Worth It (Forbidden Men 6)

I sent him an impish grin. “Of course it worked. The kid’s only ten.”

When he shook his head and his lips quirked as if he might smile, my heart sang. “Where did you ever come up with the idea for monster repellant?”

I shrugged. “The article said to be creative, and the spray was hanging next to the rabbit foot for sale, so that’s when the idea came. But the moral of the story: he never came into my room at night again.” My own smile bloomed. “It was so satisfying and amazing to actually help him. Noel and Aspen have been shocked by how much more energy he’s had since he’s been sleeping throughout the night. I just...I don’t even know how to describe how rewarded it makes me feel. And to think, I’ve never sat through one class in college.”

Knox exhaled as he watched me. Then he nodded as he pushed to his feet. “Okay, then,” he said. “You’ve convinced me you’re satisfied with your life. That’s all I ever wanted.”

As he left the kitchen, I gaped after him.

His statement shocked the crap out of me. Overall, I wouldn’t have ever described myself as a satisfied person. More like antsy and unfulfilled, as if something integral in me had been missing, because he’d been missing. But to hear him say that and then just...leave?

No.

Surging to my feet, I hurried after him and caught him in the living room.

“Hey.”

He looked as if he’d been ready to escape into his room, but he paused and turned back for me.

I opened my mouth, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I sure as hell wasn’t going to admit to him that I’d only felt like half a person ever since he’d been gone, and I still craved that connection with him. I needed to be whole again.

So I decided it was his turn to talk.

“Now I have a question for you.”

He edged backward and sent me a leery glance, his gaze hooded. But he answered, “What’s that?”

“Why

did you kill Jeremy?”

Blowing out a sigh, he scrubbed his hand over the stubble on his head.

I knew it had to be in self-defense. I knew it. But I wanted to hear him say it. “It’s just...you were only two weeks away from getting out. Did you not think you’d get caught, or did you just not care about your freedom enough?”

I hoped an accusation like that would draw out an explanation, and his eyes did widen as if he couldn’t believe I’d ask such a thing. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it either, but I was willing to try anything to get him to crack.

“You make it sound like some grand laid-out plot, like I killed him on purpose.”

Praying I was on the right track with this line of questioning, I shrugged.

“Well, it’s a little hard to believe otherwise. He’d just been transferred to Statesburg from some prison in Florida where he’d shot someone and tried to kill his ex-girlfriend just days before your attack. But, oh, if you’re trying to tell me it was all a coincidence, that you accidentally took his life, then you’re going to need a little more to convince me.”

“I didn’t even know who he was,” he growled in a low voice.

The emotion in his eyes was broiling; he was getting so close to just letting it all bubble over. So I snorted as if I totally didn’t buy that. “Excuse me if I still don’t believe you. But his father was the reason you went to prison.”

“No.” His voice rose. “Your father is the reason I went to prison. That guy was just his lawyer and doing his job. I had no idea the punk was his son.”

“But I told you Jeremy’s name. I talked to you about how creepy he was. And you just, what, forgot about that?”

“I never heard his name,” Knox bit out. “I’d never seen him inside or outside the prison before that day. They don’t exactly have meet and greets for new inmates.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

“I told you I didn’t fucking know who he was!”

I jumped, startled by his roar, even though I’d been inciting it for the past few minutes. I still wasn’t expecting it.