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The coin. No one knew of its existence. No one talked about it. The few times Carter inquired, he came up empty and there weren’t many he would reach out to. The underworld, the society that he belonged to by default, protected their own. They held their secrets close to the chest because information created weaknesses, which meant lives lost. If they didn’t let you in, provide answers, then you just didn’t fucking get answers. The coin meant something. His father went ballistic when he saw it and a killing spree followed. Twenty-four hours later he ended up dead.
What the fuck did that coin mean and who left it?
He could have answers, but in return, that meant possibly putting McKenna at risk. The price for those answers was one he wouldn’t feel comfortable paying. Jessup would ask for his freedom and wouldn’t hand over the information until the freedom was guaranteed, which meant Carter would always be looking over his shoulder.
“I don’t give a fuck.” The words felt weighted on Carter’s tongue. Jessup smiled arrogantly until Carter moved the knife from his throat and drove it into Jessup’s shoulder and slowly dragged it down the length of his arm, ripping muscles to shreds.
He clenched his teeth and growled in pain before panting heavily. “You care. You don’t…don’t…don’t like…loo-loose ends, Reed. Not knowing the whys to who killed your parents is…is…a loose end. One that’s been haunting you for yea-years.”
Hearing the truth pissed Carter off. Jessup was right. Not knowing was a problem he couldn’t deal with, one he never felt he’d have closure for. Without answers there was no retribution.
Carter yanked the knife from Jessup’s right shoulder, stepped behind the chair and drove it into his left, repeating his actions.
“I said I don’t give a fuck about that but what I do give a fuck about is ripping your flesh open, slowly, until you bleed to death. You’ll pass out because the pain is too much and your body will go into shock. I’ll bring you back and torture you some more.”
“Or…or…yo-you could stop now and I’ll…tell…you…”
Jessup’s lids fluttered and he blinked several times from the intensity of the pain but the message was clear when his eyes met Carter’s.
You want to know. Let me live and I’ll tell you.
“I don’t trust you. No matter what bargains you offer, I don’t fucking trust you, and more than that is the small detail of not liking you. You paid money to hurt someone I care about. Women and children are off limits. I could have wiped your family out multiple times but I’m a man who believes in limits. You don’t, so there’s nothing you can say that will grant you another chance to hurt her. You’re going to die. I’m going to be the one to end you. Then I’m going to move on with my life like you never existed.”
Carter had to choose. Answers or McKenna. It was a hard choice to make. One that was going to fucking break him, but one he wouldn’t risk choosing wrong.
“Yo-your father…” Jessup sucked in a deep breath. “Crossed lines. He’s the reason she…she…died.”
She… my mother?
Carter frowned and yanked the knife free. He held it to Jessup’s neck once more. “You sure you want to go there.”
“He took what didn’t belong to him. They…both…di-died because of it. Let me live and I’ll te-tell…you everything.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “If you kill me…the-they’ll…kill you. I’m the only reason…”
Answers or McKenna.
Carter couldn’t breathe life into the dead. With one swift motion, he moved the knife across Jessup’s neck before he could finish the sentence. Within seconds he was choking on blood, then his eyes glazed over and he was no longer breathing.
Jessup wouldn’t dare tell him every detail without the promise of his own life secured. Carter was no fool. He understood how things worked in their world.
Cater closed his eyes briefly and his chest felt tight. He made his choice, he had to live with it. Choosing McKenna didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to find answers again but this time with a new motivation. After he got rid of Jessup’s body, he was going home to the woman he chose over a debt being paid for the loss of his parents. For years, he remained isolated, closed off from any type of future that included happiness. Wanting her was a first. Carter never wanted anything. Having her would be worth it, but that didn’t make the decision any easier to digest.
I just killed the man who held answers to questions that have caused many sleepless nights.
McKenna spent the day watching TV, eating, and napping. By the time the city fell dark, her time was filled being annoyed that she still hadn’t seen Carter. By midnight, she showered and crawled in his bed. Because as angry as she was, she didn’t want to be alone and being in his bed made her feel as if she wasn’t.
When she woke, the bedroom was dark. Her head lifted from the pillow while a strange sensation washed over her. The first thought in the recesses of her mind was fear, but when she realized where she was, her spirit relaxed. Carter promised she was safe and she believed him, which was another problem. No matter how deeply connected she felt to him, she believed a man she knew very little about.
McKenna climbed out of bed and headed to the living room and sure enough, she found Carter, sitting on the sofa with a bottle in hand. He lifted it to his mouth and turned it up while shadows shaded his handsome features. The illumination from the city created a glow that allowed the visual of his eyes on her, closely watching her every move as she neared. Instead of going straight to him, she paused a foot away and lowered to the massive black leather ottoman that served as a centerpiece for the sofa and loveseat set. After she planted her hands outside her thighs, palms flush against the soft material, McKenna’s concerned gaze moved to the bottle which he turned up again, shifting to his face while he drank. Never did his keen eyes leave hers.
“You’re back.”
“Yeah.”
“How long?”
“A while.”
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
