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Lance.
He springs up with the knuckle duster, trying to pommel it into my jaw.
I laugh and feint, making him tense up, and then sweep his legs out from underneath him with a powerful swing of my foot.
He lands on his ass with a grunt and then I’m on him, snapping his fingers with a bony crack and tearing the dusters away from him.
I haul him to his feet, holding him there as he whimpers and dangles like the limp useless prick he is.
I look over the Cartel men, my chest barely moving, icy efficiency moving through my veins.
“We can keep fighting,” I tell them. “Or all of you can leave right fucking now. This piece of shit isn’t worth it. And it really wouldn’t bother me putting you fucks out of your misery.”
The Cartel might be money hungry and ruthless, but they’re not stupid, and they know that if they stay here I’m just going to tool them up again. They all run toward the car. Kelly backs away, hugging the alleyway wall, and there’s a moment where they might lunge for her and try and get her inside the car.
I tense up and stalk toward them, dragging Lance at my side, and that’s when they realize how stupid it would be, testing me a second time.
They climb in and screech away, leaving the three of us in the alleyway, Kelly’s hands clenching into fists and her breathing making her chest rise and fall hard.
“It’s him,” she gasps, staring wide eyed at Lance. “I remember him now, Kane. I mean, I remember his face. It’s him. It’s him.”
“Lying bitch,” Lance whines. “I’ve never seen you—”
Whack.
My fist catches him across the jaw, sending him smashing into the brick wall, his body colliding with a fleshy thunk and then sliding down as he moans and groans like a little bitch.
“What do you want me to do with him?” I ask Kelly.
Kelly bites her lip, a slightly crazed look entering her eyes for a moment. I can read her, read all the things she’d ask me to do to this cur if she wasn’t who she was, if she wasn’t a good person.
Then she moves forward, walking fluidly in her heels, looking every inch the MC Empress.
“You’ve given me nightmares,” she whispers. Then her voice rises, gaining more strength with each syllable. “And when you haven’t given me nightmares, you’ve given me sleepless nights. You made me think I was worthless. But now I see the truth, Lance. You’re the worthless one. I could tell my man to kill you. And he would. And I’m okay with that. But all I want from you is an apology.”
Lance glares up at her, his whole body trembling impotently.
“You crazy little slu—”
I move like wind, on him quicker than he could ever react, my hand around his throat as I kneel beside him.
“Tell her you’re sorry,” I growl. “Now.”
“I am,” he gasps. “Jesus, I’m s-sorry, Kelly—”
“Don’t say her fucking name,” I snarl, tightening my grip, feeling my rage pour out of me like fire.
“Kane,” Kelly whispers, the only person who could pull me from the edge at this moment. “It’s okay. It’s over.”
I stand up and take my cell phone from my pocket, calling Garrote.
The club doctor answers instead.
“The Cartel hit the club,” he says.
“Anyone hurt?”
“A few flesh wounds. Nothing serious. But they got Lance. We tried calling, boss.”
I share a secret smirk with Kelly. “Yeah, I was kind of busy. But don’t worry. The Cartel shouldn’t be a problem anymore. Lance is about to tell me enough dirty secrets to keep them busy with the Feds for a long, long fucking time. Aren’t you, Lance?”
I step on his foot, adding more weight and pressure until he starts to yelp.
“Yes, yes,” he whines.
Later, I sit with my woman on the steps of the cabin.
“I can’t believe he’s going to go to prison,” she whispered.
“He is,” I tell her, holding her closer. “And the Cartel is going to think he ratted on them, that he’s the source of the investigation the Feds are launching. Aslado is safe. You’re safe, Kelly.”
She rests her cheek on my shoulder, letting out a breath.
“I think it’s time,” she says.
“I do, too,” I agree.
She turns to me, giggling. She’s amazing. She’s giggling after the day she’s had.
“You don’t even know what I’m talking about.”
“I do,” I tell her. “It’s time to tell your father. That’s what you were going to say and I agree.”
She flinches, and then nods.
“You’re one hell of a mind reader, Kane Knight. Do you think he’ll be okay with it?”
I want to tell her yes, tell her that our problems are behind us, but I’d die before lying to my woman.
“I don’t know,” I murmur honestly.
Chapter Thirteen
Kelly
Dad and Kane arrange a meeting, and then the days just pass, beautiful days in which Kane and I disappear into the cabin and make it our own private universe. The garden at the library becomes our meeting place, me leaning against the sign with my arms wrapped around myself, butterflies in my belly despite the exploding closeness between us.
