Heart pounding, I put myself between Evan and Sheila. He and Jeremy might be identical twins, but their mannerisms, the way they move, the aura they project to the world is completely different. Jeremy is laid back and relaxed. Everything Evan does has a predatory, threatening grace. Still, the resemblance between the two is strong enough to throw me off guard.

I keep my eyes locked on his, the one feature that doesn’t look just like his brother, that serves as a reminder that they’re two completely different people.

I’d feel better if Evan’s weren’t burning with madness and desperation.

Every instinct I possess tells me that he’s been pushed right to the edge. That he’s fighting for survival and that he’ll do everything in his power to get exactly what he wants.

And I’m in his way.

Moving with the speed of a striking snake, Evan puts himself between me and the door, cutting off my one means of escape. Heart pounding, I roll my eyes to the other side of the kitchen, trying to figure out the most likely position for a back door.

“Well, Caitlin?” Evan presses. “I asked you a question.”

I doubt Evan has ever had a woman stand up to him. Maybe if I do, he’ll be so surprised he’ll let his guard down, giving me and Sheila, assuming she comes, a chance to escape.

I square my shoulders and straighten to my full height. “Did you hit Sheila?”

“So what if I did? She deserved it. And it’s not any of your business. It’s a private matter between me and my wife.”

Fury unfurls inside of me. I try to stamp it down. The last thing I need is to get so angry that I make a foolish mistake.

“No one deserves it,” I hiss between clenched teeth. “I’m going to drive Sheila down to the police station, so she can file domestic assault charges against you.”

Evan laughs. “Is that so?”

I tilt my chin defiantly. “Yes.”

“And just why would you want to do such a thing? Aren’t you supposed to be at home, like a good little wife, waiting for my brother to get there and fuck you until the two of you finally manage to make a baby? After all, isn’t that what this whole marriage sham is all about? Fulfilling the terms of my father’s will so that he can gain those all-so-important shares in the company that are up for grabs? If the two of you don’t get a move on things, Sheila and I will beat you to the punch.”

His cold, crazy gaze flicks to Sheila. “Won’t we, darling?”

Sheila doesn’t make a sound, but I sense her cringing away from his stare.

Unimpressed with her, Evan redirects his attention back to me. His gaze slides down my body. “Oh!” He floats a brow. His hands clench into fists. “Then again, it looks like you and my brother don’t have to worry about all the fucking around. Seems his seed has already borne fruit.”

I look down and realize my arm has curled protectively around my lower body, instinctively protecting the child nestled there.

Sheila squeaks, and the sound makes my gaze snap upward. Evan stalks close to us. Fury blazes in his brilliant blue eyes.

“I’m disappointed in you, Caitlin. Everyone keeps telling me that you’re a bright girl. They keep saying that Jeremy got lucky when he found you, but coming here today, that was a very stupid thing to do.”

Without taking my eyes off him, I step sideways, moving toward the doorway that leads to the interior of the house. I don’t know what he intends to do to me, but I’m not his passive wife. I have no intention of just standing here and taking whatever he dishes out.

“I did warn Jeremy,” Evan says as he takes yet another step closer. “I very specifically told him that I’d do whatever it takes to win this baby race. He knew, I told him, that I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure my child is born before his. He listened. Pity you didn’t do the same.”

Sheila screams as he lunges for me. Not daring to waste breath on a scream of my own, I spin and dart to the left. The soles of my shoes slap against the linoleum as I run faster than I’ve ever run before.

But I’m not fast enough.

Before I can get clear of the kitchen and into the much larger living room. Evan’s hand catches hold of my shoulder, his fingers biting through the muscle until they bruise the bone. He uses his grip to yank me backwards and off my feet. My ass and shoulders hit the ground with a teeth-rattling crash. Less than a second later, my head connects with both the floor and a table leg.

Stars and other bright lights dance before my eyes as darkness fills the edges of my vision. I fight to keep my eyes open rather than give in to the blackness that beckons me.

Someone screams—I think it’s me—as Evan lifts a foot and aims a kick in the direction of my stomach. I realize he wants to hurt both me and the baby.

I twist my body at the last moment, and his foot connects with my hip instead of my stomach. I feel the force of the blow throughout my entire body. Squirming desperately on the floor, I try to shove chairs out of the way, to move them enough to edge my way under the table.

Evan aims another kick in my direction. This one lands directly on my kidneys. I scream again as bile rises in my stomach and the intense pain from the unexpected blow rocks me. Each blow is taking too much of my energy, robbing me of my ability to fight back, to protect myself.

With my strength ebbing fast, I make one last, desperate attempt to get beneath the table. I sense Evan preparing for a third kick. I hear another scream mixing with my own. Sheila’s.

And then the sound of a body hitting the ground with a heavy thud that shakes the house.