Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
KILLIAN
We’ve seen her pissed. We’ve seen her kill. But we’ve never seen her like this. As she spoke to Grave, it was like she was channeling all the pain he ever caused her.
As he kneels in a field, crying out from her repeated attacks, I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful.
“Such a strong man, Gabriel.”
She giggles, taunting him.
“But then, it’s easy to be strong against a weak little girl.”
Heather holds her hand out and smiles at Carter.
“Cattle prod.”
Grabbing it from the ground he hands it to her. She turns it on and places the end against Graves' balls.
“Come on. Don’t do this. You’re a good girl, Heather. This isn’t you.”
Her eyes darken as the rage inside her grows to a snapping point.
“Those are two words I never want to hear from you again. If I do, I’ll cut your fucking dick off.”
She zaps him in the nuts with 9,000 volts, and he lands on his back screaming. This is why we chose this location, far from civilization. We knew this self-proclaimed badass would cry like a pussy.
Turning to Bones she asks, “How attached are you to this thing?”
He gazes at her, confusion filling his eyes as he shrugs.
“I’m not. Consider it a gift.”
None of us have a clue what she’s planning until it happens.
“Lie on your stomach.”
With a groan he does as he’s told.
“On your knees.”
Knox and I exchange a glance, both of us thinking the same thing.
She wouldn’t.
We watch as she presses it against his asshole before pushing it hard. Instinctively, as if they’ve done this before, Bones and Psycho each put a boot on his back, holding him down while he screams for mercy. Heather presses the button and the sounds he makes might never leave me.
Knox comes over to me, shock and awe thick in his voice when he mutters, “I guess she would.”
Carter turns to us with a beaming smile and chuckles under his breath.
“Note to self. Maybe don’t piss my Little Heathen off.”
Grave trembles so dramatically that I wonder for a moment if he’s having a seizure.
She pulls it out of him and steps back.
“Flip him over.”
Psycho and Bones kick him to his back.
“Psycho, I assume you have your knife?”
Reaching into his sheath he pulls it out.
“Can you give him a hundred small cuts please? Nothing fatal. I want him to live through this.”
Of course he won’t question what her plans are. He doesn’t care as long as he gets to play.
Bones squats down and watches him curiously.
“I think I like having a girl boss. She might take your job.” Psycho taunts his brother earning a snort laugh from Bones.
“She can have it and deal with a family of unhinged fuckers that don’t listen to orders.”
“Enough!” Grave yells, even though Psycho is only half done.
“Kill me and get it over with,” he hisses through clenched teeth.
Bones shakes his head in disgust.
“Already? That didn’t take long.”
Heather grins and leans over Grave.
“Take it you fucking ungodly piece of trash. That’s what you are, right? Fucking garbage.”
My chest constricts as I wonder if he said that to her. I said something similar to her once. Regret instantly floods me until Heather looks up at me and shakes her head.
“You’re nothing alike.”
Her words hit me square in the chest, stealing the breath from my lungs.
She already said she forgave me but I can’t forgive myself for the things I did and said to her.
I’m not sure I ever will. How can you let yourself off the hook for trying to destroy the person you love?
It was not an accident. It was cold and calculated.
My intentions may have been misguided but I’ll never forgive myself.
Every day, I work to show her that’s not who I am.
The forgiveness she granted to me is fucking beautiful but not deserved.
There is no amount of amends that can ever take back what I did to her and to my brothers.
Still, hearing her reassure me, causes my eyes to well as I stare at her, speechless.
This beautiful girl has been given every fucking reason to hate.
And she does hate the ones that violated her time and again but for us, she has so much fucking love.
“Does anybody have whiskey? I’m thirsty.”
Knox pulls Heather into his arms. Kissing her on the head he breathes his nickname for her.
“Tesoro.”
Reaper runs to the car and comes back a few minutes later.
Knox releases her as Reaper hands her the bottle, and she opens it and pretends she’s going to take a drink before drizzling it over his open cuts. At first he hisses through a clenched jaw before he yells about his burning flesh.
“You fucking bitch!” He screams while she giggles as if she’s truly enjoying his pain and I’m sure she is.
“I’m done. For now. Tie him to the tree if you would.”
She squats down beside him and slaps him in the face.
“We start again in the morning. If you’re a good boy, I’ll give you a donut.”
A car pulls up and Heather visibly panics.
“Shit. Is that the police? Fuck.”
Bones holds his hand up, motioning for her to calm down.
“I wanted you to meet the guy who has been on the inside with Morte Mafia.”
A large man approaches us wearing a ‘Jesus Saves’ hat.
“Eduardo, this is Heather.”
She stretches her hand out, and they shake, politely.
“Thank you for your help.”
He hands Bones a box after he turns away from her.
“I’ll head back to New York then, Boss?”
Bones nods.
“Mrs. Bonetti has an extra check for you. I trust it’ll be enough.”
“More than enough, Boss. Thank you for your generosity.”
Bones opens the box, hands each of us a plastic cup, pours us a whiskey, and motions for us to sit.
“Kage will be fine.” Bones says as he reads a text message.
“I’m surprised you didn’t go to him.”
He shrugs with a grin.
“I don’t leave business unfinished.”
He looks at Carter, his expression serious.
“When are you coming to work for me?”
“Never?”
Bones runs his fingers over his chin.
“Your chop shop is gone. What will you do for money?”
Carter clears his throat uncomfortably.
“We have enough. Heather wants to go somewhere sunny. New York doesn’t fit the description.”
I get the feeling that Bones isn’t the kind of man that takes no for an answer, so I’m not surprised when he keeps trying.
“New York has sunshine and Bianca, along with our wives. I think she’ll like it there.”
Carter scratches his head and glances down at Heather as she looks up at him, adoration in her eyes.
“We are triplets. Just one of us can’t be offered a job.”
Bones shakes his head.
“I’m not offering you a job. This is a family, and that’s what I’m offering. All three of you. Yes, you’d work with us, all of you, and be paid. But none of us look at this as a job. It’s family. You don’t walk away from family. Ever.”
Carter mutters words that I hoped I’d never hear again, but this time it has a different meaning.
“Brothers don’t say goodbye.”
Carter glances at Heather to see her reaction and it’s visible in her gaze. This is what she’s hoping for.
“Two conditions.”
Bones nods, and Carter continues.
“We all have to agree or I have to decline. And we will need three months of vacation a year.”
Bones arches an eyebrow at Carter.
“Three months? No, I’ll agree to two months, fully paid.”
“We will discuss it and let you know.”
I shake my head no before explaining my decision.
“I’m a definite fucking no. Sorry, Killer. I want you to be happy, and I’ll take you anywhere the sun shines.”
I look at Bones, who stares at me, shock filling his eyes.
“I will forever be grateful for your help, but I’m not a man who forgets. Maybe Carter and Knox can, but I won’t. We have been just fine on our own. We don’t need a family that, quote, isn’t particularly fond of our bloodline.”
He drags his hand down his face before shaking his head.
Bones swallows hard before responding. I have a feeling not many men have the balls to call him out but I do.
“I deserve that. That’s something I wish I hadn’t said.
I didn’t know what Reaper had gone through until our father passed.
Then Raven popped up, and I found out what happened to him.
Then, I find out about you and what Carter went through.
Frank is a fucking infection in our family that won’t go away.
I took my anger out on you, and I shouldn’t have.
What happened to you as kids isn’t your fault. Your bloodline is also mine.”
Heather climbs on my lap and rubs her fingers through my hair.
“Killer.” I growl through clenched teeth. Not being able to touch her for so long has been fucking killing me. There have been a few touches but very fucking brief.
Pressing her hand to my face, she tilts her head and stares into my eyes.
“You’ve made mistakes, Kill. I know you’ve said things you wish you hadn’t. Bones is human, as we all are. You’re family whether you like it or not. I’m not saying we have to move to New York, but I do want them in my life. After what I’ve been left with—a real family sounds awfully nice.”
Fuck.
She’s right. Only hours ago she killed the only person in her family she thought she had left. I have to let this go. For her.
I press my nose into her hair, inhaling her scent, and speak low into her ear, “Fine. For you, Killer.” I lift my gaze to meet Bones’ sitting across from me. “Forgiven.”
She giggles in my arms, and feels even better than I remember. The softness of her skin, her breath fanning over my flesh, the sound of her laugh. Heather is a goddamn dream.
She looks across the field at Grave.
“I hope he doesn’t die tonight. Tomorrow I’ll use fire.”
“Beautiful little psycho.”
When I lean in to kiss her, this time she doesn’t move away or tell me she isn’t ready. Instead, she places her hand on the back of my head and pulls me closer. Our lips connect, and I’m convinced she is sent from heaven.