Page 287 of Ruin Me Gently

Another swing. Another satisfying, punishing hit.

“Oh, angel,” Clark rasped, breath leaving his lungs as he rolled off Silas, sprawling onto the cold, damp wood. “See what I’ve been telling you this whole time? You’re psychotic. Real crazy.”

Nope.

I swung—or at least, I tried to.

“What the hell are you doing?” I snapped, jerking my head toward where Silas had grabbed my wrist mid-air.

He met my gaze. “You’re not letting me have a turn?”

He couldn’t see my smirk, but he must have caught it in my eyes.

He let go, andlaunched himself at Clark, whose head snapped back, blood spraying as the crowbar met bone.

A choked, garbled sound tore from Clark’s throat, but Silas didn’t stop, going harder, growling out words filled with pure rage as he did.

“That’s for touching my fucking girl.”

Another hit.

“That’s for every bruise, every fucking mark you put on her.”

Another. Harder.

“That’s for thinking you’d ever fucking get away with it.”

His voice grew louder, each word punctuated by the sickening crunch of metal slamming into flesh.

Clark tried to scramble away, his body twisting, slipping, but Silas caught him. Dropped the crowbar. Grabbed his collar. Dragged him back like a ragdoll. His fist coming down again and again and again.

Fuck this.

The wrench clattered to the floor. My hands were shaking, heart a wild, erratic thing slamming against my ribs.

Clark’s body jerked beneath Silas’ weight, the grotesque crunch of bone splitting through the air.

I kicked.

Hard.

The heel of my boot slammed into Clark’s ribs.

Kick.

His body convulsed.

Kick.

His head lolled.

Silas’ fist stopped mid-swing.

Our eyes locked.

For just a second, we weren’t moving. We were justthere. The moment stretching tight between us, the world closing in around nothing but the rise and fall of our chests, the heat radiating between us, the absolute, all-consuming rage reflected back at me.

A flicker of light caught my eye. A thin gleam across the floor.

---