“You hit her? Shot her?” Kyson snarls, his face a mask of fury. “Why the fuck would you shoot her?”
Before Hobs can answer, I hear his screaming.
“You!” he seethes. And when I turn my head, I see my husband’s eyes locked on me. “All of this is because of you.” He is limping, and I look back to Kyson.
How long has he had him?
And was he in the house the whole time?
“He’s only been here for a couple of days. Don’t worry, love,” Kyson says as if he can read my thoughts.
“You’re fucking him, you slut!” Tony screams at me. “Cut the bitch, Hobs. Remind her who her husband is.”
Hobs does nothing, his arms still around me, but his grip is much looser. “If I release her, you can have him, and I will leave.” Hob’s tries to bargain. “We didn’t know. I didn’t know,” he repeats.
“What are you talking about? Cut the fucking bitch!” Tony yells.
Zuko and Kenzo seem to be bored with the situation, holding Tony between them as if it’s nothing.
“If he doesn’t shut up, I will kill him,” Kenzo says, loud enough for all of us to hear.
“Shut up, Tony. You’ve already fucked everything up,” Hobs says and looks back to Kyson.
“Do we have a deal?”
“That I can have them both?” Kyson asks.
Hobs nods.
And I know without even saying anything what a mistake that is. He steps back, hands dropping away from me.
“They are the Hunters, Tony. You’re on your own with them.” Hobs no longer has a car, so he turns and runs. I watch as Kyson looks back at Kenzo, who pulls out his gun.
“Just the leg,” Kyson instructs, and Kenzo shoots. He doesn’t even need to aim, and I am floored when he hits the intended target exactly where he needs to.
I watch as Hobs falls to the ground.
Kyson rushes over to me and kisses the top of my head. “I’m sorry, love. So sorry.” He stalks past me and makes his way to Hobs, but he stops on the way, leans down, and closes Nancy’s eyes, softly touching her before he gets back up and keeps walking.
Hobs tries to plead with him, but Kyson shuts him up with a few words. “I can have them, you are correct…” Kyson pauses. “But you hurt what’s mine and killed a friend.” He leans down and kisses the top of Hobs’s head, stands tall, and smiles at him. “Goodnight.” And then his foot lifts, and he brings it down, hard, stomping on Hobs’s head. I look away as the sounds echo through the night, my body tensing and hurting with each stomp.
“Kalilah,” Kenzo says as I fall to the ground, unable to stand any longer, and pass out…cold.
Twenty-Three
Kyson
Dammit!
I didn’t expect to have Kalilah break on me again, but here she is.
Passed out as I fix her leg.
My brothers took the husband back down to the basement as I carried her inside.
“What do you want us to do about Nancy?” Kenzo asks as he stands in the doorway.
Zuko walks in and studies Kalilah.
“Check her stomach,” he says, not making a move to touch her. I lift her shirt and see bruises already starting to form on her torso. Fuck! This woman has taken so many beatings I’m amazed at her strength and veracity. Does she realize how strong she actually is? Not only physically but mentally as well. Her husband is no prize and was lucky to have her, but he never treated Kalilah with the respect she deserves.
Turning around, I say to Kenzo, “Wrap Nancy carefully. I want to bury her.”
He nods.
We don’t usually bury our dead. We have other easier and safer ways of body disposal, but this is a different situation. Nancy was a good soul. Even when she was free from her husband’s clutches, she still found a way to please other people. I’m not sure if I’ll ever replace her. I didn’t even really hire her in the first place. She kind of forced herself into the job and wouldn’t take no for an answer. And to be honest, I’m glad she did because she was a wonderful addition to my life.
“She is going to be in pain,” Zuko says, talking about Kalilah. “I’ll call the doctor.” He heads out the door without another word, and I know where he’s going—back to Alaska’s.
Kalilah’s breathing is soft, and I wonder if she can feel pain right now. I go into the bathroom and grab a small hand towel, then take it out to wrap it around her leg. There is blood all over my bed sheets, both fresh as well as dry. She groans, and I reach for her hand as she slowly starts to stir.
“Stay calm, okay,” I say, and her golden eyes find mine.
“It really hurts,” she whispers.
I wipe her hair from her face. “I know, but the doctor needs to check you before I can give you anything.”
“Alcohol,” she grumbles.
I chuckle and shake my head. “That will thin your blood, and we can’t have that,” I scold gently.
She moves to get comfortable and flinches as she does.
“He did a number on your stomach,” I say with venom in my voice. I can’t help the anger radiating from me. She reaches for my hand, and my eyes find hers.
“I’m still alive.” She smiles.
Fuck! That smile. It hits me right in the stomach every single time, making that fucker flutter.
Her mouth is smeared with dried blood, and her nose looks like it also took a beating. But I don’t say anything because she’s still as beautiful as ever to me.
“I didn’t mean to cause you all this trouble.” Her eyes go wide as she remembers and says, “And Nancy?” Her hands lift and cover her face. “Oh God, Nancy. I’m so sorry.” She starts to cry, and I stand, not sure what to do.
“She was a tough old woman. I’m sure she would have been happy to leave this life defending you. She liked you more than me,” I tell her.
“I’m going to get you some ice. Stay here, okay?”
She nods, wiping away her tears.
While I’m in the kitchen, Kenzo walks in, wiping his hands on his trousers. I hear a van drive up and know it’s the clean-up crew.
“Why are you down here?” he asks.
“Ice,” I reply, opening the freezer where there are prepared meals frozen for me.
Fuck. That sucks. Fuck! Nancy.
“She was a good woman. Lord knows why she stuck around you as long as she did.” I want to say it’s because I paid her well, but I don’t think it was the money that kept her here. She was simply loyal and wanted to do what she wanted, and that was to help me. “Would you like me to check Kalilah since you’re avoiding her?” Kenzo makes to go that way, but I stop him.
“No, stay and wait for the fucking doctor.”
He chuckles, knowing exactly what he’s doing as I walk past him and straight up the stairs and into my bedroom. I find her trying to sit up, but she grabs her stomach, clearly forgetting she was punched several times.
“Stop moving and lie down.”
Kalilah does as I say without a fight. I walk over and wrap the ice pack so it doesn’t freeze her skin, and then place it on her stomach.
“Do I make you uncomfortable?” she asks. “I didn’t mean to bring all this here. I tried to tell you to let me go, but you wouldn’t listen.”