Brutal Knight

Prologue

PROLOGUE

PRESENT DAY

The air tasted like death.

Five solemn faces stood on a stage at the front of the large room, glaring down at everyone, violence in their eyes.

Even though the room was cool, richly decorated with golden furniture and dotted with colorful exotic plants, the power emanating from their combined presence made the room oppressive. Suffocating and stifling.

I took in even, shallow breaths to contain my apprehension. I was here to show my allegiance, nothing more.

One of them began to speak, I wasn’t paying attention who; I kept my back straight, concentration focused ahead to watch them…my gaze landing on one man.

The same man, each time, no matter how hard I tried to suppress the need clawing inside me.

It always came back to him .

He'd been my whole world as a child, and now, he stood apart from me, up with the Kings of this city, his natural place in this world.

The old King had just been killed by one of them, and now things would be different for the people of the City of Sin.

Except for me.

Everything would always stay the same in my world.

Always yearning for something I couldn't have.

Always hating the man I’d once trusted the most.

And, always betraying the man I also loved the most.

The men in the front of the room shifted, each one pledging their allegiance to the new Don of the city, accompanied by either the woman they loved, or the Don’s wife. As they continued, one by one, Knight shifted.

As always, I noticed everything the man did, no matter where he was in the room.

His face tilted, his gaze roaming the room, and I felt it the moment his soft brown eyes landed on me.

There was a hundred men and women standing between us, but, just like me, he also knew where I was in the room, no matter what.

I knew from experience that those eyes were the indescribable color of a river. Clear like a shallow creek bed, littered with brown river rock, worn smooth by the water and the passage of time. Just the thought of them on me sent a chill crawling up my back and goosebumps fluttering across my skin.

I forced myself to remain calm.

I wouldn’t show weakness. Not here, not ever, and especially, not in front of him.

Instead of focusing on the ceremony, like he should because his goddamn life depended on it, his gaze met mine.

He stared at me like a man on a mission. Determined to destroy me.

I met his gaze with a hardened one of my own.

There was a time in my life when I would do anything this man asked of me. Just one look from him, and I would crawl on hands and knees, through fire or broken glass, for him.

Not anymore.

I allowed the anger constantly throbbing inside me to billow in my chest and throat. Allowed myself to feel my rage, so he would feel it too. So he would know by a look, without saying a word, how I felt about him.

No one else knew it, but we were sworn enemies. The words had never left our lips, and yet, we both recognized it. Felt it, breathed it, lived it.

And now, we were locked into a battle of wills, silently daring the other one to look away first. I didn’t waver and neither did he, not even when his new boss stepped towards the man next to him, his consigliere.

The Don’s pregnant wife stood in, wrapping the black ribbon around the consigliere’s wrist, since he hadn't claimed a woman for his own.

Of the group, Knight was the charming one. The one who opened doors and bought flowers, sweet talking his way through countless Vegas panties.

But now, his creek-brown eyes were as hard as stone.

His acerbity was reserved for me, and me alone.

A trail of sweat trickled down my back and my jaw was beginning to ache, I was clenching it so tight, but I didn't, wouldn’t, look away. After the consigliere, Knight was next. Soon Knight would have to look away and I would win the battle of wills between us.

Except, the vibration in my bra made me falter.

Shit, shit.

That was the phone, the one I couldn't ignore. Still staring at him, I stealthily reached into my bra, sliding the thin, flip phone out.

Opening it with one hand, I glanced down.

unknown number: Next Friday. Ten pm, sharp.

Goddamn it. The fucker. I looked back up at Knight, seamlessly slipping the cell back into my bra. He was still looking at me and, by the cocky smirk on his face, knew exactly what had happened.

The text was a reminder for what I needed to do, and I glanced at the clock to my right. I had two minutes to slip out of the room.

The new Don now moved towards Knight and I knew now was my chance.

I stepped backwards and into the shadows, ready to slide through the throng of people like an eel, when I heard my name.

I stilled, frozen in shock. After a shallow breath, and silence, letting me know they were waiting for something, someone , I swiveled on my six inch stilettos. Both Knight and the new Don were staring at me.

Had Knight just announced my name in a room full of powerful men?

By the way everyone was staring at me, he had.

Digging my fingers into my palms in anger, I held my head high, staring at Knight, letting all of the rage and hatred I felt for the man to show in my eyes.

This. Motherfucker.

Now everyone would think there was something between us.

The crowd of bodies parted as I made my way to the center aisle, passing rows of white, vased flowers and lit candles, towards the front of the room. Internally, I was shaking, but I wouldn't let them see it.

Never show weakness.

And yet, now I was going to miss my meeting, and then he was going to be disappointed.

Shit. Shit. Fuck.

My smile froze on my face as I made my way to the front. No one had any idea that this was the worst possible thing that could happen to me.

Although on one hand, my business would sky rocket and my prices would quadruple. Having the eye of one of the richest and most powerful men in the industry would do that to you.

Men wanted what they thought they couldn't have, and would pay handsomely for it.

But I preferred to conduct my business in the shadows, especially when it came to Knight. Plus, I didn’t need the money; I’d made certain in the last five years of my life that I would never want for money again.

As I stood at the front of the room, I shot daggers at Knight before turning to face the new Don.

Even though I loathed Knight, I wouldn't dare disrespect Bourbon King. I bowed my head respectfully, waiting for the oath to begin.

I pointedly didn't look at the clock as Knight cut his palm, saying the words that would bind him to Bourbon as his blood slid down his hand.

As Bourbon took his hand, his wife stepped forward with the black ribbon in her hands. I reached out to take it, when Knight flashed his infamous smile at Bourbon, speaking.

"Actually, I brought my own."

I froze, once again in shock, the black ribbon clutched in my fingers as Bourbon chuckled. "You would, you prima donna."

Knight wasn't a prima donna. His hands were so dirty, they were permanently stained with the blackness of his evil.

But no one in the room knew exactly what kind of man Knight really was. No one, except for me.

Reaching into the pocket of his custom tailored suit, Knight pulled out a ribbon.

He locked eyes with me as he did it, and everything inside me stilled as I took it in.

It was red.

Red. Red. Red.

Red like laughing in the sunshine and innocent kisses while the waves tickled our sand covered feet. Red like piles of money and yet, an empty, aching stomach. Red like a river of blood.

The moment lasted only seconds, but to me, it was an eternity.

Here, in front of the fucking world, or anyone that mattered anyhow, Knight was sending a message.

He was done waiting.

Well, fuck him. I'd waited for years, and now it was too late.

Jerking it from his fingers, I carefully wrapped it around their wrists, showing the proper respect to Bourbon as they completed the ceremony.

When it was over, Bourbon slid a ring onto Knight’s ring finger, a sign that the family always comes first. I stood to the side, respectfully waiting as the seconds ticked by.

Three minutes had passed, the seconds painfully ticking on to the fourth.

I was going to miss him .

It took everything in me to hold my head high and stay perfectly still, as expected of me. As much as I hated being late, drawing attention to myself right now would be even worse.

Finally, Bourbon moved on to his next capo and without a glance at Knight, I disappeared back through the crowd to the rear.

I had to wait a few more minutes before slowly edging out, and not even Knight noticed as I slipped from the room.

As soon as I was out the doors, I sprinted down the long hallway filled with gilded columns and ivory statues, then edged the maze of the loud, flashy casino floor. His rule was five minutes late, and no longer. I had exactly one minute to get to the back doors, where there were no cameras. I would have to wipe the security video feed from the casino floor later. I made it with ten seconds remaining as I burst through the back door, heaving and trying to catch my breath.

The man in the sharp, twenty thousand dollar suit was just slipping back into his bespoke Phantom Rolls Royce.

"Sir," I gasped out, letting him know I was here. In the seconds it took for him to turn around, I fixed my dress and hair, pulling myself together.

He wouldn't like me looking disheveled.

Rook moved to stand before me, his movements smooth and well oiled. His eyes, dark and as deep as a well, met mine, but his lips pinched together in disapproval.

He didn't mention that I was late; he didn't need to.

"I'm sorry, sir." I offered the apology because he not only expected it but deserved it, even though I couldn't help the events that made me late.

"Tatiana,” his dark, smooth voice rumbled, making my insides quake. He reached a hand forward, brushing the back of it across my cheek. The touch made my chest fill and expand, infusing a calm through me. I leaned into it, letting his warmth wash over me for a brief moment before lifting my head to meet his gaze. “It’s time.”

“Are you sure?”

His eyes darkened, once again in disapproval, and I rushed to fix my mistake. I was fucking up all over again.

"I'm sorry, sir. Of course you are.”

"No need to apologize.” He held out the black envelope with the silver embossing of his trademark emblem, and I took it without looking at it. He didn’t look away. “You received my text?”

“Yes.”

“One more, Tatiana, then it’s over.”

“I know.” I nodded and, satisfied, he leaned over to kiss me tenderly on the lips. I basked in his affection until he let me go. "See you Friday.”

I watched as he turned, sliding back into the back seat of the Phantom, then waited respectfully as his driver drove off, silently moving down the street, as quiet as a shark in the deep ocean.

I stared after it for a long time, even after it had disappeared, my fingers trembling as they clasped the paper of the thick, linen envelope.

Then, taking a deep breath, I turned back towards the building, knowing everything had changed.

It was time to kill Knight Cadwell.