Elias POV

By the time I reached her, my fists were already flying. One of Volkov’s men went down with a crack to the jaw. Another staggered back when my elbow drove into his ribs. I didn’t think. I didn’t calculate. I moved on instinct—rage guiding every step.

“How dare you!”

One of them reached for me.

Bad move.

I slammed him into the wall hard enough to rattle the frame. He slid down, groaning. The last man barely had time to raise his hands before my fist met his face. He collapsed onto the carpet, blood already staining his lip.

Jacqueline was frozen on the sofa, eyes wide, breath...