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“You need to come down to Chance’s place,” he says. “Office out back at the studio. We’ll need a clean-up crew.” He listens as someone speaks. “His own people won't clean him up, Knox. That’s our job.”
My loose arm tightens around her, and I run my lips over her forehead while I’m still looking at him. He tries breaking us up now, or interfering, or any of them do, and we’ll be having our own version of this conversation soon. I’m done holding back. And this bullshit just escalated me.
CHAPTER TWENTY - THREE
MARIANA
Ilisten to the pounding of Kai’s heart beneath my ear and focus on that. The thud thud thud pulls me away from the carnage around me and the mess left of Chance. The mess I put a stop to.
The dick deserved it. How dare he think he can touch me – or any Cortez – and not pay for it?
Still doesn’t stop this numb feeling in the pit of my stomach, like a black hole that’s spreading. It started with Mother, and now everything just makes it bigger, more toxic. I push away the guilt and shock – there’s been too much in my world to really shock me anymore – and embrace the vengeance and power that also beats in my heart after wielding that gun. Putting Chance down might have been the first time I killed, but I’m not sorry. A part of me even felt relief from seeing his body cease to live.
I knew he was a dangerous man, but I didn’t think he was stupid. Fucking bastard. And fucking bastard for putting me into a vulnerable position and touching what wasn’t his to touch.
He didn’t scare me like the men who took me all those years ago – I was only a child then. No, they did far more than mark my skin. They took something away that I’ve never got back. My innocence, my conscience, maybe. Part of me has been fighting against them since Dante rescued me, needing to prove I’m stronger than my body might look and just as powerful as all my brothers. I’ve never been able to forget the fact that I needed to be rescued because I’m constantly reminded of it. And, no matter what I do, everything I agree to or work for, I will never be on the same playing field as my brothers – they just won’t let me.
But killing Chance levelled things for me and settled something from all those years ago. It proved I’m capable, even if it’s only to myself, although maybe my brother’s will see it, too.
He had the same attitude as them – another reminder of no respect for me or my word. And it makes me glad I killed him.
A rush of realisation surges through my body as I listen to those words in my head. Not like when I looked down on my mother’s body and saw the blood run from her head. This was different. This was purposeful.
After the last couple of weeks, I’ve resented that I wasn’t born a boy. That would have solved a lot of problems for everyone. Except, then, I wouldn’t be sitting in Kai’s lap listening to the slow of his racing heart.
“You good?” Kai whispers after a few more moments.
“She’s fine,” Dante growls.
“Thanks for the brotherly concern.” I can still feel his fingers digging into my skin to keep me from helping Kai. I’m glad that he’s dead and that I saved Kai from taking that burden for me. I saw it with Jonny – the way he switched off all sense and reason when he was in his grip. Same with Chance. He made it clear from the start that he didn’t want trouble. Stopping him from killing someone helps some.
I hope.
“Stop, Mariana,” Dante snaps.
“I’m fine, Kai. He didn’t have time to take things too far.” I smooth my hand down his chest, hoping he’s got his calm back.
“He wouldn’t have touched you at all if we’d arrived sooner.” The grit in Kai’s voice grates, and I wonder how much of his control he’s regained. He looks up and stares at Dante, and I shift, moving from his lap.
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“He’s talking out his ass,” Dante answers, still leaning against the wall.
“He had his fucking hands on her!” Kai shouts, still brimming with anger. “Anything could have happened.”
I don’t need the reminder. The creep had no concern with shoving me and holding me down. He had the opportunity to do more. If he’d wanted to rape me, he could have got his dick out and done it. It was all about power for him. About him showing me he had it and could take it away from me.
I bet he’d never even considered I’d be able to pull the trigger on him.
“Yes. Why don’t we look at that fact? What the fuck, Mariana. Why were you here with Chance?” Dante lights up another cigarette and squares up in front of me.
Staring into his dark eyes, I don’t flinch. “He came to me for a business proposition. He wanted to show how we could team up.” I don’t elaborate.
“Team up? You really are naive if that’s all it took to get you here. He was a snake. A fucking nasty one.” I sense Kai rather than feel him behind me, but this is my fight.
“Well, maybe you should have fucking told me that. You’ve never told me anything specific about him, and what the hell kind of control do you have over your supposed friends,” I add in the air quotes. “If they think they could get away with intimidating me?” My hands find my hips as my temper grows.
“We don’t have to share every fucking thing with you.”
