Chapter 23
Ican still taste her. My thumb tugs at my lip as I remember our kiss, and I know I’d gladly die for another taste of her.
I probably would, knowing her, but I felt it.
For a moment, she kissed me back. She’s not as unaffected as she tries to appear, and I’ll wield it like a weapon until Bexley is mine.
I meant it when I asked her earlier if she wanted to belong to us. I want her. I’ll have her.
The street is abandoned and dark, with just a road and not much else. She was right, it’s outside of the city with no traffic around for miles, so we simply walk on the side of the road, hoping it will lead somewhere.
She’s quiet, and I shoot her a look she ignores. “Bexley—”
“I’ve had enough of men tonight. Don’t make me kill you too,” she warns.
Well, shit, you bet I shut my ass up, leaving her to her thoughts. I have no doubt being there brought back a lot of shit for her. I can’t even imagine it, so instead, I walk by her side until lights hit me. A car goes past us, and I realize it’s a fucking taxi.
She must notice at the same time.
She lets out an impressive whistle, and the cabbie, despite my expectations, stops. He doesn’t even look surprised as he runs his eyes over us. “You have money?”
“Shit.” She glances down at herself and then to me. “You have money, right?”
I can’t help but laugh. “For the first time in my life, I actually don’t.”
“No money, no ride.” He rolls the window up and speeds off, leaving us gawking after him, but when our eyes meet, we burst into laughter.
“I guess we’ll walk,” I say.
“Looks like it.” She shakes her head. “Next time, remind me to plan the post rescue better. I hate walking and running. The only time you should be running is if someone is chasing you.”
“You have a weird life,” I grumble as our hands swing so close they almost touch. I have the insane urge to grab her hand, even though that’s stupid. We need them free for weapons. I’ve never been tempted to touch anyone else like that, not for pleasure or death, but just to touch.
“And you don’t, Sai?” she teases, arching an eyebrow. “You really have to admit, neither of us are normal.”
“I’ve never been normal,” I concede. I’ve lived a privileged life. “But I’m usually the one doing the chasing. So, will you run if I chase you?”
“No, I’ll beat your ass,” she retorts, teasing me even though I’m serious. “Knowing you, you’d probably like it though.”
“Probably,” I agree. “Look.” I point ahead when a building comes into view. We both speed up until we draw close and realize it’s a gas station, but it’s boarded up.
“There,” she says as she crosses the road and approaches an old payphone. “Let’s hope it works.” She picks up the phone and nods.
She does something to it, and it rings suddenly. “Call your brothers.”
I input their numbers and listen to it ring. “Who is this?” Neo hisses when he finally answers.
“Is that any way to greet your brother?” I taunt.
It’s quiet for a moment, and then I hear a shaky breath. “Kane, is that really you?”
“No, I’m fucking with you,” I quip. “It’s me.”
“I thought you were fucking dead,” he exclaims before he recovers. “Where are you?”
I glance around us. “Who the fuck knows? There’s a closed gas station opposite us. Hellion, do you see any road signs?”
“It’s I-80, near Widow’s Peak,” she replies without even opening her eyes as she leans into the pavement. She must feel my gaze because she cracks one eyelid. “I escaped before.”
I repeat it to Neo, who I hear scrambling and shouting orders. “We’re coming. Don’t move.”
“Not a chance. My balls hurt too much to walk anyway,” I reply as I hang up and sit down next to her, wincing as I spread my legs wider.
“Your balls deserved it,” she mutters without looking at me.
“Did you really hate kissing me that much?” I ask.
It won’t stop me from pursuing her, but it will change my tactics.
Bexley is unlike anyone else I’ve ever met.
She doesn’t react how I expect her to, but that’s what’s interesting.
My life has always been carefully controlled, but she is wild chaos, and I can’t seem to stop craving it.
She blows out a breath and looks at me, seemingly annoyed by my question, but I don’t back down.
Her eyes narrow on me as I wait. “Do you know how many men forced themselves on me, Kane? How many stole kisses like they belonged to them and used them against me? You did the same tonight. You might not have meant to, but that’s what you did. You took my choice away.”
Sickness washes over me at the realization.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” I whisper in horror, but even that feels like a pathetic excuse.
“They never do.” She shakes her head, laughing bitterly as she leans back.
“Men think we are just something to use for their own pleasure. It doesn’t matter if that’s in the situation I was in or out here in normal life.
They always want something, always want to control.
You didn’t even bother to ask. You wanted to kiss me, so you took it, just like they did. ”
She’s right, she’s completely fucking right, and I hate the fact that I reminded her of her past in any way, shape, or form.
“I will not touch or kiss you again, not until you ask. If you want to kiss me, you can start it or ask,” I tell her, and her eyes widen as she stares at me.
“Like I ever would.” She tries to tease me to lighten the mood, but I lean forward, forcing her to look at me again.
“I mean it. Never again. I want to kiss you, touch you, and fuck you more than I have ever wanted anybody else, but I won’t act on it until you ask me to.”
“So sure I’ll ask,” she brushes off.
“I see the way you look at me. You might not want to admit it, but you want me too, hellion. I can wait for the day when you figure that out and come to me,” I promised.
“It will never happen.”
“We’ll see.” I smile, and she glares at me as we lapse into silence again.
“At least it’s over. Butcher is dead, and you’re free. We don’t have to see each other again,” she explains.
“I told you that you aren’t getting rid of me. I plan to invade every aspect of your life—”
“Like a disease,” she sneers.
“Besides, you had a contract with my brothers. If you try to disappear, we’ll just withhold payment until you come back.” I shrug.
When she doesn’t respond, I lean back on my hands. “They could be a while. Feel free to nap if you want. I can wake you.”
“Like I’d do that. We could be attacked at any moment,” she snaps, but within minutes, she slumps to the side.
Shaking my head with a soft chuckle, I catch her and guide her so she leans into my shoulder.
The adrenaline has drained from her body, and she hasn’t slept.
She breathes softly, and I keep a sharp eye out, unwilling to let anyone hurt her.
Thirty minutes later, a caravan of cars heads our way. I stroke her hair softly, knowing she would hate to be caught vulnerable like this. “Hellion,” I purr, “they are here. Wake up.”
She snaps to attention quickly, looking at me and the road before she clears her throat and gets to her feet just as they pull up.
Guards stream out and surround us. Dodge runs his eyes over me before sighing and slumping in relief as Zayn and Neo fly from the car and tackle me in a hug.
She steps away, but my eyes lock on her, even as I hug my brothers.
“I’m okay,” I promise as they step back. “But we need to get out of here before the fire is reported.”
Zayn frowns. “Fire?”
“I was annoyed,” Bexley mutters, drawing their gazes, “and I got your brother back, so you owe me.” She climbs into the car, ignoring their wide-eyed looks that swing to me.
“She did save me,” I tell him. “Come on.” Clapping their shoulders, I climb in after her, ignoring their silent questions.
When we reach our house, I expect her to disappear, but she heads through the front doors like she owns the place.
Stopping in the foyer, she looks down at the trail she is leaving.
I’m leaving one as well. “We should clean up, and then we can discuss your payment,” I suggest, using it as an excuse to keep her around.
“I don’t know . . . . The whole bloodstained look works for you,” Zayn teases as he looks at her. “Not you, brother.”
Neo is quiet, glancing between us, as are our guards, but I don’t care. My attention is on her as I try to think of a million ways I can keep her here.
I stink, though, and I’m covered in blood and ash. I don’t want to track it through the house to my room, so I strip.
I let my clothes fall to the floor in a stained, smoky heap and step free, naked, but my eyes are for her.
I wait for her reaction, since she never does what I expect.
Bexley arches an eyebrow and simply meets my gaze, removing her clothes and leaving them on top of my pile as she looks me over.
I snap my fingers, and all the guards turn, averting their gazes.
“I’ve seen better,” she remarks before she turns away.
“I hope you have some good showers in this ridiculously large house with a million bathrooms.”
I watch her go, unable to contain my smile or my body’s reaction.
“We’re happy to see you too, big brother, but not like that,” Zayn taunts, and when I spare him a look, he’s glancing at my dick, which is hard.
Rolling my eyes, I flip them off as I go upstairs to clean up, my brothers trailing after me.
They don’t give me an inch of space as I step into the shower and turn on the four jets.
Agony spirals through me as the water hits my wounds, but I’d rather be clean than without pain.
I try to ignore the ringing in my ear as best as I can.
I have no idea what damage Butcher did with that delightful torture, but it’s clear it’s something bad.
I got used to the disorientation down in the cell, but now, moving around? It’s a lot worse.
“So, tell us everything,” Zayn goads as he hops up on the counter. “How was your romantic getaway?”
“Too bloody for you?” Neo scoffs, joining in, but I sense his worry.
“Just bloody enough.” I grin as I scrub my hair. “Call the doctor. I have a wound that needs to be stitched. How’s Dad? He doesn’t know, does he? And our brother?”
“You think we’re dumb? We managed to keep it a secret,” Neo replies.
“Good. Did you close the contract for the plaza?” I ask, racking my brain for everything I was doing before this happened. “And did you speak to the commissioner about the new shipments? What about—”
“Brother,” Neo interrupts, and his serious tone is what makes me look over my shoulder.
“Calm down. We took care of everything. I’m glad you’re back, though, because I hate paperwork, but it can rest for the night.
” He pulls his phone out and lowers his head, but I swear I saw tears there before he moved.
“I’ll call the doctor.” He leaves, and I’m left staring after him.
“He took it all on when you . . . disappeared,” Zayn reveals, sounding uncharacteristically somber. “It was a lot. He was worried, and Karma kicked his ass before she agreed to work with us, so go easy on him, big brother.”
“It’s what it takes to stay alive in this world,” I murmur as I stare at the empty spot he vacated. “We all have to grow up sometime.”
“Not me.” Zayn laughs as he hops down. “I’m staying young forever.”
He follows after Neo, leaving me alone. Bowing my head, I press my hands to the wall and watch the dirt and blood drain with the water. I could have died this time. I want to go easy on my brothers, but they need to be prepared for the day when I might not be here anymore. Our family depends on it.
I’m the head, it’s where the bullets go, not the heart like they are.
One day, someone will get the better of me. It’s the way our lives work. And when that happens, they will need to be equipped to deal with it, like it or not.
The reminder of my mortality is not something new, but it does make me more determined to take what I want.
And my little hellion?
I want her.