Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
HEAT
Fuck.
McKenna’s screams pierce my ears, nearly shattering them. The men who aren’t men, but vampires I’ve been after for months on end, decided it was time to be ballsy and try to collect what they’ve declared was their property.
They wanted Kinley back and were ready to fight to get her back. I had the three of them surrounding me, however, I didn’t miss the shadows of more in the tree line lying in wait.
I also don’t miss the effect McKenna’s screams have on them and how they back up, falling to their knees.
What the hell?
Her screams aren’t affecting me. Without taking my eye off the vampires, I move to the passenger side of my truck, yank the door open, and pull my woman into my arms.
“Easy, baby,” I tell her, getting her to stop screaming. The last thing I need is for my brothers to show and be hit by her screams in the same way, or worse than how the vampires are.
Keeping her tucked into my side, I do my best to ignore her trembling and watch the now incapacitated vampires.
I don’t know what they were planning to accomplish by trying to wave their dicks and thinking they could get Kinley back with threats. They don’t know what they’re up against when it comes to my brothers and me.
I scan the area as my brothers come into view, running full speed down the gravel road.
“McKenna, baby, I need you to calm down for me.” I kiss her temple and hold her tighter.
Thank fuck her screams have stopped.
I just gotta deal with the aftermath of them.
“What the hell happened here?” Brimstone growls, taking in the scene.
“Let’s get these fuckwads locked down. We’ll talk about it after and once I get McKenna safe in the clubhouse,” I grunt, jerking my chin at the three close by.
“Is that . . .” Fire’s question trails off, his lip twists into a sneer, as he snarls. “Fuck.”
“What happened to your truck?” Pyro growls.
“We’ll talk once this situation is taken care of,” I reiterate. “Load up the guests and take them to lockdown. Prospect, you’ll be on first watch.”
Everyone jumps into motion, doing as I say, and I stand by watching, holding McKenna close. She hasn’t stopped trembling. Nor has she said a word. I need to get her where I know she’s safe.
As good as today has been, considering what she dragged me around to do, I didn’t want the day ruined by this shit.
Not after I spent the entire afternoon and evening doing things I wouldn’t ever do before, but being out with McKenna, just the two of us, I got her all to myself and saw her shine.
I never would have played bullshit overpriced games or eaten at the fair if not for her.
I wouldn’t even say it was fun, still, being there with her, I was satisfied with what we were doing.
I hadn’t even cared about blowing all the money I spent.
Once my brothers had the vampires secure in the bed of my truck, including the ones who’d been in the tree line, I shift McKenna and reach for her chin, tilting her head back. “You good, baby?”
“I . . . I’m sorry,” she utters, tears pricking at her eyes.
The fuck?
“What are you apologizing for?”
“What I did—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, McKenna,” I interrupt her.
“But I kill—”
“They’re not dead.” Again, I speak over, not letting her finish what she was going to say, because no way in hell did I want her thinking she killed someone.
“Those were vampires, Trouble. The three who had been in the car were the ones who took Kinley. They were looking for a fight. Wanted to take Kinley back is what they said, but I’m not a stupid man, what they wanted was access to her to get to Evelin. ”
“Why do they want your sister? Because of her babies?”
“Babies?” I cock a brow. “You mean baby?”
“No, she’s carrying twins.”
“What?” Fire growls.
“Oops,” McKenna whispers. “I wasn’t supposed to speak of that.”
“You mean to tell me, my woman’s carrying twins?” Fire’s eyes flash with annoyance.
“I only know because of my godmother. Where I can see some things, she can see life and death of all. Evelin’s carrying two boys,” McKenna says softly.
“I don’t like to ruin things. I know you guys weren’t trying to know anything about the baby other than everything progressing normally.
But . . .” she trails off. “I’m sorry I said that. ”
My sister is carrying twin boys. Fuck.
“You got nothing to be sorry for,” Fire grumbles with a shake of his head. “I knew it was a possibility. She did too, but she didn’t want to know. No one is to tell her we know.”
“Agreed.” I nod. I don’t want this ruined for Evelin. Can’t say I’m not glad to know it’s boys and not twin girls. We’d be fucked otherwise. “Let’s get back to the clubhouse.”
“I’m sorry again,” McKenna whispers as I tuck her next to me.
“Baby, again, you got nothing to be sorry about. We’ll talk more at the clubhouse, but know this, all you did was protect me, though I might add, I had it under control. You didn’t have to do anything. The point is though, you did. You had my back and incapacitated those men for me.”
“But the truck . . .” she trails off.
“I’m not worried about my truck. Windows can be replaced on it. By tomorrow, that will be done, if not the next day.” I knew my brothers. They’d see to it that everything is straight for me without me saying a word.
The walk is slow to the clubhouse, mostly due to McKenna shuffling her feet in her flip-flops. Or maybe it’s due to where her head’s at. She’s thinking, rolling everything over about what happened just now.
Done with the slow pace, I scoop McKenna in my arms and carry her the rest of the way without her uttering a protest, which speaks volumes.
The moment we step foot inside, I don’t stop until I have her in my room, where I lay her down on the bed. “You stay here while I go speak with my brothers. I get back, I want to find you right here waiting for me.”
“Okay,” she murmurs, staring up at me.
Leaning down, I brush my lips across hers. Yeah, avoiding her is done and over with. Spending the day with her solidified what’s between us. Tonight, I’m carving it in stone and claiming what’s mine.
I kiss her once more and whisper, “I’ll be back.”
McKenna nods and lets out a little sigh.
Leaving her alone isn’t what I want to do, but being that I’m the President of this club, I’ve gotta get out there and handle business. It’s what’s needed of me, and as my brothers and I always say, ‘No one fucks with the Kings’.
“Did you really think you could come to my club and attempt some bullshit scheme and get away with it?” I demand, looking over a bloody Holstein.
His buddy, Zaff, and the other one were already dead at the hands of Brimstone. Holstein would die at the hands of Fire for what he put my sister through, but first, I’ll find out everything I need to from him. Pyro’s already had his fun with the rest of the bloodsuckers who’d been with this group.
“Fuck you.” Holstein sneers and spits blood inches from my boots. “I’m not telling you shit.”
“So, there is something to tell.” I smirk, tauntingly.
I know I can’t just kill Holstein. I need to know exactly what he was doing here and why.
There’s a reason for his sudden appearance when, for months on end, he hid away, having gone to ground.
Kinley getting away from them didn’t sit right with me days ago, and it doesn’t now.
I need to pull out of him what he’s really up to.
It’s not about Kinley, and it’s not about Evelin.
My gut’s churning, and I don’t like it. I’ve always listened to my instincts, and I’m not about to stop now.
“How is it Kinley was able to get away from you after all these months?” I ask, taking the blade Fire’s been toying with in his hand, itching to get at this fucker.
“Fuck you,” Holstein grinds out.
“Naw, you’re not my type,” I grunt and move swiftly, grab his fingers and bring the blade down, severing two of them.
Holstein screams out and tries to yank back his hand.
“You wanna try answering now? I’ve got all night, and you’ve got plenty of parts.
My brothers and I don’t mind taking the time to cut them off piece by piece.
” I didn’t want to be at this, as I told him.
I have better things I’d like to be doing, but this is something that needs to be handled, the sooner the better.
“I’m not telling you shit,” Holstein grinds out, gritting his teeth.
“That’s all right,” I say and hand the blade back to Fire. “Hand me the pliers, brother.” I should let him handle this, but I want the answers, and I want this asshole’s blood on my hands. Fire will get his turn soon enough.
Fire hands me the pliers, a smirk tugging on his lips.
“Hold his head still,” I tell him. “Force his jaw open.”
My brother does as I ask. I use the pliers to grip one of the extended fangs, giving it a swift tug, yanking it from Holstein’s gum as he thrashes in the chair. He’s unable to fight Fire’s grip on him, which is comical.
The stench of urine filters the air, making me shake my head in disgust.
“You ready to talk?” I ask, yanking the second fang out to show the bloodsucker.
“There’s nothing to tell,” he pants when Fire lets him go.
“I believe there is.”
“What was your obsession with Evelin? What was taking Kinley all about?”
When they’d first taken her, we thought they’d turned her, but they hadn’t. We knew from Pyro’s mother’s journals what they used her for. There’s nothing any of us can do to help Kinley with the trauma she’s been through, not even my VP.
“Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll make your death merciful and stop the torture,” I lie.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you.” Holstein groans.
“You’ve got plenty to tell.” Looking to Fire, I nod. It’s time to let him get out some of his anger toward the vampire that tormented Evelin.
Fire forms a ball of flames in his hand and drops it down on Holstein’s lap, making the bloodsucker scream louder and jump around in the chair he’s secured to.
“I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you,” he cries, bloody tears stream down his cheeks.