RONAN Nothing can save Luke HawkThorne from me, absolutely nothing. Not even Jaxon or Sarah being in the hospital. Malachi and Kevin go with the ambulance, while I stay back to clean it up, tackle it all, make sure that nothing about today comes back to bite any of us in the ass. Luke had tried to escape, but the damage Jaxon had done to his head and body made it impossible for him to get very far without being caught. That’s my boy. I turn away from the road, the lights of the ambulance have disappeared into the darkness. The sounds of the sirens are distant. I make a mental note to remind my uncle to take care of the health workers. The last thing we need is rumors spreading because of silly gossip. My eyes find Luke in front of an escort vehicle, and bile rises to my throat immediately. It leaves a bitter taste on my tongue. He’s on his knees in the dirt, pinned to the ground by two girls. His hands are held captive behind him. There’s no smile on his face. To be fair, I can’t see much of it. Most of it is covered by blood—his blood. The crimson droplets fall to the ground in front of him, forming a small pool. I step into it, grabbing his chin and tilting it upwards to stare at his disgusting face. His eyelids part open, and tired blue eyes lock with mine. My heart twists painfully in my chest. Apart from the few streaks of grey hair on his head, he hasn’t changed much. The same cruelty I grew up seeing in these sapphire blue orbs of his still remains. He looks like the same man who tried to drown mother in a bathtub. The same man who would make her kneel while he shoved her head into water again and again, until she passed out on the bathroom floor. He is still the same man who emptied his dishes on mother’s hair. Who dragged her across the floor and locked her in the basement for days. He is the same man who beat us up for trying to save her, for giving her water or food. People never really change now, do they? “How did you ever end up with an Angel like her?” I can’t help but ask. “There’s nothing in you that deserved all the light she had.” Luke’s eyes brighten. He spits out blood, and a tooth follows. My frown deepens. “I could ask you the same question,” he groans. “What can I say? They’re just drawn to the worst of us. Angels and demons make a fascinating mix, don’t you think?” I see it now—what could have drawn my mother to him. This smile, the confidence in his words. He knows he has met his death, yet his false sense of bravado remains. She must have thought he would be strong enough to weather any storm with her, not knowing he would be the storm to send her to an early grave. Disgusted, I pull my hand and look away from him, focusing on his captors. “Throw him in the car trunk. I’m done talking to him. They pull him up from the ground and lead him away from me. “It’s not going to change a thing if you kill me or not, son. The world is going to learn the truth one way or another.” I hiss. “Not on my watch.” That threat is stale, he should know that by now. I’ve heard those words so many times, it’s impossible to take it seriously anymore. I watch as the girls throw him into the car just as I ordered. I don’t even know what to do to him. Watching him suffer is supposed to give me so much joy, knowing his life is in my hands. But I want nothing more than Sarah. I just…I need her to be safe. “We’ve swept the place clean,” one of my uncle’s men says from behind, calling my attention to the cleaners—a group of five tall and hefty men—behind him. “Good,” I reply with a nod. “Burn the whole place to the ground. The truck too, everything around. Not a single object should be recognizable.” “Yes, sir.” I heave a sigh, dust my feet, and get into my car. Beads of sweat trickle down my forehead as I lean backwards, into the head rest. Staring out of the window helps me keep my thoughts at bay. Seeing Luke face to face again takes a lot from me. I have to keep a clear head. The second I let him into my mind, he wins. I can’t let that happen again. I wait, watch, until the flames light up, consuming the warehouse before me. “Shall we leave, sir?” My bones rattle from sheer exhaustion. I need to get out of here. Tired, I nod. “Mhmm.”“Hospital or the Langford estate?” Which would it be? Which should it be? If I follow the cars back to the Langford estate, I stand the chance to participate in Luke’s doom. There’s no telling what my uncle would do to his body once he gets there. I might never get the chance to look into his eyes as he dies, make sure he’s really gone this time around. But Jaxon must be so scared, and Sarah… I swallow hard. The image of her flashes in my mind. She was in a pool of her own blood. What if she doesn’t survive it? Luke had stabbed her leg pretty badly, what if she never walks again? I shake my head. I will do whatever it takes to give her legs back. Every top surgeon in the world will be summoned for her case. I am ready to pay enough money to make sure they do it. Only if she’ll have me…us. And she probably wouldn’t. She has every reason not to. Another long exhale slips out of my lips before I speak. “To the hospital.”