chapter 36
Nic
Iron rods pounded into my ribs. One after the other, rock hard fists slammed into me. Pure venom poured out of Juan’s mouth as he cursed me in two languages. And I took it all, each and every well-deserved, savage blow. Juan hated me. He always had. Looking at my reflection in his dark eyes, I saw the privileged rich kid who had taken away his mother and broken a family apart.
Instinct caused me to twist and turn and avoid the searing pain jolting through my body as he beat me. I scolded myself for trying to avoid the just punishment from the boy who felt I’d betrayed his family, so I held still, letting Juan do his worst.
In between his feral growls, I heard Mandi’s cries for him to stop hurting me. And in that brief moment, as Juan’s fist connected with my jaw, my hear
