Chapter 148 Instances of fear

Chapter 148 Instances of fear
JAXON'S POV

I couldn't focus on anything around me.

Even though Nancy was right in front of her, I couldn't even look at her face. All I could see was the knife held against her throat.

There weren't many instances in my life where fear had held such a tight grip on me, but without any iota of doubt, this was one of them.

The kind of man I was, and the position I had, coupled with the kind of life I lived, ensured that I encountered danger nearly every day, and it had been that way for the entirety of my life, but no other situation had ever had me feeling like I was beneath an ice glacier, drowning with thickened ice over my head, preventing my escape.

I'd never felt colder in my life, and the last time I experienced an emotion nearly similar to this was when Diana had fallen gravely ill when she was younger, and that still couldn't equate to my present feeling.

Every nerve in my body was screaming at me. My instinct was yelling at me to move forward, but the more rational part of me knew that Hudson wouldn't hesitate to slice that knife across Nancy's neck the instant I dared to make a move.

So, even though all I wanted to do right now was cross the distance between us and rip him to shreds or even just grab my gun out of my holster and blow his head to bits, I restrained myself.

My teeth ground hard against the other, and I breathed in deeply, letting my gaze shift to her.

Nancy.

Her face had plagued my dreams for days, and I could recollect standing before the window in my study, wishing I'd traced every outline of her face because I found that I couldn't remember what she looked like.

It was like a recurring nightmare, but without the added effect of clear and vivid images. Now, the face that I had tried so desperately to recollect was lined with bruises.

There was a deep cut next to her eyebrow that had scarred, probably inflicted a couple of days ago, and her cheeks were red and slightly swollen, like someone had slapped her not too long ago.

Also, her cheeks were sunken, and so were her eyes. Just from her face alone, I could tell that she hadn't been feeding or sleeping well.

But the major thing that spurred rage, fanning the flames hotter than they already were, was the look in her eyes.

Beyond the tears that I could see welled up in them, there was absolute terror.

This wasn't the first time I'd seen her scared. She had been there the night my house got attacked, then the day after.

There was even one morning I could recollect that she had darted out of her room anxiously because she was late for a lecture, and I had seen fear in her eyes the day she told me Diana had discovered our secret affair, but none of those moments could compare to this.

They all couldn't rival the look in her eyes right now. It was bone-deep, heart-gnawing fear.

Rage coursed through me so violently that I felt like I held a volcano that was about to erupt, and the amount of control it took to restrain myself was unimaginable.

"Hudson, let her go."

It was strange that my voice was so calm when I was anything but calm, but like they say, sometimes, the calm was even more deadly.

I assumed Hudson couldn't read the deadliness of my tone because he chuckled.

"Landon, finally."

"It's a pleasure to host you in my humble abode. I hope your travel conditions weren't too...distressing?" he added, voice dripping with ridicule.

"Shut the fuck up!' Nathan barked, rushing forward.

He skidded to a halt when Hudson pressed the knife deeper into Nancy's skin.

"I'd suggest you restrain yourself lest I make the wrong move."

It was an unveiled warning that worked efficiently. Nathan bit down on his lip hard but took a step back, glaring brimstone at Hudson.

I knew he wouldn't pass up the offer to rip Hudson to shreds either.

"Hudson, let her go," I repeated, shocked that I was still able to keep my voice calm.

That control threatened to break when I heard Nancy's quivering voice.

"Mr Landon..."

My gaze locked on her again, and I stared deeply into her eyes, trying to imbue reassurance through my gaze.

"It's okay, Nancy, I'm here now."

I don't know if she found that as reassuring as I meant for it to be, but her head tipped back, drawing her slightly away from the knife while exposing even more area to the same threat.

"Nancy." Nathan's voice was frantic. "I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner; I should have protected you."

"This is all my fault." His voice trembled with tears, and his body shook with the intensity of his emotions.

Nancy turned her gaze to him, pupils widening slightly. "It's not your fault, Nathan."

She twisted her head slightly, and my breath caught in my throat before I realized that she was only trying to get a look at Hudson. Her gaze hardened.

"It's all this bastard's fault."

A chuckle broke through the air. It was Hudson, again, cackling as though what was playing out in front of him was a show meant for comedic relief.

His laughter however, heightened my fear because while he laughed, his body trembled as well, moving the knife around Nancy's neck.

Eventually, about a couple of seconds later, he stopped laughing and turned to Nathan.

"What an amusing boy you are. Why blame yourself when Landon's right here?"

His gaze alternated between me with intent.

"If anyone should be blamed, it's Landon. This would have never happened if he hadn't coveted what's mine in the first place."

"Nancy's not yours!" Nathan growled at him, taking a step forward.

Hudson's grip on the knife tightened, and immediately, blood trickled down Nancy's neck, showing that the knife had gone deeper.

Without thinking, I yelled.

"Nathan!"