Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Fear consumed me as I scrambled towards the pair, but JJ was suddenly there, wrapping me up in his arms. One thing became very clear to me then. Dante was battering Finn as his brothers and father stood by and watched.
“Dante!” I rasped, my throat burning. “Please, stop! He’s not worth your life bein’ ruined. He’s not!”
I struggled against JJ’s hold, never taking my eyes off my boyfriend.
“Baby, please!” I sobbed. “Dante, stop!”
As quickly as he was hitting Finn, he just stopped. He shot to his feet, took a massive step back, and stared down at my barely moving ex. Dante was breathing so heavily and shaking with obvious rage, but when he exhaled a deep breath, I knew he was done. The hands holding me let me go, and I shot across the space and launched myself at Dante, sobbing my heart out.
“I didn’t go with him,” I said, frantic. “I swear, I didn’t. I would never leave ye. I love you with all of my heart. Please—”
“Baby, stop.” Dante’s arms came around me, and he held me so tightly it was almost painful. “I know he took ye against your will. Even if me da didn’t ring me and tell me someone knocked him out and that ye were gone, I would’ve known. I’m yours. I know ye’d never just leave me, not like that.”
“I wouldn’t.” I bobbed my head, crying. “I love you, and I’m so sorry about our fight.”
“Stop, Ina.” Dante leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. “We’ll talk about all of that once we’re home. Right now, I need to make sure you’re okay. I can’t fuckin’ breathe past what I ran up on. Baby, he was chokin’ ye.”
The disbelief, the fear and worry were all there in Dante’s gorgeous eyes. He was terrified for me. He was furious with Finn too, but he was more scared than anything. I could see that clearly. I wasn’t cold, but my body was shaking, which told me that I was in a form of shock.
“Look at me, country. Where does it hurt?”
“Everywhere, I think.” I clung to him. “My head hurts so much. He hit me a lot, but me throat, it’s burnin’ me. Talkin’ hurts.”
“He was gonna kill ye, Ina.”
The anger and fear in Dante’s voice blended into a withering rasp. He looked like he could have dropped dead with a heart attack at any moment from what he saw. I knew the sight of Finn on top of me with his hands wrapped around my throat was an image that would be seared into his mind forever.
“He didn’t,” I said firmly. “Ye stopped him from hurtin’ me. Ye saved me. I’m okay, and I’m with you now, sweetie.”
I said that for my benefit, just as much as Dante’s. I couldn’t believe that he was here, and that he had found me. A couple of minutes later and Finn could have very well killed me. It made me sick to even think about it.
“I knew ye’d come for me,” I whispered. “I didn’t know how ye’d find me, but I knew ye’d find me, honey.”
“I’ll always come for ye, Ina. Always. You’re me whole world. I love you.”
“I love you so much!”
Dante kissed me, then he held me silently for long minutes. The world faded away, and there in the middle of Finn’s patch of land, it was just me and the love of my life. With his arms around me, I was in my safe space. Voices pulled me back to the chaos that surrounded me. I turned in Dante’s embrace, making sure to keep his arms around me as I leaned my back against his chest. Finn was up and on wobbly legs, leaning heavily on Jennifer for support.
The sight of them enraged me.
“Get him out of here!” I shouted at Jennifer, my throat aching. “I never want to see him again. Are we clear?”
“Yes.” She sobbed. “We’ll go. I swear, Ina. We just wanted the money ye were set to inherit through the farm. That’s all. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Neither of you will ever see a cent from me so just get on,” I snapped. “If ye were smart, ye’d leave him and get as far away as ye can. Ye saw what he did to me. You’ll be in that position one day and don’t be stupid enough to think ye won’t.”
She paled. “He doesn’t hit me, just shouts sometimes.”
“Today was the first time he hit me, and he almost killed me. He’ll kill ye one day if ye don’t get out now.”
As I stared at her, I saw the moment she chose to ignore my advice, and my heart broke for her and her unborn child because I knew the path she’d been led down, and I also knew that eventually, it would come to an abrupt dead end.