Page 166 of Intent to Kill
His back was screaming at him from ducking behind cover. Adam frowned when he found his gun chamber empty, clicking where it could no longer fire.
“You’re out of bullets.” Blake’s voice drew across the arena.
Adam threw the gun away. “I don’t need bullets to beat you.”
Blake drew up in an instant, raising his still-full weapon, but Adam was faster. Mounting the bench, Adam rushed forward, diving right over the center of the fire and flying until he tackled Blake to the ground.
It hurt. It fucking hurt. Fire singeing his arms as they landed.
The loaded pistol knocked from Blake’s hands as they fumbled to regain footing.
Rolling and writhing, Blake pinned Adam, gunning for his neck. A quick knee to the torso, and Blake was heaving away before he could find his mark.
Then Adam was in control, holding Blake down and punching until blood crusted at his knuckles. His hands were so heavy, and so coated, that he thought he might actually punch the man to death. It was possible, he’d done it before.
His punches were like drumbeats, mesmerizing like hypnosis, and impossible to pull away from. He didn’t see the blow coming until after Blake was already landing a sure shot. He’d grabbed a potted plant and crashed it over Adam’s head, sending him down.
Blake rose from the ground and launched hard kicks into Adam’s ribs. Kicks that he put his whole body behind. That shattered Adam’s gut with the force.
Shaky hands reached out in front of him, just enough for Adam to grip Blake’s legs and pull him back to the ground and get the rise on him.
He was nothing short of feral as he straddled Blake, squeezing his throat so hard that the gangster writhed in agony. There was so much blood on his hands. So much blood that he wasn’t sure who it had come from anymore.
Didn’t matter. Without her... No—he pushed the thoughts away. Focusing on the vile flesh scraping underneath his fingertips.
Adam squeezed harder, his face twisting, as Blake gripped his arms and gasped for air. But he would not yield. Not for Blake. Not for anyone. Never again.
A knife slashed across Adam’s torso, then sliced across once more and finished with a stab into his leg before it retreated with a smooth claw. Adam struggled backward, his hands falling away from Blake’s neck.
The cut on his leg was already gushing. Adam focused on the blood pooling at his feet. When he finally looked up, Blake was standing over him, stalking closer, flipping his pocket knife and grinning like he’d already won.
Adam tried to rush forward, but Blake booted him in the face, sending him flying back against the banister.
It still fucking hurt. He wanted to move but couldn’t.
Sitting upright and holding his wounds, there was nothing Adam could do as he watched Dorian Blake slowly pick up the gun and aim for his head.
This time Dorian would not miss.
He would not get another chance. This time he was going to die.
Without her...
The thoughts unleashed in his brain like opening floodgates, filling him with wretched despair and little left to care for.
If she was dead, what did he care? What did he care if he joined her? All of this had been for her. For however long he had denied it, that was the raw truth. All of it had been for her. And without her, it meant nothing.
Adam scoffed a laugh. For all his shit, defeat didn’t actually feel so terrible after all. “Good. We’re back here. We’ve come full circle.”
Blake nodded, towering over him, gun pointed down to where Adam sat against the railing. “I think I’ll savor it this time.”
“Just fucking do it if you’re going to,” Adam said.
“Still cocky as ever,” Blake smiled.
“To the bitter end.”
“You put up a good fight,” Blake admitted. “But nobody can take me down. I am Dorian Fucking Blake! I have more power over this city than you could ever imagine, and now...I’m fucking unstoppable. Shame that you won’t be alive to witness it.”
