Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CARTER
This woman is my goddamn equal. Maybe Kill and Knox didn’t see this coming, but I knew, the moment I saw her on our security cameras, eyes wild and covered in blood, this woman was perfect for us.
I was not surprised at all when she not only got excited by watching us torture Matteo, but wanted in on it.
We’re a lot alike in the sense that we’re both a little crazy, but because we were made this way.
The man that should’ve protected her at every turn, violated her in the most disgusting way, and then passed her around like a fucking party favor.
The trauma they put her through at such an early age engrained the need for violence in her, and now she’ll never be the same.
We are two peas in a very fucked up pod.
It’s why she gets me the way she does. This girl knows trauma, but she doesn’t just know it, she sees it.
She recognizes it from a mile away, and my goddamn Heathen doesn’t judge me for it.
She accepts me in a way no one ever has.
“Stay with me,” Knox tells her, as Killian grabs Matteo by the shoulders and pulls him to his feet. He holds him there, and Heather panics as I move back and grab my bow.
“Carter! NO! You’re going to shoot Killian.” She fights Knox’s hold, her eyes wide with panic. “Oh my God, No!”
I smirk at her before turning back to Matteo. Lining up an arrow, I pull back and release it, the arrow flying through the air, until it hits him just above the knee. He’s out of it, but whimpers loudly when my arrow pierces his flesh.
Glancing at Heather, I smile.
“I’m a very good shot, Little Heathen.”
I’m not trying to be cocky, but it’s the truth.
I learned how to use a bow and arrow when I was eight, and even back then I was a natural.
I can, and have, killed men with a knife, but this is my preferred method for a couple of reasons.
The obvious—distance, they can’t touch me.
The not so obvious—it’s just fucking cool.
I grab another arrow from my handmade quiver.
This time, I shoot him in the other leg.
He lifts his head and slams it back into Kill’s chest as he releases a guttural cry.
I sneak a glance to Heather in Knox’s arms, and she’s calmed down now that she realizes Killian is safe.
She slipped up with her outburst, giving away her true feelings about my brother.
The thought brings a small smile to my lips as I line up my next shot.
I keep going, and decorate his body with arrows.
I take out my special one that has poison on the tip, and line it up in my bow.
I pull the string back and watch the arrow fly through the air straight into his heart.
The poison wasn’t necessary, but if my aim was off, it’d be a slow, painful death.
Heather bounces on her toes excitedly. Her long blonde hair hangs in a high ponytail, and her blue eyes fucking sparkle, as she stares at me with something that looks a lot like adoration.
It causes my heart to race. It’s a feeling no other person has given me.
Killian’s wrong. This isn’t OCD. I’m fucking in love with this woman.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to earn that expression on her face.
She looks happy, and whatever I have to do, I intend to keep her that way.
“You have to teach me that,” she squeals, sounding nothing like the broken girl she was earlier tonight.
“Anything you want, Little Heathen.” Fucking anything. “Go get ready for our date. We need to dispose of Matteo, and I need to talk to Killian.”
She walks closer to me, and places her hands behind her back, standing on her toes expectantly.
Leaning down, I kiss her slowly before pulling away.
Kill stands beside Matteo’s body and watches her as she leaves. Once she’s gone, he says, “I’ve got this. Go on your date.”
I clear my throat, ready for a fight with my brother.
“Kill, we need someone devoted to helping find her father. I know how you say you feel about her, but I’m asking you to do this for me.”
Killian stands, removing the tape from his hands and sighs before he responds.
“I don’t think she’s good for you, Carter. I’m worried for you. You’re so fucking lost in this girl, and I’m terrified to find out what happens when it all turns to shit.”
Knox stands with us, not saying a word, his gaze bouncing from Killian to me when I respond.
“What if it doesn’t all go to shit? She’s ours, and I think I can speak for Knox when I say this isn’t temporary. It’s permanent. Neither of us have any intention of letting her walk out of our fucking lives.”
Killian folds his arms over his chest, the tape hanging from his hands, as he clenches his jaw.
“This woman is going to hurt you. I’m trying to protect you.”
That’s the problem right there. Killian promised me when we were five that he’d protect me, and never let anyone hurt me again. I was a traumatized child at the time, and back then I needed those words, but now his behavior is fucking stifling.
“You can’t control everything, Kill. I know you try, but it’s impossible. Are you going to help, or am I doing it by myself?”
He runs a hand through his hair as he lets out an annoyed breath.
“I’ll take care of it.”
I nod my thanks and walk out of the garage with Knox following behind me.