He was lucky I didn’t rip his arm from his body.
A sneer twisted up his face. “You think this is any of your business?”
Aggression curled.
Tension mounting.
I forced myself to remain planted. Forced myself not to give in to the insanity I could feel blanketing my brain, covering me in a cloud of madness.
“Yes,” I told him.
Simply.
Wholly.
He cracked a menacing smile. “Move on, fuckboy. She’s my fiancée, so do yourself a favor and take your city ass back in that house before you get yourself introduced to the kind of country welcome you don’t want.”
“I told you to let the girl go.” I could almost taste the venom on my tongue.
Emily yanked her arm, trying to free it from his hold. “Just . . . let me go, Nile. It’s over.”
He squeezed harder, derangement spilling out. “It’s over when I goddamn say it’s over.”
Emily gasped in pain, and I watched those green eyes go wide with fear and surprise and more of that hurt that kept getting dealt her way.
Jerking harder, she managed to break free, but with the momentum, she stumbled back, losing her footing.
She tripped backward and slammed to the ground.
He turned to go for her, and Emily was backpedaling, scooting on her butt away from the bastard who actually thought I was going to stand there and allow him to violate her all over again.
There was nothing left.
That insanity that had been building for years came to a head.
Breaking.
Logic shot.
Rationale gone.
I flew for him, feet pounding the ground like a war drum. Soon as I got close enough, I threw an arm around his neck and got him in a chokehold from behind.
I cinched down tight.
A sound of shocked aggression shot up his throat, and his hands instantly came up to my arm that was locked tight. Fucker kicked and scratched and struggled to break free.
The prick was one of those brawny, meaty fucks, asshole trying to toss me like I was just going to let go.
I squeezed tighter, cutting off his airflow, my voice a threat in his ear. “I won’t think twice to end you.”
Could feel the panic ripple through his body. He threw an elbow backward and caught me in the rib. Pain splintered, punching the air from my lungs. I only held on tighter, throwing a fist into his side from behind. He howled, shouting in pain, and he lurched forward.
The movement set me off-balance. He managed to break free and whirled around before I could process it. A fist came at me and hooked me on the jaw.
Hard.
I grunted through the explosion of fire that burst across my face.
“You like that?” he taunted, jumping around and lifting his fists.
I just swallowed it down, let it feed the fury, the violence that erupted in my blood. I moved for him, faster than he could prepare himself, and I threw a jab to the right side of his face, another to the left.
Skin split and blood splattered.
I could feel Emily’s torment rolling along the ground, her cries filling the night.
Nile bellowed in pain, swiping the blood dripping from the gash on his cheek and lunging for me. He got his arms around my waist, his weight taking both of us to the ground.
We hit it with a thud. In an instant, we were a tangle of scrambling, toiling bodies, both of us vying to pin the other. Fists flew, grunts and hits and curses filling the air. He clocked me on the right ear. Pain split through my head like the pierce of a knife.
Rage and bloodshed. A disturbance that glowed and amplified.
A flash of red.
A strobe of dark.
I tossed him off and had him pinned before I even realized I’d done it. Fists pounded his face.
Relentless.
Unforgiving.
He deserved no forgiveness.
Bones cracked, blood splattering as I struck him.
Again and again.
Consumed by this madness.
By this rage.
Hands grabbed me from behind, trying to drag me off. I only fought harder to get to him.