Page 69 of Ravaged By a Devil

Nolan’s mind spirals instantly. All the buried, festering humiliation over losing Jade to my brother explodes across his face in a single, ugly flash of raw rage.

"You son of a bitch!" he screams, his voice cracking in the quiet alleyway. "First your fucking family takes Jade, and now you're taking another woman that belongs to me?!"

"That's it," I growl.

I don't waste another word. I storm across the pavement in two massive strides, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. I slam my hand down on Nolan's forearm, twisting his arm with enough force to shatter his hold, ripping his fingers away from Alexis and shoving her safely behind my broad back.

"She was never fucking yours, Devlin," I snap, my chest heaving.

Cornered and completely out of his mind, Nolan frantically reaches into his jacket and pulls out a snub-nosed revolver, bringing the barrel up toward my chest.

Before his finger can even touch the trigger, I strike.

I grab his gun hand with both hands, twisting his wrist outward until a sickening, wet crack echoes off the brick walls. Nolan shrieks in agony, dropping the weapon instantly as it clatters harmlessly onto the asphalt.

I don't stop. The violent rage that’s been simmering inside me all week completely takes over. I throw a devastating right hook straight into his jaw, sending him crashing onto his back against the cold pavement.

I drop down on top of him, pinning him down and driving my fists into his face, again and again and again. Flesh splits, bone groans under the impact, and his blood splatters across my knuckles.

"Cain, please!" Alexis’s desperate voice cuts through the roaring in my ears, her hands grabbing frantically at the leather of my jacket, trying to pull me back. "Cain, let's go! Stop! You’re going to kill him! He’s not worth it, Cain, please!"

I barely hear her. I can't stop.

Every punch is fueled by the thought of his hands on her, the thought of what he would have done if I hadn't showed up in this alley today. I raise my fist again, completely blind with fury, ready to put an end to Nolan Devlin once and for all.

Before I can bring my fist down again, the screech of tires echoes violently down the narrow alleyway. Headlights flood the pavement as two black SUVs slam to a halt at the entrance.

Brendan and Lachlan spill out of the passenger doors alongside a half-dozen heavily armed men.

"Get him!" Lachlan roars, throwing his arm up.

Gunfire erupts instantly, deafening cracks echoing off the narrow brick walls.

"Down!" I growl, abandoning Nolan on the pavement.

I throw my body over Alexis, wrapping my broad frame around her as bullets tear into the masonry above us. I drag her behind the frame of a parked sedan, yanking my piece from my shoulder holster in one fluid motion and blind-firing around the rear bumper to keep them pinned back.

"Stay down!" I snap at her, my heart hammering against my ribs as glass shatters everywhere.

Through the haze of smoke and sparks, I catch sight of Lachlan and Brendan grabbing Nolan's bloody, unconscious body off the ground, hauling him into the back of the lead SUV before both vehicles tear in reverse out of the alley, tires squealing against the asphalt.

I could pursue them. I could sprint to my car, tear down the block, and wipe out the entire Devlin bloodline right here tonight. The instinct to hunt them down screams in my blood—until a soft, sharp gasp beside me cuts straight through the adrenaline.

I turn instantly. Alexis is curled against the side of the car, her face pale, pressing her trembling fingers against the side of her arm where a stray bullet had shattered the driver's side window. Blood—bright red and fresh—is seeping between her fingers from a sharp glass tear.

The chase dies in my throat. I abandon the Devlins completely, dropping my gun back into its holster and dropping to my knees right in front of her.

"Alexis," I breathe, my hands trembling as I gently pull her hand away to inspect the cut.

My chest tightens into a suffocating knot. Self-hatred and pure, bitter fury wash over me, sickeningly cold. I lost control. I let that fucking weakling push my buttons, let my rage blind me, and instead of grabbing her and getting the fuck out of there, I stood around playing god with my fists. And now my doll is bleeding because of my arrogance.

I cup her face in both of my blood-stained hands, my thumb gently wiping a smudge of dirt from her cheek as I look down into her wide, shaken eyes.

"I'm sorry, doll," I rumble, my voice tight and raw with an emotion I can barely contain. "I'm so sorry. I'm taking you home right now. You're safe. I've got you."

Thirty minutes later, we’re standing in my bathroom under the harsh, bright overhead light. Alexis is sitting on the edge of the marble counter, her fingers still clutching the bloodied tear on her upper arm.

I rummage through her cabinets until I locate my first aid kit, popping the plastic latches open with a sharp snap.