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I don’t even have time to open my mouth, amped on telling Alek to go to hell, because Saint beats me to the punch—literally. Without hesitation, Saint propels forward and punches Alek in the jaw. The crack is so loud, it vibrates all the way to my toes.
Alek stumbles back a few feet, shaking his head, but when a cocky grin spreads across his lips, I know it’s game on. They charge at one another, a war cry leaving them both. Saint ducks as Alek delivers an uppercut and jabs Alek in the side.
A pained oomph leaves Alek as the sharp sound indicates Saint has broken some ribs. It doesn’t stop him, though. It only seems to spur him on. He punches Alek in quick succession—in the face, to the body—while Alek attempts to lay a punch. But Saint is too fast.
Alek doesn’t stand a chance as Saint kicks his shin. He buckles under the pressure, crumpling to his knees. “Now it’s your turn to kneel,” Saint spits, delivering a blow to his jaw.
Alek’s head snaps back, which has me covering my mouth in horror. I have no doubt he will kill him, but this isn’t my fight. So I stay on the sidelines, watching on with wide eyes.
Saint knees him under the chin, resulting in Alek falling onto his back. Saint dives on top of him, yanking him up by his collar. “For years, I was forced to do your dirty work, but no more. I owe you nothing,” he snarls, nose to nose. “Don’t youeverspeak about her again.”
Alek is floppy as Saint shakes him furiously, but it doesn’t deter him. “You should thank me. If it wasn’t for me, you’d have never met her.”
“And that shows the difference between us. I would have rather never met her and saved her from this reality. I would give anything for her to forget all of this and to live a normal life. But she can’t. None of us can because of you.” Saint shoves Alek back down, standing dangerously slow.
This time, Alek knows when to stay down as this is one fight he will never win. He knows what Saint is capable of because he is the one who made him after all. Leaning up on his elbows, he wipes his bloody lip with the back of her hand. “It’s always easy to blame someone else.”
“And that’s because youareto blame,” I spit, all compassion for him gone.
“If that makes you sleep better at night, ???????, then so be it. But I know a small part of you likes the pain.”
My pale cheeks give away my guilt because he’s right.
Just as he opens his mouth, Saint shuts it for good as he drops to one knee and punches Alek out cold. He hovers over Alek’s body, his shoulders raised. Absolute rage pours off him. I don’t know if I should intervene, but when Saint inhales before coming to a stand, it’s clear he’s done.
He doesn’t have a scratch on him. He was too fast, too feral for Alek. He turns slowly, those poignant eyes sparking to life when they lock onto me. “I’m going to shower.”
And just like that, we ignore the violence that has become as much a part of our lives as breathing. We are both desensitized to it. But before he leaves, I need to ask. “What happens when we go back to America? I can’t see Zoey becoming my BFF anytime soon.”
Even though this is not really the time to discuss such trivial things, I need to know what comes next. I refuse to allow this violence to be all I know.
Saint looks beyond exhausted. He looks plagued. “What do you want to happen?”
There are so many things, but only one which stands out, which reveals what a wicked creature I really am. “There is one thing that seems inevitable.”
Saint arches a brow, indicating he’s listening.
“And that’s to pay a visit to my darling husband.”
“That’s a given,” he replies with a strained smile. “We can work everything out once we get the fuck out of here. Okay?”
“Okay.” There is no point in pressing the issue because he’s right. We still have so many hurdles in front of us. But it’s nice knowing we’re on the same page when it comes to Drew.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I know it’s wrong to ask this of him, to not press that he fights and get his revenge, but I’m selfish. I want my HEA with him without a cliffhanger in sight.
What he replies with warms me deeply. “I want you.” But he still doesn’t answer my question.
“Thank you for doing this…for me. It’s a big ask, asking you not to fight, but I can’t lose you again.”
He appears to want to say something else, but then he changes his mind at the last minute. He grabs his stuff and walks out the door.
I can’t shake the feeling that something other than the entire shitstorm that just went down is wrong, and when I peer down at an unconscious Alek, I realize what that is. Once this is done with, I will be able to get my revenge on Drew. But Saint won’t get the vengeance he deserves.
How do I feel about that? How would I feel if someone told me I couldn’t inflict the same amount of pain on Drew as he had on me?
Gulping, I clutch at the cross at my throat, knowing that in this situation, two wrongs just may make a right.
THE NEXT FEWdays passed by relatively slowly, but I suppose that’s because my life has been stuck on fast-forward for so long. Saint and I have been listening in on the bugs I planted, but we haven’t learned anything new.
