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When he dodged one of Mari’s punches, I sank the knife deep into his shoulder.
He roared, twisting until he could shove a blade of his own into my leg. The pain stole my breath, then expanded when he ripped it out and did it again. Blood poured down my leg, and I wondered if he’d hit the artery, but I doubted it. He could’ve, but it was more than obvious Cash preferred to play with his food. “You should’ve stayed out of it, little brother. Now I’m tired of playing.”
Mari was weaving on her feet when he backhanded her into the cement wall, her good hand too slow to protect her head. The crack echoed through the room, sliding into my bones in a way I knew I’d never be able to unhear.
Mari’s body wobbled, then dropped to the floor with a thump.
She didn’t get back up.
Oh God. Please, no.
“Mari?” I whispered, coughing as the dust from the wall got into my mouth.
“Mari,” Cash mocked. “Your girl’s dead. Good riddance, too. The bitch made this fucking impossible.”
I didn’t listen to him, didn’t look at him. I couldn’t turn away from Mari.
How still she was.
The blood pooling beside her head.
Was her back even rising?
You can’t be dead. You can’t leave me.
“You shouldn’t worry about her, brother. Her death was quick. Yours is going to be a lot more painful.”
He came at me, hands flying and mind fully engaged. That was the thing about Cash. He could be manic at times, but he was determined. If he set his sights on something—taking the city, killing Mari, destroying me—it would require a force of nature to stop him. His hyperfocus was unmatched when he wanted it to be.
Right now, his hyperfocus was on removing me from the playing field.
Which was good, because mine was the same.
We battled each other with heavy blows and harsh kicks. Cash threw taunting words too, picking at wounds he knew would hurt any other day.
Today, I was numb.
Mari still hadn’t moved.
I threw myself into the action, dodging a kick to the ribs and delivering my own to the dick. Fighting dirty probably wouldn’t get me much respect right now, but I didn’t really care.
He’d hurt my Mari.
My angel.
She was on the floor bleeding because of him.
She’d lost her brother, her cousins, her family because of him.
I wasn’t going to let this moment go to waste.
She’d have her vengeance, even if it came through me.
“You’re going to regret that,” I said carefully.
“I doubt it, but let’s see what you can do, little brother.” He rushed my legs, hauling me into the air and dropping me hard. Something popped, and I wheezed with the effort of drawing air. Ribs. He fractured my ribs.
Probably worse than that, but I wouldn’t know until I got an X-ray.
