I rub my right temple and admit, “I don’t want her here.”
My brother is quiet for several minutes before he speaks again.
“You should see her back and legs, Kill. He brutalized her. She has scars from her shoulders down to her calves.”
Leaning forward, I place my elbows on my knees while holding my drink in my hands.
“Maybe I’m a dick, but people are abused every day. Why is this our problem?” I ask.
I look over at Knox as he shakes his head at me.
“If we don’t know about it, then obviously we can’t stop it. The difference is, she landed on our property, and now, we do know. Carter and I are going to help her. I don’t think I have to tell you that, but you don’t need to be part of it. All you have to do is not stand in our way.”
I’ve had enough of this conversation, so I rise from the sofa and walk to the door.
“What if it had been Mom? When our father found her, if someone could have helped her, wouldn’t you have wanted them to? Or would you say it wasn’t their problem? We both know theshit he did to her wasn’t far off from this. Except the religious bullshit.”
I turn to Knox and glare at him.
“If you could fuck her and get it over with, that’d be great. We both know how that will work, don’t we, brother? You’ll get your fill in, what is it? About seventy-two hours, then you’ll break her heart and toss her aside like garbage. Let’s fast forward to that part, so she can get the fuck out of our house.”
He doesn’t bother arguing with me, because we both know it’s the truth. No woman has ever held his interest. Knox enjoys the chase, but once he gets what he wants, he’s bored and moves on. This girl will not be different.
Both of my brothers may be fucked over this girl, but not me. I’ll fix shit like I always do. I give her forty-eight hours, and she’ll be running away ruined, and worse for the wear.
I walk from the lounge to my bedroom while I consider all the ways I could get rid of this girl. We have connections with the police department. I could turn her in. Or I could deliver her to her family, and let them handle her.
My brothers would be pissed, but they’d get over it. Eventually.
Of course, I could always kill her myself, but that might be a little more challenging to come back from.
I know she must have woken up when I hear them talking, and my ears perk up when I hear my name.
“He wouldn’t. You’re mine,” Carter says, “Killian won’t take you from me. I know he might seem like the devil to you, but he would never hurt me.”
She’shis? He has known her for about five fucking minutes. And how is the no-touching thing going to come into play? Surely she’d want to touch him if they were together. And I know that’s something he will never be capable of. There’s no workaround. Fuck knows he has tried.
“Sleep, Little Heathen,” I hear Carter murmur to her, as I step inside my bedroom. I have a feeling this is going to get rather messy, with both of my brothers focused on the same fucking girl.
I strip down to my boxers and throw myself onto my bed. Like us, our bedrooms are identical. A metal black king-sized bed along with a matching dresser and end tables. The only difference is the large bookcase in Carter's bedroom. He is an avid reader, while Knox and I are not. When we were kids, he said it was an escape. I understand needing to find an escape. It’s one of the reasons why I fight. I’ve been a fighter since I was a kid. It’s my outlet, well, along with fucking.
And there it is.
Cinnamon is the answer to at least one of my brothers losing interest in the goddamn killer. Knox won’t turn down a night of us taking turns with my favorite stripper. There is nothing she’ll say no to. Whatever we want, she’s down for. Five minutes with her and he’ll forget all about the problem in Carter’s bed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE HEATHEN
Two of them stare at me like they’d burn the entire world down just to have me, and the other gazes at me with the purest form of hatred. It's been two days since the triplets took me in. Two days of tiptoeing around Killian's scowls. Two days of overhearing hushed arguments between the brothers, over whether or not I belong here. Two days of sleeping off the effects of the tranquilizer, cocooned in between Knox and Carter. But I know I should leave. Every second I spend here means harm for the younger ones in the church. The only reason I kill is to prevent them from knowing the trauma I experienced. I am not a bloodthirsty animal, or at least I didn’t start out that way. I know I should get the hell out of here for that reason alone. Those kids need me.
I should go, but I don’t want to. Being here in Carter’s bed, him on one side and Knox on the other, gives me something I have never known.
Safety.
They both watch me like they’re waiting for someone to try to kill me at any second. Somehow, I know they won’t let anyonecome near me. I should be slightly concerned that Carter called mehis, but it’s the third brother that worries me the most.
We’ve been lying here for several minutes since waking up, but no one has spoken a word. Raising his hand to touch the side of my face, Carter quickly pulls it away.
