"Yeah. I promise."

Chapter 44 - Cobra.

Bewildered, I stared at my wife. What the f.u.c.k was she talking about?

"No," I shouted. "Mia's not going anywhere with you. Let her and the boy go." I lowered my voice, trying to sound calm and rational while my insides tore wide open. "Your beef is with me. Has been since we were born. Let's keep everyone else out of this and settle it like real men."

Daemon pointed the gun at Mia. "Which one do I shoot first? Your stolen wife or your b.a.s.t.a.r.d son?"

"He is your son, Daemon. The boy is yours. You can't hurt your own child," I said, pleading and lying in the hope it would stir something inside him.

"Even if he is, I don't give a f.u.c.k. He's nothing to me." He hit Jamie on the side of his head with the back of the gun to make his point. The boy winced and cried out in pain as he hung like a limp doll from Daemon's arm. Anger flooded through me. What kind of monster was he to not care about someone who could be his own blood?

I'll make him pay for all of this.

"She, on the other hand, is a good f.u.c.k, as you well know."

"Mia is my wife. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"Yeah, it means you got there first, as usual. But now she has offered herself to me. She'll do anything I want, she says. Christ, I can't wait to tie her up and f.u.c.k her blind, knowing you know I'm doing it."

My anger turned to pure rage. I opened and closed my fists several times, itching to lay into him and knock him out cold. "I'll die an honorable death for my family. You have nothing. You are nothing. n.o.body will mourn you when you're dead."

Daemon glared at me, his skin paling as my words sunk in.

I continued my tirade. "You kill for no reason. You are filled with hatred and rage at everybody and everything. Of all my blessings in life, I'm most grateful I'm not you. There can be nothing worse than to be despised by everyone . . . loved by no one. I pity you-"

A shot rang out, silencing me. I stumbled and sank to the ground. Pain shot from my leg to my groin and further up into my body. My own f.u.c.king brother has shot me in the leg.

"Cobra!" Mia cried out, but before she could move Daemon shoved her backward against the wall.

Blood spilled from the wound and cold sweat broke out on my skin from the unbearable pain. I sat up on my knees, waiting for my chance to overpower the f.u.c.ker. I had to be careful; he still had Jamie and Mia in his clutches.

"I'm the one in control here, in case you f.u.c.king forgot." He waved the gun around between Mia and me, his finger on the trigger. f.u.c.k. A crazy man with a loaded weapon was never a good thing.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment to manage the pain, and think of a plan. Where the f.u.c.k was Ryder and the cops? Hadn't they heard the f.u.c.king gunshot?

"This is how it's going to go down. I'll spare the kids. And Alessandra will be mine." He raised his hand and aimed the gun at my head. "You? I'm thinking you should go six feet under. There can only be one of us. We should never have been born twins."

I scrubbed a hand over my face. This was going from bad to worse. Mia in Daemon's clutches would be worse than death for her. The man was a deviant monster. He knew nothing about caring for another human, and especially not someone like Mia. He'd break her f.u.c.king spirit-kill her on the inside. I couldn't allow that to happen.

Love is a funny thing. I didn't care that I was bleeding. I didn't care if I died. I'd had a good life, blessed with the best things a man could have. My worry was for those I'd leave behind.

"You won't get far if you try to take Mia and run. The brothers will be on your tail and hunt you down. You can shoot me, but you can't kill the brotherhood of the Scorpio Stingers."

"f.u.c.k you and f.u.c.k the club. I've always been the f.u.c.king black sheep . . . the odd one out. Even Ryder was embraced by Malone and placed above me. And it's all because of you."

"You're going to blame me that you have no heart? No morals and no compa.s.sion?" I pressed my palm against the wound in an attempt to stop the blood flow. There was a pool of red around my legs already, and my head was spinning from the loss of blood.

"I'm sick of hearing how wonderful you are. I could have been pres of the club-"

"It takes more than being a first-born to be the pres, Daemon. It takes a man who can lead his men. Malone gave it to me because I was best at that, not because I'm five f.u.c.king minutes older than you. Grow up, for f.u.c.k's sake."

Another shot rang out and my shoulder exploded. The impact of the bullet knocked me onto my a.s.s.

"I'm going to kill you slowly. One f.u.c.king bullet at a time. You're a self-righteous p.r.i.c.k who thinks he's better than me."

"No, G.o.d, please no. Daemon, please let's get out of here now," Mia cried out, rising to her feet. She stood there shivering, still wet from the rain, her nipples pushing against the fabric of her shirt. Even with the pain in her eyes and her hair plastered to her face, she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. I couldn't lose her now. I couldn't watch her leave with Daemon.

As if she were aware of my thoughts, she shuddered and folded her arms over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. But Daemon had already seen what I saw. He dropped Jamie to the ground and shoved him to the side with his foot.

"My baby," she sobbed and tried to move to where Jamie lay curled into a ball.

He grabbed Mia's arm as she tried to get past him and pulled her against his chest. His mouth came down hard on hers, one hand on her breast, his thumb rubbing over her nipple. My head wanted to explode.

"I'm going to enjoy f.u.c.king your wife, brother. Every day for the rest of my life while you rot in the ground. Want me to show you what I'm going to do to her?" His hand slid down her hip and cupped her p.u.s.s.y. His evil grin expressed how much pleasure this was giving him. Mia whimpered as she shook her head, not meeting my gaze.

f.u.c.k this.

Game's over.

I'm killing him with my bare f.u.c.king hands.

Mia was everything to me. Everything. This was not happening.

I pushed to my feet. f.u.c.ker was going down.

Moving three steps toward the man, I stopped in my tracks, staring into the barrel of his gun, inches from my face. It smelled of death.

Demon's face was twisted and evil, his eyes glowing with madness. This was it-my final moment.

Chapter 45 - Mia.

I'd been to h.e.l.l and back during the last few weeks, worrying about my boy. I'd watched my husband drift from me, and the distance between us widen with every pa.s.sing day. I'd lulled my baby girl to sleep, wondering if my son was alive or dead.

I'd endured all the bulls.h.i.t Daemon could throw at me. I'd watched as he shot the only man I'd ever wanted. I'd listened as he told me he didn't care about my son.

I'd had enough.

Enough.

Reaching behind my back, I pulled out the gun I'd hidden there. The gun I'd sworn not to use until there were absolutely no other options.

Daemon was a time bomb and Cobra had seconds to live.

I had no other choice.

Pulling the trigger, I watched as the man's head exploded and his knees folded under him as he sank to the floor in what seemed like slow motion.

Cobra's eyes were wide. Horrified. Waiting for death. His eyes closed and he sank to the floor.

My heart slammed into my ribs. I stopped breathing.

Has he been shot? Oh G.o.d, no. No. No. No.

My blood ran cold. I was too late. Too late to save my one true love.

Blackness stole over me as my knees buckled and I felt myself falling . . . falling . . . falling.

Chapter 46 - Cobra.

I wasn't dead. I felt myself float as if I'd left my body, yet I knew I was still of this world. Mia. Jamie. Were they okay?

"Cobra. Pres. Are you okay?" Ryder's voice called out to me.

Holding my head, I slowly opened my eyes. My vision blurred, but I could only just make out Ryder's worried face as he leaned over me.

"Fine f.u.c.king mess you made here." Summers growled but I couldn't see his face.

"Mia . . . and Jamie. Are they okay?" I croaked.

"They're both fine."

"I want to see them," I said, trying to sit up. Ryder pushed down on the shoulder that didn't have a bullet in it.

"The paramedics are looking after them. I promise they are both okay."

"Daemon?"

Ryder shrugged. "Afraid I put a bullet through his skull."

"You shot him? I thought-"

"Mia took a shot at him too, yes, but it was my bullet that put the hole in his f.u.c.king skull. He was gonna kill you."

"How? Where?" I asked, totally confused.

"I heard the first shot ring out and I jumped out of the SUV. Savage screamed at me to get back in. Then the second shot rang out, so I ran 'round the back, in the direction the sound had come from. I got to the window and watched Daemon's finger curl around the f.u.c.king trigger. I shot him through the window."

Incredulous, I turned my head to look. Gla.s.s was scattered all over the floor. "Oh, my bullet only made a small hole. I had to smash the f.u.c.king gla.s.s to jump through." Ryder rubbed his shoulder. "My shoulder ain't as sore as yours, but that f.u.c.king gla.s.s was hard to break through."

My leg was bandaged and my arm in a sling. Ryder gave me a half smile. "Mia's shot grazed your arm and went into the wall. I must've pulled the trigger seconds before she did. Her bullet wouldn't have caused the same damage mine had, but at the close range she was to Daemon, she would've killed him if I hadn't already. You pa.s.sed out. The medics fixed you and told me to wake you while they grabbed the stretcher. It's back to hospital for you, buddy."

"f.u.c.k. No. I hate that f.u.c.king place."

"You don't want the bullets out then?" he asked with a sly smile.

"Of course I want the f.u.c.king bullets out. I just don't want to stay there long. Come get me out as soon as they've removed them, okay?"

Ryder laughed. "f.u.c.k, you've had more bullets in you than a f.u.c.king round in my revolver. You gotta quit getting shot. One day, it's gonna kill you."

I wanted to laugh but it hurt too much.

"I need to see Mia. Please. Jesus, I've f.u.c.ked up so many times-"

"Yeah, you have. You're one lucky f.u.c.ker that she loves you as much as she does."

"I doubt she can still love me after all this. She had to f.u.c.king save me . . . I was the one who was supposed to save her. She doesn't need me-I can't even protect my own family."

The medics came in with a stretcher and lifted me off the ground. "The ambulance is waiting, sir."

"Cobra. I'm no f.u.c.king sir," I groused.

"Grumpy as f.u.c.k, huh?" I looked up into Razor's face. "What the h.e.l.l did you get up to tonight? And why didn't you bring me with you?"

"Daemon's dead," I said, not mincing words.

"Yeah, I know. Cops called me to identify him. A joke really, 'cause his whole face is blown away."

Looking toward the spot where Daemon had gone down, a cold shiver ran down my spine when I saw the blood stain and the police chalk drawing in the shape of a man on the concrete.

Bright yellow chalk. That was where Daemon had taken his last breath. Where he stood, as he'd tightened his finger around the trigger. If it weren't for Ryder and Mia, it would've been my body outline on that floor.

I shuddered. In spite of everything, I'd never wanted him to die like that. But there was no other choice. It was him . . . or me. I'd rather be the one still breathing.