Page 130 of Scarred Redemption

The pup shifted from his feeling the same anguished terror to having a job, bounding up the stairs as if nothing had occurred.

Sergei immediately followed while I moved from room to room on the bottom floor.

As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I noticed blood pooled on the kitchen floor, the glimmer of steel from a small knife pitched to the side.

And an open back door.

I knew exactly what was happening. While the attack continued, grunts and sounds of gunfire faded into the distance as I rushed toward the shore.

An angry cry immediately captured my attention. Isabel. Only the cry wasn’t one of fear as much as fury. She was very much finished with being a victim.

I took off running toward the clump of trees, both hands wrapped around the weapon. As soon as I was near the clearing, I took a deep breath and listened.

“You will never get away with this,” Isabel snarled.

“It’s already done, sister of mine. He’s not coming for you.” The sound of his voice was strained. He was the one who’d been stabbed.

Good girl.

“What do you think is happening? The lights. The gunshots.”

“He’s dead, Isabel. The bastard is dead.”

“No!” she screamed, lunging toward him with no regard to her safety or her life.

I rushed through the last of the massive oaks, the barrel of the weapon pointed at his head. He was quicker than I’d anticipated, firing off a single shot before grabbing a handful of her hair and dragging her against him.

Dropping to the sand, I rolled, realizing the bullet had narrowly missed my head. Now I didn’t have a clear shot and couldn’t risk her safety.

She struggled, managing to kick him in the shin, but he didn’t budge. He merely used her as a shield, pulling her closer to the boat. “Maxsim. Maxsim!”

“I’m here, baby. Sorry I was a little late. I had a date with a bald man.” I took calculated steps closer, keeping my eye on him.

When he pointed the barrel of his gun to her head, his laugh was more annoying than anything.

“Did you enjoy the last few years of your life, Maxsim?” he asked.

“About as much as you’re going to enjoy spending the rest of yours in hell. Walking in your father’s shoes?”

“He was a brilliant man. Rich too.”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you money isn’t what’s most important? Family is.” I moved closer, keeping my aim steady.

“I plan on having a family. Yours.” His laugh tested my last nerve.

If the bastard thought he would take them from me, he had another think coming.

“Time to die,” he growled.

When he fired off another shot, I was surprised, but not nearly as much as when she managed to drive him into the water, immediately scrambling forward on the sand. The bastard leapt through the air, able to grab her by the ankle just as I threw myself toward him. Down we went, Isabel able to free herself from the melee.

In doing so, she kicked the weapon from his hand, laughing manically as she did.

God, I loved the woman.

But we weren’t done yet, the man stronger than I’d anticipated, pitching us forward and backward in the sand.

He had his hands on my weapon, fighting to drive the barrel under my jaw, even laughing when he almost succeeded.