Chapter 55
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
KNOX
“Why can’t I sit in the back?” Heather asks, sounding like a petulant kid that didn’t get their way.
“Get in the fucking car, Killer.”
She throws her body inside the vehicle with a loud huff.
“You’re such a di-”
“Dick. I know,” Killian says, finishing her sentence.
Carter and I slide into the backseat. We planned on driving separately, but after Heather asked us to go with them, we gave in.
They bicker constantly, both of them trying to hide their attraction for each other, but it’s glaringly obvious to everyone else. The only two people in our house surprised by them fucking were the two of them. Carter and I knew it was only a matter of time.
‘Simple Man’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd comes on, and Killian turns it up.
Heather reaches over and changes the station to something old country.
Kill appears to be controlled and unbothered, until he stops the car in the middle of the two lane highway, and throws it into park.
Killian moves to the edge of his seat and stares at her for a long beat, before he says a word.
“You have my attention, Killer.”
He wraps her ponytail around his fist and pulls her closer until their faces are less than an inch apart.
Their breaths are heavy as they steam up the front window.
I’m surprised when she grabs the back of his head, yanks him closer, and kisses him.
They’re all tongues and teeth as they kiss aggressively, pawing at each other.
Killian breaks their contact after a few seconds and releases her hair.
“Sit in your seat and fucking behave.”
She turns to him and bats her eyelashes seductively.
“Yes, sir,” she says heavily, in a faux sweet voice.
Carter and I exchange a glance as Killian starts driving, both of us chuckling lightly at their fuckery.
“Not a fucking word. From either of you.”
Heather grabs the lipstick from her purse and reapplies it, before she turns to Killian with a serious expression.
“If you want tips on kissing, I’m sure your brothers could give you some pointers.”
This woman challenges him at every turn, and I wonder if it might be just what he needs. She does everything she can to get under his skin, and I think it’s working. She’s wedged so far under his flesh I’m not sure he can breathe.
“Careful, Killer.”
Carter leans over and whispers to me.
“They’re either going to fuck their way into the other’s heart or die trying.”
I nod in agreement, because it’s obvious they want each other, to everyone but them.
Killian has quickly shifted from wanting to kill her to protecting her.
After seeing that disgusting photograph, I think we are all thinking about what this woman has been through.
Her own father did this to her. Not only that, but justified it in the name of God, something she believed in her whole life.
This is my problem with religion. It’s often used as a weapon or a fear tactic, when really nobody fucking knows anything about it.
People can claim to know there’s a God, and what he wants from us, but having a belief doesn’t make it factual.
Spiritual conviction requires no proof. Only faith.
Her faith was used as a weapon to destroy her.
As I stare at her now, I know it didn’t work. My Tesoro is damaged, but not broken.
“Are you scared?” She asks Killian as he parks the car.
“No?” His tone sounds more like a question than a statement.
He turns to leave the car when Heather’s hand shoots out, grabbing his wrist.
“You’re going to be careful, right?”
He tilts his head at her curiously and smirks.
“I thought you wanted me to lose, Killer. Have you had a change of heart?”
She chews on her bottom lip before answering him.
“I never wanted you to lose, you giant dick. I was just mad at you.”
He winks at her before opening his car door and yelling to me and Carter, “Don’t let her out of your sight.”
We exit the car, and Heather calls out to him.
“Break a leg, Kill.”
He shakes his head, and walks in the back door to the warehouse, as Carter chuckles.
“I think that’s for theater, not underground fighting, Little Heathen.”
She blushes as I take her hand in mine, and we walk inside. As always, Carter glances around and looks for trouble. When he doesn’t find any, he visibly relaxes. We take our seats in the reserved area in the front row, and I spot Heather looking around nervously.
“What is it, Tesoro?”
She shakes her head, before looking at me with a teary gaze.
“Is this one of those death matches?”
I try to reassure her. “No. Not tonight. He’s fighting against the leader of the Morte gang. It’ll be bloody and brutal. Death is always possible, but it’s not planned.”
Our bookie, Tommy, sits beside Carter, speaking low. He’s in charge of all the bets, as well as collecting the money, and paying out winnings. I’m sure he’s giving my brother the run down on how much money is at stake tonight, but I ignore them as I hold on to our nervous girl.
Killian enters the makeshift ring, which looks more like a metal cage. He glances in our direction, but quickly looks away as Victor enters the ring.
They stand staring at each other, sizing the other up, and Victor says something to Killian that sets him off. Kill doesn’t wait for the fight to start. Pulling his right arm back, he throws a right hook to Victor's jaw, and the referee quickly leaves the ring.
Victor stumbles back, but quickly recovers and attempts a kidney shot, but my brother blocks it.
This is what Killian does best. He moves around flawlessly, blocking hits, taking the occasional one himself, but not putting in a lot of energy.
Instead, he’ll let Victor wear himself out.
Once he’s too tired to put up much of a defense, Killian will go in hard.
My brother knows ahead of time who he’s fighting, and what their tactics are.
He’s well prepared and rarely loses. Well, except when my gorgeous Tesoro distracts him.
I make it my personal mission to not allow that to happen again.