Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
K ing stood in Joey’s kitchen, leaning against the counter while Amara took a quick shower and changed. The place was eerily quiet, save for the occasional sound of water running upstairs. Charger had called not long ago, letting him know that Kane had some new information. He and the others were on their way, bringing food from Sid. Earlier, King had spoken to Slade, who assured him that Joey’s condition remained stable.
“Damn, this place looks like a war zone.” Steve’s voice broke the silence as he stepped over shards of broken glass, holding a small stack of photographs in his hand.
“Wonder what they were looking for.” Adam sat at the kitchen table, his gaze sweeping over the destruction.
“I don’t think they were looking for anything.” Steve flipped through the photos before handing them over to King. “This feels personal.”
King frowned as he took the stack, his eyes narrowing as he sifted through the images. Each photo was of Joey at school, at the dance studio, with his friends, in the car, and one of him with Lee walking out of this house. Every single one had a red X slashed across Joey’s face.
“Where’d you find these?” King’s voice was low, tinged with menace as he stared at the photos.
“In a yellow envelope on that small table in the hallway.” Steve pointed behind him. “Looks like that’s where they keep the mail.”
The sound of motorcycles approaching rumbled through the air.
“I’ll let them in.” Adam pushed back his chair and headed toward the front of the house.
Now sitting in Adam’s spot, Steve leaned back with his arms crossed. “You can learn a lot about someone through their mail,” he said idly, his gaze flicking to the photos.
“It’s also a felony,” King muttered, his tone dark as his thumb brushed over one of the red X’s.
“Wait. What’s that on the back of that one?” Steve leaned over, pointing at the photo King was holding.
King flipped it over, and his eyes went black as rage surged through him. Scrawled in bold, jagged handwriting were four chilling words: Turn her over, or else.
His grip tightened on the photo, the edges bending under the pressure. Steve caught the shift in King’s expression and straightened in his chair.
“Looks like someone’s sending a message.” Steve’s voice dropped, serious now.
King’s jaw clenched, his knuckles white against the photo. “Yeah, they want Amara.” His voice was quiet, but the fury simmering beneath the surface was unmistakable.
The sound of boots echoed in the hallway as Adam returned with Charger and Kane in tow. Kane stepped into the kitchen, his sharp gaze immediately locking onto King.
“What’s going on?” Kane asked, his tone clipped.
Wordlessly, King handed the photo to Kane, who flipped it over. His expression darkened as he read the scrawled message on the back. “Shit,” Kane muttered, passing the photo to Charger.
“We need to lock this down now,” Charger’s voice was sharp. “They’re not playing around.”
King nodded, his voice steady but ice-cold. “Neither are we. No one will touch her.”
Steve sat at the table, frowning deeply. “This doesn’t add up,” he said, breaking the tense silence. “Joey’s on that RH-null list, right? The same list Amara’s on because of their blood type?”
The group exchanged glances before their eyes landed back on Steve.
“So why would they threaten Lee to turn over Amara, using Joey as leverage?” Steve pressed, his thoughts spilling out. “Isn’t his blood just as important to them as Amara’s? It seems to me that Joey was left for dead. Why would they do that if it’s the blood they are after?”
“Because they don’t know he has the same blood type.” King frowned, his mind working overtime. “Which means he’s not on the list.”
“Damn, Steve,” Adam said, impressed, breaking the silence. “There’s hope for you yet.”
“Yeah, I know,” Steve replied, puffing up slightly. “My flabber is also gasted.”
“What?” Adam and Charger said in unison, their brows furrowing in confusion.
“Sorry, I’m working on my spoonerisms,” Steve announced proudly, then noticed the confused look on all their faces. “You know, when you switch words around, like bean greens instead of green beans. I just added an extra word for fun.”
Kane snorted, shaking his head. “Spoonerism, my ass. Where in the fuck do you come up with this shit?”
“Hey, it’s a real thing. Google it.” Steve said, then frowned. “I think I used it right, so screw you all.”
“Damn, dude,” Adam chuckled, shaking his head. “You made a good point, then killed it with spoonerism.”
“I’ll call Jinx.” Kane pulled out his phone. “He already wiped the list, but someone’s got it.”
“There’s also my zips are lipped, which means my lips are zipped. I’d love to use that with Sloan when he tells me to shut the fuck up, but I don’t want to die.” Steve frowned at that thought.
“Good call,” Adam chuckled, shaking his head.
“But my all-time favorite is birty dirds...dirty birds. Get it?” Steve said proudly as Adam snorted.
“You’re fucked up, man,” Adam snorted with a huge grin.
“Kill him,” Kane ordered Charger, who glared at Steve.
King put the pictures on the table, making a note to remove them before Amara came downstairs. She had enough on her plate and didn’t need to see those pictures. Kane made the phone call and put it on speakerphone. On the fourth ring, Jinx answered.
“Fuck, Kane, can you give me more than fifteen minutes before you’re hounding me,” Jinx answered, sounding out of breath. “I just ran the license plate and was in the middle of taking a piss.”
“I have something else I need you to check out.” Kane put the phone on the table.
“I’m going to be needing a fucking raise with you guys,” Jinx said with a huff. “I’m busier than a vampire at a blood drive.”
“I’ll give you a raise with my foot up your ass,” Kane grumbled, rolling his eyes while Steve laughed loudly.
“Good one, man, but that’s an old one. Have you heard this one? I’m busier than a vampire at a neck convention.” Steve said, leaning toward the phone.
“Yeah, but it never really made sense to me,” Jinx said thoughtfully. “I mean, what the hell is a neck convention?”
“True,” Steve sat as if pondering what Jinx had just exposed. “Hey, you any good with spoonerisms.”
“You mean bass-ackward words,” Jinx said, and everyone heard the smile in his voice.
“Well played...well played,” Steve said proudly as if he was the inventor of spoonerisms. “That’s ass-backward for those of you that don’t know.”
“We know what it is, asshole,” Adam sighed, shaking his head for the hundredth time.
King stopped Kane from going at Steve. “Jinx, do you have the list of RH Null people?” King asked, done with the antics. He loved messing around, but right now, he wasn’t in the fucking mood. Steve brought up an excellent point and something he should have realized, which pissed him off.
“I do,” Jinx replied. They could hear him typing on the computer. “You need me to send it to you?”
“No,” King replied. “Is the name Joey Tarvin on that list?”
The phone became silent as more computer key sounds came from the phone. “Nope,” Jinx replied. “The only Tarvin on here is Amara.”
King and Kane looked at each other. “Thanks, Jinx,” King said, then cursed.
“You got any information for me?” Kane asked, picking up his phone.
“Soon,” Jinx answered as more keyboard sounds came over the phone. “You’ll be the first to know.”
“Thanks,” Kane said, then hung up.
“Lee didn’t put him on that list,” King said, though it was obvious to everyone. “But why?”
“You don’t think he was trying to make money off his sister, do you?” Charger asked, his voice laced with anger.
King wanted to deny it, but the thought nagged at him. He didn’t know Lee well enough to rule it out. The idea of someone selling out their sister turned his stomach and ignited a slow-burning rage.
“I honestly don’t know,” King admitted, his tone heavy.
Changing the subject, he turned to Kane. “Whose license plate number are you pulling?”
Kane’s jaw ticked as he replied, “The woman who brought Joey to the hospital. Actually, she found me. I showed Jill’s sketch around, and word got back to her.”
“And?” King’s adrenaline spiked, ready to unleash hell on whoever was responsible for hurting Joey. “Is she at the compound? Who’s questioning her?”
“I let her go,” Kane said bluntly.
The room froze as every eye turned to Kane.
“You what ?” King bellowed in disbelief.
“Listen, we were in a very crowded pub and had eyes on us, one man in particular,” Kane explained with a frown. “I have a plan, so chill the fuck out. Give me time, and I promise you I will deliver the fuckers who did this to the kid and his father.”
“Kane knows what he’s doing, King,” Charger added, giving Kane a nod. “If he said he would deliver, he will do just that.”
King nodded, glancing toward the stairs that led to where Amara was. He needed to trust Kane knew what he was doing, but the longer these fuckers were out there, the more danger Joey and Amara were in. “Go ahead and eat. I’m going to check on Amara.”
As King climbed the stairs, his heavy boots echoed in the quiet house, a sound that matched the weight in his chest. For the first time in a long time, he realized he would have to trust his brothers to handle the situation downstairs. Right now, his focus was razor-sharp, entirely on keeping Amara and Joey safe.
Reaching the top of the steps, he slowed, his hand gripping the banister as a wave of clarity crashed over him. The truth of his feelings for Amara hit him with the force of a freight train, leaving him momentarily breathless. He would die for her. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his mind. He’d fought for many things in his life...his brothers, his own survival, but this was different.
Amara Tarvin wasn’t just someone he was protecting; she wasn’t just another name on a list of people to save. She was his . Somehow, in the chaos of everything, she’d taken root in his soul, and nothing—absolutely nothing —was going to take her from him.
King’s jaw tightened; his pulse thudded with a steady drumbeat of determination. Never in his life had he felt such a raw, unshakable need for someone. And he didn’t just want to protect her; he wanted to be the one she leaned on, the one she trusted, the one she chose . It had happened in a matter of hours, but the feelings were there, and he couldn’t deny them.
When he reached her door, he paused, his hand hovering over the handle. A quiet murmur of voices drifted upstairs, but it all felt distant. All he could think about was Amara and how she’d looked at him with those wide, vulnerable eyes, how her quiet strength had drawn him in like a flame.
King took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling as he steadied himself. “You’re mine, Amara,” he whispered under his breath, the words a vow that only his death could break.