“You hurt her. You hurt them both. And Kennedy might not have reported it at the time, but don’t for a fuckin’ second think she did that to protect you. Or that she loved you. She never did, Royal.” I lowered my voice and dragged him so that our noses were practically touching while I snarled in his face.
Royal, the sniveling coward that he had proven himself to be, flinched away like he’d be able to escape. But I didn’t let him go.
“She was mine first,” he uselessly tried again to pull his arm away from me. “She was in the wrong, and she knew it. She’s nothing without me.”
I tightened my grip, making him whimper, but he didn’t say anything else.
“You were nothing more than a way for her to try to get over me.” I forced back down the bile that tried to launch itself into my throat.
“The only people she was trying to protect by not reporting you were her family. Her brother, who wouldn’t hesitate to drag you out behind his house and beat the shit out of you, regardless of the fact that he’s a cop.”
Royal tried to pull away again, and for a second I thought about how ridiculous we must look, with him sitting on his ass in a suit that cost more than some people’s rent, with me crouched down and holding him by the arm like a child. But I dismissed it just as quickly.
“Not only that,” I went on. “Her father, the chief of police, who would join him and make sure there was nothing left of you… even if it cost him his job.”
Royal paled slightly, and I didn’t blame him. Alex Townsend was terrifying before he became the chief of police. After? He was a powerhouse I wouldn’t want to be on the bad side of.
“She wasn’t just protecting them, either. She was also protecting the other cops and deputies. You know, the men and women that make up her extended family. Every single one of them wouldn’t even try to cover up anything they did as payback for you hurting one of their own. For you hurting her.”
Royal looked like he was going to be sick, and I almost laughed.
“Kennedy wanted to protect them, not you. She wanted to keep any or all of them from doing something stupid. She doesn’t think you’re not worth it. If you knew Kennedy at all, or knew anything about how she felt about her family or friends, you would know that she wouldn’t want them to lose their jobs or their lives because of you.”
With every word I spoke, Royal retreated into himself more and more, until it was clear that he wasn’t a man. He was a boy, a spoiled little shit who thought hitting women made him powerful.
“And none of that even compares in the slightest when it comes to the real threat. The last person Kennedy was trying to protect by not reporting your pathetic ass. Me. The man who won’t hesitate to put a bullet in your skull because of what you’ve done. If you go near her again, Royal. If you try to hurt her. If you so much as breathe her fuckin’ name. I will kill you. I won’t hesitate. I won’t regret it. And I won’t miss a single wink of sleep at night after I pull the trigger. Do you understand me?”
“You’ll lose everything.” He stared at me with wild eyes, like he would be able to convince me to give her up. “I’ll destroy you and take everything that matters to you.”
At that, I let him see my smile. The one I’d worn into battle. The one that stayed on my face with every enemy combatant overseas. The one that showed exactly who Royal Prince was dealing with.
“That’s your problem Royal.” I watched as fear flashed over his face and then morphed into rage and something else I couldn’t quite place. “You never understood the fact that Kennedy is everything. I don’t have a life without her. And I sure as fuck won’t care about putting you in the ground if it means I’ll be able to keep her safe.”
“She’s a liar,” he bit out harshly. I couldn’t figure out if he was trying to convince me, or himself. “Anything she said was a lie, and you can’t prove that I did anything to her. Especially when she had my ring on her finger. She was mine, Lincoln. Mine.” He looked down at my arm. “They both were. I recommend you let go of me before I press charges and take away your precious little life.” His voice trembled, and I thought about beating the fuck out of him right there, but I really wanted to have Kennedy in my arms, and I didn’t think that would happen if I were arrested for attempted murder.
“Wow,” I said with a laugh. “All of a sudden you found your courage, did you?” Shaking my head at his ridiculous attempt to intimidate me was pretty much my only option at that point. “Remember what I said, Royal. If you come near her, I’ll end you. I don’t care what it costs me. I’m not afraid of anything that happens to me as a result of making sure you pay for going near her. I give zero shits about anything in my life if she’s hurt.”
With that, I let him go even though I didn’t want to, and I had the distinct pleasure of watching as Royal crab-walked backwards to get away from me. It’s not like he could get up with me towering over him, but I hadn’t expected him to act like such a pussy. He didn’t take his eyes off me until he was at the back door marked with a giant red sign.
By forcing Royal to face the truth, I also forced myself to face the ugly truth of my part in her pain as well. I’d been the one who sent her into Royal’s arms. If I’d just told her from the beginning. If I’d let her in, he wouldn’t have been able to touch her. To hurt her.
I turned around, somehow not surprised in the least when I saw Kennedy standing there.
“I love you, Kennedy,” I told her honestly. “I always have. But you know that. You’ve always known that. I’m sorry I fucked it up so badly.”
When she threw herself into my arms, I did the smart thing. I caught her and swore to myself that I’d never let her go again.
18
Kennedy
I never liked watching porn. I couldn’t quite place my finger on the reason why, but I always thought it had something to do with feeling like a voyeur. But watching Linc take a shower, while I sat on the toilet wrapped in a towel and dried my hair, I found myself wanting to record it and watch the tape over and over again. I didn’t even think he knew that his shower curtain was transparent when it got wet. He hadn’t been in the bathroom while I showered, and I wasn’t about to ask him and ruin my show.
Water sluiced off his muscles and hit the clear shower curtain, only to slide slowly down the plastic and back into the tub, while he washed his hair, his beard, everything. When he tilted his head back, I got to see every muscle in his neck dance and move to a beat of its own. I was left shifting back and forth, trying not to implode with need as he finished his shower. While the steam definitely fogged up the glass, there was enough sexual desire pouring out of my body to power a small city.
Just as I was about to leave him to his own devices and go take care of my problem, maybe wrapped in his blankets and holding his pillow, Linc sighed deeply.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He sounded like he was talking more to himself than to me. “With what I did to Royal. Sometimes, I don’t have control of how I react to things.” The admission hurt him, I knew it, but I didn’t want to pressure him into saying anything else.