“We don’t need to discuss this, Killer. I’m so sorry. I meant by words how happy you are, and I hope it’s because of me as much as this set-up.”
Seeing her concern lightened his mood. He kept hold of her hand like a lifeline. “I killed people, Kels. I killed men and women. Whores, criminal, and innocents.” He turned to look off to the side. The remembered screams still haunted him if he allowed them in. “That is my past, baby. It’s the past, and I’m not going to let it affect our future.”
“I know.” She climbed off her chair and sat down on his lap. “Your past is staying there.” Kelsey cupped his face. “I love you, Killer. Not the man you were.” She kissed his lips.
He held onto her waist knowing he’d found heaven inside her. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” he asked.
“You stuck around.” She kissed his lips, chuckling. “Go, charge your phone, and see what home has to say. I want to make this real in Fort Wills.”
She climbed off him, taking their food to the sink.
Leaving her alone, he walked upstairs to find the charger on the vanity table. Inserting the cable into the phone, he plugged it into the wall and turned the blasted thing on. He hated cell phones and had a tendency to break them. Why did companies have to keep bringing out a smaller device that was flimsier than the last?
Within seconds the phone rang. Glancing down he saw it was Tiny calling. Accepting the call, he pressed the device to his ear. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Killer, f**k, why haven’t you been answering the f**king phone?” Tate asked. Hearing Tiny’s daughter instead of the man unnerved him.
“What the hell are you doing with his phone?” Looking toward the door, he frowned, listening for Kelsey’s humming. Whenever she washed dishes she hummed to herself.
“Tiny and the boys are on their way. The shit has hit the fan. Get Kelsey, and get out of there. It’s too dangerous. Michael Granito is not the problem. His enemies are after her to blackmail him.”
He dropped the phone, heading downstairs. Grabbing the keys from the drawer beside the door, he called Kelsey’s name out. She didn’t answer his call. Grabbing the gun he kept in the drawer for safe keeping he called her name out again.
Frowning, he made his way down the corridor. Taking the safety off the gun he rounded the corner, and it took every ounce of strength not to fall apart. One man held Kelsey in his arms with a knife pressed to her neck. A second man held her wrist out and was opening up her wound. The third man had a gun pressed to her temple. The fear in her eyes would stay with him forever. He’d left her for a few seconds, and three men he’d never seen held her against her will, threatening her.
“Who the f**k are you?” he asked, shouting the words.
He held the gun up waiting for the right opportunity to kill them. If he fired at any of them the other would harm or kill her. Fuck, he couldn’t protect her.
“We’re none of your concern,” the one with the knife said.
“The moment you touched my woman, you became my concern,” he said, glaring between them.
“Your woman? This is Michael Granito’s woman, and we need her.”
Teeth gritted he looked Kelsey in the eye. Tears fell down her face cutting him to the core.
Come on, Killer. You can do this. They’re nothing.
“Michael has got no hold over her. Let her go and take your shit out on him.” He needed to keep them in this house. Fucking small house and he didn’t have any of his brothers to help him.
“No, we know he’ll become more amenable with her help.”
“You’re wrong,” Kelsey said, speaking up. She cried out as the guy holding the knife pressed it against her throat tighter.
“Did I give you permission to f**king speak?”
Blood dripped down from the blade.
“She means nothing to him. Why the f**k are you bothering with her?” Killer asked, feeling helpless. He’d never been helpless in his life, and yet there was nothing he could do.
“Any man in our world who keeps their woman a secret is important,” Knife guy said. “She’ll be perfect for what we want, and then we’ll sell her.”
If they left the house then he was f**ked. Finding Kelsey would be impossible if they tried to sell her. Men like them wouldn’t give a f**k about her. They would sell her to turn over a profit. “No, you’re not leaving here.”
He was laughed at. His anger spiked at their mocking.
“You’re in no position to bargain with us.” The knife guy nodded to the man at her wrist.
She screamed as the knife dragged over the wound that had been healing. Blood seeped out of the wound.
“Let her the f**k go!” He yelled the words, forcing himself to hold back from what was happening.
Blood fell from her wrist to drop on the floor.
Turning his gun he tensed on the trigger. He didn’t fire, and only wished he could.
“You’re Killer, right? Why don’t you join us? We pay a lot of money, and the women are easy to come by. They’ll do everything to stop the pain.”
Kelsey whimpered.
Shaking his head, he gritted his teeth knowing he needed to make a choice. He either fired at one and risked the other two killing her, or he let them walk out, hoping no harm came to her. Both choices were f**king shit ones.
“I love you,” she said, mouthing the words so no one could see but him.
No, he wasn’t saying goodbye, and her words felt like a goodbye. Shaking his head, he stared at the others. None of them left him a choice.
When he was about to let down his weapon he heard a shot ring out, and the man with the gun at her head fell down. He didn’t give himself time to panic, only to react. Firing his gun he dropped the other two men, and Kelsey collapsed in a heap. Noise filled the house as more men came around the front. He went down to the floor, turning and holding his gun up.
Thank f**k he didn’t fire as he was staring at Tiny, leader of The Skulls.
Throwing the gun away, he went to Kelsey’s side. Her wrist was bleeding, and he wrapped her wrist with a towel.
“I’ve got you, baby.”
She had a cut at her throat.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked, turning back to Tiny. He paused seeing Michael standing beside him. “You?” Reaching for his gun he had the other man trapped against the wall.
Within seconds two guns were trained on him, and his brothers had guns trained on the men.