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Spinning, he clocked my face. But because I moved fast, he barely caught me. I didn’t feel the blow, too busy scrambling away. He took two steps, intent on chasing me, but his large body swayed. First to the left, and then to the right.

He stumbled. Pitched forward.

And then collapsed.

I jumped for the gun. Victory burst through me as I clutched it. Two shots in quick succession, and the man stopped breathing.

Markos came in while I was trying to push the man over. He didn’t move, didn’t rush to help me.

I flicked a glance at him, and with a final burst of strength, shoved the heap of stinking flesh over. And then I emptied the clip into his crotch until there was nothing left but a hole and torn flesh.

Chapter 33 – Markos

The organ in my chest pattered with a wild force. This was almost the nightmare I feared. I was crazy for my wife, falling more for her every damn day, and then...and then death nearly stole her away.

But I was in this now. My heart had come back to life. And while it beat, I would fight for her.

“Give me the gun, Serena,” I murmured, speaking low and gently. It was the exact opposite of what I wanted to do. This demonic sonofabitch was in a room with my wife and his pants were down. Horror swirled with anger. The heady concoction threatened to cause an explosion.

“Serena?” I took a tentative step forward.

She let out a shaky exhale, pushed a hand over her hair, and faced me. “I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

The relief was like the sudden and explosive birth of a star, radiating through my body and mind with overwhelming intensity. But even that bright feeling couldn’t chase away the black, toxic poison of anger.

Serena closed the distance and slapped the gun in the palm of my hand. I didn’t reach for her, not wanting her to feel the presence of my touch if she didn’t wish it.

“Can we leave?” She watched me with a steady gaze that seemed unnatural.

She’s probably in shock.

“Sure.” I motioned for her to step through the door.

Through the hole in the living room wall, the brush guard on the jeep could be seen, still decorated with the remnants from the building.

Serena was about to hop through the gap when she stopped and looked around the living room. “Where’s Iris?”

I didn’t want to hear that woman’s name again. I would kill her slowly, feed pieces of her to ravenous sharks for days on end! “She must have run when she realized I found you.”

Serena shook her head, scrubbing at her eyes in confusion. “Why would she flee?”

My heart ached for her. “Because she knew if she was discovered with the men she sold you too—”

“Wait, she sold me to these men?” Serena snapped. “I don’t think that’s what happened.”

“She’s gone.”

Serena jumped through the hole in the wall, went around the black pickup truck, and then hurried back. I opened the front door so she didn’t have to crawl back through the cinder blocks.

“Her car is still here and—” Serena moved across the room. “There’s only one body. Where’s the third guy?”

A third man? I palmed my weapon and crept back down the long hall. Serena hurried and tried to move past me, but I stuck out an arm to keep her back. The first two rooms were clear, but the third was locked. One good kick and it swung open.

Iris sprawled unmoving across the floor. Meanwhile, the man who’d drug her there was busy trying to escape. Jeans and boots flailed in the air as the man worked to squeeze himself through the high set window. He squealed, peeing himself when I gave his leg a tug.

Metal clanked against the glass. He attempted to aim his gun back at us. With a shout, realizing he could hit Serena, I jumped in front of the bullet’s path instead of lifting my own weapon.

A quick bang from outside, and the body went limp.