Duncan (The Protectors #3)(70)

“How does it feel to be humiliated, you bastard?” Pushing down hard one last time, he removed his foot. “Get up!” Duncan growled.

“She will never be yours,” Kenny grunted, spitting mud and blood. “I made damn sure she would never forget me. Every time you f*ck that bitch, it will be me she sees and fear she feels.”

Duncan grabbed him around the throat and lifted him in the air. “She is a strong woman and has already moved on.” Duncan squeezed harder, making him splutter and claw at his hand. “I will erase you from her memory. After this moment, you will never be thought of again. You will never hurt her again.”

Dropping Kenny to his feet, he turned him around pushing him up to the house and inside. Slamming the door with his foot, he smacked Kenny in the back of the head just like he knew Kenny had done to Pam.

“What are you doing?” Kenny tripped, catching himself.

Duncan didn’t say a word and dodged when Kenny came at him swinging. With one well-placed kick to the stomach, Kenny was down on the ground sucking air. “Making sure you never bring Pam pain again.” Duncan punched him again in the face, satisfied when one of his fangs broke.

“You broke my fang,” Kenny cried out, feeling it with his finger.

Duncan punched him on the other side of the mouth. When he didn’t break that one, he punched him again until it did. “I don’t have a file, or I’d file the f*cking things down to the gums.”

A black-hooded figure came in handing Duncan his cape. Duncan put it on lifting the hood over his head. He took the container, and then nodded at the other figure who turned and walked to the kerosene heater in the corner and lit it. Without looking their way, the hooded figure walked out of the room.

“What is that?” Kenny’s eyes filled with fear when the smell of kerosene filled the air. “What’s going on?”

Duncan grabbed him, throwing him to the couch and holding him there with his foot. “Don’t think I didn’t see the faded burn scars on Pam’s skin, you sick f*ck.” Duncan sprayed kerosene on Kenny, making sure he moved his foot.

“You can’t do this,” Kenny shouted, not looking so sure, the smug confidence finally disappearing off his face. “This is murder.”

“No,” Duncan replied, pulling his hood back so Kenny’s half-breed eyes could see his full-blooded Warrior eyes. “This is justice, the way the Warriors used to exert justice to rapists and anyone who hurt women.”

“No, please.” Kenny attempted to get up, but Duncan’s boot pushed him back down.

“How many times did Pam say those same exact words to you?” Duncan hissed.

Kenny stared at him in horror, realizing the position he was now in.

“That’s what I thought, you son of a bitch,” Duncan growled. “Any man who raises a hand against a woman deserves to die.”

Duncan lit the match with his fingernail, holding it up. “Have a nice sleep…in hell, you bastard.” Duncan flipped the match, watching with a morbid satisfaction as Kenny burned, taking all the evil he had ever done to Pam with him. “Fuck you!” Duncan spat, turned and walked out of the house, his hood up.

*****

Pam stood shuffling from foot to foot, her hands rubbing together. They had stopped on the wooded trail next to the river. Damon had caught up minutes before, but Duncan was still gone. A large boom sounded as the night sky lit up with flames.

She went to take off, but Jared, who still held Tessa, stopped her. “Wait.”

A shadowy figure appeared on the trail heading for them. When Jared let go of her arm, Pam took off, slipping and sliding in the mud. Without slowing, she jumped into Duncan’s arms, almost knocking him off balance, and held him tight.

“He will never hurt you again.” Duncan held her firmly, holding her to his chest and breathing in her scent, a scent he had feared never to experience again.

Pam, still wrapped around him, grasped his face in her hands. “Thank you.”

“I wish I could have prevented the first part.” He looked at the swelling in her face, anger blazing from his eyes. “And we are going to have a long talk about your little ‘adventure’.”

“How did you know where I was?”  Pam frowned.

“Nicole remembered you talking about this place. It was a long shot, but it paid off.” Duncan glared at her. “Don’t ever do anything like that again.”

A moment of guilt flickered through her eyes at his fear. “What happened?” Her eyes looked over his shoulder at the flames.

“It’s dangerous to fall asleep with a kerosene heater.” Duncan set her down, wrapping her in his cape.

“We need to get out of here.” Damon hurried past them as sirens blared in the distance.

Pam felt tears roll down her cheeks. She knew what he had done for her, and the last resistance on her heart broke away. “I love you.”

Duncan leaned down and kissed her. “I love you more.”

As the police and fire department screamed past, no one noticed the cloaked figures making their way through the woods along the river.

As they made their way quickly through the darkness, Pam reached deep into her pocket, pulled her ring out and placed it on her finger. Rightness settled over her.

“I understand why you took it off this time, but I don’t ever want it off your finger again.” Duncan kissed the top her head.