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“Carter—”
I punch Daniel again, this time in his stomach. A slight wince moves over his face, but his hands remain limply at his side. He opens his mouth again, and I shove him as hard as I can, causing him to stumble back. When his back hits the wall, I throw myself at Daniel, fully aware that there’s no pleasing the monster tonight.
After a night spent tossing and turning and trying but failing to sleep, he needs this. I need this.
Each punch and each drink helps me sink further and further into the man I’ve become. The kind who can’t stomach the thought of facing Isabella.
On the fourth punch, Daniel places both of his hands on my shoulders and pushes me back. Startled, I stumble and lose my footing. Tristan catches me before I hit the ground, but I’m too far gone to care. After shoving him away, I swing my gaze back to Daniel, who already has bruises on his face and dried blood on the collar of his shirt and the side of his face.
But he has a different gleam in his eyes now. It’s not the same determined look I saw when he walked in a few hours ago.
No one says anything as Daniel and I lunge at each other.
I throw one punch after the next, but I only land a few. In spite of his age and his stature, Daniel is quick on his feet and able to intercept half of the blows. We spin around in a circle, knocking furniture down and scattering the Blackthorne men to various parts of the living room. In the background, I’m dimly aware of Tristan, Ernesto, and Lorenzo calling out, but I don’t care.
I want to make my uncle bleed. I want him to feel a fraction of the pain and suffering I feel.
I lose my footing on an area rug and sprawl backward, landing with a startling wheezing sound on my ass. Before I can jump back up to my feet, Daniel is the one hitting me, throwing blow after blow, as if his life depends on it. It isn’t long before pain radiates throughout every inch of my body. Staggering to my feet, I ignore my aching muscles and throw myself at his middle.
Together, we land against a glass table, shattering it into a million pieces. A few of the men jump out of the way, and others exchange disgruntled looks.
Daniel and I roll onto the floor, but I don’t care that there are little pinpricks of pain racing up and down my arms. I don’t even care that little droplets of blood have begun to well and stain the hardwood floors beneath our feet. As long as Daniel and I are fighting each other, I don’t have to think about what happens when we stop.
Or the kind of damage that’s always trailing after me, waiting whenever my guard is down.
I manage to knock Daniel back down onto his feet, and I straddle him with a bloody smile. “Not so tough now, are you? You don’t know shit about what I’ve done to get here.”
Or the pieces of my soul that I’ve sold to keep the Blackthornes on top. No one here understands. And the fact that none of them appreciate it only makes me angrier.
Ungrateful bastards.
Daniel bucks and thrashes until he throws me off. “I’m not the enemy here, Carter.”
I spit out a mouthful of blood and stagger to my full height. “You want to bet?”
I try to punch him again, but Daniel sidesteps and kicks me in the ribs. A startled gasp leaves my lips as I wheel around to face him, my bloodlust showing no sign of stopping. He throws himself at me, and we spin in another circle. Suddenly, Daniel has me in a headlock while I try to get a punch in.
But it’s no use. In all the ways that count, Daniel is superior to me.
When we spin in another circle, and I catch a glimpse of my men, the men I’ve fought and killed alongside, it’s like ice-cold water jolts through my veins. I see Tristan, Ernesto, and Lorenzo exchange a quick look before they fold their arms over their chests. Then Daniel releases me, and I stumble away, my back hitting the wall hard enough to send a sharp jolt of pain racing up my spine.
Daniel uses the back of his hand to wipe his mouth. “Enough. You’re Nico’s son. I don’t want to fight you anymore.”
Using my sleeve, I wipe away the blood and give Daniel a slow and cruel smile. “We’re not done until I say we’re done.”
Daniel’s eyes tighten as he straightens his back. “Carter, you need to be smart about this.”
I don’t want to listen to him or anyone else in this room. Because no one else gets it. My inner-most demon rages and thrashes against the restraints I can barely hold onto now.
I take a step forward, drawing to a halt when Tristan intercepts me. “Get the fuck out of my way.”
Tristan glances over at Daniel and then back at me. “No.”
I grab Tristan by the scruff of his neck and bring his face up to mine. “What the hell did you just say?”
Lorenzo and Ernesto materialize on either side of him. Paul steps out of line and doesn’t stop until he has an arm between me and his brother.
I glance between the two of them, and my eyes narrow. “So, is this how it’s going to go? After everything we’ve been through together? I should’ve known you two would only be loyal to each other.”
