Glancing over to Kill, I see him staring at us with an arched brow, before shaking his head in disbelief.
“Can we get to work?” He asks, so I kiss Heather on the cheek and walk over to Matteo. He stands, trembling, as he darts his panicked gaze between the four of us. He mouths ‘help’ to Heather, and she asks, “What did you do?”
Killian surprises me when he doesn’t tell her to shut up, but actually answers her question.
“Matteo here was supposed to turn in fifty-thousand dollars from selling our car parts, but he chose to gamble it instead. He knows what we do to thieves, but did it anyway.”
“So now he dies?” She asks with her head tilted. I thought she might prefer not to see this for some reason, despite what she does to the men in her family, but I was wrong. Her eyes light up with excitement as she rubs her hands together with glee.
“Show me what you’ve got, Killian.”
He rolls his eyes at Heather’s taunt and steps closer to Matteo. “You know how this works, don’t you? You’ve seen it more than once.”
“I-I’m sorry,” he stammers, but regret won’t save him now. Nothing will. He made his choices, knowing damn well what the outcome would be. As always, Carter stands back, and will continue to, until Matteo’s hands are restrained. We’ve got this routine down to a science. Killian is the beginning, I’m the middle, and Carter is the end.
Kill pulls his fist back and throws a hard punch to Matteo’s jaw, causing him to stumble back. My brother steps forward again and sucker punches him in the gut one, two, three times, as Matteo howls in pain.
Tears stream down his face as he stumbles with another fist to his face, this time his nose, blood pouring from the wound as he lands on the concrete floor.
“Knox,” Killian says as he steps back.
I glance at Heather. “Stay back with Carter. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Standing over Matteo, I chuckle as he writhes in pain on the floor.
“You did this to yourself.”
Lifting my foot up, I stomp down on his stomach with the heel of my boot. I kick him repeatedly in the face, stomach, and his ribs. With each kick he cries louder. My focus breaks when I hear a sweet voice break through his sobs.
“Can I kick him just once, Knox? I promise I’ll go back to my spot after.”
I look down at Matteo, and decide to allow it. I don’t think he could get up right now to save his life.
“Okay, Tesoro. Come here.”
I spot Killian shaking his head out of the corner of my eye, but he doesn’t say anything. Carter’s sporting a grin on his face, like he knew all along this would happen.
Heather steps forward and squats down, spreading his legs before righting herself, and he takes one hard kick to his balls with her purpleDoc Martens. Matteo screams as he turns his head to the side and coughs so hard, I think he may vomit.
We already knew this girl was unhinged with the way she kills, but this surprises me. Her killing is purposeful, it’s revenge, and protecting the children in her family. But her excitement to watch, and participate in, Matteo’s punishment is all I need to know. She may be a better fit for us than I realized. If Killian could get on board, it could be fucking perfect.
If…
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CARTER
This woman is my goddamn equal. Maybe Kill and Knox didn’t see this coming, but I knew, the moment I saw her on our security cameras, eyes wild and covered in blood, this woman was perfect for us. I was not surprised at all when she not only got excited by watching us torture Matteo, but wanted in on it. We’re a lot alike in the sense that we’re both a little crazy, but because we were made this way. The man that should’ve protected her at every turn, violated her in the most disgusting way, and then passed her around like a fucking party favor. The trauma they put her through at such an early age engrained the need for violence in her, and now she’ll never be the same. We are two peas in a very fucked up pod. It’s why she gets me the way she does. This girl knows trauma, but she doesn’t just know it, sheseesit. She recognizes it from a mile away, and my goddamn Heathen doesn’t judge me for it. She accepts me in a way no one ever has.
“Stay with me,” Knox tells her, as Killian grabs Matteo by the shoulders and pulls him to his feet. He holds him there, and Heather panics as I move back and grab my bow.
“Carter! NO! You’re going to shoot Killian.” She fights Knox’s hold, her eyes wide with panic. “Oh my God, No!”
I smirk at her before turning back to Matteo. Lining up an arrow, I pull back and release it, the arrow flying through the air, until it hits him just above the knee. He’s out of it, but whimpers loudly when my arrow pierces his flesh.
Glancing at Heather, I smile.
“I’m a very good shot, Little Heathen.”
