JAXON “I’m going to get you, silly bitch. You’re a fucking…” I grab him by his collar, and my fist shuts pound into his face. The crack of his nose breaking under my knuckles is the most satisfying sound I’ve ever heard. He goes down hard, blood spraying across Sarah’s tiled, and I’m on him before either of us can even process what happened. I grab his collar once more, haul him up, hit him again. His head snaps back. More blood splatters all over. My hands, my face. The unlucky motherfucker has given me one more chance to satisfy my bloodlust. I am determined to hold on to this opportunity no matter what. “You put your hands on her?” I hear myself roaring. “You fucking touched her?” He tries to say something, and don’t care. I hit him again. And again. On his cheekbone, his stupid ass jaw, rather useless mouth. Fuck it. I should carve out his fucking tongue! “Jaxon, stop!” Sarah’s scream echoes from the background. “Stop, you’re going to kill him!” Oh, I better do. I slam him back against her desk. Papers and pens go flying. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” I send my knees flying up to his stomach. He coughs blood all over my shirt. I slap him across the face. He spits blood, accompanied by a tooth. His heavy breathing slows down as he muffles some words. “I…I wasn’t trying to…” “Shut your bitch ass up!” This punch goes to his gut. He doubles over, making this wet choking sound, and I should stop. I know I should stop. But I can’t. All I can see is Sarah’s face. The fear in her eyes. The way she was shaking. He did that. He scared her. He put his hands on her.Only the heavens know what other fucked up things he tried to do to her. “Jaxon, please!” Sarah’s pulling at my arm now. “Please, stop. He’s not worth it.” She’s right. He’s not. But my fist doesn’t seem to give a fuck. It only cares about making him hurt the way he hurt her. That’s a lie. I want to hurt him more, far more. I let him drop to the floor, and he immediately starts crawling away. Like a pathetic scared snake. Why am I even surprised? I follow him. Grab the back of his suit and pull him back towards me. “Just where do you think you’re going?” “No…please…” He’s begging now, words slurring through broken teeth. “Please, I’m sorry…” “Sorry?” I flip him over, and straddle him. “You’re sorry?” I hit him again. His head bounces off the floor. “Jaxon!” Sarah screams. I hear other voices now, accompanied by quick and heavy footsteps. “Someone stop him!” “Call security!” “Oh my God…” They’re going to have to try harder than that. Hell will freeze over, and it still won’t be able to pry him away from my hands. Julian tries to shield his face with his arms, so I go for his ribs instead. When I feel him crack under my fist, he screams. “This is what happens,” I tell him, and I barely recognize my own voice. “When you touch what’s mine.” Another hit. His arm this time. He tries to curl into a ball, to protect himself from me, but there’s nowhere to run. Whatever thin thread that held my patience finally snaps. “Please…” Tears rush down his blood-stricken face. “I’m sorry…just stop.” “So you’re a predator and a fucking bitch. A pretty disgusting combo if you ask me.” I crash my forehead into his. I’m surprised he still has the strength to scream. Or is it him? “Jax, stop! Please!” Sarah’s voice is breaking. “You’re scaring me!” I freeze, fist raised, breathing hard. Then slowly turn to look at her. Sarah is standing just behind me , and there are tears on her face. My throat runs dry, heavy. “Baby—” “Security!” someone shouts. Heavy footsteps. Then hands on my shoulders, my arms, pulling me back. I let them. Or try to. But my body doesn’t want to move. It takes three security guards to pull me off him. Three grown men dragging me backward while I fight against them. “Let me go!” I’m still trying to get to him. “I’m not done…” “Sir, you need to calm down…” “Calm down?” I laugh, and it sounds unhinged even to me. “He assaulted her! He tried to…” I can’t bring myself to form the words. Julian is on the floor, not moving except for the rise and fall of his chest. There’s blood everywhere. His face is unrecognizable. Swollen, split open in multiple places. Good. “Jaxon.” Sarah’s in front of me now, hands on my face. “Jaxon, look at me.” I focus on her eyes. Brown and warm and scared. “I’m okay,” she says firmly. Her hands come up to caress my cheeks. “I’m okay. You need to calm down. Please.” “He touched you. Where did he hurt you?” “He didn’t,” she shakes her head.“I handled it before he could do anything else, kneed him in the balls. I was going to be okay.” I fight hard to steady my breathing. “If I wasn’t here…there’s no one on this floor…it’s not enough.” “It has to be enough.” Her hands are still on my face, grounding me. “Because if you kill him, you go to prison. And I need you. Our babies need you. So you have to stop. You have to let this be enough.” Our babies. The words cut through the rage like cold water. It's enough to make me stop fighting. “Okay,” I whisper. “Okay.” “Someone call an ambulance,” Sarah says without taking her eyes off me. “And get him out of here. Now.” Two more guards come in, and carefully lift Julian. He groans, barely conscious. They half-carry, half-drag him out. Everyone’s staring. At the blood on the carpet. At Julian’s broken body. At me. I don’t care about them. I only care about Sarah, still standing in front of me, hands on my face like she’s afraid I’ll disappear. “You can let him go,” she tells the security guards. “He’s done.” They hesitate. “Let him go,” she repeats, firmer this time. “I’ll take full responsibility.” No, she wouldn’t. Not as long as I’m here. But they release me, and I immediately reach for her, pull her against my chest. She comes willingly, wrapping her arms around me. “I’m sorry,” I murmur into her hair. “I’m sorry I scared you, baby.” “You didn’t scare me.” Her voice is muffled against my shirt. “Well, maybe a little. But I’m not sorry you hit him.” “I shouldn’t have…” “He tried to force himself on me, Jax. You had every right.” “I wanted to kill him.” The admission feels wrong and right at the same time. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have.” “But I did stop you. And you listened. That’s what matters.” I pull back enough to look at her face. “What would he have…I can’t imagine…what…” Lord, help me. My eyes frantically dance around her face. If she’s not okay, I need to know. I won’t forgive myself if I don’t. “You don’t have to worry about it anymore. I promise.” God. She’s so fucking beautiful, and he dared to violate her. The rage tries to surge up again. I push it down. “We need to leave,” I say. “Let’s get out of here.” “I’m not running, Jaxon” Her voice is firm. “He assaulted me in my own office. You defended me. I’m taking it up with the relevant authorities. He just shot himself in the ass. A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. Fuck. I love her so much. “Sarah…” “Everyone out!” she calls suddenly, loud enough that the crowd still gathered in the hallway jumps. “Show’s over. Back to work. Now.” They scatter, and when they’re fully dispersed, she turns back to me. “Let me see your hands.” I hold them up. My knuckles are split open, bleeding. “We need to clean these,” she says, taking my hands gently in hers. “Come on. First aid kit in my private bathroom.” She leads me through her office, past the blood on the tiles, and the overturned desk. In the bathroom, she makes me sit on the closed toilet while she gets the first aid kit. “This is going to sting,” she warns, dabbing at my knuckles with antiseptic. I don’t feel it. Don’t feel anything except the need to hold her, to make sure she’s real and safe and mine.