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He stepped forward, but I stood my ground, and he let out a low, humorless laugh. Looking at me through his brows, he took another step forward. He was so close, I could smell the thick alcohol wafting from his breath.
“She’s packing,” I finally said. Those two words were enough to render him totally speechless, his face paling and jaw slackening. But as quickly as his shock came, it disappeared and morphed into something else. Something too cold to be rage.
Before I could react, his fist flew toward my face. I didn’t have time to block or dodge it, and it connected with a sickening crunch against my cheek. I stumbled back, hardly able to see through the pain that exploded behind my eyes. I couldn’t recover fast enough because, before I knew it, another blow landed to the other side of my face.
I felt my knees buckle, but I forced myself to stay upright and breathe through the pain. His hand wrapped around my shirt, and he jerked me forward, bringing our faces even closer.
“Packing?” he snarled, shaking me slightly. Lifting my hands, I pressed them against his chest and shoved as hard as I could. Surprisingly, it was enough for him to stumble away, dropping his hand to his side. “You think you can take her from me?” He threw his fist out again, but this time, I was ready.
I sidestepped, barely missing the blow, and delivered a punch of my own, hitting him square in the jaw. Pain radiated through my hand and up my wrist. I’d never punched anyone in the face before—I’d never punched anyone, ever. But for Winnie, I was prepared to do a lot more than just punch this man.
He rubbed his jaw, glowering at me in disbelief. For a moment, we just stood there, breathing heavily and staring at each other. Then he lunged forward.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Fists flew, and our bodies crashed together, sending vibrations through the old trailer. Blood and sweat dripped in my eyes; the mixture of scents thick in the small space, making it hard to breathe. But through it all, Winnie’s screams echoed in the background, begging me to stop.
It was hard to tell who was winning; each of us fighting for the woman we loved, but I gave it my all. My knuckles crashed into his jaw, but he landed a blow to my stomach, causing me to double over in pain. Then he was on me, sweeping me off my feet and forcing me to land on the ground with a brutal thud.
The air left my lungs in a harsh whoosh, and I didn’t have time to take a breath before I felt him straddle me and wrap his hands around my throat, pinning me to the ground. His hot breath seared my face, his eyes blazing with unrestrained fury.
I struggled against his grip, clawing at his hands and bucking my hips to throw him off. His skin ripped beneath my nails, his blood slick on my hands as I reached up, slapping and shoving at his face. My palms slid against his rough cheeks as I cupped them, struggling to fight for air as I lifted my thumbs to his eyes. He jerked away, his grip tightening around my throat as a gurgling sound left me.
My vision blurred, and blackness danced around the edges. Winnie’s sobs were drowned out by a dull roaring in my ears, and the only thing I could focus on was surviving. Was living. Was saving her and getting us the fuck away from this man.
Finally, I found his eyes, and I didn’t hesitate to shove my thumbs in. They were soft and squishy, feeling like firm grapes as I pressed harder, listening to his agonized screams. The blackness faded as he pulled away, trying to escape the pressure in his eye sockets.
I mirrored his movements, sitting up so I could get a better grip on his face. So I could have more leverage to pop his eyes out completely. A scream left me as I pressed harder, knowing just the smallest bit of pressure would do the trick. My breathing was ragged, and my throat ached, my chest burning with the desperation for air.
But as I felt his eyeballs start to give way, a small, soft body wrapped around mine. She sobbed against me, her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders as she draped herself on me.
“Emmett!” she cried, the sound barely enough to bring me back to reality. I blinked, my bloody hands, my thumbs nearly embedded in his eye sockets, coming into focus. “Stop!”
The sound of her frantic, terrified voice was able to pierce through the thick veil of anger and adrenaline coursing through me—the instinctual need to kill or be killed. But I froze, my hands still clutching his skull. He thrashed, trying to get away, but my grip never loosened.
It wasn’t until she whimpered—a small, pitiful sound a wounded animal would make—and I dropped my hands away.
A pained groan left him as he reached up to clutch his face. My heart hammered in my chest, my body still taut and ready to attack, but I forced myself to take another breath. To calm down. I lifted a shaky arm and wrapped it around her trembling shoulders, holding her tightly to me.
“I’m sorry,” I rasped, my voice and throat raw. A bit of panic shot through me at the sight of him like that—I couldn't believe I’d done it. I’d done terrible things, but I’d never hurt someone like this. “I’m sorry.” This time, I didn’t know who I was saying it to. Her or him. I squeezed her tighter, her weight a comfort, as we stared at her bloody brother.
“Connor?” she whispered as she crawled forward, her hands slipping in the mixture of our blood on the linoleum tiles. Reaching out, she tried to rest her hand on his shoulder, but he shoved her away. She fell backward, nearly landing in the blood, before I caught her.
“She was just checking on you,” I snarled, trying to keep my still-raging temper at bay.
His bloodshot, swollen eyes lifted to mine, the gash above his eyebrow flowing freely with blood. It dripped down his face, staining his stubbled jaw and cheeks. A sick amount of satisfaction filled me at the sight. If it wasn’t for Winnie, I wouldn’t have stopped until he was totally blind, until my thumbs were fully embedded in his eye sockets. Until he was dead.
“Get your bag,” I said, never taking my gaze from his. She shook her head, trying to crawl back to him. I gripped the back of her hoodie, forcing her back to me. “He’ll hurt you again. He’ll rape you again.” She looked at me over her shoulder, and I held her gaze, keeping my voice steady. “He might kill you next time, Winona. You can’t stay.”
Her chin trembled with each word. She knew the truth—he’d do all those things and more.
Connor let out a mocking laugh, shaking his head. “You really are a stupid fuck, you know that?” A feral, humorless grin curved his mouth. “She won’t go with you. She’ll never leave me.”
I clenched my jaw, letting his words roll off me. I didn’t want to believe it—I didn’t want to think about it. He let out another choked laugh as I got to my feet, rubbing my throat.
“You’re just like me, you know,” he muttered. I froze at the words, my entire body going stiff. Her eyes met mine, and I could see the thoughts whirling in her head.
“I’m nothing like you,” I seethed, jolting forward a step. My hands curled into fists at my sides as I forced myself to not reach for him again.
