AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grab a hold of his throat and press up into him. “Fucking leave the premises or I will break your fucking face. I amnotin the mood.”
“You want to fight?”
“Sure. Let’s fight,” I growl as I let go of him and make my way to the front door. He comes after me, ready to knock me out, rage and alcohol pushing him right along. At least he has the decency to wait until we’re outside before he comes after me, of course when my back is still turned to him. I step to the side, turn and punch him in the face so hard he collapses right there and doesn’t get back up. He doesn’t even groan, just goes straight down.
Then I head toward my car.
“What do you think you’ve solved?” Kade yells after me. “You know that woman will go crawling right back to him. Sucking his cock and begging his forgiveness because no one in this depraved city has any goddamn sense.”
I turn to face him. “She very well might. And those women from last night might go find themselves another man like Grandal. I can’t control the actions of people around me, but I can give them a chance. It’s up to them if they want to take it or not.”
“Yeah, because you’re just some hero.”
I shake my head. “Needed the last word, huh? That why you followed me out here? Need to fucking measure dicks again, huh?”
Kade shakes his head as anger burns deep in his expression. “I wanted a fucking service from you. Not someone on some mission to change me. I don’t need tochange.”
“Don’t you?”
“Maybe you’re the one that’s wrong because there isn’t a goddamn person out there in this world who really gives a shit about you or me. They all care about themselves. You have to learn to protect yourself because no one else will.”
I strut up to him. “You want to know why I declined the job?”
He glowers at me. “Enlighten me.”
“Because you are an absolute dick. Why should I riskmy lifefor some self-centered asshole like you? I fight and I risk my life to protect people from assholeslike you.”
“Then why do you keep coming back?” he asks as he throws his hands up in the air.
I shake my head because I’ve questioned the very same thing. “Because I thought maybe I was wrong about you. Clearly, I’m not. Have a nice life… even if it’s quite short.”
Kade rushes up and throws a punch at me, which I dodge. That pisses him off more, so he throws another at my face. I lift my arm up in a sweeping motion and redirect his hit so he slams into a car now that his balance has been knocked off. He’s pissed now and comes at me again as I step to the side and slide my leg between his, catching him off balance as I grab a wrist and fling him down onto his back.
It knocks the wind out of him as he hits hard on the blacktop and stares up at the sky.
“Fuck,” he whispers.
I stare down at him for a long moment, feeling mentally exhausted.
“You have to only care about yourself,” Kade eventually says. “No one else gives a shit what happens to you. Even at a time like this, there’s not a single damn person in this city that’d stand up for me if I didn’t pay them. And I know that when the time comes for someone to kill me, every fucking one of them is going to back away.”
“Youdid that,” I say. “You caused them to treat you that way.”
“No, that’s how lifeis,” Kade yells, still refusing to get up. “I learned that from a young age. I learned that watching my father beat my mother and smack me around. But you know what? She’dalwaysgo back to him. She didn’t give a shit what he did to either of us because, to her, it was worth it. To her, I needed to just man up. I learned from a young age that everyone,literally everyone,turns their back on you. I asked for help. I begged for help, but no one would face my father. No one cared.” He sits up, refusing to look at me as he rubs at his head with his hands. His suit is dirty from the parking lot, he doesn’t look as pristine as he usually does… and dare I say vulnerable?
He shakes his head as he finally looks up at me. “Opening yourself up and caring about others just destroys you,” he says. “It only opens you up for more pain and hurt when you realize what kind of person they truly are.”
“But it could also save you,” I say. “No, it’s not always going to be easy, and especially in a city like this, most people are more eager to stab you in the back than offer you a hand. But all those little things are what make it worth it.” I hold my hand out to him and for a long moment, I’m not sure if he’s going to take it before he wraps his fingers around mine and I pull him up to his feet. “I don’t like cruel men. I don’t like men who use their power to belittle others. And I don’t like men who smoke. If you can prove to me that you’re not one of those men, then I’ll make sure Norn is dead by the end of your week.”
Kade’s hand is warm in mine, and I find that he’s staring down at my fingers. “Then you might as well shoot me now.”
I smile at him. “I like it most when men can prove me wrong. There’s a heart in there and it might be fucking rusted shut, but with enough lube, it might open up.”
“You’re so damn strange.”
“Thanks.”
He takes a deep breath and releases my hand before looking around. “I shouldn’t be out here. Who knows who’s lingering around.”
