Beyond the Edge (the Knight Series Book 3) Page 15

  “That would be rape.” I point out.

  “Can’t rape the willing, Kitten!”

  Well shit! He’s got me there. I decide to keep my mouth shut. It’s time to change the subject. “Did you have time to really study their backgrounds?”

  He smirks at me knowingly, “I did. On paper they are great. My hope is that they are just as good in person.”

  “Of course I haven’t seen or talked to any of them in five years but if they haven’t changed much they will be assets to our organization however we may have to convince them to become loyal to the family.” I glance over at Cole who leans in toward me.

  “Why is that?”

  “Back in the day, they didn’t want anything to do with the families in Belmont.”

  “Ah, well that makes sense.” He acknowledges. “Not everyone wants this kind of life.”

  He’s right and I think of the girls I was in the sorority with. Other than knowing the Knights were wealthy and ran a legit business. They were clueless to the underground stuff. They wouldn’t know what to do with it even if they had the knowledge. Unlike myself, who just becomes a part naturally. No one asked me to join. In fact, everyone discouraged me from getting too involved in the beginning. That’s just not my style.

  Once I had a family, I found I would do whatever it takes to protect them. I never had one before to care about. It’s different now. These people may not be family by blood but they are a family borne of love. That love means more than blood sometimes. I was thankful that my blood brother was part of the family. It made it easier to be together. It would suck to have to hide things from him.

  “What you over there thinking about?” Cole breaks the silence that has fallen in the car.

  “I was actually thinking about family. I never realized how important it would be to me until I met yours.” I lean my head back against the head rest.

  “I’m glad my family is important to you. You are important to them as well.”

  “I know. I’m finally were I can accept and deal with it. I question my worthiness less.”

  His hands grabs hold of mine, interlocking our fingers on the seat between us. “You’ll always be worthy of the Knights.”

  His words are said soft yet I can sense the power and meaning behind them. I’m glad Cole and I found each other when we did. I’m thankful for all that we have been though together as a couple; good or bad, it has defined who we are as individuals and a couple. I wouldn’t trade one memory. I hate we lost a child all those years ago. I look forward to a day when we try again. And this time, it will be because we both are ready to start a family together.

  “Thank you.” I reply unsure what else I can say to him at this point.

  “No need to thank me. I love you Kitten…it’s all that matters.” He says huskily.

  “I love you, too.”

  The car pulls to a stop. Pete leaves the car running, hops out and opens the door for Cole. Cole’s hand extends back into the car. I grab hold as I scoot across the seat carefully. I step outside the SUV to be broadsided with flashing lights. Out of nowhere the press has descended on us.

  “Kat!” ,“Ms. Roberts!” , ”Cole!”….” Mr. Knight!”, is called out by several voices. It all happens at once. It’s a whirl of madness as I scan those around us. Pete and Cole step in

  “What do you think about the charges being alleged against Justin?”

  Chapter 22

  Cole

  “No Comment” I reply as Pete steps between us and the crowd. I grab Kat by her elbow and usher her into the building as quickly as I can. Once we are safely inside I relax my grip on her.

  “What the hell is that about?” She asks me, clearly as confused as I am.

  “I have no idea.” I pull out my phone and send a text to Justin and Luke both.We just left the house and everything was okay. It takes just a second before my phone alerts me to an incoming message.

  Justin says he is clueless. Luke is going to contact someone with the police and see if he can find out what is going on. I share the information with Kat.

  The hostess greets us with her usual enthusiasm and escorts us to a secluded table away from prying eyes and ears. Pete texts telling me he’s standing outside making sure the reporters don’t come in and he's called in a few other guys for back up. I hold Kat’s chair out for her as she sits.Then I move to her left and sit down at the head of the table.

  “Luke will message us as soon as he has word.”

  “I hope so. Those vultures came out of nowhere.”

  Rachel approaches our table with a smile.

  “Kat! Cole!It’s good to see y’all again.” She greets us warmly.

  “Rachel…” I reply. “Girl, I need a drink…like something strong. Bring me a shot of tequila with a sweet tea, please.”

  “Everything okay, Kat?” Rachel's face clouds with concern.

  “It’s good, just reporters attacking.” She sighs “You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”

  Kat’s right. Since Drew’s shooting we have dealt with way more reporters than ever before. It Seems Sal’s carelessness is putting all of us on the radar of reporters, the cops, FBI and who the hell else knows. I’m getting angry the more I think about it. I want to find Sal, take him out and be done with all this shit. It’s getting old.

  “What can I get you, Cole?” Rachel asks me.

  “Bring me a glass of the house red wine, please.” I am trying to maintain my class, at least what little bit I have.

  “You know what? That sounds good.” Kat catches Rachel’s attention “Change my drink order to wine and a glass of water.”

  “Sure thing.” Rachel says smiling as she heads off to get us our drinks.

  Kat sits with her fingers lightly tapping the table. Her face is scrunched up in concentration. I can almost imagine little wheels and cogs spinning as she thinks. She will be like a dog with a bone with this until she finds out what is going on.

  Before I can say anything else to her, I see the hostess approaching with Hunter and three other guys. I watch them approach, each man walking with their own air of confidence. Other patrons take notice of them as they cross the room and join us. The air crackles with power. The room comes alive with it.

  “Hunter.” I greet as I stand up.

  “Cole this is Drake.” The guy puts out his hand to shake it and then I watch as he greets Kat.

  “Girl, it’s been forever. You look damn good, still. This guy,” he says while motioning over his shoulder towards me, “Is one lucky bastard.”

  Hunter continues the introductions after that introducing me to Chase and Sam as well. Each of them acknowledge Kat but not quite the same way Drake did. I wonder if the dude had the hots for my girl back in the day. Probably....who wouldn’t? She was fucking gorgeous even as a teenager. Now, as a young woman, it was mind blowing how beautiful she was. I was a very lucky bastard.

  “Everyone, please take a seat.” I direct. Kat glances down at her phone and her face pales as she reads whatever is on the screen. “Everything ok, Kat?”

  “Umm, define okay?” she says clearly rattled. “Drew just sent me a text. Seems he and Gracie were watching the news when a story about the police looking for Justin came on.”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “According to this text he is the number one suspect wanted for the murder of a young woman at Knight’s Castle.”

  “Fuck!” I slam a first down on the table. This is not good at all. Knight’s Castle is supposed to be a top secret exclusive club. The members and guests are screened thoroughly before allowing them access. Members pay a hefty fee for the discretion we have been known for over the years. “Let’s get this meeting started...”

  “Cole…” Kat begins.

  “No, we need to get Hunter help now more than ever with this shit coming down.” My voice is harsher than I intended with her. I start to apologize but she shakes her head no at me while smiling softly. This is why this woman is my other
half she understands me.

  “I’ve looked over the background on each of you.” I make eye contact with each man. “Each of you have a skill set that would be a valuable tool; however, we need to know that you will be loyal to the family. This is not a freelance job. This is actually becoming part of the family.” The body language of each man stays the same. It says a lot about a man if he can hold his own when he’s being scrutinized.

  “A year ago I would have said no way.” Drakes begins. “But after my little sister was approached by a man who wanted to turn her into a hooker…I’m down. I know the man was a Martin and not one of yours.”

  “Holy shit! You can’t be serious?” Kat exclaims. “How old is she?”

  “She is twenty.” Drake replies. “That’s when we started helping Hunter more. So becoming a true member of the Knight organization would be an honor.”

  It’s clear Drake feels strongly about this. He’s put some thought into it before today. He may have approached us sooner than later.

  “What about you two?”

  “We’re with Drake. Lilly is like a little sister to us.” Sam speaks for himself and Chase who nods his head in agreement.

  “Chase,I understand you are the tech guy...”

  “Yes sir. I’m not quite as skilled as Hunter but I can hold my own. I would love to learn from him.” he leans forward on his elbows as he speaks to me, maintaining eye contact the whole time.

  “So you would be working the closest to Hunter which means I have to trust you more. He is in on a lot of sensitive material. You do realize this, right?”

  “I do.” he replies.

  “You two, I understand, get on the streets and do actual leg work. Can you also help go through the information as Hunter and Chase collect it?”

  Both guys answer me with an affirmative. I’m satisfied so far with the answers. I stop the questioning as Rachel approaches to take our food orders. After taking each order she walks off and I turn to Kat.

  “Kat, do you have anything you want to add or ask the guys?”

  She glances at me before turning toward the other guys.

  “My biggest question… Do you have a problem working for us full time and giving up whatever job you have now? Will there be wives or girlfriends who could be a problem down the road?” My girl asks two very good questions to each of the men.

  I listen as each of them reply. None of them have an issue coming on the payroll full time. That’s always good to hear. Even if things eventually slow down we can always find a place for them in one of our legit companies down the road. Only one, Sam, has a wife. The other two are currently single. I listen closely as Sam talks about his wife.

  “She won’t be a problem. We are newlyweds. She’ll probably be thrilled that I will make more money working for you than on the docks. She won’t ask a lot of questions.” He smooths a hand down his cheek. “And I can handle her if she does.” He says with plenty of confidence.

  Rachel arrives at the table and begins passing out our meals. The food is hot and steaming as she sets it front of me.

  “Can I get you anything else?”

  “We’re good. Tthanks, Rachel.”

  “Sure thing, Cole. I’ll be back to check on you in a few moments.” She says before walking off again.

  The talk turns to more mundane things as we enjoy our meals. I notice Kat keeps playing with her phone.

  “Kat, what the fuck is going on.” I finally ask as I lean to whisper in her ear.

  “Sorry, Julie says the cops just left the mansion and Luke and Justin are following them to the police station so that Justin can be questioned. Seth is all upset.” Her eyes meet mine and I see her anguish. Right now not only is she worried about Justin but Seth needs her. It’s still mind boggling that she took on such a maternal role with Seth so naturally.

  “Okay Kitten, let’s take this back to the house after the meal. The guys and I can continue talking and you can check on Seth.”

  “Thank you, Cole.” A tight smile comes across her lips before she leans over and kisses my cheek.

  “Gentleman, when we finish our meals, I’d like to invite you back to our home to continue our talks. We have a little family issue going on and I have a feeling you all will need to be up to speed on it anyway.”

  “Does this explain the ass of reporters outside?” Drake asks.

  “Yes, it will.” I set my fork down as I talk. “Justin is apparently in some big trouble legally. I just don’t know how much.”

  “Shit! What the hell?” Hunter replies.

  “It seems that he’s a suspect in a murder.”

  “Load of crap.” Hunter states.

  I agree with Hunter. Justin has killed someone but he would never do it in Knight’s Castle and he wouldn’t get caught. My belief is that Justin is being set up. There is only one person who would set Justin up…Sal.

  ***

  We arrive at the mansion just under an hour later. Kat rushes into the house without speaking to anyone. I wait for our guest to join Pete and I before leading us all up the stairs to the front door.

  “Follow me …”

  Kat is crouched down on the floor arms wrapped around Seth. Kat rocks a little on the heels she is wearing and my instinct is to reach out and hold her steady. My heart quickens. It hits me right then. I can’t wait to start a family with this woman. She will be a fucking epic mother.

  “Hey Seth.” I call out to my little brother. He loosens his hold on Kat before turning around to face me.

  “Cole, they think Justin killed someone.”

  “I know, buddy. Why don’t you go up to your room? Kat will be up in just a second.”

  “Okay.” he says shyly as he takes in the other men standing behind me. He sprints up the stairs and quickly ducks down the hall that leads to his bedroom.

  Kat smooths her skirt down as she stands up. Her hand swipes at her eyes and I wonder if she is wiping away tears.

  “Kitten…” The need to protect her is strong. We step toward one another. “I have this under control. You go be with Seth and we will take this to the library.”

  She sticks her head around my shoulder. “Guys, if I don’t come back down before you leave…it was good seeing you again.

  My eyes follow Kat as she walks upstairs and disappears down the hall. Turning back to the guys I see their eyes are focused in the direction my Kitten just went. What really stands out for me is that the look of admiration on each of their faces. Pride swells in me as I realize these men respect my woman.

  “Let’s head to the library, shall we?”

  Entering the library, Pete immediately sets up at the mini bar and offers everyone a drink.

  Our talks of them coming to work for the family continue. It’s not long before we have all agreed on terms that benefit everyone. Once it’s settled I explain to them about what I know is going on with Justin in detail.

  “We have to figure out what Sal is up to. Where he is? I want this man and I want him yesterday!”

  Chapter 23

  Cole

  The guys and I have been in the library a while when I hear the soft click of the door opening. My sister enters the room first looking scared and shaken. I figure this has to be rough on her. It's not just her brother but her twin who is being accused of murdering a woman. Kat walks in behind wearing sweats and a tank top. Her hair is pulled up into a ponytail and all I can think to myself is DAMN! My dick gets hard looking at her. I shift a little to relieve the pressure.

  It doesn’t matter what Kat looks like, she is always hot to me. I want to take her upstairs and get balls deep in her. However, now is not the time or place. We are all waiting for Luke and Justin to return from the police station. The guys want to hear whatever is going on firsthand so that they can use it to investigate what is really going on. There is no way my brother committed this crime.

  “Heard anything recently?” Kat asks as she takes a seat on the arm of the chair I’m sitting in.

  �
��No.” I glance up at her and smile. I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have this woman. “We have just been sitting here.”

  “Cole, what’s going to happen to Justin?” Julie’s sad voice pisses me off. My little sister should not be sad because of this kind of shit. Hell, she shouldn’t be sad at all.

  “I’m not sure but what Luke has told me so far doesn’t look good for Justin.”

  “There is no way he did this to a girl” Julie cries out.

  Kat wraps her arms around my sister to comfort her. “We know. Not one of us in this room believe Justin did it.” Kat’s words echo in the library. The confidence she has in my brother is astounding. She has no doubt what-so-ever.

  My phone ringing draws everyone’s attention to me. I pick it up and see its Luke calling.

  “What’s up?” I answer. I’m silent as I listen to Luke. “Yeah, do whatever you need too. You don’t come back to this house without him.”

  I throw my phone on the table, “Fuck this is bad.” My hand rubs across my forehead, trying to ease some of the tension building. “ Justin’s being arrested. Bails being set and Luke will pay it. Then they’ll be headed home.”

  No sound comes from the guys in the room. But Julie’s crying is loud and clear. I want to send her away because right now I can’t handle a crying female. Kat pulls Julie to the far side of the room giving me a dirty look. I’m not sure why. It’s not as if I said anything to Julie about what I was thinking.

  “Hunter, can you get into police records?” My eyes lock on him. He sits up straight, head high.

  “I can hack into their computer records but the actual paper file will be out of my realm.”

  “It’s not out of mine though.” Drake speaks up. My head turns to him and I glance to see that Kat is also paying attention. “My cousin happens to be a Belmont police officer. I’m sure I can get him to help me out”

  “You do that. I want to know everything about this woman. Who was she? Who witnessed Justin and her together? I command.