Page 111 of Like An Animal

“Do you need me to slow down?” I ask and she slowly shakes her head, even though I can tell she’s not used to moving around much. Her face is full of pain so I pull her behind me in the middle of the courtyard. Looking around, I see some men in blacked out gear, but they’re not one of The Fathers’ men. The hardware isn’t right.

Dropping Cheryl’s palm, I cup my hands around my mouth to project my voice and scream, “Jeremy!”

Maybe he’ll hear my voice if he’s close enough.

I call his name a few times before I finally hear a response.

“Bronwyn!” It’s not Jeremy’s voice though. No, but it is one I know. I scan the crowd until my gaze lands on Xavi, carrying a gun, sufficiently armed with a bulletproof vest over his shirt.

I grin when I see him and wave with both of my hands.

“Xavi!” A relieved smile pulls across his face as he heads toward me, but he’s cautious as he takes in his surroundings. He lifts his gun and fires off twice at two different masked men who had their guns aimed at him.

He waves me over and I grab Cheryl’s hand. “Come on. Xavi will take us to Jeremy.”

Her gaze is full of fear and caution, but she follows my instruction regardless.

We move into the walkway with the others trying to move away from all the flying bullets, mostly those held captive by The Fathers.

I make it ten feet from Xavi as he looks around for other shooters. Suddenly, I lose Cheryl’s hand and she tumbles to the floor with a scream before my hair is grabbed. My back slamsinto a chest as a blade is pressed to my throat, digging into my flesh.

I freeze as Xavi’s eyes narrow, aiming his gun at whoever has grabbed me.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, pretty boy. All I have to do is twitch and she’ll be lost to everyone.”

Isaac.

Xavi holds his aim, pointing it at Isaac, as he grabs a radio off his hip, lifting it to his face. “Jer, Bron is in the courtyard. Get here now. A dead man is holding her hostage.”

“Isaac, please, don’t hurt her!” Cheryl cries on her hands and knees.

“Aw, isn’t that sweet, darling? And to think you said blood doesn’t mean anything.” Then, Isaac runs his tongue up the side of my face and I cringe.

Gross.

Xavi’s eye twitches as tension sets in his jaw. “So, you’re Isaac? Just the man I was hoping to find.”

“Why yes, I am. And this…” Isaac runs the blade on the underside of my chin, tilting my head back. “…is my property. She always has been. She was supposed to become my wife four years ago, but…she ran off with my kid.”

I cackle and Xavi smirks, getting the joke Isaac is unaware of.

“What is so funny?” Isaac growls in my ear with irritation.

“Breaking news. It wasn’t your kid. A DNA test proved that. I didn’t have a kid that was yours or any other fucker that raped me. My child’s father is my husband, myrealhusband, not some disgusting pedophile with an unrealistic fantasy. One more thing… I will take great pleasure in watching him rip you apart, limb from limb.” I laugh like a damn psychopath because he deserves whatever Jeremy has planned for him ten times over. He deserves way worse than my devoted husband could do to him.

“You’re lying,” Isaac hisses in my ear.

“I have the paperwork to prove it, but I didn’t need it to know who got me pregnant. One look in those pretty brown eyes and I knew.”

Isaac tightens his arm around my waist in a way that is painful, putting pressure on my injured back door.

A groan of agony leaves my mouth as I squint from the discomfort.

“I’m going to leave you black and blue in places you never thought were possible when this is over, you filthy whore.”

“Get your hands off my fucking wife!”

Twenty men flank out behind Xavi as everyone in white moves against the far walls, trying to blend in. Then, Jeremy walks into view, a rifle in his hand, aimed directly at Isaac. The rage on his face is to be expected.