Page 57 of Nick
“You will both die here today,” Vincent said.“And your precious Javier?I’ll raise him as my own.He’ll forget you, forget your weakness.He’ll be strong, powerful, just like me.”
Sarah froze.
“Over my dead body,” Nick snarled from beside her.
“Exactly.”Vincent smirked.
Sarah’s eyes darted between Vincent and Karla, searching for any opportunity.
“Javier,” she called to her son, imbuing her voice with as much calm and warmth as she could manage.“Listen to me,amor.Be brave.We’re going to get you out of this.We love you so much.”
Javier’s wide, tear-filled eyes met hers, and he nodded ever so slightly.The sight filled her with agony—but also resolve.No matter what it took, she would not let this monster corrupt her child.
“Your words are empty, Vincent,” she said.“You’ll never be his father.”
“Perhaps,” Vincent conceded with a shrug.“But I can be the one to shape his future.A future without either of you.”
The wind picked up, swirling dust and sand into the air, the desert itself seeming to protest Vincent’s cruel intentions.
“Let him go,” Sarah said.“This is between us, not him.”
Vincent’s gaze raked across her, and he snorted.“You don’t look like you can handle anything more today.”
It was all Sarah could do to keep from laughing hysterically.
Oh—if Vincent truly believed that, then he had no idea of what a mother’s love could allow her to do.
As the metallic taste of adrenaline flooded the back of her throat, and her injuries seemed to recede into the background, Sarah readied herself for the fight of her life.
The fight of Javi’s life.
Chapter 24
THE SUN SEETHED INthe unforgiving sky, bearing down upon Sunburst Mesa with an intensity that mirrored the fury boiling in Nick’s veins.
How dare Vincent threaten Nick and Sarah’s son?
A sound behind him caught his attention, and he glanced back for just a moment.
The rest of the pack had formed a jagged crescent around the plateau’s apex—becoming the perfect audience.
From behind them came the band of rebels, still in wolf form, their paws kicking up plumes of dust as they ascended the mesa, stepped up onto the plateau, and moved around until they stood on the edges of the rest of the pack.
Atop the mesa, Vincent stood like the embodiment of dominance and unyielding power.He flicked a finger toward Karla, who dragged Javi out of sight again.
Vincent’s mocking laugh grated against Nick’s eardrums.
“Did you really think you could challenge me?”Vincent sneered.“You and your little band of misfits?”
Nick’s jaw tightened, ready to spring into action.“You never should have taken Javi.Your reign ends today.”
“Come on, then,” Vincent taunted, spreading his arms wide in challenge.“Let’s see if the prodigal son has learned any new tricks.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the man who had poisoned his home.Every nerve ending screamed for vengeance.He glanced at Sarah, noting the grim set to her lips, the way her eyes flickered toward where Karla had stood, the slight nod she gave him.
As the tension thickened, Nick sensed the shift in the air, the electric charge of impending conflict.
This was more than a fight for Javi or for leadership.
