Chapter Thirty #2
I wonder if he’ll be angry at me… for keeping the brothers down here, for not telling him, for letting them stay alive this long. Who the fuck knows.
Then it goes quiet… Kit’s voice cuts off completely. I stop pacing and look at Ray, frowning. Before either of us can speak, a scream rips through the audio feed… high-pitched, raw, and piercing. Ray flinches hard, slaps a hand over one ear, and quickly kills the audio.
I don’t wait another second. I shove the door open and step inside.
Kit’s standing there, cracking his knuckles slowly.
A small black karambit knife is buried under Mitch’s jaw, not deep enough to kill, but enough to make blood gurgle and choke him with every ragged breath.
I just stand here, staring. James is murmuring frantically behind the tape over his mouth, eyes wide with terror.
Kit turns at the sound of the door and finally notices me. His eyes go wide and he jumps slightly, whispering, “Shit…”
I frown, staring back at him, wondering if he thinks he’s in trouble.
Then step closer and reach out, using the pad of my thumb to smear a streak of blood from his plump bottom lip.
No one else’s blood belongs on him, ever.
Kit’s breath catches and I can feel the exhale ghost over my skin before he closes his mouth again.
Ray walks in behind me and lets out a low whistle. “Well, shit… looks like we went easy on them, boss.”
Ray yanks the karambit out of Mitch’s jaw, pulling another agonised scream from the man, then casually tosses the bloody blade into the red bucket by the door, with the rest of the tools that need cleaning.
Without hesitation, Ray pulls his own gun from his belt and holds it out to Kit. Kit stares at the gun, then at Ray, then up at me with wide, uncertain eyes. I grunt softly and nod once, squeezing his shoulder firmly.
Ray grins. “Let’s see that aim up close, Christopher.”
Kit takes the gun with visibly shaky hands, suddenly shy and far less confident now that I’m watching him. He looks smaller than ever in my oversized clothes, yet somehow more dangerous than I’ve ever seen him. The air is thick with the metallic scent of blood and fear.
Ray leans casually against the tool table to the side, arms crossed, watching everything with quiet interest.
I move behind Kit without a word, pressing my chest flush against his back. My arms come around him, wrapping him completely as I cover his smaller hands with mine.
“Easy,” I murmur low against his ear, my voice rough. “You’re holding it too tight. Breathe.”
Kit’s breath stutters, but he doesn’t pull away. I can feel the tension in his body, the way he’s trembling between rage and uncertainty.
I adjust his grip, guiding his fingers into the proper hold, my larger frame completely enveloping him from behind. My chin rests near his temple as I speak softly, only for him.
“This is how you do it. Steady. Don’t jerk the trigger, squeeze. You’re never going to be vulnerable again.”
I feel him nod slightly, his back pressing harder against my chest like he’s drawing strength from me.
Ray stays silent, observing with a faint smirk, but I barely register him. Right now, the world has narrowed down to Kit in my arms and the two pieces of shits tied to the chairs in front of us.
I lift our joined hands, aiming the gun at Mitch’s chest. Mitch’s eyes are wide with terror, blood still trickling from the wound under his jaw.
“You ready?” I whisper against Kit’s ear.
Kit’s voice is small but steady. “Yeah.”
Together, we squeeze the trigger. The gunshot is deafening in the small room.
Mitch’s body jerks violently as the bullet slams into his chest. A wet, gurgling sound escapes him before he slumps forward against the ropes.
James starts making horrified, muffled noises behind the tape over his mouth, eyes bulging in panic.
I don’t let go of Kit. If anything, I pull him tighter against me, my free arm wrapping around his waist, holding him close as the echo of the shot fades. He’s breathing hard, his smaller body trembling in my arms, but he doesn’t pull away; he leans back into me like he needs the contact.
I press a slow kiss to the side of his head, my voice dark with satisfaction. “Good boy. That’s the start. No one will ever hurt you again. I’m going to make sure you can protect yourself… even from people like them.”
Ray lets out a whistle from the side. “Well… that’s one way to bond.”
I don’t even look at him. My attention stays entirely on Kit… on the way he’s still pressed against me, on the way his breathing slowly evens out in my hold. This is only the beginning.
I take the gun from Kit’s hands, click the safety on, and toss it toward Ray; he catches it without a word.
Without hesitation, I turn Kit around and lift him easily. His legs instinctively wrap around my waist as he lets out a small, surprised squeak. He settles against me, resting his chin on my shoulder, his arms loosely looped around my neck.
“That’s enough excitement for one day,” I murmur.
Ray nods once, understanding; he’ll finish up here.
I hold Kit close, but not too tight, mindful of his injuries, and start walking. We move down the long corridor, up the stairs, and push through the heavy steel door back into the cool night air.
As we cross the lawn toward the main house, Kit shifts in my arms and sits up a little. He doesn’t say anything, he just looks at me. Not into my eyes… but at my face, my neck, my shoulders… his gaze is quiet and curious, like he’s seeing me for the first time.
I feel his fingers gently trace up along my stubbled jaw.
I grin, but I have to stop walking, I don’t want to trip over my own feet while he’s exploring me like this.
Kit doesn’t even to seem to notice we’ve stopped, he’s too focused.
His fingertip slowly drags along my neck, brushing up just beneath my ear.
I let him have this moment, standing here in the middle of the dark lawn. I keep holding him securely, wondering what’s going through that pretty head of his right now.
After a few minutes of quiet exploration, Kit gently cups my face with both of his small hands. I search his eyes, wishing I could crawl inside his thoughts. Before I can say anything, he leans in and presses a soft, tentative kiss to my lips.
Oh… I wasn’t expecting that.
Kit pulls back, cheeks flushing a deep pink.
Then, like he can’t help himself, he leans in again.
I let him lead, staying perfectly still as his lips move against mine.
When he shyly sweeps his tongue into my mouth, a low, hungry growl rumbles up from my chest before I can stop it.
The second Kit hears it, he whimpers softly and pulls back, hiding his face by tucking his chin against my shoulder again.
Fuck. The sweetness of that moment hits me harder than it should.
I continue walking back toward the house, one arm under his thighs, the other wrapped around his back to keep him close. Kit stays curled against me, quiet and warm, his breath brushing my neck.
I don’t say a word, I just hold him, a strange possessive satisfaction settling deep in my chest.