Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
KNOX
Carter and I exchange a knowing look as we spot Killian in the garage with a scowl on his face.
His eyes drop to her wrist, and guilt flashes across his face before he quickly hides it.
He doesn’t say a word, but watches us follow Heather out the door.
Carter and I both know he’ll be following from a distance.
For someone that wants her gone so badly, he’s awfully fucking obsessed with her.
Carter and I are dressed in black pants with matching black t-shirts.
Our gorgeous woman is wearing black cargo pants with crosses, as well as a knife, stuffed into the large pockets.
Her t-shirt of choice always makes me laugh.
I asked Carter last night if he started calling her Heathen because her shirt has the word scrawled in a distressed font.
He laughed and said that wasn’t the reason.
It was more because she was a beautifully ruthless killer, serving her justice with crosses.
Such a sacreligious way to take someone out, but God, it is fucking hot.
Our job today is to stand back unless she’s in trouble.
If any of these sick bastards attempt to hurt her, we will intervene and fucking kill them all.
I have wondered what she’ll do if she encounters any of the women living here, particularly her mother.
She may not be a man, but she was instrumental in Heather’s pain.
It’s not always about the ones that have physically harmed you.
Staying silent, and allowing her daughter to be fucking raped by her father, makes her as guilty as he is.
My brothers and I grew up on the run. We never stayed in one place long, because our mother was terrified that if our piece of shit father ever got his hands on Carter again, we’d be burying him, instead of just having him be hospitalized.
Our mother did everything she could to keep us safe.
She always felt like she failed us because of what happened to my brother, but she didn’t.
At least she tried, unlike Heather’s mother.
Instead, she allowed a monster to traumatize her child.
If my Tesoro wants her dead, I’ll gladly take her life in a way that forces her to watch the life drain from her own body; torture is what she deserves.
We walk from our property, across the street, and into the woods covering the pitiful excuse for a church.
“Do you know who you’re looking for?” Carter asks, and she stops walking and looks at him.
“I want the Prophet, but I won’t find him until the others are dead. I’m looking for any man who has taken a child as a wife. If I kill one man, at least one less child will suffer.”
This is part of what makes her so breathtaking.
Of course she wants revenge on the man that harmed her, but that’s secondary.
Her primary goal is saving the innocent children, and she’s willing to do anything to accomplish her goal.
Even if it costs her her own life. There’s something alluring about the way she kills.
I guess you could call it poetic justice.
These men violate in the name of God, and die by the cross they preach so much about.
She nods to the building.
“There will be a few men out back cleaning their kills.”
“Their kills?” I ask, wondering if they are murderers as well as pedophiles.
She shrugs her shoulders and says, “Deer, bobcats, coyotes. Whatever they can find. My father is paranoid and doesn’t let anyone go to the grocery store. We are only allowed to eat what we can either grow or kill.”
She pulls a cross out of her pocket and places the pointed tip poking out between her fingers as she makes a fist around the rest of it.
“Stay back. I’ll be able to take at least one out if you don’t give me away.”
I narrow my gaze at her,. “What’s your safeword, Tesoro?”
Tilting her head to the side, she stares at me with a confused expression on her gorgeous face.
“Donut. Why?”
My lips pull up into a smirk as I remember the one and only time she used her safeword. Fucking perfection.
“We’ll stay back for a few minutes. If you encounter trouble before we have eyes on you again, yell your safeword and we’ll be there.”
Carter glares at me.
“Knox. We aren’t taking any risks. She’s not doing this alone. Not for a fucking minute.”
He glances at her, and then his gaze comes back to me, with a profound sadness in his eyes.
“I can’t lose her, Knox. I won’t fucking survive it.”
While he has yet to speak the words, my brother is not only obsessed, but madly in love with this woman, and I fear what he would do if he ever lost her.
“We aren’t losing her, Carter. Ever. I wouldn’t do that to you, and I wouldn’t do it to myself. It will be only a few minutes. Our girl is very fucking capable.”
He walks over to her where she stands looking like a fucking Goddess. Her blue eyes sparkle in the night sky, with the moon bright above her, giving her an ethereal glow.
“Hands behind your back, Little Heathen.”
She immediately does as he says and tilts her head back, looking up at him. Carter presses his palms to her face, and stares at her with adoration.
“Don’t do anything stupid tonight. I can’t exist without you.
I would choose to not live at all if I lost you.
It’s not because I’m weak. It’s because I choose not to live without you.
I could, but I don’t want to. My heart is so fucking dark, but it’s yours, Little Heathen.
I’m a fucking broken man, but I’m better with you in my life.
I need you to be careful. This black heart only beats for you. Don’t let them take you from me.”
A tear rolls down her cheek as she whispers his name.
“Carter.”
He slides one hand around the back of her neck, and leans down to press his lips to hers.
At first, he kisses her slowly and passionately, before it turns frantic.
I’m slightly jealous that it isn’t my tongue in her mouth, tasting every delectable inch, but I let my brother have this moment with our girl and stay back.
He pulls back, and she says, “I promise I’ll be careful. I’ll be okay, Carter. I know what I’m doing, and I don’t want to leave you either.”
Carter's lips pull up into a smile.
“Then go kill those assholes, beautiful Little Heathen.”