Chapter 38
Zayn takes in the scene before him quickly, stepping inside my apartment as Daniel pulls me further back down the hall.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Daniel spits as relief hits me so hard I start to cry harder. My body wracks with sobs, my lungs struggling to draw in air with Daniel’s palm so firmly over my mouth I can barely breathe.
A deathly calm settles over Zayn’s features, but the violence encased behind his dark gaze is undeniable. He’s looking at Daniel like he’s going to skin him alive.
The door closes behind him.
“Let her go,” he says, voice colder than ice. “Now.”
His eyes do a quick scan over my body, and I know he’s checking for any visible injuries. I want to tell him I’m fine, at least physically, but I can’t speak.
Daniel laughs. It sounds as deranged as he is. “Not a fucking chance. I’m taking my wife home.” He’s truly lost his mind. Was I so docile to him in our marriage that he thought he would get away with this? My heart pounds so hard it threatens to shatter my ribcage.
“You can’t take her where you’re going.”
“Oh, yeah?” Daniel sneers, still dragging me backwards. “And why is that?”
Zayn takes a step forward for every one of our steps back, keeping me within arm’s reach.
His gaze flicks over my splintered bedroom door when we pass it, and I see him piecing together what’s happened here tonight.
“Because you’re going to prison. Or hell.
Depending on how you choose to play this. ”
Zayn’s dead serious. His jaw is clenched, and his merciless gaze is trained over my head where Daniel stands. He would kill Daniel?
“Let her go, or it’s definitely going to be the latter.”
Daniel stops moving and I realise we’ve hit the couch.
Zayn stops too. I know he’s calculating how to get me away from Daniel without hurting me.
His eyes keep dropping to where Daniel’s arm is wrapped firmly around my stomach.
There’s no easy extraction. Daniel will have to let me go willingly, and, at this stage, that doesn’t seem likely.
Strangely, even with Daniel’s arms wrapped around me tighter than a fist and the promise of vengeance in his heart, the fear I felt earlier completely dissipated the moment my eyes landed on Zayn.
Zayn’s my safety. My protector. My home.
He always comes for me.
“You’ve got nothing on me.” Daniel laughs. “I’m not going to jail.”
“Nothing?” Zayn’s gaze flickers back down to Daniel’s grip on me.
“Aside from breaking and entering and aggravated assault, I’m going to nail you for attempted kidnapping, stalking, domestic violence, rape…
” He spits each offence out like it costs him to say the words, “harassment and blackmail, you fucking piece of shit.”
Zayn’s fury is palpable. It weaves around him like condensed air, poised and ready to strike. “And that’s just against Gianna. Let’s not forget the statutory rape changes I’m going to fucking bury you with.”
Daniel scoffs behind me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You have no proof of anything.”
A dark chuckle escapes Zayn’s lips, but there’s no humour in it whatsoever.
“Oh, but I do. I have enough evidence to send you away for a very long time. You see, I’ve been busy the last two weeks.
” Zayn’s demeanour seems relaxed, effortless, but I see the tension in the set of his shoulders.
The tightness in his jaw. He’s furious. “I found the teenager you’ve been fucking.
Or should I say, I found all three of them.
How original, preying on young girls that you were training, that were in your duty of care.
” Zayn tsks as though reprimanding a naughty child.
“Their parents aren’t happy at all. And that’s putting it mildly.
They want you to pay for what you’ve done. ”
Daniel doesn’t say a word from behind me, and I can tell he’s shocked by Zayn’s revelation.
“You never should have fucked with Gianna, you asshole. Because now, I’m going to fuck with you.”
Daniel responds by gripping me tighter, and I groan against the pressure bearing down on my ribs. Zayn’s eyes harden as they drop again to Daniel’s arm.
“Let her go. Let’s have it out, after all this time, just me and you.”
Daniel spits at Zayn’s feet. “Fuck you. Gianna isn’t going anywhere.”
Zayn’s forearms flex as he curls and uncurls his fists. “Come on, you fucking coward,” he growls, his patience wearing thin. “Let her go.”
I wait for Zayn to look back down at me, and when he does, I widen my eyes as much as I can.
The only signal I can give before I act out the unhinged plan that popped into my head two seconds ago when I realised I was still grasping a pair of nail scissors in my hand.
Because I’m not useless, or dumb or nothing.
I’m strong, and capable, and worthy. I’ll never let Daniel convince me otherwise, or render me incapacitated again.
I manoeuvre the scissors so the pointy edge is sticking out of my fist. Then I waste no time lifting my forearm as high as I can while caged, and then I slam my fist down against the side of Daniel’s thigh.
I feel the entire blade of the scissors sink into flesh, my fist hitting Daniel’s leg when they’re in as far as they can go.
The scream he emits threatens to shatter my ear-drums, but I don’t have time to cover them with my hands.
Zayn’s arms are wrapped around me in less than a second.
He yanks me to safety, then he launches forward, pinning Daniel back against the sofa with a hand wrapped around his throat.
Daniel goes from screaming to barely being able to breathe as he claws at the hand that’s cutting off his air supply, but Zayn’s an immovable force, bearing down on him with enough pressure to snap Daniel’s neck in half.
“You will pay for every last bit of suffering you caused her,” Zayn says, his voice forced between his clenched teeth. “That’s my promise to you.”
Daniel’s face starts to turn as blue as his wide, panic-stricken eyes. They dart manically around Zayn’s face, but Zayn just continues to stare down at him with nothing but undiluted hatred.
“Zayn!” I rush forward and place a hand on his firm shoulder, trying to pull him back, but it’s like trying to move a brick wall. “You need to let go of him. You’ll kill him!”
My words have the opposite effect. Zayn only squeezes harder.
“I didn’t wait ten fucking years for you to come back just to lose you again!” I scream, trying harder to pull him off. When Zayn still doesn’t move, I panic, dread overtaking my senses.
“Zayn, please,” I whimper as Daniel’s lips turn blue. His actions slow, his eyes bulging from his head as the lack of oxygen reaches dangerous levels. “Please.”
My pleas must worm their way through Zayn’s hate-filled haze because he suddenly releases Daniel, standing abruptly to face me.
His hands, the same ones that were just choking my husband to death, gently caress my face and his eyes soften on mine as he draws me in to his chest. He wraps his fingers into my hair as Daniel gasps desperately for air on the couch behind him.
Then out of nowhere a sob rips from my throat as my legs give out beneath me. I can’t help it. I start to hyperventilate, gripping onto Zayn’s suit jacket like my life depends on it.
“Zayn,” I choke out, buying my face in his chest. “Scared…” I whimper. “So, so scared. He came. Tried to.. to… take me.” I can barely see through my tears now as the seriousness of the situation crashes over me like cold bucket of water. Daniel nearly kidnapped me.
Zayn’s shoulders tense and he wraps his arms around me.
I draw big gulps of vanilla and sandalwood into my lungs and, like a calming draught, it slows my heart rate, releasing the pressure behind my eyes until I’m able to relax into his chest, the warmth of his comfort surrounding me like a blanket.
“Gianna,” Daniel moans from the couch. The sound of his voice makes me freeze. “Come-”
Before I can even register what’s happening, Zayn is out of my grasp and leaning over Daniel, who’s eyes widen in fear as he grips his own throat to prevent Zayn from latching back onto him.
He needn’t bothered. Zayn’s intentions become clear when he draws back his arm, snarls “this is for her,” then slams his fist down into Daniel’s face so hard it knocks him completely unconscious. Daniel’s body crumples onto the couch.
“Zayn!”
“What?” he asks calmly, shaking his fist and turning to face me like he didn’t just knock someone out in my living room.
I send him a pointed look, which he blatantly ignores as he stops a few feet away from me.
Now that I’m not clinging to him, his eyes drop, raking over me as he conducts a full assessment of my body for any injuries.
I can tell when he determines I’m not in any immediate danger by the way a small exhale leaves his lips.
“Are you okay?”
I think of the ordeal Daniel just put me through and my reprimand leaves me. Daniel deserves everything he got.
“I’m fine,” I say instead, my voice shaky as the rest of the adrenaline starts to wear off.
Nausea hits me out of nowhere like a blunt force trauma, and I go to sag back against the table, but Zayn, watching me like a hawk, reaches out before I can and draws me back against his chest. He slips his phone from his pocket.
“I should probably call an ambulance,” I say against Zayn’s chest. Daniel’s breathing is coming in ragged bursts.
“I’m doing it now.”
“Good. I don’t think he can breathe properly.”
“I’m calling it for you.”
I snap my head back to look up at Zayn, who’s already staring down at me. Concern shadows his brows.
“Me? I’m not hurt.”
“I’ll believe that when a paramedic has looked over you.” He runs a hand through his hair and it’s only now I see the fear and worry hovering behind his dark eyes. “I can’t believe he got his fucking hands on you again.”
The anger in his voice startles me. It’s directly purely back on himself, and I can’t believe he’s trying to take the blame for what happened here tonight.
“Zayn, I’m fine.” I grab his hand and place it firmly over my chest. “See? Completely unharmed.”
“Yes, tell that to your bedroom door that’s hanging off the god-damn hinges.”
He jerks back toward Daniel, who’s still unconscious on the couch, with a fresh wave of anger. I’m quicker to pull him back this time.
“Hey, look at me. I’m okay.”
“I’m going to make sure he never sees daylight again,” he says, bringing the phone to his ear. “And when I’m done here, you’re going to tell me every single thing that happened since that meeting in my office.”
I nod and sink my head down against his shoulder, the sound of his voice a soothing rumble in my ears as my eyes grow heavier and my chest, after what feels like an eternity, finally feels lighter.