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No, Jace would die a painful death. Not just for nearly killing Savannah, but for the suffering he’d caused her and the cross she’d bear for the rest of her life. They’d need to deal with Jace quickly though. The gunshots and the ruckus they’d made had surely drawn attention. He didn’t need to ask Lach if he wanted a part in Jace’s demise. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the brute away.
Toth’s phone buzzed against his leg, and he adjusted his position to dig out the device. Rami’s number lit the screen. He swiped to answer.
“Where the fuck are you?” Rami demanded.
“Woods behind Jace’s place. I’ll send you the address.” He quickly disconnected and did as promised.
“You can’t run from me, baby,” said Jace with a sneer. Savannah’s grip tightened on Toth’s wrist. “Go head and kill me. I’ll just fuckin’ haunt your slutty ass—”
Wham!
Lach’s fist connected with Jace’s jaw, making his face bounce off the earth. “Shut up,” he growled. “You can’t haunt no one from hell you dumb fuck.”
Toth tightened his arm around her. “Can you stand?”
She nodded, but tremors took over her body and her teeth chattered. “I d-don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Shock.” Fury blazed inside him. He needed to deal with Jace. His internal scales wouldn’t be balanced until he unleashed himself. But first he had to see Sav to safety.
He picked her up, holding her to his chest. “I’m going to take her back to the house on the four-wheeler,” he said to Lach. “Rami will be there soon. Then I’ll come back.”
Lach shoved Jace’s face in the dirt. “Hear that? You and me will have some alone time.”
Toth carried Savannah to the four-wheeler and sat her on the seat, nestling in behind her. The positioning was tight and a little awkward, but he needed to ensure she stayed on the vehicle. The key was still in the ignition. He booted up the engine then turned and headed back toward the house on the trail. The screech of the motor split the air and the vehicle’s headlights illuminated their path. A few minutes later, the trees thinned and they broke from the woods into the yard. He steered the four-wheeler along the side of the house. Long, overgrown grass brushed against his legs as they whizzed by. Mosquitos and moths buzzed from their homes.
He stopped at the driveway and cut the engine. Scooting off, he gave Sav the whole seat and stood next to her. “You doing okay?”
She nodded slowly but rested her hands on his sides as if to hold herself up. Her face glowed in the yellow light produced by the four-wheeler’s beams.
Toth inhaled sharply as he stared at the damage Jace had done. “I hate that he fucking hit you.” Fury seeped from his pores as he brought his thumb to the swelling skin around her cheekbone and left eye. The injury was worse than he’d thought.
She tucked her chin. “He struck me a few times.”
Every muscle in his body bunched and he pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth so he didn’t go off the handle. “I’ll kill him,” he said, when he’d summoned more composure.
“He’s battling a lot of demons.” Her statement came out as a fact, void of emotion.
“I don’t give a fuck what he’s battling. That’s no reason to hit you.”
Her lips tilted up at the corners. “Well, in his defense, I hit him first.”
A spark of appreciation calmed him a little. “Yeah?”
“In the nose. And I hit him with the fire poker in the side of the head and the ribs—I think I might’ve broken a couple.”
He snorted out a chuckle and cupped her cheek with his palm. “Good. I’ll break the rest.”
She smiled and circled her hand around his wrist. “How’d you find me?”
“Couldn’t have done it without Sophia, Tess and Dare.” The statement came out gravelly because it was true. If he hadn’t asked for their help, he’d have been fucked and Sav would’ve died at Jace’s sick hands. He forced that thought from his mind. Couldn’t let himself go down that road or it’d be his undoing. “Sophia found out your dad had Jace put in jail on a possession charge.”
Confusion furrowed her brow. “My dad hates cops.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, well, he probably hated Jace more. Brett was working for Jace, you know that, and Wendell, the guy who was killed in your dad’s office, was Jace’s cellmate. So he had a little team.”
A niggle of unease rolled in her gut at the mention of Wendell. She’d never killed anyone before, but had she not pulled that trigger her dad surely wouldn’t have survived. She pushed Wendell from her mind and her brain worked as the rest of the pieces fell into place.
“Don’t forget Mark,” she added. “He and Brett were friends, so I guess that’s where he came in.”