Chapter Twenty-six
S ebastian nurses his beer across from me, his all-seeing eyes watching me like he’ll see all my secrets written across my face.
“I don’t know man,” He grumbles, “You’ve been quiet and distant, I want to know why.”
“I’m fine, Bast,” I assure him, “I’m the least of your concerns anyway.”
“Just because I have a wife, and a kid now doesn’t mean I suddenly don’t give a shit about you guys.” He huffs, “And I’m not the only one who has voiced their concern. You weren’t there last night for poker.”
Truth be told, I’d completely forgotten about the game and was far too busy balls deep in my best friend’s little sister.
“Just tired, man,” I lie, “I don’t sleep.”
“Don’t lie to me,” He snaps.
“Listen,” I pinch the bridge of my nose, “I’m fine. Great even. I’ll be at the next poker night and you all can stop watching me like I’m about to do something stupid.”
Bast shakes his head and downs the rest of his beer, “Whatever, man. Whenever you want to stop talking out your ass, come find us, yeah? You forget I’ve seen you at your worst.”
“Don’t remind me,” My lip curls in distaste.
He slaps my shoulder before I see him to the door, watching him as he gets into his car and pulls into the street. I need to make sure I’m showing my face more, I love the guys like brothers, and I’ve been a shit friend since everything started with Savannah, which only makes the guilt worse.
If I sit and think on it too long, it’ll eat me alive, so I distract myself with my cell as I make my way to the bedroom to pack a bag.
I see a few messages from Savannah and opening the thread only confirms she has headed home in a cab.
Fuck, I wasn’t there like I promised.
I rush to shove everything into a bag and then grab my keys, locking down quickly before I get back on the road. It’s only a short ride but when I pull up to Savannah’s place, I notice a blacked-out SUV parked blocking the drive and the view of the door.
Instantly, I’m on alert and reach into the glove compartment for my gun, checking it’s loaded before I climb out the car and tuck it into the back of my pants, my switch blade is in my hand in the next moment. Ducking behind the SUV, I look past it to the door, seeing a guy in a suit watching the road as if standing guard.
And then I hear a scream.
I move before I’ve had time to calculate or think, rushing the guy so quickly he fumbles to draw his own weapon. My blade enters and exits his throat in one quick swipe, splattering blood across my face and he goes down at my feet, leaking blood onto the concrete. He hasn’t even taken his next breath before I’m shoving open the door.
“Savannah!” I roar her name but she’s right there, fighting and screaming at the bottom of the stairs.
I don’t need to see his face to know it’s him.
My hands grab the shoulders of his jacket, and I haul him off, tossing him like he weighs nothing into the living room where he crashes against a couple of stacked boxes.
“Killian,” Savannah cries, tears leaving black tracks down her cheeks. Her lipstick is smeared, her hair a mess and there’s a rip in her shirt, straight down the middle leaving her exposed.
Red fogs my vision and my blood turns molten inside my veins. Grabbing Adrien, I bring him up as I bring my other fist down, cracking it into his face hard enough blood splatters across my knuckles.
“How fucking dare you touch her!” I roar, slamming down another punch, “I am going to rip you apart!”
“Killian!” Her voice is shrill and panicked, raw from screaming.
It only fuels this rage more. I reach for the blade, bringing the edge to his throat, smearing the fresh blood already on the metal against his skin. His wide eyes latch onto mine, panic and fear staining the front of his pants as he pisses himself at my feet.
“Killian, don’t!” Savannah latches onto my arm, “Don’t.”
“Don’t?” I scoff cruelly, “Are you fucking serious?”
Her wide, bloodshot eyes find mine, “It isn’t worth it.”
“The fuck do you mean it isn’t worth it!?” I press the blade harder, nicking his skin. At least he’s smart and doesn’t move but the smell of his urine and the metallic tinge of fresh blood stuffs itself up my nose. “He was going to rape you, Savannah. Tell me how killing him isn’t worth it.”
She frantically shakes her head, “He’s famous, Killian. He can’t just disappear!”
My teeth grind, “He’s a fucking nobody, a waste of space. ”
“Killian, please.” Savannah begs, “I don’t want you to get hurt for me.”
“It wouldn’t happen, but it would be worth it,” My fist tightens, my body rebelling between wanting the kill and listening to her. I don’t want to scare her; I want her to trust me. “I don’t think you understand what I am willing to do for you.”
“I don’t want you to do this,” Her voice wobbles.
My breathing is coming out in hard, rough pants, Adrien trembling like the fucking coward he is in my fist.
“You come near her,” I warn him, “Even step foot on the same street as her and I will know. You even breathe wrong in her direction, and I’ll cut you into so many pieces you’ll never be made whole, do you understand me?”
He nods his head, causing the blade to cut him a little more.
Dragging him to his feet, I keep his shirt fisted in my hand as I haul him toward the door and shove him out of it, his body going over when he trips over the dead man I left on the porch. He lets out a weak little squeak when he realizes I killed his man.
I keep Savannah behind my back, so she doesn’t see.
“Run, Adrien,” I warn, “I’ll count to five and if I get there, I’m taking back every word and slicing your throat to the bone.”
He scrambles, slipping in the puddle of blood before he frantically gets to the SUV and peels away from the sidewalk, tires skidding against the wet tarmac.
I look to the body, and I know I can’t leave it there, not in direct view of anyone on the street but Savannah… she needs me.
“Go inside, Tiny Dancer, sit down and wait for me.” I turn around, keeping the body blocked from her view and cradle her face, thumb swiping over the black streaks on her cheeks.
“Where are you going?” She panics.
“I’m right outside. I just need to handle this, okay? I will be right back.”
“Promise?” Her voice shakes and fuck, it feels like someone just stabbed me straight through my heart.
“I’ve got you, baby,” I vow, “Just go inside for me, okay?”
She nods mutely and her feet shuffle away as she turns into the kitchen. I close the door and glance around, trying to figure out a place to hide it while clean up arrive and handle it. There’s a small alley that stretches around the side of the house, a fence separating this property from next door. It will have to do though it isn’t ideal. Taking hold of the guy by the shoulders of his jacket, I drag him across the ground, grit and dirt scuffing under him and blood begins to stain my hands, making my grip tenuous. I tuck him around the corner and quickly run back to my car to grab a blanket I have stowed in the trunk and my bag before I jog back and throw it over him .
Before I go back inside though, I call in clean up, giving them instructions to be quick, thorough and silent. When that’s done, I go search for my girl, finding her sitting at her kitchen table, a full glass of wine on the table that she swirls using the long, thin stem.
Her watery eyes lift to mine. She’s still in her ripped clothing, her makeup smeared across her face, but I see a shadow forming along the left side of her jaw, a bruise.
“He hit you,” I state with a growl.
But she shakes her head and stares down into the wine, “When he grabbed my ankle, I fell and hit my chin on the top step. It aches but it isn’t awful.”
I’m regretting not killing him. I should have killed him.
I am going to kill him.
I’m gentle as I curl my finger under her chin and lift it, turning her face toward the light so I can see the bruising better. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
I’m barely holding onto my temper, my hands shaking with living rage thrashing beneath my skin.
“I think I’m a little bruised,” She whispers, but her voice is thick, shaking, “I – he ripped my clothes.”
Rolling my neck side to side, I slowly walk around to her, reaching for the hand still endlessly spinning the wine glass on the table. A puddle has formed beneath it where the liquid has spilled out, but still, she spins it .
“Come on, baby,” I gently coax, “Let’s get you changed.”
“I thought it was you.” She says quietly, “I heard someone come in and I thought it was you.”
The knife already in my heart pulls down, splitting it in half, “I’m sorry, Savannah.”
“It isn’t your fault,” She squeezes her eyes closed and accepts my hand to get up, holding it tighter than she has ever held it before. I walk her toward the stairs, tucking her into my side as we make our way up them. I need to clean up this place, remove the puddle of piss on the floor and bleach it but I’ll do that when she is settled. Beyond the windows I can hear rustling, the sound of feet so I know clean-up is here, but Savannah doesn’t react to it which means they’re doing their job as I asked them to.
I guide her into the bathroom and coax her toward the toilet, closing the lid so she can sit and then I turn and start running her a bath.
“Wait,” She blurts when I attempt to leave the room to grab her towels and clothes.
“It’s okay,” I soothe, “I’m just going to get towels.”
She blinks and dips her chin.
When I return only a few seconds later, she’s still looking toward her clasped hands atop her thighs.
“What can I do, Savannah?” I whisper, crouching ahead of her, “What do you need? ”
The shock and trauma of it all will be wreaking havoc on her right now, I doubt she even fully understands everything that is happening. He never should have been able to get to her, even if I weren’t in the picture. I make a mental note to contact Dean to sort the security out. It wasn’t a pressing issue since I am here most of the time but after today, I won’t take another risk.
“Hold me?” She whispers so softly I almost miss the words over the sound of the running water. Reaching over, I switch it off and then lower myself onto the cold tiles, bringing her down with me where she curls up in my lap, tucking her face under my chin. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. She is still shaking, her heart beating so hard and fast I can feel her pulse against my own skin.
I don’t know how long we sit there, long enough for the water to turn tepid in the tub and the tiles to take away feeling in my legs but I’ll sit here forever if I have to.
I’ll hold her together and warm her soul and fight every demon.
For as long as she needs me, I will hold her.