Until Alex - J. Nathan Page 0,114

and swollen, gutted my heart and fucked with my head. I was seconds away from going ballistic.

Remy stood in the doorway of his spare room. The room he’d kept Alex a prisoner in for four days. Four fucking days. I was gonna tear his head off and then kill him. Hate and disgust weren’t strong enough words for what I felt. “What have you done?” I couldn’t even look at him as I worked on the knot at her right ankle.

In my peripheral, I saw him saunter in, like he hadn’t kidnapped my girl and done God knows what to her. I couldn’t even consider the possibilities. It’d distract me from getting her out. And she needed medical attention. Fast.

But I knew Remy. And no matter how calm he appeared, there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d let us both leave.

My shaking fingers somehow unknotted the knot, pulling the rope free from Alex’s ankle.

“So, my long lost friend reemerges. What brings you here?” Remy asked as if it were some kind of joke.

“I see you made bail.” I needed to keep him talking. Keep his attention off Alex.

“No thanks to you,” he growled as he lifted his boot and shoved his heel against Alex’s chair. The force sent the entire chair flying backward.

“Oh, my God.” I dove to stop its fall, but my hand only made it behind her head as the chair landed. Thank God she was already unconscious.

I couldn’t take anymore. I was beyond the point of thinking rationally. My anger superseded reason. My adrenaline shot through the roof. My savage side erupted. I lowered my shoulder and charged at Remy with a giant roar.

He had no time to brace himself. He flailed back as I tackled him to the floor, his head bouncing off the floorboards like a beach ball. His gun slipped out of his pocket. I swept it across the floor toward Alex. Fuck his gun. I wanted him to feel the pain. I wanted him to suffer.

“Get off,” he growled through gritted teeth, but he didn’t shield himself.

Did he think I wouldn’t hurt him? Because I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I let my fists loose. First my right then my left. Then I alternated. Blow after blow.

Blood sprayed from his nose, covering his face, me, the floor. I was going to kill him. I was really going to do it.

My vision blurred. Tears mixed with the sweat dripping down my face. Ragged breaths were all I could manage as the rage within me escalated to epic heights.

My blows were relentless. Incensed. Unrestrained.

I wanted him to feel what Alex had been through—what he’d put her through. I wanted him to feel the hate I felt for him.

I glanced over my shoulder at Alex, still unconscious. Still bound to a chair. Still beaten and broken. I needed to reel in my anger. I needed to pull myself back from the edge.

She needed me.

Pushing off Remy’s heaving chest, I stood. My eyes didn’t leave him as I backed away. “Why would you do this?” I squatted at Alex’s left ankle, working on the ropes. “How could you fucking hurt her?”

“I needed you. I needed you and you blew me off. For her.”

Jesus Christ. He sounded like a scorned ex. He was even more delusional than I ever imagined.

“You owed me.”

It was like being kicked in the gut. Abused for too long by the one person who had something to hold over me. Something to cinch my loyalty. Something that was a complete lie. “I owed you nothing,” I spat. I couldn’t believe he had the balls to keep up the charade after everything he’d done.

“I protected you. I always protected you,” he screamed as I sat back on my feet watching him lay there a bloody mangled mess.

“You protected you. It’s only ever been about you.”

“No, man. It was supposed to be us. We were supposed to start our own organization. One that rivaled Cooper’s. You’re the only one I’d ever trust to do it with me.”

I shook my head at his delusional ramblings. Cooper would’ve killed Remy before he ever let him lure business away from him.

I’d heard enough.

I pulled the rope free from Alex’s left ankle and went to work on her wrists. I needed to get her out of there. “What you did was fucked up. You’re fucked up.” The skin was raw around Alex’s wrists like she’d fought to get free. My God. How hard had she worked to