Chapter 11 Kip
KIP
“Samantha,” I whispered. The name sliced through me like a blade for a second time.
My blood turned to ice. Muscles locked. I peered around the corner and saw her—Holland—frozen in place.
Her spine went rigid, and not even a flicker of confusion in her features.
She didn’t correct him. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t even blink.
It was as if the name had struck a nerve buried so deep she forgot it existed.
“Fuck.” Between her conversation and the newspaper clippings, it was all the confirmation I needed. I clenched the cross around my neck as my vision narrowed to a tunnel.
Mother lied.
The lie crashed over me in waves of heat and nausea. Everything—the obsession, the ghost, the girl in my closet—it was her.
And she didn’t even remember.
I leaned against the wall and rolled up the sleeves of my navy shirt, listening as the man continued to talk.
I wasn’t sure how long he’d been there, and I was ready to interrupt when he called her Samantha, confirming who she was once and for all.
She denied it, but between the death certificate, newspaper articles, and now this stupid fuck barging in on her—I had my answer.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to process exactly what that meant because the son of a bitch had just pinned her on the floor.
Rage burned in my chest as I squared my shoulders and stormed into her office. Before he knew what happened, I grabbed the back of his shirt and jerked him off Holland and up to his feet.
“That’s no way to treat a lady, asshole.” I sneered as I introduced my fist to his nose. “Besides, I think Holland …” I paused, allowing him to wonder what I would do next. Timing was everything. “Asked you a question.”
Holland scrambled to her feet, clearly shaken. “It’s okay. I don’t need an answer, I think I already have it.” She smoothed her gray slacks and folded her arms across her chest.
“If you’ll excuse me.” I nodded at her as I forced Cooper out of Holland’s office and down the hall.
Whether he realized it or not, he helped me cover up the fact that I’d been in Holland’s house last night because now she would wonder if it had been him.
My cock twitched with the memory of fucking her with the cross. Down, boy.
Once we reached the exit door at the back of the building, I shoved him out, the bright afternoon sunshine temporarily blinding me. Cooper staggered forward until he went crashing to the unforgiving asphalt.
I knelt next to him and pulled on my necklace. The breakaway chain was strong enough to bear the weight of the weapon, but easy enough to pull away from my neck.
He barked out a laugh when he saw my crucifix. “Ohhh, are you going to pray for me now?” He held up his hands, pretending to shake with fear.
I smirked as I held the cross, then flipped out the knife blade from its hiding place. His laughter faded as he stared at the weapon.
“Nah. I don’t believe in God, but I do believe in the devil.” I brought the weapon to his cheek and sliced into his flesh enough to get my point across. “Stay away from Holland. I won’t tell you again.”
He gawked at me before he had the good sense to gulp. “Sorry, man. It was just a friendly visit. We’re old … we used to be in a relationship. You know how it goes.”
I did know. Holland was mine. I would kill any motherfucker who dared to argue with me or put their hands on her. Touch her? You die.
“Do we have an understanding, or do I need to explain myself more?”
“We’re good, man. Good luck though, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. She’s got a sweet pussy, but she’s a real bit—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the blade slid from his cheek to the front of his throat. “Care to finish that?”
Sweat beaded across his forehead, and I stifled my laughter. I bet I could scare him so badly he’d piss his pants. I was so tempted, but I needed to return to Holland.
I stood slowly. “Get the fuck out of here. I don’t want to see you again.”
As he hesitated, my mind wouldn’t shut up.
Two different men had gone after Holland in less than a week.
That wasn’t coincidence. Trouble clung to her like perfume, and I needed to know why.
What kind of woman drew this much danger?
What the hell had she gotten herself into?
My instincts screamed she was in deeper than she realized—and if I didn’t keep a close watch, she’d end up broken or worse.
Cooper’s attention never left me as he scrambled to his feet, then took off running down the alley.
I turned on my heel and hurried back into the building to find Holland. Even though Cooper had tucked tail and run, I wouldn’t put it past him to circle back around the building and grab Holland.
My footsteps echoed through the hall as I returned to her office. The door was only cracked a few inches, and I slowly opened it. I stared at the sight in front of me as my forehead met the barrel of her gun.
“I know it was you.” Her jaw clenched and her eyes widened as she glared straight through me.
Goddammit. She remembered me in her house that night. Maybe I could still play it off, use Cooper’s attack to misdirect her.
I raised my hands slowly. “Holland? It’s Kip. You’re safe. I took care of Cooper.”
She blinked several times before she gasped and lowered the gun.
“Kip. I’m sorry. I thought you were …” She stepped back, her legs trembling beneath her.
I closed the door behind me. “Let me get you some water. Sit down.” Slowly, in order not to spook her and end up with a bullet in my skull, I made my way to the mini fridge and opened it.
Once I located a bottle of water, I twisted off the lid and held it out to her.
“Here, drink this and take a minute. He clearly brought up some bad memories.”
Her cheeks flushed as she took the water from me and placed the cold bottle against her forehead.
“Thank you.” She sank onto the edge of the beige couch and took a few sips. She cleared her throat and attempted a smile. “Looks like my monster is becoming my savior.”
I arched my brow, amused. “Make no mistake. I’m no savior, but I despise a man who hits women. Has he hurt you in the past?” I kept my distance and my voice low, soothing. I’d dealt with a lot of abused women in the past, and the last thing I wanted was to scare Holland.
“No. He’s different. He fed on intimidation and fear, but he never …
” She frowned and shook her head. “In my line of work, I understand the patterns and lies women in an abusive situation tell themselves. It’s about survival.
The number of women that leave, then are hunted down and killed like animals, is staggering.
Cooper has an anger problem, but his behavior today was on a new level.
” She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking up at me.
“Honestly, he's not the one I’m scared of.”
“What do you mean?” I was afraid to hope that I might finally get some answers about why she’d changed her name and how the fuck she was sitting in front of me. But I had to pace myself.
Her tongue darted across her lower lip, and I resisted the urge to entertain the idea of her mouth sliding up and down my cock.
Thoughts of the previous evening returned, but I pushed them aside.
This was a perfect opportunity to set Cooper up for being in her house last night.
All she needed was a little encouragement to help that seed grow.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t ask you over to talk about Coop.” She leaned back in her seat, her body stiff and on alert. I hadn’t missed that her handgun was next to her.
“I have time.” I sat on the corner of her desk.
“I don’t feel right about staying here. Would you be comfortable talking at my place?”
I pretended to be shocked, but the opportunity to break down her walls when I took care of Cooper had fallen into my lap.
She shook her head, grinning. “I’m sorry. That was forward. But … why do I feel safe with you? Something about …”
My ears pricked at her words. Did she remember me after all?
Was it just taking a while to jog her memory?
It had only been a fleeting moment. Glimpses of that night flashed through my mind, and I winced as the full realization began to sucker punch me in the gut.
Not only was this woman Samantha, but the fact that she was sitting in front of me meant … I hopped off the corner of her desk.
“Go home. Text me your address. I’ll meet you there around six.
Make sure your windows and doors are secured.
I don’t trust Cooper, and I sure as fuck don’t trust Draco.
” Still, the thought of her heading out alone had my jaw locked tight, but I would have to keep an eye on the tracker under her car and the cameras in her house.
She hurried down the hall as I scrambled to put the pieces together.
One way or the other, I was about to find out the fucking truth, even if I had to pry it from a goddamn corpse.