by Lila Rose
Henry sat on a cot in the corner. He stood when we’d entered, winced, holding his ribs on his right side. Yeah, Boom had his fun.
He started rambling, “Kylo, son, I didn’t mean anything by it. I wasn’t myself.” He hit the side of his head with his hand. “I-I’m messed up.” Tears sprung to his bruised eyes. “I’ll get help. I will. I won’t let it happen again. I promise. If you just let me go, I won’t do drugs, drink, nothing. Please, just let me go. I’ll get your money back. I will. I’ll disappear. You won’t see me again. I won’t come near you.” He flicked his gaze to me. “To any of you.”
“You killed her,” Kylo said, his voice like steel.
Henry cringed. Tears fell as he whispered, “I wasn’t myself.”
“You murdered your wife,” Kylo snarled, his upper lip pulling up in disgust.
“I didn’t mean it,” Henry sobbed.
“You came into Saint’s house, killed Samantha, beat me, and you thought you would have the chance for me to leave you alone?”
“Kylo, please, please, I didn’t mean anything. I was high, out of my head.” He slapped the sides of his head again. “I just needed money. I needed money.”
Kylo snorted. “You’re pathetic.”
He dropped to his knees, his hands out. “Please, please, Kylo, let me go. Don’t call the cops. Don’t send me to jail. Please. I won’t be able to take it. Please, please, Kylo.”
“Get up,” Kylo demanded.
Henry didn’t move.
“You heard him. Get the fuck up,” I barked.
Henry whimpered.
Fuck me.
Fucking hell, he was pathetic.
Kylo snorted. “I never said anythin’ about jail or the cops, Henry. You ain’t that lucky.”
Henry’s eyes widened, more panic setting in.
Good.
He deserved everything we would deal out.
“No,” Henry whispered. “You wouldn’t do that to me.”
I shook my head and smiled while Kylo laughed darkly. “What? Kill you like you did Samantha? Like you and those other fuckers would have done to me?”
He winced and swallowed thickly. His eyes flicked behind us toward the door. Slowly, he stood, and I knew, I fucking knew he was going to try and make a break for it.
He shifted from one foot to the other, and then it was like something inside of him had been switched on. He scowled at Kylo and snarled, “You can’t do this. You won’t want to go to jail for killing me.” He laughed. “Then again, you’d probably like it, right? Like a good fucking up the ass. Bet your boy here does you good, you fucking disgusting piece of shit.”
Kylo raised a brow and asked, “You done?”
He spat to the side before calling Kylo every name under the sun. I listened, watching closely. The stupid cunt edged toward the door. We moved with him, letting him think we were so distracted by his words that he could just escape.
I wanted to laugh at him. Laugh in his face and then kick it.
Henry lunged for the door. Kylo dropped his cane, spun around, hooked an arm around his neck, and threw Henry across the room. He landed with a bang and moaned.
I stared at Kylo because that was fucking hot.
Kylo moved toward him with a limp. I hung back and let Kylo have his way until he needed me. With a strength I knew was fueled by his rage, Kylo picked Henry up by his tee and punched him in the face.
“That was for Samantha.”
He hit him again in the face before Henry could recover and snarled, “That was for me.”
Kylo dropped him. Immediately, Henry moaned and started begging again. With a fluid motion, Kylo pulled a knife out of the back of his jeans and unsheathed it. He threw the cover down, hauled Henry up, and pushed him up against the wall.
“You fuckin’ think you get to live in this world when you’ve done damn nothin’ but tarnish it?” He stabbed the knife into Henry’s side. Henry groaned and cried out. “You’re worthless. You’re nothin’. The best fuckin’ thing you did for me was give me over to Boom. Other than that, you’re a waste of space, and the world will be better without you.” He withdrew the knife and planted it in Henry’s thigh.
Henry’s screams were like music to my ears.
“Saint,” Kylo called.
“Yeah, babe?”
“Come have your fun before I end this fucker’s life. I don’t want to waste any more time on him.”
“You’re right. He ain’t worth it,” I said as I walked over. “Drop him,” I added.
Kylo did, and Henry fell to the floor, whimpering and moaning in pain.
Good.
Pulling back my foot, I kicked the motherfucker in the gut, the face, the legs. I wanted every inch of him in pain. Every fucking inch.
Panting, I crouched in front of him and gripped his oily hair in my fist, tugging up his head so he could look at me through his swollen eyes. “You know you’re gonna die.” His eyes flared to what they could. Fear rolled off him. He reeked of it. “You shouldn’t have come after him. You shouldn’t have laid a hand on him, or had those fuckers, who will pay in jail, touch him. Kylo’s ours. He’s Diamond, but more importantly, he’s mine.” I wound a hand around his neck and shifted him up the wall, so he sat on the floor. My grip tightened, cutting off his oxygen. He tried to fight, tried to pry my hand away, but I held on and watched him struggle until he near passed out.
Letting go, I stood and shifted back.
Kylo lifted his chin toward me and moved in.
Henry shifted his gaze, seeing Kylo tap the knife against his thigh while he looked in disgust down at the man who helped bring him into the world.
Kylo didn’t say anything as he slowly leaned down and forward, the knife held out in front of him. Henry went to grab it, but I got there and knocked his working hand away. A second later, Kylo dug the tip of the knife into Henry’s skin at his neck.
“Enjoy your time in hell, motherfucker,” he bit out and sliced the knife across Henry’s throat. It cut in deeply, blood squirting and coating the front of Henry, Kylo’s arms, and the floor.
When Kylo stood and stepped back, I moved close to his side, and we stayed there until the life drifted from Henry’s eyes and he slumped back against the wall.
“He deserved it,” I said.
Kylo nodded. “He did.”
I ran my fingers over his hand. “You okay?”
Kylo shrugged, glancing at me. “Maybe I should feel bad for takin’ a life, but I don’t.”
“I was the same when I took my first,” I said.
“When?” he asked.
“Just after I got patched in. You remember the attack we had here at the compound?”
“Yeah, I heard Boom talkin’ about the fuckers who wanted to take on Diamond so they could deal cocaine in our area.”
I nodded. “I killed to protect the club, to protect the brothers, and I don’t regret it.”
“Club is life,” Kylo said.
“It is.” I took his hand as he threw the knife to the ground beside Henry’s lifeless body. “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up. We’ll grab some drinks after in the common room. Surround ourselves with the brothers.”
“Sounds fuckin’ good.”
We knew the brothers would clean up our mess, so I took Kylo to my room in the compound. Only when I opened the door, I realized my mistake when I saw the brochures on my bed.
“What’s that?” he asked when I stilled.
Shifting over to the bed, I collected them, but Kylo was right there next to me. He picked one up. “You lookin’ at buyin’ a place?” he groaned. “Zion, please tell me it’s not because of what happened at your house with me?”
“It’s not,” I said quickly.
“Zion—”
“Been wantin’ to move for a while. The ’rents have never liked the area I’m in, and I’m over worryin’ about gettin’ my shit stolen.” I shrugged and took the brochure from his hands. “It’s time to move.”
He sighed,
leaned his cane next to the bed, and took my hand in his to tug me into him. I met his gaze when he said, “You liked that place. I don’t know if I’ve ever said sorry it happened—”
“Don’t you fuckin’ dare. I hate that it happened, but I don’t care it was at my place. I want to move, Kylo. I need this. A new chapter in life, and I want you to move in with me.”
He bit his bottom lip and studied me for a beat before shaking his head, and my gut clenched. “No.”
“No?”
“Nope, it’s too soon, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. Hell, I might even end up stayin’ at your place most of the time, but I ain’t movin’ in.”
“Yet, right?”
He rolled his eyes. “Maybe.”
I pouted.
He snorted. “Don’t fuckin’ pout at me.”
“But, lover, I need my boo boo in my house all the damn time to perv on.”
He laughed, and it was good to see some of his light shining back in there. Taking a life took a toll on you; I knew it, felt it, but with the support at our backs, Kylo would be fine. Especially since we knew what a piece of shit Henry had been.
I’d keep an eye on him in case it did play with his mind. If we couldn’t help, then I’d find someone we could trust who he could share this shit with.
Yeah, I’d keep a close eye on him.
He was mine to take care of, to protect over anyone.
I knew he was holding back moving in with me because he was still worried about this lasting. I’d give him time, and eventually, he’d see I wouldn’t go anywhere except for where he was.
“Not happenin’, but would sharin’ a shower help your delicate feelin’s?”
“Hmm, it could, for a start.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll get you drunk later and suck you off.”
“Now we’re talkin’, but we’ll be bringin’ the matter of movin’ in with me up at a later date… like tomorrow.”
He chuckled and led me toward the bathroom off my bedroom. “We’ll see.”
I’d wear him down with my flowery words and sweep him off his feet to a point he couldn’t say no anymore. Well, eventually I would.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kylo
“At least it’s only another couple of months, and you’ll get out of Polished and into security,” I said to West on the phone as I sat in bed waiting on Zion to get home. I hadn’t let Zion know Wendy and Boom wouldn’t be here, which I planned to use to my advantage. Lucas and Wreck had visited Zion’s house earlier. They had happened to go there, though, when Zion wasn’t home so they could find something for me.
I glanced to the side and grinned at the guitar.
Lucas already knew Zion played the guitar since he was his brother, but he hadn’t known he’d kept it going into his adult life. He’d thought Zion had stopped in high school. Wreck didn’t give a shit whether Zion played or not. He didn’t care about much unless it had something to do with Lucas. So at least I knew they wouldn’t blab to the brothers until Zion was ready to show his skills.
Skills I was keen on seeing tonight.
West sighed through the phone. “I know. At least then you’ll be working there as well.”
“Exactly.” It worried me I hadn’t worked since being injured, but Zion, Country, and Death had all stated I had to heal to a point I was able to move without so much pain before I started back in on any job. It just happened to be about the same time I would be starting at the security firm. What eased my concerns and stopped me arguing with them about work was that the bank replaced all the money Henry stole, which had only been finalized last week. It helped me breathe a bit easier knowing I had money to back me up from not working for so long.
Zion had tried to tell me he’d support me when it came to money, but I didn’t want to rely on someone else. It took him a while to understand. He saw it as since we were together, whatever he had in life was mine as well. I found the whole thing mind-blowing, and I figured I was still getting used to the idea Zion was mine. Eventually, he’d understood that I wasn’t throwing away his offer, that I would take him up on it if necessary. Though I was sure he just said so to appease me. The truth was I needed to manage without laying my shit on someone else. I needed to be independent.
“You are okay with leavin’ Polished, right?” I asked since West was quiet.
“Yes, yeah, I am….”
“But?” I pressed.
“Yesterday I was talking with Lucas and realized I missed him.”
“The client?” I asked to clarify.
He laughed humorlessly. “It’s stupid. We hardly spoke, but I liked being around him. Why can’t I get over this?”
I didn’t want to voice the answer I had, which was that he could have been the one for West, like Zion was for me, but saying that could hurt him more. I didn’t know this guy, but they’d connected on a different level than West had with his ex, and West had thought he’d loved Sam.
“You will eventually. It just takes time.”
“It’s been nearly two months, Kylo,” he stated.
I cringed. “Fuck, I know. Sorry. Why don’t you come over here and we’ll chat while we get drunk?”
He laughed a little. “Thanks for the offer, but it’s late. I’m about to head home, and Saint just left to get to you. I’m not interrupting that. Still—”
“West? Somethin’ wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, no, I just thought I saw someone I knew. Thanks for the chat, but I’ll talk to you soon.”
“You got it. Take care.”
“Thanks, you too.” He hung up, and I placed my phone on the bedside table. I worried about West and figured a guys’ night was called for with West, Lucas, and me. And soon.
For now, I wanted to make sure everything was ready for when Zion got home. I’d already showered, so I got undressed, put his guitar at the end of the bed, and sat naked on the bed with a book beside me and my comics.
It was time to trade.
Since Boom had given Zion a key after saying, “Looks like you’re stickin’ around, so here, Gun wants you to have a key and thought it’s better comin’ from me since it’s my place and all,” I’d have to listen out for the key in the door.
However, while I waited, I picked up the current paperback, which I quickly got lost in, so when a throat cleared from the doorway, I jumped.
“So, you read naked?” Zion teased with a smirk.
I chuckled, my face heating. “Not usually. Only when I know my man is comin’ home.”
He stepped into the room and closed our door. “I’m guessin’ Boom and Wendy won’t be home.”
“You guessed right,” I told him.
He paused, removing his vest when he spotted his guitar. His eyes lifted to me, his brow shooting up.
“I didn’t go there,” I said. Zion still wouldn’t let me there until he moved into his new place. “Lucas was happy to grab it for me.”
He snorted. “Of course he was.” He placed his vest over the chaise lounge and removed his tee, dropping it to the floor. “Let me guess if I have this situation straight. You want me to play you a song, and I’ll get to listen to a book?” His gaze shifted to the side. He grinned. “I also get to see your drawin’s?”
“Yes, as an added bonus, you’ll get my ass as well.”
His eyes flared and heated. He closed them and swallowed. He leveled me with a gaze full of desire, yet he still asked, “Are you sure your leg’s—”
“Shut up. I’m fine. Besides, you’ll be doin’ all the work to pleasure me.”
His smile was wicked. “Yeah, lover, I’ll pleasure you in every damn way.”
“Then give me a song, Zion,” I ordered. Already I was thickening from just watching him. He winked and picked up his guitar. He pulled the chaise lounge away from the end of the bed and sat on it, facing me. With the guitar on his lap, he strummed a few beats, listening to the tone.
I didn’t expect how hot he would look sitting
shirtless with his fingers strumming over a guitar while looking at me with soft eyes and a small smile. “Any preference in song?”
“You pick,” I told him, my tone gentle.
His fingers worked like magic over the notes. He was skilled, more than I thought he would be. My eyes flicked up when he began to sing. My heart stumbled. I quivered from his voice as he sang the first lines of “Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man.
My pulse raced. I didn’t expect him to sing along with the guitar. I didn’t know he’d have an amazing voice. But he did.
Jesus Christ. I was dating a god.
He was fucking perfect.
His voice faltered over a couple of words when he noticed I’d gone hard. I grabbed a pillow to cover myself because I didn’t want him distracted. He continued, and I was lost in watching him.
Hell, my chest hurt with how much this man, my man, could make me feel. It wasn’t just because he could play and sing. It was just him. Zion had crashed into my world and turned it upside down. He’d adapted to being bisexual easily, even though he would say it was my skills that converted him.
Thank fuck I’d put forward the challenge to suck him off in the first place, and for both of us being stubborn, else I wouldn’t be sitting in front of him naked. I wouldn’t have his warm eyes on me. I wouldn’t have him as mine, and that would be a tragedy.
When he’d finished the song, I wanted him to sing another, then another, but I also wanted something so much more.
“Do you mind if we read and look at my work later?” I asked.
He placed the guitar on the chaise after he stood and turned back to me while undoing the button and zipper on his jeans. “You want me?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m gonna fuck you, lover.”
I swallowed. “Please.”
He pushed his jeans and boxers down and kicked them off. “Lay down, Kylo,” he ordered, and my dick gave a happy jerk in response to his harder tone.
As I slid down the bed, my breath hitched when he moved the pillow off me and threw it over the side somewhere. Zion walked to the bedside table and pulled the drawer open, setting lube on the bed. The lack of condoms made my heart trip over itself, pleased as hell we’d already discussed our health and how we didn’t need to be wrapped up.