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Max
I moved before Paulie finished busting through the door, years of violence and paranoia fueling my swift reaction. I shoved Allie behind me and grabbed the Glock I kept under my bed, the weight of the gun familiar in my hand as I aimed at my cousin in one fluid motion. The silencer kept the shot muted, and Paulie’s bellow of pain roared through my tiny studio apartment. He dropped to his knees, clutching his shoulder. Blood poured over his fingers, but John didn’t pause to help his twin; he came straight for me, snarling with rage.
I didn’t have time to get off a second shot before he barreled into me, driving the air from my chest as our bodies collided. Silver flashed across my vision, and I brought my arm up just in time to protect my heart. Pain sliced into my flesh, but I wasn’t dead. I couldn’t let John kill me now; I had to protect Allie.
My Allie. They’d threatened her. They’d beaten her. They tried to kill her in the most horrific way.
I would end them both. They’d never touch her again.
Fury descended on my mind in a red haze, consuming my thoughts with primal violence. I grappled with John, twisting his wrist until bone snapped, and he screamed as the knife dropped from his hand. I dove for the blade, but he slammed his bulky body into mine hard enough to shove me back into my kitchen. Bright lights popped in front of my eyes when my head smacked into the fridge, and I shook it hard to force my vision to sharpen.
John was lunging toward his fallen blade, reaching for it with his left hand; his right dangled from his arm at an odd angle, but adrenaline kept him going, just as it fueled me.
But I was stronger than my cousins. I had to be, because Allie’s life was on the line.
I reached behind me, finding the knife block on my kitchen counter. A smooth wooden hilt fit perfectly in my palm, and I got the blade between myself and John a moment before he had time to slash at my heart. His arm was still raised, steel glinting, when my blade slammed into his chest.
I was dimly aware of Paulie’s agonized shout, but all I could see was John, his arm still arcing toward me despite the devastating blow I’d inflicted. I wrenched the knife from his flesh and drove it deep once again, tearing into his black heart. I twisted the blade, shredding any chance of survival.
Paulie howled and barreled into me, shoving me off his brother. His black eyes flashed with the promise of my death, and he raised the gun I’d dropped. I rolled, and the bullet grazed my upper arm as I barely dodged in time. Ignoring the pain, I slashed at Paulie. He screamed when my blade cut into his side, and he twisted away from me. The gun dropped from his hand as he clutched at his bleeding stomach. I snarled and lunged for him, ready to end his miserable life. My sadistic cousins would both be dead, and Allie would be safe. They would pay for what they’d done to her.
Paulie paled and stumbled back, reading his death in my savage glower. He shot one last, devastated glance toward his fallen twin before turning on his heel and running away. I took a step to pursue him; I couldn’t allow him to live. Not after how he’d hurt Allie. She wouldn’t have to live in fear of him for one more minute.
But when I caught sight of her pale face, her fear wasn’t directed at my fleeing cousin. Her freckles stood out starkly on her bloodless cheeks, with no trace of the pretty blush I loved so much. Her glittering eyes were wide, and her lush mouth hung open in horror.
“Allie.” Her name was raspy. Had I been shouting? The fight was a bloody blur in my mind. All I could see was her delicate features, drawn with fear.
But my cousins were gone; the heavy, uneven stomp of Paulie’s boots on the pavement had faded, and John was dead in my kitchen. She didn’t have anything to fear from them now.
My stomach dropped.
Me. She was afraid of me.
I released the knife from my grip, and blood splattered the tiles when it clattered to the floor. Allie cringed back and slapped a hand over her mouth as she gagged. Her wide eyes slid past me, and she moaned when her gaze landed on John’s corpse. His chest was a red, gory mess, and a crimson pool was rapidly spreading around his lifeless body. His dark, cruel eyes stared in her direction, unmoving and sightless.
I took a step toward her, blocking the view with my body. Her horrified gaze snapped to my outstretched, red-painted hands, and she retreated a step.
“Allie…”
She shook her head wildly and took another step toward the broken door.
“You can’t leave,” I growled, struggling to prevent my fists from flexing. I didn’t want to scare her even worse, but I couldn’t allow her to leave my sight. “Paulie might—”
“I can’t…” She gasped for breath, shaking her head. “You can’t…”
She couldn’t seem to find enough air to form any words. But her abject horror was enough to shred me.
“It’s not safe out there.” I forced the warning through gritted teeth. I couldn’t let her leave me.
She stared at the blood on my hands, transfixed by the gore. “I can’t…be here,” she managed. “I can’t do this.”
My heart tore. “I had to protect you.”
She swallowed hard and shook her head again, stepping toward the door. “Don’t follow me.”
I scowled. “You can’t—”
“Please, Max!” she shrieked, threading her fingers through her hair as though she was trying to hold herself together. As though she was crumbling into pieces, just like me. “Let me go.”
