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“Hey there.”
I cringed and sucked in a lungful of air, not wanting to turn around.
Jax’s deep voice, now noticeably Southern to me after I’d been hearing the Irish brogue for weeks, sounded so foreign.
“Why are you here?” I turned to face him.
He was casually standing near the first stable, leaning his shoulder against the wall. “Your mother called me.”
“Go.” I forced the word out through my teeth.
“I’m sorry about Java.” He stalked toward me, and I stood frozen. He wouldn’t hurt me here, would he?
The smell of beer on his breath when he closed the gap between us had me clenching my hands in fear.
“Please, leave.”
“God, you’re so beautiful, Anna.” His hand on my cheek had me closing my eyes, my body trembling, worried. “I’ve missed you so much.”
His hand dropped to my shoulder, squeezing it. I flashed my eyes open, trying to remember the meager self-defense techniques I had learned after he’d hurt me.
“Let go of me.”
“You left me. You crossed a damn ocean to get away from me. What is wrong with you?” He tightened his grip as his face came within an inch of mine.
I swallowed as my body became stiff.
“You best let her the fuck go!”
Jax stepped back as he faced Adam. “And who the hell are you?” He tipped up his cowboy hat, and I came up next to Jax, fearing the worst.
“I’m her boyfriend.”
Adam’s words had my attention slipping for a minute, but when I looked down at the veins in his forearms—they were popping as he balled his hands tight at his sides—I knew things were about to get horribly ugly.
“Is this true, Anna? You let this piece of shit—this Mick—go near you?”
“Leave,” Adam warned. He angled his head down, training his eyes on Jax like he would a target.
Jax came around in front of me as if he were trying to protect me, which was absurd. “You’re the one who needs to do the leaving.” He cocked his head, slamming his fist against the palm of his other hand.
I started to come around from behind Jax, but he launched his arm back as I moved. Although he didn’t hit me, I flinched and lost my footing, stumbling back. My butt smacked hard against the ground.
Puffs of dirt floated up as Jax and Adam scuffled in front of me. Jax’s punches never landed, but Adam . . . well, every time he swung there was the hideous sound of flesh and bone.
When Jax’s large body thudded loud against the ground, I scooted back with a wordless cry. Adam kneeled next to him, driving blows to his face. Jax’s head jerked from side to side with each hit. His eyes were shut, and blood was everywhere.
Even on me.
The horses were neighing as horror rose within me. This couldn’t be real. If it could just be a movie, and then I would hit pause . . .
“Stop!” I finally shouted, hoping it wasn’t too late.
Jax might die if he wasn’t already dead.
Adam’s fist stopped shy of Jax’s face, although he still gripped tight the material of Jax’s shirt. He was panting as he looked over at me.
Adam was unrecognizable as the man I knew.
