The Knight (Stolen Duet 2)

I wasn’t their enemy.

Not tonight.

I almost felt sorry for the senator. Angel said he planned to kill the senator, and the morbid beast who ravaged my soul wondered if he’d make it fast yet hoped he’d kill him slowly.

“Hello, Miss Ross.” Hearing my name from him was like a snake wrapping around my body and squeezing.

“Senator.”

“I don’t know if Angel explained it to you, but you and your son will be coming with my son.” It wasn’t until he said ‘son’ that I noticed Aaron standing next to him. He was watching me with unconcealed malice and confidence that I’d be at his mercy soon enough.

“And why is that, Senator?” Before he could answer, the back door of the closest SUV opened, and someone stepped out. It was too dark to see who it might be, but I could tell from the small stature and shape that it was a woman. She strutted on heels too high for the occasion. It was her blonde hair, high cheekbones, and smile meant to charm that seemed so familiar. Another three steps and recognition came like a blow to the stomach. I could do nothing but stare in shock. She was a girl I hadn’t seen in three years. A girl a year ago I had called my friend.

“Erin?”

Her bubblegum painted lips stretched to reveal perfect teeth to match the rest of her. She wore tight black jeans, a white silk blouse, and tall black pumps with a black motorcycle jacket. “It’s good to see you, Mian, though I do wish the circumstances could have been better.” She didn’t seem at all bothered by the night time visit to a strange cemetery and scary men ready to kill each other.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, we haven’t spoken in like a year, so I never got to tell you,” she hugged Aaron’s arm and grinned, “we’re an item now.”

“His name is Aaron, and her name is Erin?” Lucas muttered. “Jesus fuck, they were made for each other.”

“And the fact that he raped me doesn’t bother you?”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling without losing her fake grin. “Come on, Mian. You know it didn’t happen that way. Aaron told me all about it. I told you losing your v-card was no big deal, but of course, you made it one.”

“You were my friend, Erin.”

Her smile faltered then. “It’s your fault we’re not friends anymore. You had to go and get pregnant. Well, I wasn’t interested in being someone’s godmother or whatever it is you expected from me.” I wanted to kill her when she wrinkled her nose at my son.

“I expected you to be my friend.”

“Poor Mian as always,” she mocked.

“How can you date him after what he did to me? He raped me.”

“He told me what really happened that night. You got plastered and threw yourself on him, and come on… you’re sort of hot—so why would he say no?”

I didn’t respond. I simply stared wondering what broke in Erin’s mind to believe such a lie.

“If Mian gives the word, I’m putting a bullet between her eyes,” Z whispered behind me. I heard Lucas’s grunt of agreement.

“Enough,” Aaron barked. “I didn’t come here for a cat fight.” He stepped forward and kept coming until he was roughly able to close his fingers around the arm I was holding our son in. “You’re coming with us.” A second later, Angel had his hand fisted in Aaron’s shirt. He lifted him and tossed him a few feet away where he landed at his father’s feet. Erin’s scream and the sound of weapons materializing and aiming at us filled the quiet night. Caylen stirred in my arms and let out a cry when he became fully awake.

“Mr. Knight?” The senator spoke over Caylen’s cries. “I’m disappointed that you’d harm my son. I thought you were agreeable with the trade.”

“That hasn’t changed, Senator, but your son overstepped. I’ve yet to see you hold up your end.”

“Ah, yes. The book.” He snapped his fingers at one of the men with a gun pointed at my head. The man lowered his arm and stepped forward with a briefcase I hadn’t noticed before. He handed Angel the briefcase, and then quickly raised his gun toward Angel as he stepped to the side. I didn’t realize what was happening until his hand closed around my arm.

Oh, fuck.

I dug in my heels when he began to pull me away. Caylen’s screams rose when he felt my panic. “Not so fast, boy scout.” Augustine appeared with his gun pointed at the senator’s guard.

Angel opened the briefcase stealing everyone’s focus. Lying on top of the red felt was a small leather-bound book. The cover looked good to be two hundred years old, and then I remembered Lucas telling me the book had never been touched by anyone other than the Knight.