Page 126 of Brutal Knight

I nodded. "I told you, Rook. I never meant to hurt you. It was the least I could do."

His lips twisted upward. "So I could've killed you and still gotten the information?"

"Yes."

There was a long moment between us then, shaking his head, Rook hooked an arm around Tatiana's neck. Pulling her against him, he kissed the top of her head, speaking too quietly for me to hear. It was time for him to leave.

I waited until he was gone from the room before approaching her. She was leaning against the wall, and had folded her arms across her chest, staring at me warily. "I still don't understand why we can't all be friends."

I caged her in, leaning in to run my nose across her cheek. "Because, I said so."

"You're kidding me, right?" Her hand went to my side, clutching me close.

I kissed her nose, the side of her face. Then tugging her jaw upward, pressed my lips to hers. "You're too attached to him." Now that I'd kissed her again, I never wanted to stop. I needed to be inside her, to feel her in every way possible. To know what it was like to have her by my side every day. I'd never been able to have that, and now, Ineededit.

I neededher. Always.

She kissed me back, warmth washing through me at the connection between us. Finally,finally, we were trusting each other again. She murmured against my lips. "That's because he took care of me when you didn't."

"And all that is over now." I tugged my fingers through her hair, deepening the kiss, shoving my knee in between her legs. "I'm going to make sure you never worry about anything ever again."

"That's where you were always wrong, Knight." She moaned against me as I rubbed up against her with my thigh between her legs. "I need to take care of myself."

"That will never happen." I bit down on the delicate skin of her neck, possessiveness roaring through me. "I have your contract now."

"But––" She protested, pulling back to reveal the growing fire in her eyes. "I'm not a fucking piece of jewelry or a doll, Knight. You guys can’t just control me or pass me around whenever you please.”

“Apparently,” I grinned, pride filling me at what now belongedto me. “I can.” God, it felt good to say that. To know thatI owned her now.

"You asshole," she hissed, shoving me away.

Anger rolled through me, a possessiveness I'd kept at bay for too long making me growl. I wrapped my fingers around her neck, pinning her against the wall. "You're fucking mine, polva. You always have been and you always will be. I just let you have your fun for a little while. But now, it's time to return to your owner. You belong to me now, and I'm never letting you go."

TWENTY-NINE

My whole lifeI'd been exploited and controlled by the men around me.

My father and the dangerous, sick men in Cuba.

Once I thought that was all over, Rook swooped in, taking their place. And even though he'd given me a lot of freedom, he still used me to get back at Knight.

And now, he'd signed my life away to Knight, for something in return.

Did he ever even care about me?Or was I only a chess piece to him? To move around his board until he was willing to sacrifice me for something more valuable.

And now, Knight was making it clear that he had no intention of letting me have my freedom.

When would this ever stop?

I wanted to murder Knight all over again.

Tearing myself away from his hold, I grabbed the gun. Aiming for his face, I yanked the trigger. Again and again and again,click, click, click, click.

Knight stared at me, his eyes wide, the pulse in his neck hammering.

Goddamn, it felt good to see the fear in his eyes.

I gave him a ferocious, feral grin, loving the surge of power flowing through me. If only I'd had the will to really hurt him. I threw the gun to the floor. "You took the bullets out, remember?"

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