I’m out the door of the firm the second I get the call from the detective. Yeah, they might be sending people to watch the building, but I don’t give a fuck. Jenna’s mine, and nobody can protect her the way I can.

That motherfucker.

I know he killed John. He’s been serving clients for the firm for years. He’s a great guy, family man, has three kids. Dead, because of this piece of shit, worthless prick. Weston chases after me, clearly alerted by my reaction, but I hop in the Lexus before he can get to me and haul ass out of the parking lot in a cloud of smoke.

The detective said he spoke with Jenna and she was fine. The apartment isn’t far from the firm, but my blood boils with every second that passes. I don’t have a fucking gun in my car. They’re all locked in my safe in my bedroom.

I just want to get there and hold her in my arms. She has to be so scared right now.

The tires squeal on the pavement when I slide into my parking spot and I’m through the front door. Our usual security guy isn’t there, which is really odd. I have to punch in my code.

When I make it through the door, I take a glance over the counter. He’s on the floor with blood dripping from his temple. He wasn’t shot, it just looks like he was pistol whipped.

Fuck!

I hop over really quick and check for a pulse. He has one.

I dial 911 on my way up the stairs. “Get an ambulance here, fast.”

I rattle off the address, hang up, and stare at the elevator and the stairs. I have no clue which way he would take her. I’d think he’d want to be inconspicuous after just knocking the guy unconscious at the front. There’s a rear exit out of the stairwell. The door only goes one way.

I just have to pray that he hasn’t gotten Jenna out of the building yet.

I take the stairs two at a time, practically running, but staring up and listening for echoes. When I get to my floor, I ease the door open slowly. How the hell did he even get through the front door?

Jenna told me how manipulative he is. Who knows, he may have faked an emergency. Jim had all the information about Leonard—pictures, height, weight. Maybe he wore a disguise? Jim’s not a cop, I guess. I’ll get answers about it all later. Right now, there’s only one word racing through my mind.

Jenna.

I peer around and don’t see anything happening.

I step inside and head toward my apartment. There are two entrances to my place, so I head toward the front to see if I can listen in. The last thing I want to do is get her killed by announcing my presence. I have to stay calm, despite the fact my hands are squeezed into tight fists and my face has to be blood-red.

Jenna is mine.

I just got her back.

I’ll be goddamned if I lose her forever to this psycho.

When I get to the door there’s no sign of forced entry, but the door is cracked a little. I hear voices in the front room. It hits me.

If he swiped Jim’s keys he’d have access to the apartment. How could I have been so stupid? I should’ve paid for extra security. I should’ve been more careful.

If I lose her it’ll be all my fault.

I push those thoughts deep down inside. They won’t help me right now.

I have to be calm and in control of the situation. Losing my shit won’t save her. Being smarter than that cocksucker will. It’s hard to tell myself this when every second is another bit of time he has to kill the love of my life.

I ease through the back door and into the guest bedroom. The voices grow louder. I try to get closer to assess the situation.

When I get to the kitchen and peer around the corner I can see and hear everything. Jenna sits in a chair in the middle of the room clutching her face while he paces back and forth with a gun in his hand.

“You think you can play me?” He tilts her chin up to him with the barrel of the gun and laughs right in her face. “You’re nothing, Jenna. You’re shit, and you’ll always be shit. Your own father sold you to me because you’re worthless.”

“Please, just stop. I’ll do whatever you want. I can get you money. Please.”

He laughs again and heat rushes to my face. I’m going to kill the fuck out of this guy. He’s going to pay for every ounce of fear he’s put into her. It doesn’t look like he’s going to kill her right now. This is his game. He wants to see her suffer.

“This is a nice place you have with your rich-ass boyfriend. I didn’t think you’d have the balls to cheat on me.”

“It wasn’t cheating. We were never together.”

“Got that right. Your pussy was more worthless than your brain.”

“What are you going to do, Leonard? You killed a man. You’re holding me hostage.”

Goddamn, I wish she’d stop talking. She’s going to say something that pisses him off and there’s no telling what he’ll do.

“Just making you sweat it out. We’ll be leaving soon, and you’ll be getting me my goddamn money. I always have a plan, baby. That’s what smart people do.”

“I’ll get you whatever you want. Just please, let me go.”

I have to do something before he makes a move. I crouch down and make my way over behind the island in the kitchen about ten feet away from them.

I lean my head out to look around the corner of the cabinets right when he smacks her across the face.

He covers her mouth right when she tries to cry out and the muffled scream lands in his palm.

Fuck this.

I get on the balls of my feet, ready to charge after him when my phone goes off loud as fuck.

Motherfucker!

Weston’s face pops up on the screen. The ringtone blares through the room.

“Ohh, the boyfriend is here. Come on out, Mr. Hunter.”

I stand up.

He trains the gun right on me.

I glare back at him. “I’m going to kill you with that.”

He laughs. “That so?”

I have to be in control of this shit. Distract him long enough for Jenna to make a run for the door. She’s not tied up. I’ll take a bullet for her. I’ll do anything for her.

“Goddamn right it is. Right after I take this phone call.”

He waves the gun around, grinning. I don’t look at Jenna. I don’t want to do anything that’ll make him do something crazy. This has to be unemotional until it’s over. If being in a courtroom has taught me anything, it’s that.

“You’re a cocky motherfucker. It might be admirable if I wasn’t about to blow your fucking head off.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard worse threats on a Tuesday. And they all end up getting fucked in prison. Hope that’s your thing.” I take my phone out and decline Weston’s call. I don’t even look up at Leonard. My heart thumps a million-miles-an-hour in my chest, but I know what I’m doing. Reading people is my job. It’s what made me rich. I just have to trust my instincts.

The lamps behind him in the living room are connected to my phone. I pull up the app and take a silent breath. The seconds slow down to minutes. I press the button.

Chaos.

That’s what follows.

It all happens so fast, I don’t even know if I’m in control of my body. At the same time everything halts like we’re in slow motion. Nothing but raw, primal evolution takes over. Fight or flight, and I’m not much of a flyer.

Leonard turns his head when the lights click on behind him. I plant on my back foot and explode off it. His head slowly turns to the lights and it’s like his brain clicks on and he realizes what’s happening.

Fuck trying to rationalize with this guy. I don’t negotiate with anyone who wants to kill the woman I care about. It’s them or me, and they’re the one that’s going to die.

He tries to turn back around, and the barrel of the gun hovers in Jenna’s direction. I dive for him like I’m back in high school playing football. A perfect form tackle.

My right hand smashes into his forearm and jars it backward. A loud boom sounds through the room and the bullet slams into the drywall.

I keep my momentum moving through him. I’m bigger, but not by much. My shoulders crash into his stomach and I try to drive him through the fucking wall.

Jenna screams.

It echoes through the room. It almost sounds deep like her voice has been slowed down on a record player.

The gun falls to the floor and I hammer Leonard through the huge television and entertainment center. My whole body flies into him and we both crash. There’s an explosion of glass shards and plastic.

He wheezes underneath me from where I knocked all the air out of his lungs, and I come up onto my knees, all in one smooth motion. I have his shoulders pinned down and my fists rain down on his face with right and lefts from the sky.

The bones in his face crunch against my knuckles and I don’t feel anything but adrenaline-fueled rage.

I can’t stop hitting him, even after he goes limp.

After ten or fifteen hard punches in a matter of seconds, a pair of hands grip me and yank backward. Small, petite hands that have to be Jenna’s.

My body naturally reacts, and I whip around with my fists still in the air until I see her face.

She’s okay.

She’s safe.

Blood covers my face, but I know it’s Leonard’s from the onslaught of blows I landed. Blood oozes from his nose and mouth.

I jump to my feet and wrap Jenna in my arms and hold her close. She cries into my shoulder, the tears soaking my shirt. I cup her head in my hand. I can’t let go of her. Ever.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She cries the words over and over.

I hold her out at arm’s length. “No. No more.”

“No more what?” She sniffles.

“No more apologies for that piece of shit. It’s not your fault.” I stare around the room. I want this asshole tied up until the cops get here. He’s not going anywhere. I’ve seen enough movies to know him lying there not moving isn’t good enough. “Get the gun. I’m tying him up.” I sprint to the closet where I think there’s some rope or a belt or something.

Right when my hand hits the handle I hear it.

Boom!

Boom!

Over and over. My ears ring and I can’t hear anything after the second one, but I can feel the shockwaves.

I spin around.

Jenna’s standing there, the gun smoking while she empties the entire magazine of lead straight into his chest.

She pulls the trigger three or four times after it’s spent. It just keeps clicking and clicking. She’s screaming and crying. I’m not even sure if she’s using real words. I can’t make them out at first while my ears still adjust.

I haul ass over to her.

She screams at him the entire time as I grab her by the shoulders. “You motherfucker! I hate you! I hate you! You stole my life from me! I hate you!”

When I spin her around so she doesn’t look at him anymore, she drops the gun at her feet and starts apologizing over and over. She cries in my arms.

“What did I do? Jax? Oh my God, what did I do?”

“Nothing.” I stroke her hair. “You did nothing wrong. It’s okay. I promise.”

She shakes her head. “I just wanted him gone. I didn’t want to worry about him the rest of my life. I’d have nightmares, even if he was in jail. I’d never know—”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I’m going to go to prison. I’m going to—”

I kiss her as hard as I can. A kiss that tells her everything is going to be fine. That she did nothing wrong. A kiss that’s a promise to protect her always, and that she’ll always be safe in my arms.

When our lips finally part, I cup her cheeks in my hands. “It’s going to be fine. I’ll take care of this.”

“How?”

“Just do everything I say. We don’t have much time.”

“What? How? What?”

“Jenna?” I give her a quick little shake because I need her alert and not rattled for the next five minutes.

“Yeah?”

“I’m the best fucking attorney in Dallas. It was self-defense. We will fix this. Nothing will happen to you.”

She nods, the tears still flowing down her cheeks. “Okay.”

I grip both of her wrists and hold them in front of me. “We got this.”