Chained Hands (Chained Hearts Duet 1)

“Accidents happen,” her mother says again. “He can only stay mad at you for a little bit if we kill her.”

“No. He said and I quote ...” they all look to Phillip, “… ‘if anyone, and I mean anyone, thinks they can take her life, I will end theirs just as fast. But I will not do it easily.’”

Ha. Well, that’s comforting. Not.

“He didn’t say we couldn’t play, though, right?” Paige looks back to Phillip, and he says nothing. Her greedy eyes fix back on me. “You wouldn’t mind if we ruined your face, would you?” I turn back to look at Phillip, but he is walking out through the door. “That’s my little brother, did you know that?” She smiles. “It’s how I knew so much about you.”

Of course, he is.

“Do we want to piss off Keir?” This comes from Frank, who I might add is still holding his junk. “No one in their right mind wants to piss off Keir.” I think about all the times I angered him. Yet, here I am, still alive.

Well, not much longer if Paige has anything to say about it.

“I think I don’t care.” And before I can say a word, move an inch, a knife is stabbed into my hand that lies on the armrest. My screams fill the room, and my hand feels like it’s on fire. Paige is smiling down at me, happy with what she’s just done. Tears fill my eyes, my hand is stuck to the chair, and I know I have to pull it out, but I also know it’s going to hurt just as much.

“Who knew watching you scream could be so funny.” The smile never leaves her face, and I want to punch her so bad. “Should we do the other hand as well?” A second knife appears, and without thinking, I kick her shins, making her fall backward. As soon as I think I have some reprieve, someone punches me in the face from my left, then everything goes black.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Keir

“Where have you been?” Joey asks while sitting in my apartment watching …

… hold up! Is that Harry Potter?

“Out.”

“You smell like her,” Joey says, knowing full well I was with Sailor. “Oh, your baby mama is pissed and asking a lot of questions.”

“I don’t give a fuck what she is.”

“You should. That bitch is crazy. So is her family.” Just then, Phillip walks in carrying food. Joey nods to him, then looks back to the television.

“You do have your own place, correct?” I ask.

“Correct, but you missed shit today. And I’ve been waiting all day to fill you in, but I got bored, then this came on the television.” He points to the screen. “I’m digging the crazy brunette.” I shake my head at him. “Just like you, really. How’s your crazy brunette?” He laughs at his own words.

“Fine.”

“You like her. You don’t like anyone. What do you plan to do?” Joey knows me well.

I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and throw him one before I take a seat on the couch. “I don’t fucking know.”

“Well, you better sort it out soon.”

“I know.”

This wasn’t in the plan.

She wasn’t in my plan.

How can one woman fuck so much shit up without actually doing anything?

“Paige asked where she lived.”

That gains my attention real quick. “Did you tell her?”

“You mean, did I tell her you put her in the apartment that was meant for you two?”

“She has her apartment,” I tell him.

“Yes, we know. But the other one was for her family. That one you were meant to give her as a gift, but somehow you gave to that girl you are tapping instead.” I choose not to speak about that, instead, I give my attention to the television and watch whatever it is he’s watching.

But Joey being Joey, he doesn’t know how to leave things alone. “You can’t fall for someone whose husband you killed.”

“Joey, leave it.”

“No.” He presses pause on the movie and faces me. “No one has the balls to tell you what they think, but you need to know. You were, more than anyone, someone who followed the rules. Remember in high school when I wanted to date Sheila? What did you say?”

Again, I choose not to reply.

“You told me we don’t date. We fuck, then we marry, then we fuck some more.”

“And your point?” I ask.

“You only fuck Sailor. You don’t date her or marry her.”

Lying my head back on the seat, I listen as he keeps on going, “I get it, you didn’t want to kill her because she’s good in bed. So, you killed her husband and got what you were owed. But why do you have us continue to watch her? Why do you invite her to things? Why were you just there?” he pushes.

“Because I fucking can,” I snap back.