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“I’ve got the nurse bitch,” he yells. “Bring me my fucking kid, or I’ll kill her.”

Reaper appears about ten feet away. He holds up his hands and takes a step forward, showing he’s unarmed. I don’t know where he hid his gun or if he threw it away. He was my only hope, and now, that’s gone, too.

“Let her go. You can have me instead,” Reaper says.

The sheriff raises his free arm and shoots Reaper in the chest. I scream. Reaper clutches his chest with both hands and falls to the ground. When he doesn’t get up, I lose it. I jerk out of the sheriff’s grasp and try to run to Reaper. The sheriff grabs me by my hair and drags me toward the house.

“No! You have to call an ambulance!” I scream.

“He had that coming. And you’re next if you don’t give me my fucking kid.”

“Max is safe. I’m not telling you where he is. You’re a monster. You should be locked up for what you did to him.”

He releases my hair, tossing me to the ground. When I try to stand, he backhands me so hard my vision goes hazy. I try to recover enough to run, but he grabs my arm and hauls me toward the house. When we get inside, he shoves me against the wall and wraps his hand around my throat.

“Where is he?” he demands, squeezing my neck, making it harder and harder to breathe.

“I’ll … never … tell … you.”

“Bitch!” He punches my jaw so hard I’m afraid it’s broken. My whole face throbs with pain, unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I crumble to the ground, unable to do anything but curl into a ball.

“Where is he?” he bellows before kicking me in the ribs.

Something cracks, and suddenly, it’s hard to breathe again. I gasp for air, but a sickening, wheezing sound fills the room. I’m going to die. I know it. No one is going to save me. I’m not telling this bastard where to find Max. I’d rather die than ever let this freak get his hands on his son again.

“Where?” he yells.

His foot is poised to kick me again when the front door slams open, and Scar walks in. He’s pointing a gun at the sheriff and looks ready to kill until he spots me. He hesitates for a split second, and that’s all the time the sheriff needs to drag me up and use me as a human shield. Scar can’t shoot him without hitting me. It’s impossible. And now we’re both going to die.

Chapter 22: Scar

My arm shakes with a mixture of rage and fear. Sheriff Curtis is holding her in front of him, so I don’t have a clear shot. I can’t risk hurting Julia any worse than she already is. Her right eye is swollen shut. Her jaw is turning a lurid shade of purple. She’s gasping for breath and trying to grab her ribs with her hands, but he’s holding her too tightly. I’m going to fucking kill him.

“Let her go, and I’ll make your death quick,” I snarl.

“You think you’re above the law.” He smirks. “You’re not. I’m the fucking law around here, and I want my fucking kid. Bring him to me right now, or I’ll shoot your bitch.”

When my muscles go rigid, he narrows his gaze at me.

“I know all about you and this whore. Didn’t peg her as the type to spread her legs for a thug, but you never know about bitches these days. Nina’s like that, too. I’d love to get my hands on that cunt and show her what a real man can do. She should have come to me for justice when her old man died, but instead she—”

“Justice?” I tighten my grip on the gun. “Winchester died in a bike accident … Unless it wasn’t an accident.”

“Wouldn’t know.” Curtis sneers, and a sick feeling sends my stomach plunging through the floor. Rage coils in my gut. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to rush him.

“Who did it?” I demand. “Who wanted him dead?”

“Who didn’t? He made a lot of very powerful people mad.”

Julia whimpers, interrupting him.

“Shut the fuck up. I just want my son. You could have given him to me, and I wouldn’t have had to hurt you. But you’re one stubborn bitch.”

“Let her go.”

“Not a fucking chance. I can’t believe you actually care about someone other than yourself. But I can see it. It’s in your eyes. Blackstone told me you didn’t have a soul anymore. He said he broke you, and I believed him. Now I can see that’s not true.”

“Blackstone?” I step forward, unable to contain the rage that rises every time I hear his name. When he shoves the gun against Julia’s temple, I freeze.