Fighting Silence (On the Ropes #1)(54)

“See, clearly, you got confused somewhere.” I stepped forward, slamming a fist into his mouth. “That woman you just put your hands on has been mine since she took her first breath of air on this Earth.”

I threw a right he surprisingly dodged, but I followed it up with a quick left, knocking him to his ass. Then I lowered myself over him, assuming the same position he’d had on Flint. Grabbing his throat, I cut off his airway. His arms began to wildly seek out contact, but they only ended up sailing through the empty air. His eyes were bulging as he turned red.

“And last night, I finally claimed her once and for all. That date you went on was never about you. It was always about me. All you got was an angry woman trying to make me hurt. But make no mistake—every single time she looked at you, touched you, or even spoke to you, it was always”—I leaned in as close as I could get—“me!”

With that last word, I finished it. Punch after punch, I gave him tenfold anything he could have ever dished out. My vision tunneled as he went limp under me. His head flopped back and forth with every slam. Blood poured from his eyes and mouth, but I was physically unable to stop.

“That’s enough, Till. Come on.” Flint wrapped his arms around my shoulders pulling me backwards, but I kept going.

I couldn’t hit Derrick hard enough to give myself any kind of satisfaction. Not after I’d seen her like that. My arms continued flailing as Flint dragged me to my feet.

“She was always mine!” I roared at Bailey’s unconscious body. “Mine!” I landed a kick to his shoulder and a stomp to his stomach before Flint hauled me out of range.

“Fucking stop! You’re going to kill him!” he yelled, struggling to get me under control. “Goddammit, Till. Chill out and go take care of Eliza.”

At the mention of her name, the blinding rage began to ebb from my system. Eliza.

“Eliza?” I called when I didn’t see her in the corner anymore. “Doodle?” I yelled as Flint dropped his hands, finally convinced I wasn’t after that piece of shit, Bailey, anymore. “Eliza!”

Flint filled in the blank. “She’s in her room.”

I rushed down the hall to her room. Bile rose in my throat as I took in the mess around me. Holy shit. Her easel was broken and all of her art supplies were scattered across the floor. The table next to her bed was tipped over and several frames lay shattered on the ground. How the f*ck did I not hear this?

My eyes found her small body in the corner by her closet. Her knees were pulled to her chest, her head resting on top of them; her hands were muffling her ears. After walking over, I squatted down in front of her, careful not to touch her even though every fiber of my being was screaming for me to do just that.

“Eliza,” I whispered, and I heard her mumble something I couldn’t quite make out against her legs. “Huh?” I questioned.

She lifted her head to look at me. I tried really f*cking hard not to show any reaction to her injuries, but seeing her in that condition tore away a piece of me I would never be able to reclaim. It gutted me.

There was never a day I could remember where I hadn’t wanted to see Eliza. I used to wait on bated breath to catch just a single glance of her inky, blue eyes. However, I’d have given anything to be able to erase from my memory the way she looked in that moment. Her eyes were both already starting to swell shut, and a large, purple bruise covered almost one whole side of her face. Blood was pouring from a gash over her left eyebrow, and a split in her bottom lip sent more blood trickling down her chin.

“Did you kill him?”

“Don’t know, don’t care. Are you okay?” I brushed the hair away from her blood-soaked face.

Her only response was a simple shake of her head before she flew into my arms.

I scooped her off the ground and carried her to the bed. I had to bite my lip when I heard her painfully hiss a curse as I set her down. I battled with the overwhelming urge to finish what I’d started with Derrick, but that would have to wait.

“I’m gonna to get you some ice and something to clean up that cut, okay?”

She nodded.

As I began to walk away, I searched her battered body for somewhere to kiss but came up empty. I settled on her hand, pulling it to my mouth and pressing a reassuring kiss to her palm. It might not have done anything for her, but it sure as hell quelled a fire brewing inside me.

She’s okay.

I walked back into the room to find Flint leaning over Derrick. He appeared to still be unconscious, but anger once again swept through me.

“I think we need to call an ambulance.” Flint said with worry painting his face.

I shook my head and continued to the freezer.

“I’m serious, Till. He doesn’t sound good. His breathing is all gargled, and he’s not waking up.”

“I don’t give one f*ck if he dies on that floor. He dug his grave when he touched her. If he still has breath in his lungs right now, it’s too much.”

“You’ll get in trouble,” he pleaded.

But my mind was made up. I wasn’t lifting a single finger to help that piece of shit, not even if it were just to dial 911.

“What. The. Fuck?” boomed from the doorway.

I spun to find Slate’s wide eyes resting on Bailey. He hurried inside and knelt beside him.

“Flint, call nine-one-one. Now!” he shouted. “What the hell happened?”