Tainted Kiss (Tainted Knights 1)

Travis’s back hit the fridge, but Kale kept inching closer.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. What you did with those two girls is on you, man.”

“Wrong answer!” Kale roared. He drew his fist back and swung, but instead of hitting the other guy, it made contact with the fridge right beside his head.

Travis flinched. “I figured you would break at some point. Better she sees it now rather than later.”

“Answer the fucking question, motherfucker.” Kale leaned into his personal space, his nose only inches from Travis’s. “Did you set it up and take the picture?”

/> “No, of course not.”

I could see the lie in his eyes from where I was standing, so I knew Kale had to see it, too.

I grasped Sin’s shirt, twisting it between my fingers as I turned my head away, anticipating what was going to happen next. When the first crack of fist meeting flesh sounded throughout the bus, I didn’t say a word.

Travis groaned in pain, but he wasn’t able to move out of the way of the next punch.

I kept my head turned into Sin’s back, not wanting to see what Kale did to the guy, but I wasn’t going to leave, either. He deserved the ass beating he was getting.

He had set up the picture that had nearly ended my relationship with Kale. I wanted to hit him a few times myself, but from the groans and moans coming from him, I figured my boyfriend was taking care of it for me.

I heard Gray come running from the back of the bus, and I peeked around Sin to see what he was going to do.

“What the fuck?” He took in what was going on and started to pull Kale off Travis, but Jace stopped him. “Dude, Emmie is going to murder you.”

Kale kept wailing on Travis with enough force to make the bus shake. Seeing Travis’s face for the first time, I couldn’t help gasping. His left eye was already starting to swell, and there was a gash right under it. His lips were swollen, and blood dribbled from his mouth, mixing with spit.

Pushing Sin out of my way, I rushed across the bus and pushed the other guys out of my way, too.

“Kale.” I grabbed his arm when he raised his fist to hit Travis again.

He went stiff at my touch, his enraged hazel eyes dropping to mine.

“Babe, it’s okay. You made your point. He’s not worth it.”

He pulled his arm free then turned and wrapped it around me, pulling me close as he kissed the top of my head.

“He almost made me lose you,” he whispered.

I hugged him tighter. “No way. I love you, and I trust you. Nothing he could have said or done would have made that happen.”

Jace and Cash moved around us and picked Travis up by the collar of his shirt. “You’re out of here, dickhead.”

Kassa came out from the back of the bus as her brother was throwing him out.

“What did I miss?” she cried. I noticed she had on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that probably belonged to Gray because it was so huge on her.

“Just Kale whooping some ass, and Travis losing his job,” Kin informed her as she put her phone to her ear. She waited a few moments then grinned evilly. “Hey, Aunt Emmie. How are you?”

I pulled back enough to look up at Kale. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he muttered. He shook his right hand, and I noticed his knuckles were swollen and bleeding. “It’s gonna suck playing later, though.”

“Fuck, you didn’t break your hand, did you?” Gray demanded, getting a look at the damage.

“Nah, man. I’m good.”

“You don’t have to come out here, Aunt Emmie … No, really. Kassa and I can handle anything that needs to be dealt with. Just text me one of those lists you swear by, and we’ll get it done.” Kin was still on the phone with Emmie, but there was a pleased grin on her face. “Yes, I swear I’ll handle it all. Except for handling Travis … No … Well, Kale might have already demonstrated his displeasure … Okay, sure. Not a problem. See you then … Love you, too.”