Page 39 of When He Fights (Protector & Defender #3)

The shout had come from Tyler. Tyler who had trailed Kane into the house. “Kane, step back!” Tyler roared. “I’ve got my weapon on him. Get back! We’re taking him into custody.”

Ah, that was Tyler. The Boy Scout. True blue until the end.

Blood dripped from Kane’s knife and hit the floor. Logan was still crouched a few feet from the front door. Blood pooled beneath him because that was what happened when your Achilles tendon was severed. A brutal attack to take down prey.

You’re not running away. You’re not getting away at all this time.

Kane’s grip tightened on the knife.

But Tyler’s left hand grabbed Kane’s shoulder. “I said get back. That’s an order from a US Marshal. We’re taking the perp into custody.”

And there, on the floor, with blood all around him, Logan began to laugh. “I’ll get out!” he yelled.

Ana climbed to her feet. Something twisted in her hands.

“I’ll get out again, and I’ll keep coming.” Logan’s hand darted down his body. Went toward his boot.

Do it, bastard. Kane would bet his life that the sonofabitch had a knife in that boot.

Do it. Reach for whatever weapon you have. I’ll end you and have a perfect self-defense claim. Do. It.

Kane waited. Waited…

“Kane,” Tyler warned. “Don’t?—”

Logan let out a guttural cry. He leapt up, putting his weight on his left foot, not the useless right, and he brought up a small knife. A small and squat knife with a fat, thick, sharp blade, and the bastard shoved it toward Kane.

But Ana jumped on Logan. She threw her body on top of his before he could get to Kane. And she wrapped— what the hell?— she wrapped harp strings around Logan’s throat and tightened her grip on them—on him—with all of her might.

Logan’s tongue jerked out. His face purpled. He grabbed at the strings and clawed at his throat.

“Ana!” Tyler’s roar. “Ana!”

Logan dropped the knife. He drove his elbows back, and he hit Ana. He shoved back his whole body and slammed her into the door.

Her grip slackened on the strings.

But Kane was there. He’d leapt forward the instant that Logan had pulled his elbows back to hit Ana. He wrenched the prick forward.

The harp strings fell to the floor, and Kane proceeded to pound the ever-loving-hell out of the bastard who’d turned Ana’s world into a nightmare. Over and over, his fists connected with the creep. Logan’s face. His chest. His already bleeding stomach.

Down, down the former mob enforcer went.

And as he hit Logan, Kane saw?—

Ana, in a cheap motel room, with blood soaking her side.

Ana, terrified near a shark tank. Eyes wide. Lips trembling.

Ana, near the ambulance as smoke billowed from the dojo. She’d reached for Kane ? —

She reached for him right then. Right there. Her fingers skimmed over his back. “Kane.”

His fist froze mid-air.

“We’re clear in here,” Tyler barked. “Stand down, Kane. Stand the hell down, Marine. That’s an order!”

Kane blinked. He…wasn’t a Marine. Not any longer.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

Tyler had kicked away the knives—Kane’s knife. Logan’s knife.

Logan was out cold.

So much blood.

“Gonna need an ambulance,” Tyler said. He had a transmitter in his ear, too. They all did.

“Suspect is down,” Tyler snapped.

Kane’s gaze collided with Tyler’s.

“Suspect is down,” Tyler repeated. He exhaled. His voice softened as he added, “I’ve got him, Kane. It’s done.”

It wasn’t done. Logan was still breathing.

But Ana threw her body against Kane’s. She wrapped her arms around him. She held him as if her life depended on the embrace. She’d just seen him beat Logan again and again, and she was hugging him after what he’d done?

“You saved me. You protected me.”

Kane blinked. He pulled back. Frowned down at her. Shit. I was talking out loud.

“I would have killed him for you in a heartbeat,” she whispered. “I understand. I understand. I love you, and we don’t have to cross this line. He’s done. Done. ”

The front door flew open. Almost slammed into Logan’s crumpled form.

“Damn!” A sharp exclamation from Gray. “Someone played hard.”

Kane just grunted. As if he knew any other way to play.

“Who needs medical treatment?” Gray demanded.

Only the man on the floor.

Gray checked Logan for weapons. He signaled for the paramedics. They rushed inside, even as Ana kept holding tightly to Kane, and he kept holding just as tightly to her.

When the paramedics touched Logan, his eyes flew open. He jerked upright. Only for Gray to shove him right back down. “Oh, yes, we will be restraining your ass,” he swore.

Logan’s wild eyes whipped around the room. Landed on Ana. Ana held in Kane’s embrace. “I’ll get out!” Blood poured from his busted lips. “I’ll get out again. Should have…should have ended me…I’ll come back…I’ll?—”

“Hey, asshole.” Gray’s calm voice.

Logan’s attention jumped to him.

“My team says they found your fingerprints in the abandoned truck. Fingerprints. DNA. All kinds of delightful pieces of evidence in the stolen vehicle. Come on, you remember the truck I’m talking about—it had a dead body inside?

You know, the man you killed? The dead guy littered with the bullets that will probably match those in the gun you used here? ”

A gun that had already been bagged and tagged as evidence.

“Got a fun fact for you.” Gray nodded grimly. “Mississippi has the death penalty. Think you’ll get it at the trial? My money says you will. You’re also going to be placed in one nightmare of a prison. No psych transfers for you. Just a fast trip to your own, private hell.”

Logan’s mouth dropped open. Blood-soaked. Beaten. He tried to surge up—on his one good foot.

Kane shoved Ana behind him.

But Gray was the one who slammed his fist into Logan’s jaw and sent him slumping right back down to the bloody floor.

“Let’s get some restraints here, people!

” Gray blasted. But, Kane caught it when, voice lowering, Gray growled to Logan, “That was for shooting Emerson, you prick. Just so you know, I’m not even close to being done with you. ”