Til Debt Do Us Part (Married At Midnight #4)

Chapter 5

Five

Dare

T he helicopter blades slice through the air above me as I leap from the open door, hitting the sandy ground and rolling forward to lessen the impact. I spring to my feet, eyes scanning the surroundings, heart pounding with adrenaline.

There is no point in trying to hide my presence here now that I just zoomed in on the chopper. But I still wave the pilot away, unable to hear anything but the beat of the blades. The pilot guides the bird up and away. My eyes dart around at the dusty ground, the low scrub brush, the picturesque lake to my right.

So this is the island where my mother is buried. I'm a little surprised at just how large the lake is. From Burn's description, I imagined this place being almost intimate, rather than the wilderness I see before me.

I'm pulled from my thoughts by the sound of a woman's yelp. I'm already running toward the sound as I search for its source.

There, in the distance! Talia's red hair whips in the ocean breeze as she struggles against the vice-like grip my brother Burn has on her arm as he pulls her down toward the lake's edge.

My gut twists. How dare he lay his hands on my wife?

I break into a sprint, my shoes kicking up dust and dirt.

"Burn!" My voice slices through the island's eerie stillness. He twists, eyes narrowing as they meet mine. I cup my hands, slowing. "Let her go. Now. We can end this without a drop of blood shed."

I lie as naturally as I breathe. My twin gives me a knowing nod and backs away, moving toward a dock and a speedboat bobbing at the water's edge.

My hands clench, needing to tear his grasp away. He yanks Talia closer, his sneer dripping with contempt, and shouts to me.

"You don't understand, brother." He spits out the last word. "I'm doing this for you. To save you from her. She's a liar. You don't know all the things she has been covering up all this time."

I halt, sand shifting under my feet. "Maybe not. But I love her. And I'll fight for her, against you or anyone else who tries to take her from me."

My heart thrums with purpose. For Talia, for us.

Burn's lip curls, his grip tightening until Talia cries out. The sound pierces my soul. At this moment, my brother is a stranger to me. My family, my flesh and blood, means nothing if he threatens the woman I cherish above all else.

A grunt leaves my brother's lips. "That's funny. Your little witch said almost the same thing."

I spread my hands wide in a gesture of surrender, my eyes never leaving Talia's trembling form. "She's not a witch. She's my wife."

"She is a liar," Burn spits, his words hollow and bitter. "You may have married her, but your wife is carrying my child."

I feel Talia flinch in his grasp, and I take a step forward, my fists clenching.

"You think I don't know that, Burn?" I hiss.

He blinks. "What?"

"You heard me." I take another step forward, my eyes blazing with fury. "I know that Talia is carrying your child. But that doesn't change a damn thing. She's still my wife. And I'll protect her with my life if I have to."

Burn sneers at me, his grip on Talia's arm tightening even further. "You're delusional, Dare. You think that just because you forced her to marry you, you own her? You're just like our grandfather, thinking that everything is yours for the taking."

My blood boils at the mention of our grandfather, the man who had ruined our familywith his greed and cruelty. But I refuse to let Burn's words get to me. I take a deep breath and fix my gaze on Talia's tear-streaked face.

"Talia, do you want to be with me?" I ask her, my voice gentle but firm.

Her eyes flicker to mine, and she nods. Her voice is reedy and damaged when she croaks out, "Yes, Dare. I want to be with you."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, relief flooding through me. But the tension in the air doesn't dissipate, and Burn's grip on Talia only seems to tighten.

"You're lying," he growls, his eyes narrowing. "Shedoesn't want to be with you. She's just scared of you."

I take a step towards him, my eyes flashing with anger. "Let her go, Burn. You have no right to hold her like this."

Burn sneers at me again. "I have every right. She's carrying my child."

I take another step forward, my fists clenched. "You won't lay a finger on her. You hear me, Burn? I won't let you hurt her or our child."

"We'll see about that!" he snarls.

I surge forward, ready to reclaim what is mine.

Burn's eyes flash with anticipation, sensing the impending confrontation. In one swift motion, he shoves Talia towards the docked speedboat. She stumbles, red hair flying as she falls hard into the boat. Burn lifts her legs without hesitation, and she falls inside the boat like an upended sack of potatoes.

"Talia!" I cry out, fear and rage twisting my gut.

Burn leaps into the driver's seat, gunning the engine. The boat lurches away from the dock as I sprint desperately towards the shoreline.

No. I can't lose her again.

"Rob!" I bellow into my earpiece. "Get the jet boat to my location, now!"

I hit the dock just as a driver pulls up in a slick speedboat, engine roaring. The boat was borrowed in haste, I'm sure, but it looks fast enough to beat anyone in any race. The driver is young and blond but focused.

“Jump in!” he urges me.

There’s no time to even think about life jackets. I vault over the side, landing hard on the deck.

"Follow that boat, full speed. Don't lose them," I order.

“You got it.”

The driver kicks the boat up to full speed and my hands grip the rail, salt spray stinging my eyes as we blast across the water. But I don't blink, refusing to lose sight of the boat carrying my heart and soul inside.

I'm so close to Talia. I hope she knows that I'm going to save her if it's the last thing I do on this earth.

Up ahead, Burn stands at the wheel, broad shoulders taut, dark hair ruffling in the wind. And beside him, a flash of red as Talia struggles against his hold.

I lean forward, willing our boat to close the distance.

You won't take her from me again, Burn. My jaw clenches as we race across the waves. I'm coming, Talia. Just hold on, darling girl.

The island looms ahead, an ominous shadow on the horizon. Burn steers the boat towards the small sandy beach of the island where our mother was buried years ago.

He's taunting me, trying to unearth old wounds and painful memories. But I push it all away, focusing only on Talia.

Our boat skims over the waves, gaining ground. I can see her clearly now, hair tangled, mascara smudged, eyes wide with fear as she looks back at me. She reaches out a desperate hand.

"Dare!" Her scream carries over the wind.

"I'm coming!" I shout back, my heart pounding. Hold on, just a little longer.

With a scrape of metal on sand, Burn beaches the boat. In one swift movement, he yanks Talia onto the shore. She cries out, stumbling in the loose sand.

Burn whirls, one arm clamped around Talia's waist, the other holding a gun leveled at her head. My gut twists. No.

Our boat scrapes sand just feet away. I leap over the side, ignoring the sting of saltwater.

"Let her go," I rasp, hands raised as I approach. Blood roars in my ears. I meet Talia's terrified gaze, willing her to see my promise.

I'll get you out of this. And Burn will never hurt you again.

Burn's lips curl into a sneer, his grip tightening on Talia. "Come any closer and I'll blow her brains out," he snarls.

My pulse hammers, but I force myself to stay calm. Can't risk setting him off.

"Just talk to me," I say evenly. "We're brothers. Whatever is going on between us, we can work it out."

Burn barks out a harsh laugh. "Brothers? You lost the right to call me that when you stole everything that was mine." His eyes blaze with resentment.

I shake my head slowly. "That's not how it was. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Liar!" he shouts, jerking the gun against Talia's temple. She whimpers, eyes squeezed shut.

Rage surges within me. Careful. I take a small step forward, arms still raised.

"Walk away now, and we'll forget this ever happened," I plead. "Just let her go."

It’s a lie and we both know it the second it leaves my lips. Burn sneers, but I see a flash of doubt in his eyes. He wavers, the gun lowering an inch. My muscles coil, ready to spring.

In that instant, Talia drives her elbow back into Burn's gut. As he doubles over with a grunt, she twists from his grasp.

I lunge forward, tackling Burn to the sand. We grapple for the gun, sand flying. With a final burst of adrenaline, I wrench it from his grip and flip him onto his stomach, pinning his arms behind his back.

It's over. Talia is safe. And now Burn will face justice for his crimes.

Burn thrashes beneath me, cursing and spitting sand. I press my knee into his back, leaning close to his ear.

"It's over, brother. Just stop." My voice comes out weary, saddened by how far he's fallen.

With a guttural roar, Burn bucks hard, almost dislodging me. I slam him back down, my forearm crushing his neck.

"Why?" I rasp. "Why do this?"

He twists his head, bloodshot eyes meeting mine. "You know why," he growls. "You always got everything. The family name, the money, the power. Even Talia. I got nothing."

I stare at him. Is that what this is about? Jealousy?

"Things were never that simple," I say. "We both had advantages. But real power comes from within, not from our last name."

Burn scoffs. "Save your fortune cookie wisdom. You don't know what it's like, living in your shadow."

I shake my head. Maybe if we'd talked more openly, it wouldn't have come to this. But the past can't be undone.Burn's blows rain down relentlessly, fueled by years of pent-up resentment. I block and parry, but he's fighting like a man possessed.

"She was mine!" he rages. "You stole her, just like you steal everything!"

“Just like you stole Daisy from me!” is my retort.

“I only stole her because she is a manipulative witch, just like your wife,” he growls. “You keep thinking with your dick and making the wrong decisions.”

I duck under a wild punch, coming up to smash my fist into his ribs. He staggers but doesn't go down.

"Talia chose me," I say through gritted teeth. "Get over it."

With a bellow, he charges forward, wrapping his arms around me in a crushing bear hug. We crash to the ground, grappling and rolling in the sand. I drive my elbow into his side, wrenching myself free.

We both climb unsteadily to our feet, chests heaving, bodies bruised and bloodied. This has gone too far.

"Don't make me fight you, Burn," I plead, looking him in the eyes. "I’m the only one with someone to lose. I’ll win this fight."

His lip curls in a sneer. "Such pretty words from such a fool."

He rushes me again. I sidestep, sweeping his legs out from under him. He hits the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

I stand over him as he gasps for breath, glaring up at me with undisguised malice. In his eyes, I see no trace of the brother I once knew. There's only venomous envy and a thirst for vengeance.

My heart sinks. Have we really reached a point of no return? I thought there was still hope of reconciliation. But now I see the bitter truth.

The brother I loved died long ago.

My fists pummel him mercilessly. This is not just about my wife and I think in the back of my mind I know it. I feel like every blow is a little repayment for all the anger I’ve felt inside for the past few years.

“Dare…” Talia says.

I smash my fist into his face, flecks of his blood hitting my face. I grit my teeth and the taste of his blood floods my senses. “This has to be over! I have to end things!”

“Stop! Dare, stop! You don’t want to do this.”

Talia’s pleas slow my fists. Burn isn’t moving anymore. He doesn’t even seem conscious.

I stare down at the broken shell of a man I once called brother, pity and regret welling up inside me. This is not how I wanted it to end between us. But his relentless obsession has left me no choice.

“I have to kill him,” I whisper.

“You stopped him, Dare.” She steps into my line of sight, clutching at her stomach. “Please. You’ve done enough.”

I step back, dragging a bloodied fist over my chin. My eyes are riveted on Burn. If he gets up, I’ll have to finish what I started. But there is no movement that I can see other than the slight rise and fall of his chest.

He’s still breathing, but he isn’t about to come at me again.

“Dare.” Talia touches my arm and pushes me back a few more steps. “Say something.”

I turn to her, my hands coming up to cradle her face. Her skin is cold beneath my fingers. Gently, I brush back the windswept strands of hair from her eyes and then look down at her swollen stomach.

"Are you alright?" I ask urgently. “Is the baby okay?”

She nods, eyes brimming with emotion. "I'm okay now. Thanks to you."

Relief floods through me. I pull her into my arms, holding her close against my pounding heart. The familiar scent of her hair fills my senses. My heart beats wildly as I try to convince myself that the threat has passed.

We stand entwined on the beach as the waves slip rhythmically up and down the shoreline. The tumultuous storm within me begins to quiet. I focus only on the feel of Talia in my arms, her body pressed to mine. Safe. Unharmed.

Mine.