This wasn’t a new twist of events in the past couple of months. It’s been going on for years.
Understanding must register on my face, because Beckett starts to laugh. It doesn’t sound like his carefree, musical laugh. It’s unhinged. It’s evil.
“And your fucking sister had to live, too. Stupid bitch,” Beckett spits at me, his mouth twisting into an ugly snarl. “I thought I gave her enough to kill an elephant, but she survived.”
My heart stops. The overdose.
It wasn’t Margot’s fault at all. I’d always been confused about the drugs. I thought I’d been blind, and that she was still hiding something from me.
It was all Beckett.
Before I can react, he lunges for us. Luca is quicker. He grabs Beckett across the middle and tackles him to the ground. I scream, the sound ripping my vocal cords raw. They roll over, and Luca’s head lands an inch away from the edge. Beckett’s fingers wrap around his neck.
“This’ll end today,” he growls, inching Luca closer to the edge. “You’ll lose everything, including your new wife.”
I scream. I move closer, but Luca waves me away, gasping.
I don’t know what to do. I’m useless.
Luca’s phone isn’t working. I don’t have mine. I can’t run and get help while my husband is being strangled on the edge of a cliff. I can’t jump in and help, because they’re both stronger than me and I have two babies to worry about.
So, I just stand there, helpless.
With Beckett’s hand on Luca’s windpipe, I can see Luca’s strength sapping away. His movements are getting heavier, and his eyes bulge unnaturally. I scream again, taking a step closer to them. Luca struggles against his half-brother, grunting.
Luca told me that the first time Beckett attacked him, he couldn’t hit his brother. It felt wrong.
Now, though, I can see in Luca’s eyes that he knows this is life or death. Beckett isn’t his brother anymore. I scream again, urging him to fight back. With the last bit of his power, Luca lands a punch to the kidneys. Beckett winces, releasing his grasp on Luca’s neck long enough for Luca to flip him over.
Beckett claws at Luca’s face, tearing jagged, bloody lines down his cheek. I scream, scrambling toward them and grabbing Beckett around the neck.
“Ivy, no!” Luca screams just as Beckett flings me back. I fall back, landing on jagged rocks. I cradle my stomach, just wanting to protect my children. A scream slips through my lips just as Luca punches his brother in the jaw. Beckett knees him in the groin and pain shatters visibly across Luca’s face. Using Luca’s moment of weakness, Beckett rolls them over again.
I groan, peeling myself off the rocks and crawling away. Tears are streaming down my face.
“Run, Ivy! Get help.” Luca struggles with Beckett, but I can’t leave.
I just can’t.
The wind whips around us. I can smell the sour sweat on Beckett’s body, the salty air, the fresh breeze through the trees.
I don’t want Luca to die.
Scanning the rocks, I find one that fits into my hand. Rasping, I pick it up and turn toward the men. I’m going to end this right now. No one hurts my Luca.
No one.
As I stalk toward the two men, I see something change in Luca. He can see me approaching. With his last ounce of strength, Luca lands a punch to Beckett’s temple. A wheeze escapes the man’s lips, and he slumps to the side. Beckett’s body goes limp, and he falls toward the edge of the cliff.
Too close. His legs slip over the edge, followed by his hips, his chest.
Screaming, Luca reaches for him. He manages to grab onto his brother’s arm with one hand and Beckett’s belt with the other.
Luca roars, and I don’t know if it’s panic or pain. Blood is pouring from a cut above his eye. His face is scratched, his knuckles bloody. I drop the rock, scrambling toward them. I ignore my own pain as it burns through my body. My back is in agony. Every nerve ending is burning, twisting, piercing through me.
Grunting, Luca tries to haul his brother to safety. He stumbles, and Beckett’s limp body starts to slip from his grasp. I pant, dropping to my knees to grab Beckett’s arm.
Luca closes my eyes for just a moment to try to clear his head.
I see him hesitate, and I know what he’s feeling. I know, because we’re one person split into two bodies. Luca is my soulmate, the love of my life, the father of my children.