Beyond the Edge (the Knight Series Book 3)

by Mari Brown

  Well shit!

  Chapter 5

  Cole

  I’m home alone today. I’m bored and frustrated as hell. I may be feeling better but I’m still moving slow, way slower then I want to be. I decide to leave my room and head for my dad’s office to talk to him. At least then I can be doing something productive with my time. Drew is making his way down the hall as I enter. Once again, Kat would not let him go home. He had to stay with us until he was fully healed. Just another thing I love about that complicated woman.

  “Hey, man.” I greet my friend and soon to be brother in law.

  “Hey.” his face looks much like I imagine my own does right now. Ill-tempered and stir crazy.

  “Guess we had the same idea?” Drew says as we walk together toward my dad.

  “Yea, figured I’d talk to dad.” I scratch my head not quite believing I’m getting ready to say this, “I am not sure now is time for a leadership change in the family.”

  Drew only pauses slightly, “I hear ya there, man. I get it.”

  Drew may not have the same college education his sister has but it doesn’t change the fact that he is one smart mother fucker. Its why, even before Kat was in my life, I had picked him as my second in command. We had been a pair since the high school days.

  I was surprised to find my Dad’s office door open and waiting as if he expected us. Pete is already sitting in there with my father. It’s eerie to me sometimes how my dad anticipates things.

  My dad’s head raises as Drew and I enter his office, a smirk on his face “Shut the door, it’s time we all talk.”

  Drew and I exchange a look as if to say what the fuck but follow my dad’s orders.

  “Luke and Justin should be here soon.” He motions for us to sit around the conference table “We need to discuss what we know about the explosion and what we still need to find out.”

  “Do you think now is the right time for you to step down, Dad?” I question. His smile grows on his face.

  “Son, the fact you are thinking like that proves you’re ready to take over. For now, I think we work together. Show the men you can handle the big stuff.” He places a stack of photos in front of me. “Look these over, they are from the blast.”

  As I flip through the photos of the aftermath I can’t help the sense of being fucking lucky that Drew and I are still alive. The only thing that kept us alive was we were in an area that sheltered us on all sides from the blast. I’m thankful the blast didn’t level the building completely, as it could have, if done differently. I study a couple of pictures that show remnants of the explosive device. Shaking my head, I throw the pictures on top of the stack and push them towards Drew.

  Tension builds in my head. I rub my temples trying to alleviate the pressure. My anger simmers under the surface. My instinct is to grab a few guns and go shoot up some of the Martin holdings just to exact some type of revenge. There is no proof it is Sal behind this yet but it’s looking more and more like he had something to do with it. I know that to be a great leader for our family I can’t react on pure emotion; careful planning is required. The more thought put out, the better to minimize damages to our side.

  “As soon as Luke and Justin get here we will start” My dad speaks.

  Drew and I are lost in a conversation over the photos from the construction site. It’s not hard to understand why Kat was flipping out that morning and ended up having a panic attack. If the roles had been reversed and I walked up on this scene knowing her and my brother or sister for that matter where in this rubble, I would have lost it as well. My Kat is a strong woman but she has her weaknesses too. Her biggest one is her love of family. She may not trust or love easily but when she does, it’s fierce.

  Justin and Luke soon enter dad’s office. Both look like they are bone weary tired. I see bags under both their eyes and I wonder what they have been up too.

  “Good, now that everyone is here, we can begin.” My dad’s voice is commanding the attention of everyone in the room. “I received a phone call yesterday from Frank Martin.”

  At the mention of Sal’s uncle’s name, the head of the Martin family, my attention is riveted on my father. Why would Frank call my father? “What did he want?”

  “Let me know Sal has gone rogue, building up a new empire of men and operating on his own. Frank said he does not endorse anything his nephew is doing.”

  My dad’s words surprise me. I would think the elder Martin would have been backing his family not ratting them out to the enemy. “What else did he say?”

  “He’s an old man. He wants to retire but has no one trustworthy to turn things over to.” I wonder what this has to do with us as my father talks. “Wants to resolve things peacefully as possible and he had a proposition for us.”

  “What kind of proposition?” I’m curious.

  “Frank and I want to begin meeting for the purpose of negotiating the Knights taking over all Martin holdings in Belmont.” My dad words shock all of us in the room. Our looks do not hide that.

  The guys and I all eye each other. This is turning out to be the biggest thing we have dealt with since entering the business. It’s like we were just playing around before. Sal is proving himself to be a loose cannon. He’s working without the blessing of his uncle, the true head of the Martin family. That shows disrespect for his family. He is hell bent on coming after Kat for being the one who busted him for the kidnapping. He underestimated the Knights though. We are fun loving and playful but when it’s time to get serious, we buckle down.

  Dad’s face is ceased. The tension lines show. His lips are drawn tight as he looks around the room.

  “We have a big problem, one bigger than we originally thought.” He shuffles some papers out of the way, “According to Frank, Sal is not working with his blessing and is staging a coup against his own uncle. This is bad for everyone.”

  “How would us taking over work?” I ask cautiously.

  “Frank wants to sell me the majority of the Martin business holdings. He said this will cut off the money flow to Sal. It will leave Sal weak. The men Frank still has loyal to him would have to be dealt with as well.” Dad pushes his chair back; I follow him as he walks over to refill his glass at the mini bar. “We have a lot to think about and discuss. Do we want to buy out Frank and risk the new men turning on us? Do we let Frank and Sal battle it out internally? Do we just handle Sal?”

  “That’s a lot of questions with no answers.” Justin speaks up.

  “It is son. But those of us in this room are the ones who will make the decision.”

  “Ummm one problem; Kat is missing.” Luke says while giving his goofy grin.

  Fuck if the dumbass ain’t right. Kat is going to have a fit when she finds out we discussed this without her.

  “Missing? I’m not missing. I’m just late.” my beautiful Kitten calls from the open doorway. I watch as she walks in wearing a black skirt that falls just above her knees, some cute little red top and the fucking sexiest pair of black stilettos I have ever seen. My dick instantly comes to attention and I have to subtly shift in my seat.

  My eyes follow her as she greets my father with a kiss on the cheek before moving back around toward me. She gives me a saucy grin before leaning down and planting a kiss on my lips. I love the way her lips feel on mine and it takes all my strength to fight doing more than just kissing her back. I want to run my hands up her skirt. I want to stick my cock way deep in her.

  “Hey, handsome.” she greets me before turning to the rest of the room, “Hey guys.”

  “Why don’t I get a kiss like that?” Justin jokes.

  “Because I’d put a bullet in you.” I reply dryly before Kat’s beautiful laughter rings out.

  “No need for shooting your brother. You’re the only one I want. Now, I think we have some serious matters to discuss.” Kat sits down on the arm of my chair and faces my dad. I watch as he gives her a small smile before straightening up.

  “There are a few businesses I wouldn�
�t mind obtaining from Frank, especially the ones around our ***Southside warehouse. However, do we want to deal with the hassle of merging the two families into one? It’s never easy.” His glass touches his lips as he takes a long drink of the amber liquid. “What do you think Cole?”

  All eyes cut my direction at my dad’s question. “Can we obtain the ***Southside businesses and maybe a few others? Tell the men they are free and will be left in peace unless they align themselves with Sal?”

  “That’s actually not a bad idea.” Drew speaks up. “We can pick up a little bit more territory on the ***south side and make sure the rest of the Martin’s don’t come after us when we go after Sal. It narrows who we fight down.”

  “How can we be sure all of them would listen to Frank?” my head cuts up to Kat as she asks her question.

  “We can’t for sure babe, but usually agreements like this are honored by anyone loyal to the head of the family.” Smiling at her I feel as if I’m going to burst from the pride I have for her. This is my woman. I’m the lucky son of a bitch who gets not only a gorgeous woman but a fucking smart one too. What did I do to deserve a woman like this? A woman who was meant to be mine And she is perfect. Okay, maybe not perfect. She is a bit of a brat at times.

  “Luke, can you begin working with Hunter? Gather intel on all the holdings and people.” Dad speaks.

  “Yeah, I can do that. I’ll start on it right away.” Luke stands up and grabs his briefcase. Luke stops only briefly to give Kat a kiss on her cheek before saying “Bad ass Belmont bitch not the sorority girl anymore!” then he chuckles before walking out the door and disappearing from my sight.

  “He’s lucky my sister is in love with him.” I say with a smirk while pulling Kat closer to my side “I hate the relationship you have with him.”

  “Don’t worry you are still the only one I want. Hell. I am marrying you!” Kat snickers.

  “You two are stupid.” Justin pipes up again being his usual pain in the ass self.

  “Justin!” Dad’s voice stops any further discussion. “You and Pete need to find out everything you can about Sal. Where he is hiding, who is working with him, what kind of resources he has, anything!”

  “Got it dad.” Justin replies. “You ready Hulk?”

  I fight the laugh at Justin calling Pete by the nickname that Kat gave him back when she first met him.

  “Call me that again fucker…” Pete’s tone leaves no doubt he isn’t going to let anyone else call him that. Justin and Pete are the next to leave my dad’s office.

  “So, wedding?” Dad says looking at us.

  “Yes, when are you going to make an honest woman of my sister?” Drew teases me.

  I sigh. “She’s needs to make an honest man of me.” I joke back.

  “I’m not that bad!” Kat exclaims.

  “You’ve been running from my boy for the last five years.”

  “Bruce! You helped me run from him.” she laughs as she calls my dad out.

  “No, I sent you to college.” He huffs at her.

  “Whatever. All that matters is my Kitten is back home where she belongs! And she told me we were planning a wedding.” The last part I say with a little less enthusiasm.

  Drew’s laughter echoes the office. “Priceless…Cole mother fucking Knight picking out flower arrangements. This I have to see.”

  “Drew, be nice or I’ll pull the little sister card on you.” Kat’s pointed look at her brother causes me to laugh under my breath but my dad lets out a full on belly laugh, releasing any tension he had left from earlier this morning.

  Chapter 6

  Kat

  Since the explosion, security has been beefed up everywhere. All our buildings have increased security details. We have more men on site with us as bodyguards besides the usual ones. Cole and I are in our room a few hours after the meeting in his dad’s office. We have been discussing the plan for Bruce to meet with Frank Martin and reach an agreement. It’s all of our hope that this will help eliminate some of the threat Sal could pose to us as a family. We have still no full proof that Sal was behind the explosion. However, Agent Pierce Lambert has telephoned Cole and Bruce, both. His agents determined the blast was set on purpose. It’s funny that the organized crime task force is now helping us instead of investigating us. We still have to ever be on guard.

  A knock on the suite door has me getting off the sofa. I open the door to a smiling Julie.

  “So we have three wedding planners coming to the house today!” She says with way more excitement than I possess and I’m the bride to be.

  “Fuck me!” my stomach rolls at the thought of planning this wedding. I may have commitment issues.

  Julie laughs. “They will show us their portfolios and we will ask questions and get a feel for them. It will be fun.”

  Fun? A shootout with Sal Martin sounds more fun than meeting with wedding planners. What is wrong with me? I’m thrilled to be marrying Cole but the whole princess wedding? This is not something I ever dreamed about. I remember even my sorority sisters had visions of what their weddings would be like. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever get married.

  “If I don’t like them I get to shoot them” I say dryly. I hear Cole’s laughter rumble from behind me.

  Julie’s eyes go wide with surprise. Her skin noticeably pales. “You will not shoot anyone else in this house!”

  Julie says it so seriously that I feel guilt at my words. I promised her that she could help plan this wedding. I would have preferred eloping. However, Bruce insisted I get the fairytale wedding. I can do this for the family that has been there for me even when I didn’t deserve it.

  “Fine!” I sink back on the couch exasperated. “What time will the first one be here?”

  “Twenty minutes.” Julie has a sheepish look on her face.

  “Seriously?” I roll my eyes before looking over at Cole who is smirking at me.

  “I should do it here. That way Cole is part of it.” I give a satisfied smile when I notice Cole’s eyes grow big.

  “That’s perfect. I’ll go wait downstairs and bring her up.”

  Julie bounces out of the room. The door shuts behind her. I stare at Cole daring him to say something. The asshole gets to be part of this whether he wants to or not.

  “That was just wrong, Kitten.” Cole’s deep voice washes over me. I laugh as his words sink in.

  “Oh honey, they would want to meet the groom anyway. Your sister isn’t stupid. She knew what she was doing.” I realize Julie knew Cole would never be able to come downstairs so she made it where the interviews would take place in our suite. I had to give her mad props for her cunning. “The more I think about it the more epic I’m planning this to be for me.” I smile devilishly.

  “Kitten, what are you planning?”

  “We’re just going to have a unique wedding… A black wedding!” The idea of a black wedding is perfect for Cole and I. There is nothing normal about our bond or relationship.

  “A black wedding?” Cole asks. He, of course, wouldn’t know anything about fashion.

  “Yes. I’ll be wearing the most epic black wedding dress you’ve ever seen. Everything will be black except maybe a little dark purple.” I am actually getting excited at the thought.

  “Kitten, that sounds perfect and I like the way your face is lighting up as you talk about it.” Cole smiles at me warmly. My insides turn to a gooey mess when he gives me that look of love.

  It’s true though. For the first time since he gave me that crazy ass proposal and Bruce started pushing, I find myself excited about planning the wedding. My problem is not with marrying Cole at all. I can’t wait to make that a reality. We have known each other for five years although our time as a couple has only been six months back in the day then and a couple of months now. However, I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else in the world. Cole is my perfect mate. He’s my other half.

  I grab my tablet off the coffee table and input black wedding into the Google box. I�
��m pleased at the results that come up. I click on the images tab and just begin scrolling through. There are some beautiful black wedding dresses out there. It fits Cole and I to have an all-black wedding. Nothing about our relationship has been normal.

  “You know Cole, I need an engagement ring.” I say while looking at some of the black diamond rings that are on the screen. “A beautiful black diamond ring.”

  “That’s what you want huh?” he asks me lazily.

  “Mmmmhmm” I reply while he looks over my shoulder at the screen. It’s not long before even Cole is lost in looking at all the images with me. I’m not sure how long we have been at it when there is a knock on our door. I hand Cole the tablet as I get up. Julie stands on the other side with our first potential wedding planner.

  “Kat, this is Marla. Marla, this is Kat, the bride to be.” Julie introduces us as I usher them into the room, gently closing the door. Julie leads Marla over to the couch. “This is my brother, Cole the groom to be, who is currently recovering from a horrible accident.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, both.” Marla says.

  “Please, take a seat.” I motion toward the chair next to the couch. I notice she has a binder in her hand which I assume is her portfolio. “Can I see your portfolio while you give us the ‘why we should hire you ‘speech?”

  “Kat!” Julie exclaims. Cole chuckles quietly beside me.

  “What?” I look at my soon to be sister in law “It’s true. She has to sell herself to us.”

  “You don’t have to be rude!” Julie’s face is priceless in this moment as she has this look of horror on her face and she doesn’t know whether to apologize for me or laugh at me.

  “Whatever!” I flip open the binder on my lap placing it where Cole can see it clear as well. As we flip through I find myself grimacing at all the princess pink weddings. I may puke. We stop on a black and white wedding and take some time looking over those images. The last pages of her binder is what really catches my attention. It was a Halloween wedding. It was beautifully done and seeing her ability to do different was all I needed.