Damien pointed a small revolver at my chest. “Get up.” He nodded toward an eerily silent Lucca. “Get over there with the kid.”

Pushing to my hands and knees, I stood. My eyes never left Damien’s as I moved toward Lucca and stood in front of him, shielding his body with my own.

“Pick our son up and walk that way, Shelby Ray,” he commanded, gesturing towards the woods with the gun. When I didn’t move, his face twisted in anger. “Don’t make me ask you again.” His eyes cut to Lucca. “It won’t be you that I punish if you disobey me.”

I had two choices.

I could either listen to Damien’s orders or I could grab Lucca and make a run for it. Both were dangerous, but at that point, one was more likely to end in our deaths. Even as fast as I was, I couldn’t outrun a bullet. In my mind, the only option I had was to remain obedient and wait for the opportunity to strike while simultaneously praying like hell that Anthony or Hendrix found us.

Deep in my heart, I knew Damien wouldn’t stand a chance against either of them. They’d both tear him apart with their bare hands if need be. Hendrix, much as I loved him, had a temper to rival my own. If he found us, his mind would blank, and he’d charge.

Anthony though? Anthony was more calculated. Yeah, he had a temper, but he was more of a ‘think then act’ man. I doubted he’d run at Damien head on. Knowing him, he’d probably covertly attack before eradicating the bastard.

I only hoped they’d find us in time.

I’d purposely left the sliding glass door open so they’d see it and come running. I just hoped someone would see it sooner rather than later. But until one of them reached us, I had to handle Damien myself.

You can do this, Shelby. Protect yourself. Protect Lucca!

Lifting my little man into my arms, I turned my back to the gun, making sure to block his body with mine. The gun that Damien was holding was a .38. Thought it was still powerful—I mean, it was a gun for Christ’s sake—it didn’t have the stopping power of the .45 I kept in my truck’s dash. If it came down to it, I could probably take a few hits—as long as they weren’t in the head or heart—without dying right away.

“Walk,” Damien barked, becoming more agitated with each passing second. “Now!”

Wrapping my arms around a still silent Lucca, I took a step. Then I took another. Running my fingers up and down my sweet boy’s spine, I rested my chin on top of his head. “It’s going to be okay, baby.” I squeezed him harder. “Just be a good boy and stay quiet for me, little man.”

Curling his little fingers into my tank top, Lucca pressed his face into my chest. He didn’t make a sound; not a single peep. It was a miracle but looking back I know he was silent because he was scared to death. At that point, I still didn’t know how Damien had gotten his hands on him. I also didn’t know where Liam and Declan were or if they’d been hurt.

Please let them be okay.

When we made it a hundred or so yards past the tree line, Damien’s footsteps quickened. Within seconds he was standing directly behind me. I flinched when he jabbed the barrel of the gun into my lower back. “Turn around.”

Defiant, I pushed back. “Put the gun down, Damien.” It was probably stupid to demand anything from him, but I wasn’t about to turn around and put Lucca in the line of fire.

The gun dug deeper into my spine.

Damien’s hot breath ghosted over the back of my neck, and I had to force myself to remain still, his chest pressed against my shoulder blades and his free arm slipped around my belly. He spread his fingers, allowing his long digits to rest atop my scars.

The same scars he’d enjoyed inflicting.

Memories of the past threatened to rise, but I pushed them back.

Squaring my shoulders, I straightened my spine.

I will not freeze. I will not panic. I will NOT fucking cower.

His chuckled before pressing his lips to the back of my neck. “What did I tell you about disobeying me?” My stomach rolled, and bile rose into my throat at the slight contact. At one time I loved when he kissed me gently but not now. Now, all I wanted to do was slowly peel his lips away with a razor blade before poking his eyes out with a fork and setting his face on fire. “Seems to me, you’ve forgotten your place, my little pet.” Another kiss. “Seems you’ve forgotten all the rules.” His tongue peeked out, tasting my skin. I barely held back a gag. “Seems you’ve forgotten what it feels like to be punished by me.”

“No,” I replied, my voice quiet but steady. “I didn’t forget.”

The truth was, I doubted I’d ever forget. Even though I’d made progress the memory, the fear and the feelings of weakness would always be there, lurking beneath the surface. That didn’t mean I had to allow them to rule my life though.

Hugging Lucca tighter, I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer.

Please, let us survive this. If not me, please let my son live.

“How could I forget when my body still carries your scars?” He smiled against my neck. “Trust me, Damien”—I paused and took a breath; one which could quite possibly be my last—“I haven’t forgotten what a vile, disgusting monster you are.” His muscular chest tensed against my back and his arm tightened around my belly. “Just like I have forgotten what a cowardly bastard you are.”

Damien’s breathing escalated and I waited for the hit that I knew was likely coming.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three—

Wrapping my ponytail around his meaty fist, Damien jerked my head back, exposing my neck. Lucca cried out in fear as my entire body tensed. “You always were a mouthy little bitch. I thought I broke you of that little habit, but I see that I was wrong.” His teeth sank into my neck, and I clenched my jaw to keep from screaming out in pain. I flat out refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’d hurt me. “Or maybe it’s from all that time you’ve been spending fucking that damn guinea.” Another bite, this time harder. I felt my skin break, and I inhaled in an effort to fight the pain. “Tell me, Shelby, how does it feel to know that you’ve turned into a whore just like your mother?” He chuckled, low and deep. “How does it feel to know you’re the carbon copy of the person you hate most?”

My entire body began to shake. “I am nothing like her.”

“Yeah,” he said, licking the drops of blood dribbling down my neck. “How do you figure?”

My anger—my fucking rage—grew with each second that passed. “Because I would never willingly put my child in harm’s way.” I pressed my back into his chest; his fingers lightly traced over my belly in return. “And I would kill any person that ever tried to hurt them.”

Be brave, Shelby. Don’t cower!

“Just like I’m going to kill you.”

Damien stilled. “Just for that, I’m going to make this extra painful, beautiful.” He unwound his arm from my body, shifted his weight and pulled something out of his pants. My eyes slammed shut as the sound of a switchblade clicking open reached my ears.

No! Not again!

The blade pressed into the side of my throat.

“Ma-ma!” Lucca cried out.

Damien flicked the blade down, nicking my skin. The warmth of my blood slid down my flesh. “Make him shut up.” Another flick; more blood. “Or else I’ll slit his fucking throat.”

I pulled Lucca’s face into my chest, shielding his eyes from what was happening. “Shh, baby.”

Behind us, I heard the glass patio door that I’d exited from slide open. “Shelby!” Hendrix’s loud shout echoed off the trees surrounding us. “Shelby, damn it!” He continued to yell. “Where the hell are you?”

Damien tensed again before shoving me forward. I stumbled and unable to right my footing, fell to my knees. Lucca cried out, but I held him tight.

“Is that your boyfriend, Shelby?” Damien asked. “The one that I’m going to blow a hole through before the night is over with.”

My mouth twisted into a sadistic smile. “No,” I replied. “That’s my big brother. When he finds you, he’s going to rip you to pieces.” It was the truth. “That’s if Anthony doesn’t reach you first.”

Damien didn’t respond as his breathing grew more erratic.

Knowing that there were people—men—looking for me, he was beginning to panic. I wasn’t joking when I told Anthony that Damien wouldn’t stand up to another man. He’d never go toe to toe with someone who stood a fighting chance against him.

Like D-Boy, Damien was a pussy who preyed on vulnerable women.

Gathering all my courage, I pressed a single kiss to Lucca’s head. With Damien distracted and looking behind him, I gently laid Lucca on the ground. Pressing a finger to my lips, I beckoned for him to be quiet.

His chin wobbled, but he didn’t cry.

Looking back, I know it was a miracle. He should’ve been crying, should’ve been screaming, but he wasn’t. Placing my hand over his heart, I let its mighty beat wash through me. At that moment, there wasn’t a thing I wouldn’t do to ensure that it kept beating.

With tears in my eyes, I forced a smile. “I love you, sweet boy,” I whispered so quietly that only he could hear. “From now until forever, I love you, Lucca. Please don’t ever forget that.”

More shouting sounded from behind us. “Shelby!”

Anthony.

Lucca’s chin wobbled again. “Toe, Mama.”

“He’s coming, baby.” The first tear slipped free. “Toe is coming.”

“Shelby!” Maddie. “Please answer!” A second passed before she spoke again. Her panicked voice was like a shot of adrenaline straight to my heart. “Oh God!” she cried. “What if he took her?”

Her voice was louder, clearer than Hendrix and Anthony’s had been.

They’re getting closer.

Like the idiot that he was, Damien kept looking in the direction of the approaching voices. I looked over my shoulder and watched him. Needing to figure out the best way to attack, I studied his body position. The hand that held the small revolver was raised in the air, pointing toward the back of Grandmama’s house. His other hand, the one holding the switchblade, hung limply at his side.

“Sunshine!”

A twig snapped, leaves crunched.

At the sound, Damien pulled back the hammer on the revolver.

A second later, Maddie’s beautiful face came into view. Her sparkling green eyes locked on mine. “Shelby?” She asked in a questioning tone before moving her gaze to the left and finding Damien. She instantly blanched at the sight of him. Wide-eyed, she opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out.

Damien moved his arm and aimed the gun at her chest. His finger hovered over the trigger. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew he was smiling.

Maddie’s chin wobbled as she instinctively wrapped her arms around her swollen belly. Every protective instinct inside of me roared to life at the sight of her protecting her unborn child.

No! No way in hell will I allow him to hurt her.

It had been almost two years since Maddie found me—broken and bleeding—on of a country road in rural Alabama. She and Evan were on their way back to Toluca after attending a Domestic Violence conference in Mobile. After taking a wrong turn, they got lost thanks to the faulty GPS on Evan’s phone.

They hadn’t seen a house nor another car for ten minutes when they found me, six months pregnant and covered in blood, stumbling down the middle of the road.

Maddie didn’t have to stop that night. She didn’t have to stay with me at the hospital as the doctors stitched me up, and she didn’t have to bring me back home with her and help me heal—physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Three months later, she didn’t have to hold my hand through thirty-four hours of labor and the terrifying c-section that followed. She didn’t have to carry me through the darkness of postpartum depression, and she didn’t have to love my son like he was her own.

Yet, she’d done all of those things.

You have to protect her. Protect her baby!

Steeling my spine, my gaze met hers.

My moment had come… It was time to pay Maddie back for saving me. Now, it was my turn to save her. Screwing my lips up into a smile, I mouthed the words, I’ve got this.

My eyes moved back to Damien. Still looking at Maddie, he didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. “Hey there, princess,” he said to Maddie. “Looks like you showed up at the wrong—”

Without wasting another second, I charged.

Digging my feet into the soft ground, I pushed forward, gathering as much momentum as I possibly could. Just like I’d done with D-Boy, I braced my arms in front of me and prepared for the collision that I knew was coming.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Dropping my right shoulder, I leaned forward and slammed myself into Damien’s lower back.

Boom!

My shoulder popped on impact, and I flipped head over ass before coming to a sliding stop on the grass-covered ground. Something sharp dug into my side, and I groaned in agony as I rolled over to see what it was.

Gasping for breath, I slid my hand over my rib cage. Slipping my fingers through the torn material of my tank top, I tenderly touched my freshly torn flesh. Brows furrowed, I lifted my hand in front of me and stared at my blood coated fingers.

Oh, God!

“You fucking bitch!” Damien yelled, climbing to his feet. My eyes immediately flew to his hands, searching for any sign of the gun or switchblade.

Both of his hands were empty.

Pushing myself to my knees, I tried to get up. As my chest hovered over the grass, a flash of silver on the ground caught my eye. I smiled as I lowered my hand and wrapped my blood covered fingers around the handle of the knife I’d grabbed from Grandmama’s kitchen. I didn’t even stop to question how it’d gotten to where it was. I didn’t know if Damien had picked it up when I dropped it earlier and then dropped it again when I tackled him or what. Didn’t care either. The only thing that mattered was that I had something to defend myself with.

Lucca began to scream in fright as Damien made his way toward me. His face was red, and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. “You fucking whore, you’re going to—”

“Hendrix!” Maddie screamed again. “Anthony!” Running to Lucca, she scooped him up in her arms and stumbled backward before disappearing into the darkness that the woods provided.

Heavy footsteps sounded from behind me, and I knew help was on the way. Though I doubted they’d be able to find me right away. Damien and I were standing in a gulley, next to the creek. Maddie finding us had most likely been pure luck.

Once again, my angel came to the rescue.

Knowing that he was running out of time, Damien moved faster. With only five feet separating me from him, he cocked his arm back in preparation to punch me. His fist shook in anger and his face twisted into a mask of rage.

I will not run. I will not hide. I will not fucking cower!

Tightening my fingers around the handle of the knife, I released a blood-curdling scream. Damien, in turn, roared as he lunged at me. Raising my arm in the air, I swung the knife toward him with every ounce of force I could muster.

The blade met the soft flesh of Damien’s gut and sunk deep.

Wild-eyed, Damien dropped his arm and stumbled backward. Wrapping his hands around the handle of the knife, he coughed, before pulling it out and dropping it to the ground by his side.

“Shelby!” Anthony screamed. “Answer me!”

Damien’s eyes darkened until his pupils looked solid black. A drop of drool slid from the corner of his mouth as he stood there, completely silent, staring at me.

Finish this!

Spotting his gun out of the corner of my eye, I took a quick breath, pushed to my feet and lunged for it. Unstable and lightheaded from barreling into Damien, I fell to my knees before reaching it. Lying down on my belly, I stretched my arms out—ignoring the searing pain in my shoulder—and raked the gun toward me using the tips of my fingers. Catching a second wind, Damien started to move behind him. His footsteps weren’t as quick as before, but he was still coming for me.

Gun in hand, I rolled to my back. He was only five feet away when I pointed the barrel of the gun at his chest. Stopping mid-stride, he stared down at me with disbelieving eyes.

“Tony!” I screamed, pushing to my feet.

Damien made a noise that sounded like a mixture of a growl and a pain-filled moan. “You… Stupid…”

“Yeah, yeah,” I replied, waving the gun in the air for emphasis. “I’m a stupid whore, a stupid bitch”—I paused and sucked in a lungful of oxygen—“I’ve heard it all before!”

My side burned like someone had sliced open my skin and poured half a bottle of bleach into the wound. Still holding the gun, I wrapped my arm around my torso and gritted my teeth.

Angry tears began to stream down my face. “Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?” I screamed. “Why couldn’t you just let us go?”

Damien sneered. “I’ll die before I let you go.”

My hands shook. “You don’t have a choice.” Voice steady, I focused on his eyes. His dark, soulless eyes. “I don’t belong to you, Damien.” More shaking; more tears. “I never did.”

Swaying on his feet, Damien began to pale. “You’ll always be mine, you stupid bitch.” He smiled. “I marked you, I claimed you.” Tilting his head to the side, he stared at me with pure malice. “Only way you’re escaping me is if one of us dies.”

It was my turn to smile. “That can be arranged.”

Tossing his head back he laughed. Hard. “Save the bullshit! You don’t have it in you to kill me, Shelby Ray.” Licking his lower lip, he took a step forward. “If you were going to shoot me you already would’ve.”

I nodded toward his stomach. “Pretty sure I was the one who put that hole in your gut. What’s a few more?”

As if just realizing that I was the one to stab him, he reared back and screamed so loud my ears rang. “Yeah, and you’re going to fucking pay for it! Remember what happened the last time I had to discipline you?” Holding one hand over his stab wound, he pointed at me with the other. “Only mistake I made was letting the kid I put in you live.” Slamming his hand against his chest, he took another step forward. “I should’ve ripped him all the way out of your damn stomach. Then I should’ve slit your fucking throat for all the shit you caused me!”

At his words what little control I still possessed began to slip and the thread that was tethering me to sanity started to fray. This son of a bitch had tortured me for six years until I found the lady balls to fight back. Then, he held me down and raped me when I tried to leave. After that, he—with the help of my mother—hunted me down like a dog and tried to take my innocent baby away from me.

Enough is enough. It’s time for this nightmare to end.

“Your little boyfriend may throw me back in jail again, but I’ll be back, baby.” My chest fell and rose in rapid succession. “Mark my words, my little pet, when I come back, I’ll make you watch me cut our son’s heart out with the same knife that I used to mark your skin forever.” My grip on the gun tightened. “And then I’ll kill every person you love. Maddie, Hope, Clara”—he paused and licked his lower lip—“Anthony, Hendrix, your father, and that old bitch that you call Grandmama.”

Hearing him threaten my family’s life was the final straw.

It was evident that the son of a bitch had been stalking me.

Knowing that he’d been watching not only me but my family caused my control to snap, and my sanity to disappear. Rage took over as the need to protect, to defend, to fucking survive rose in my chest. “I won’t let you hurt them.” I took a step forward. “I won’t let you touch them!” My finger hovered over the trigger. “I won’t let them become your victims too!”

Damien smirked before running a blood covered hand down his face.

“Turning me into a victim was enough.” Another step. “I swear on my life I won’t allow you to do it to them.”

“Such brave words for such a scared little girl.” He leaned forward and spread his arms out at his sides, taunting me. “Tell me, Shelby Ray—how the fuck are you going to stop me?”

The world around me stilled as determination set in. “I’m going to keep the promise that I made myself two years ago.” Damien waited for me to continue. “I’m going to kill you, Damien.”

“Shelby!” Anthony screamed from somewhere close by. “Answer me!”

I ignored Anthony.

“You tried to destroy me. You tried to break me.” I smiled. “Well, guess what, Damien? I’ve got two words for you.” I paused. “You failed.”

Infuriated, Damien roared as he stepped toward me.

Unlike the other times, I didn’t back down. Nor did I retreat.

Never again.

“I’m done being your damned victim, Damien Black!” My head began to spin, but I forced myself to focus. “This. Ends. Now!”

With a yell loud enough to wake the dead, Damien lunged for me. It didn’t matter though. He wouldn’t ever get near me again.

Steadying my arms, I aimed the gun.

Exhaling, I pulled the trigger.

Pop!

Damon’s body jerked, but he didn’t fall.

Re-adjusting my aim, I pulled the trigger again.

Pop!

His mouth went slack, his brows furrowed.

It wasn’t enough.

It wouldn’t be enough until his heart ceased beating forever.

Another shot.

Pop!

Damien’s knees hit the ground as he began to struggle for breath.

I took three steps forward.

Blood trailed from his mouth; he began to pale.

Bending at the waist, I wrapped my free hand in his hair and jerked his head back, forcing him to look into my eyes. “I was seventeen the first time you hit me”—I paused, letting my words sink in—“I was twenty-two when you raped me.” My voice calm was calm and soft. “Six months after that you tried to take my son from me.”

A trickle of blood spilled over his lip before running down his chin and dropping to his chest. My shoulder was killing me, and my arms were shaking from holding the gun, but I wouldn’t back down.

I will not lose. Never again.

“Tonight you made the mistake of coming after us and pointing a gun at my best friend, sealing your fate.” I smiled. “Your biggest mistake was underestimating me.” Standing straight, I released his hair and raised the gun once more. “Burn in hell, Damien.”

Three more pulls of the trigger.

Pop, Pop, Pop!

Damien’s eyes slid closed before he fell to the side, landing on the grass-covered ground with a thud. I bent over and pressed my fingers to the side of his neck, feeling for a pulse.

He no longer had one.

Relief washed over me, and I dropped the gun to the ground before falling to my knees. Suddenly weak, my body swayed from side to side. Head spinning, I tried to focus on my surroundings but the world around me distorted.

“Shelby!” I turned my head to the sound of Anthony’s voice. I didn’t see him anywhere. “Maddie, show me where the hell she was!”

“Down there,” Maddie screamed in return. “By the creek.”

The sound of footsteps reached my ears. Someone was running toward me.

Please let it be, Tony.

Black bled into my field of vision. My body continued to sway, and I knew it would only be seconds before the darkness claimed me. Falling on my side, I looked in the direction Maddie had come from.

The sound of twigs snapping continued. “Shelby, baby!”

I opened my mouth to call his name, but the words wouldn’t come. My tongue was heavy, my mouth dry, my throat sore. Just as my eyes were about to slide closed, a tall figure emerged from the trees, running straight for me.

I smiled as Tony’s handsome face came into view.

Everything will be okay, I told myself. Anthony is here now.

My saving grace is here.

Sucking in a small breath, I closed my eyes, and let the blackness take me.