Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
K ing wanted to smash his phone against the nearest wall, but instead, he muttered a curse and shoved it back into his pocket. Joey’s words had gutted him. Fuck. The kid had wormed his way into King’s life in ways he hadn’t expected, like the little brother he used to have. The memories of his own brother came rushing in, sharp and painful, but he pushed them down with a growl. No one, absolutely no one, messed with the people he cared about.
Sloan approached him, his expression tight with tension. “Any word from Butch?”
“Yeah,” King replied, his jaw tightening before he forced himself to take a calming breath. “Nothing yet. He’s still looking.”
Jake joined them, his phone in hand. “I’m still waiting on a callback from Kane,” he said just as Jill hurried down the hallway, holding a piece of paper.
“The nurse gave a pretty solid description,” Jill said, handing the paper to Sloan, who scanned it before passing it to King.
King stared at the sketch, burning the image into his memory before handing it over to Jared. “She could be anywhere by now,” he muttered, frustration lacing his voice.
“Kane’s good at finding people,” Jake offered, checking his watch. “I’m taking Jessie to grab something to eat. I’ll ask Amara if she wants to come too. Jessie mentioned she should probably eat since she gave blood. Slade said they’re operating on Joey tomorrow, so she’ll need to give more blood for him.”
King nodded, his gaze drifting toward Daniel, who had taken the sketch and studied it intently. After a moment, Daniel handed it back to Sloan.
“You guys been dealing with any vigilantes of the humankind?” Daniel asked out of the blue, which wasn’t unusual for the Demon Slayer.
The group exchanged uneasy glances before Jared finally answered, his brow furrowed. “Noooo,” he said slowly, dragging out the word.
Daniel’s eyes glinted with something unreadable. “You’re about to.”
Sloan stiffened. “What the hell does that mean?”
Ignoring the question, Daniel turned to Duncan. “You ready to go? Mom’s probably ready to hunt us down by now.”
“Excuse the fuck out of me,” Jared called out, spreading his arms wide. “Is that all you’ve got to say on the matter?”
“For now,” Daniel replied smoothly, walking away with Duncan in tow.
Jared threw up his hands. “How is it possible to like someone so much and still want to beat the shit out of them?” he grumbled, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’m heading out to see my Mate. Call me if anything comes up.”
As Jared left, Jake reappeared with Jessie by his side. “Amara said she’s not hungry,” Jake announced, frowning as he glanced at King. “Slade said she needs to eat.”
King’s eyes shifted toward the closed door. “I’ll take care of it,” he said, his voice firm.
Jessie hesitated, her tear-streaked face full of emotion. “Someone’s going to need to make arrangements for Lee,” she said quietly, her voice trembling. “I can help if Amara needs anything.”
King’s jaw clenched at the mention of Lee, but he nodded. “Thanks.”
As Jessie and Jake left, King glanced at Sloan. “I’m going to need some time off.”
Sloan actually chuckled. “I don’t consider this shitshow time off. I’ll have Kent and Butch take your rotations.” Sloan headed down the hallway. “Keep me informed.”
King nodded as he stood in the hallway, gathering his composure. He took a deep breath before pushing the door to Joey’s room open. Amara sat beside Joey’s bed, her hands clasped tightly together, her face pale and drawn with worry.
“You need to eat,” King said gently but firmly as he stepped inside and shut the door.
Amara glanced up at him, defiance flickering in her tired eyes. “I’m fine,” she murmured.
“You’re not,” King replied, crossing his arms and planting himself in front of her. “Joey’s going to need you strong, especially tomorrow. Don’t argue with me on this.”
Amara opened her mouth to protest, but the unwavering intensity in King’s gaze silenced her. She sighed heavily, nodding in reluctant agreement. “Okay.”
“Good,” King said, his tone softening. “Let’s go.”
“I don’t want to leave him alone,” Amara said, shaking her head as she cast a worried glance at Joey.
“He’s not alone,” Jill interjected as she entered the room and took the seat Jessie had vacated. “Slade and I aren’t going anywhere. Plus, Slade gave him some pain medication to help him rest. Eat and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I swear I’ll call you if anything changes.”
Amara hesitated but finally stood, her gaze lingering on Joey before she followed King out of the room. As they reached the hallway, they were met by a uniformed police officer.
“Can I help you?” King asked, his voice sharp with suspicion.
“I hope so,” the officer replied, his frown hinting at the unpleasant nature of his task. “We were told Lee Tarvin’s family could be found here.”
“For what?” King demanded before Amara could speak.
“We need someone to provide a positive ID of the body,” the officer said, his tone heavy with discomfort.
Amara’s breath hitched, and she whispered, “I’m his sister.”
The officer nodded respectfully. “I’m sorry for your loss, ma’am.”
King stepped in. “I’ll bring her when she’s ready,” he assured the officer, who nodded and walked away.
Once the officer disappeared, King took Amara’s hand and led her toward the elevators. The moment the doors closed, and they were alone, Amara crumpled, folding into herself as the weight of everything crushed her. Without a word, King pushed the emergency stop button and pulled her into his arms.
Her sobs tore through him as he held her tightly, his voice soft but firm. “You’re not alone in this, Amara. I swear to you, just as I swore to Joey...I will find the ones responsible, and they will pay.”
Amara’s hands gripped his shirt as her sobs began to subside. Finally, she whispered, “Thank you.”
King pulled back slightly, looking down into her tear-streaked face. “Joey needs you now more than ever. What you’re going through isn’t fair, but you’re strong. You’ll get through this.”
Amara wiped at her eyes, sniffling as she looked up at him. “You’re a good man, King.”
King gave her a crooked grin. “Yeah, I’m pretty awesome.”
A laugh bubbled out of her, and it warmed his chest. “I can see why Joey likes you so much,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Seriously, King, thank you for everything.”
King nodded, pressing the button to restart the elevator. “It’s what I do, Amara. I take care of my people and the innocent. No need to thank me.”
The elevator doors opened onto the cafeteria floor, and Amara followed King to the food counter. She picked out half a sandwich and a drink. They found a quiet corner table to sit at.
As Amara took a small bite of her sandwich, King leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixed on her. Even with her red, swollen eyes and puffy, tear-streaked face, she was breathtaking. He caught himself staring and quickly cleared his throat.
“How did you and Joey meet?” Amara asked, placing the sandwich back on the plate and leaning slightly forward.
King pointed at the sandwich. “You need more than that,” he said, his tone firm but gentle.
Amara gave him a small, weary smile. “I will. I promise.”
King raised an eyebrow at her. “If Joey told you about me, then I know for a fact you already know the story of how we met. The kid never shuts up.”
Amara chuckled softly. “He did,” she admitted with a shrug. “But I want to hear it from you.”
King sighed and nodded, leaning forward slightly. “Fine. I was working with Jake, who had the hots for Jessie.”
Amara raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her tired eyes. “The hots?”
“Yeah, you know. A crush, lovestruck...the hots,” King said with a grin, enjoying the brief spark of humor between them. “Anyway, something was going on. I won’t bore you with the details, but Jake had me keep an eye on Jessie when he couldn’t be there. That’s how I ended up at one of her recitals or whatever in the hell they’re called. I bitched and moaned about it all day.”
“A recital,” Amara informed with a faint smirk, taking another small bite of her sandwich.
“Yeah, that,” King said with a playful smirk of his own. “But once that curtain went up, I couldn’t take my eyes off the dancers. It was incredible. And then Joey came out with some girl, and damn—he blew me away. I’d never seen anything like it.”
“He is very talented.” Amara’s eyes softened as she grinned at him. “Joey told me you were standing and yelling so loud that the rest of the audience joined in.”
King chuckled, nodding. “Truth. Every performance deserved that and more. I’ve got one hell of a whistle, too.”
Amara’s smile widened, her face lighting up despite the exhaustion etched into it. “He said he’d never had an audience applaud like that before. He also said you bought tickets for all the Warriors to come and support him.”
“I did,” King admitted, chuckling at the memory. “And no matter what they claim, they all loved it. Maybe not as much as me, but they did.”
Amara slowly put down the sandwich and stared at him, her expression softening into something more serious. “You’ll never know what that meant to him. I had never missed one of his recitals until all this happened,” she said quietly, her gaze locking with his. “He was bullied so much because of his love of dance. Even by Lee, but... something changed with Lee. He began talking more about Joey’s dancing and started showing more interest and...pride.”
King looked away, his jaw tightening. He knew exactly why that change had happened. “That’s good,” he murmured.
Amara leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a whisper. “It was because of you, wasn’t it?”
King hesitated. “A father should always stand behind their child, no matter what. Joey’s a damn good kid, and he deserved the best from his father.” He paused, glancing at her. “I may have had a little talk with Lee.”
Amara reached across the table and rested her hand on his. Her touch was warm and grounding. “Joey is very lucky to have you as a friend,” she said softly.
King looked down at her hand before meeting her eyes again. “I’m the lucky one,” he replied, his voice steady but laced with an unspoken truth. Something about Amara drew him to her like nothing else ever had.
She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, her gaze lingering on his. “Thank you for being there for him, King,” she whispered.
King slipped his hand over and grasped hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Don’t mention it.” He was man enough to admit that his feelings for her were strong. In time, she would know that truth as soon as he figured it out himself.