Page 118 of Played
"You—"
Julian doesn't let him finish the thought, doesn't give him even a second to complete whatever pathetic excuse or threat was forming on his lips.
In one fluid, explosive motion, he closes the distance between them and grabs Daniel by the collar with both hands, freeing me in the process, his fingers twisting into the expensive fabric of his shirt. Then he moves—fast, powerful, driven by a fury I've never witnessed before—and slams Daniel backward against the sedan with brutal force. The entire car rocks violently on its suspension from the impact, metal groaning, and I hear Daniel's breath punch out of him in a shocked gasp as his back connects with the unforgiving surface.
"You put your hands on her again, I'll kill you." Julian's voice is unrecognizable—low, guttural, barely human.
I've never seen him like this. Never knew hecouldbe like this.
Daniel recovers fast, twists free. "You think you can stop me.” He swings forwards and punches Julian in the jaw. So hard, the sound of the crack echoes through the garage.
Julian's head snaps to the side. Blood appears at the corner of his mouth.
Then something in him breaks.
He launches himself at Daniel with a feral intensity I've never witnessed in another human being, the movement so swift and violent it seems to blur the air between them.
His fist drives forward, powered by every ounce of rage and protective fury coursing through his body, and connects with Daniel's face with a hard, sickening crunch that makes my stomach lurch, the sound of it reverberating off the concrete walls of the parking garage.
Daniel's head snaps violently to the side from the force of the blow, his body following the momentum as he staggersbackward, arms pinwheeling as he struggles to keep his balance, his expensive loafers scraping against the ground.
Julian hits him again. And again.
"Julian—" My voice is paper-thin.
He doesn't hear me. His fist hammers into Daniel's ribs, his face, anywhere he can reach. Daniel tries to fight back, throws wild punches that mostly miss. One catches Julian's temple, but Julian doesn't even flinch.
He's a machine. Relentless.
Daniel's nose explodes. Blood sprays across the concrete, across Julian's knuckles. He stumbles backward, hands up.
"Stop—please—"
Julian follows him, each step measured, deliberate. His fist pulls back again.
"Julian, stop!" I finally move, grabbing his arm. "You're going to kill him!"
He shakes me off like I'm not even there. His eyes are black, empty of everything except fury.
One more punch—brutal, final.
Daniel's head whips back. His feet tangle beneath him. He falls.
The sound his skull makes against the concrete pillar will haunt me forever—a sickening thud that seems to echo for hours.
He crumples to the ground. Doesn't move.
Blood pools beneath his head, spreading slow and dark across the garage floor.
Julian stands over him, chest heaving, fists still clenched. Blood drips from his knuckles—Daniel's or his own, I can't tell.
"Julian." My voice cracks.
He doesn't answer. Just stares down at Daniel's motionless body, his shoulders rising and falling with each ragged breath.
The garage falls silent except for the fluorescent lights humming overhead and my racing heartbeat pounding in my ears.
We stand there like statues carved from ice, neither of us capable of movement, neither of us able to look away from what lies before us.
