Hanging On (Jessica Brodie Diaries #2)(30)

William looked at me with desperation. I could see every fiber of his being aching to help me. His look said he was bleeding on the inside from the thought of that animal touching me.

“Just go, William. It’ll be better that way. You don’t need to see it. Just go, my Apollo.” A tear leaked out of my eye as I looked on him for the last time. His perfect body. His poise and manly elegance. His radiant blue eyes, clouded now in misery.

He shook his head as a matching tear leaked from his eye. “No Jessica. I won’t leave you.”

“William there is no other way. Just go.” Resignation in my voice. Drinking in the sight of him.

William’s eyes dawned understanding at my suicide mission. Something broke in him. Something deep and hidden from the world. Something he didn’t know was there. I could see it happening. It was what broke in me the first time Dusty did this to me. It was what made this decision so practical this time around. Insanity was a strange weapon. A strange, uncontrollable weapon.

“Will,” Dusty said in boredom. “It’s gonna happen. Whether you want it ‘er not. Whether yer dead or not. I’m gonna get my dick inside this honey potter.”

I straightened up at that. William coiled again. He was looking at Dusty with a rage more ferocious than I have ever seen in any eye in the whole of my life. He took a step towards us. He looked down at me, emotion gone. I could see cold calculating in his eyes. It looked like he found his own personal bubble.

“Dusty, it ain’t gonna go down like this.” His voice was Texan ice. He took another step toward us.

Dusty took a step back and dragged me by the throat. The gun was firmly on my head, digging into my skin. I didn’t utter a sound. I didn’t want to distract William, who had now turned into Zeus.

“You wanna die, man?” Dusty yelled, fear in his voice.

“Yes. I will die. And if I am not mistaken, Jessica there will try to kill you, and probably kill herself in the process. So it looks like we are all ready to die tonight.”

“No one’s gotta die, man.”

“Someone will die, all right. Either you. Or me. You better aim true, Dusty, because if it ain’t a kill shot I will break your neck with my bare hands before you can squeeze off another round.” He prowled forward.

“Then I’ll aim for your girlfriend here.”

“You kill her and I will rip your face off your head. After I torture you. No one will come up here to find me until I want them to. And no one will be looking for you. I have the most powerful lawyers in the state. You kill her; I will get off scott-free.”

Dusty pressed the gun harder into my head, but I would not cry out. We were nearing the cliff, William still prowling forward, ready to spring. Dusty stepping back. I could tell Dusty was starting to tense for something. At first I thought it was to off me, because of the gun digging into my head. But then it loosened up, Dusty’s muscles starting to coil.

I uttered a small cry to get William’s attention. I stared at him hard, willing him to understand that this was about to go down, and he was the target. William gave me the briefest of glances, a whip flick of his eyes, then took another step forward. I had to do something to distract Dusty for a brief second to give William a fighting chance. Anything to put him out of harm’s way.

Just as Dusty was starting to make the move, the gun whipping around, I jerked my whole body backward and cried out. William sprang into motion as Dusty hesitated an instant before he flung the gun toward William, releasing ammo as he did so.

Too late. William was already in flight. One hand ripped me from my captor and tossed me away, the other grabbed Dusty’s gun hand, then his large body crashed on top of the smaller man. They fell dangerously close to the cliff, wrestling and bucking to get the gun.

William pinned Dusty’s gun hand to the ground and raised his body enough to smash his large fist into Dusty’s face. Dusty struggled to get out from under William and the two slid closer to the cliff. Before I could do anything to help I heard scuffling behind me.

The man William downed was moving toward the brush. His leg was at an awkward angle from his knee, his body probably in shock. Being that he had no discernible weapon, he wasn’t a problem. I turned my focus back to the scuffle.

I searched the ground for a weapon, settled on a big rock, and ran to help William. That short look away meant I missed some powerful blows to Dusty’s head, and the two men pivoted on the ledge. All it would take would be one shift for them both to go over.

“William, careful!” I cried.

Dusty was barely struggling with all William’s power landing punch after punch. He kept his hold on the gun, though, so William would not relent. As I ran to them I stepped on something that crunched beneath my foot. I looked down to see if it was something I could use. It was William’s now broken cell phone.

Fuck!

If I had only known it was there in the first place!

I sprinted to William, rock poised in the air, watching in horror as his large fist connected with Dusty’s face, over and over. His rage would not ebb.

I scooped the gun out of Dusty’s now limp hand. It was heavy, the grip rough on my palm. I pointed it at the ground, knowing Dusty was done. His face looked like a piece of uncooked steak.

Now the problem was the dangerously close cliff and the out-of-control William.

“William!” I screamed. “William stop!”