I hear laughter in my ear as Kellan's head gets yanked back, hard. "Well isn't that sweet. He has a heart after all. I guess you finally got tired of using women like dish rags. Is that all you have to say, Romeo? Don't you have a story to tell? Some f**king introductions to do?"

Kellan closes his eyes and spits on the ground before looking back up at me with worried eyes. He's silent for a moment, just staring at me until the short guy knees him in the back, causing him to clear his throat and speak. "I worked hard to keep Adric away from those pills. I knew he was addicted, depressed and lost." He stops and swallows. "When I found him in his room that day, the first thing I did was come here looking for Cape because I knew where they had come from. I got here expecting to find Cape to get my answer. When I got here, Echo was the only one here. He was sitting there with a huge grin on his face as if he knew why I was here. He knew I found out Adric was still getting the pills. I knew Adric didn't get them directly from Cape or his men, but I knew someone was going between them, supplying Adric when I wasn't around. When I confronted Echo about it and demanded he tell me where Adric had still been getting them, he laughed in my face and talked down on Adric, calling him a piece of shit loser that deserved to die."

His eyes close for a moment, him taking a few deep breaths before continuing. "I lost it, baby. I f**king lost it. Adric was my brother. How could someone laugh in my face about him dying? No one hurts my family. I love them to death and will do anything to protect them. I took it out on Echo and made him pay for his mistakes. I had many talks with Echo beforehand, warning him of Adric's behavior. He ignored that. I had to deal with him. I almost killed a man. Look at him. I'm a f**king monster, driven by pain and anger.”

My eyes wander over to Echo, whose eyes are on Kellan, kneeling in front of him. His face looks different from before; almost sad as he stares at Kellan. I don’t know what to make of this, but I have a feeling he’s here against his own will.

I just look at him sitting there, then to my surprise he moves. He places his hand on the wheel and spins his chair around so he’s facing the back wall. Wait! What? He’s been able to move this whole time and yet he sat there looking at me as if he had no choice. His eyes never left mine. What was he thinking? What is he thinking?

“Nothing to say, Echo? You can’t even look at the man that put you there. This is your chance to watch him suffer through your pain.” Cape kneels down in front of his brother and grabs his face. “You, my brother, are going to watch him suffer. I haven’t waited eight years for this shit for you not to watch. Fuck!”

Walking over to where Kellan’s still kneeling on the ground, Cape swings his arm back, slamming the gun into the side of Kellan’s head. The crack of the blow echoes throughout the building as Kellan falls over on his side, his face hitting the concrete. “Get the f**k up, you pu**y bitch!”

I scream at the top of my lungs as Kellan pushes himself to his feet just to get beat back down to the ground. No matter how many times he gets punched or kicked, he still won’t seem to stay down. He won’t back down; although, he doesn’t put up a fight. He just takes the beaten as if he deserves it.

I try to plead with him to stop, but his eyes never meet mine. He does everything he can to keep his eyes out of my view. His face is bloody and swollen now, his body covered in dirt and dust from the building, the blows coming in smaller dosages now.

The sounds of the punches and impacts of the blows, causes bile to rise in my throat. I turn beside me and vomit on the person holding me back. I get thrown to the ground, the air getting knocked out of me once again.

Kellan’s head tilts my direction and suddenly, he’s rushing to his feet. “I will f**kin’ kill you.” Just as he’s about to make it to me, he gets shoved against the wall by Cape’s two morons.

I feel my head get yanked backwards as someone drags me across the floor by my hair. I’m screaming so loud it hurts my own ears. “Is that what makes you fight? It’s her! How does this make you feel, Kellan? Does it hurt watching someone you love get hurt? Huh?” Cape’s voice sounds next to my ear. He pulls me up to my feet. “Time for the knife; see how he feels about that.”

I watch in horror as the tall guy pulls out a knife, pins Kellan’s hand to the wall and stabs it through his hand, causing Kellan to scream out in pain. He bangs his head into the wall behind him while biting his bottom lip. The knife is holding his hand to the wall and blood is pouring down his hand.

My stomach twists into knots as Humpty punches Kellan in the gut one last time. “No! Stop! Please don’t hurt him anymore. Please,” I cry. “I will do anything you want. Just please leave him alone.”

Cape laughs in my ear and turns behind him. “Maxine, get Echo out of here; both of you, now!”

Reaching under my dress, he hooks his index finger under the crotch of my panties and tugs, pulling them down my legs. I squirm in his arms and a sob escapes me.

“Anything, huh,” he asks huskily. “I know exactly what I want.” He looks over at Kellan as he gets my panties down to my knees and they fall the rest of the way because I'm trying to clamp my legs together. He begins unbuckling his belt and slides his pants and underwear down his legs “I'm going to stand here and f**k your girl and you're going to sit there and watch. I bet she feels so tight and good. Do you want to watch me cum all in what is yours? It doesn't feel good to know someone you care about is at the hands of another, does it? “He begins rubbing his bare erection against my backside and I begin gagging.

Screaming, Kellan fights to break free from the wall, but both men are holding his good arm back. He struggles with his other hand before he rips his flesh through the knife, hurling his fist into the nearest one’s face.

The sight of the blood dripping down Kellan’s hand makes me cry even harder, but it’s not enough to slow him down. He breaks free of the two guys and charges at Cape. “You son of a bitch! Get your hands off her.”

Cape’s grip on me releases as he jerks his pants up his hips and attempts to reach for his gun. Kellan tackles him to the ground, punching him in the face while holding him down by the throat. He looks over at me and mouths for me to run.

I shake my head, but he mouths it again. I don’t want to leave him. I can’t just leave him. Looking around me, I see all of the men keeping a close eye on the fight on the ground. No one knows for sure what to do without Cape barking orders at them.