Dark Destiny (Dark Brothers Book #4) by Bec Botefuhr

miss a moment to get her out of his grips. Her face is blue, her lips are parted and her eyes are on mine. She’s doing what I asked, oh fuck, what have I done? I put her in this position. She was running from me. It’s always fuckin’ me. Now I could lose her and for what? My own selfish, fucked up head. She never deserved anything I gave her, fuck, I can’t lose my wife. I can’t lose her. I keep my eyes on hers, and I can see the fear in her stare. She’s pleading with those beautiful green eyes, pleading to help her. I let my eyes flicker to Ace, and he’s slowly moving behind rattler, hand on his belt. I know he’s got a knife there.
    “You will pay for what you did!” Rattler snarls, fixing his gaze on me.
    I have to keep him distracted, but not piss him off too much. Ace only needs a second. He’s quick with a knife.
    “Snake joined my gang, he knew what happened if he fucked up.”
    “He was my brother!” Rattler roars, tightening his grip on Willow’s neck.
    She begins to squirm, and everything inside me turns to liquid. If I lose her now, without tellin’ her I fucked up, without tellin’ her she changed my life…oh fuck…how could I have honestly believed I didn’t love her anymore. Seeing her like this, it makes everything real for me again. The pain in my chest is beyond anything I’ve ever felt. The fear in my body at the thought of losing my wife, is so powerful my legs are beginning to go numb. I hold Rattler’s gaze, not showing him how fuckin’ terrified I am that he’ll take the one thing I can’t live without, away from me.
    “Let her fuckin’ go, Rattler. This isn’t about you and her…”
    “She killed my brother.”
    “He fucked me over, he asked for it.”
    Rattler hisses at me, and Willow cries out as he tightens his hands again. I quickly look at Ace, and catch the exact moment when he lunges forward. He drives the knife right into Rattlers back, with a roar, Rattler drops Willow. I dive for her, and manage to get her just before Rattler spins around. “Sorry baby,” I murmur, before I quite literally launch her into the air. She lands on the grass with a thud and my heart tears in two. I don’t get a chance to see if she’s ok before Rattler lunges at me, and with a bellow of pain, we both land on the grass. He’s got the knife now, and he’s slashing it past my face.
    I grip his wrist, twisting it so hard I hear it snap. He roars with pain and rolls, taking me with him. He manages a swift hit to my jaw, that has my world spinning for a moment, but it also has instinct kicking in. I launch my fist into his face, hard, fast. I hear the gruesome crack as his nose splits. Blood spurts my face as I drive another fist, then another. When Rattler is finally lifeless beneath me, I get off him, running a hand across my jaw to swipe off the excess blood. I turn to Willow, and see she’s scrambling to her car. Her face is filled with terror as she fumbles with the door. Fuck. I quickly turn to Ace.
    “Deal with him. Make sure no one finds his body.”
    Then I turn and stride towards Willow. When she notices me, she begins shaking her head, incoherent words splutter from her lips. When I reach her, I kneel down and grip her face.
    “Hey, look at me.”
    “No, no, no, no,” she murmurs. “Can’t do it anymore, can’t do it.”
    “Willow, you’re in shock.”
    “No!” she screams, hitting me so hard my head swings to the side. Mother fucker. “I don’t want you anymore, get away from me!”
    She’s breaking down, I can tell by the high pitched, terrified tone to her voice.
    “Willow, baby…”
    “You didn’t love me!” she wails, gripping the car door. “You didn’t love me, I tried so hard and you didn’t love me. Why?”
    “Baby, hush, look at me.”
    “NO!” she screams so loudly it rings through my ears. “We’re done. I’m leaving. Leave me alone. I hate you. I hate you.”
    Her words shock me enough for her to be able to slip into her car and