Page 69 of Brutal Knight

“It gets better,” Lachlan says, his tone grim.

“What else?”

“He’s been in touch. Demanding a meeting, in a public place. He wants to meet in the park downtown.”

I laugh harshly, more of a growl than a real laugh. I can think of a hundred creative ways to kill the man, and he knows he’s in a bad place. He’s done something unforgivable.

He has the audacity to demand an audience with us, and he knows he’s in the shit. So, he wants to meet publicly. He wants to try to ensure his survival.

There are ways we could do it, kill him without really being there. But part of me wants to see his face before he dies, if only to watch in satisfaction as he chokes on his pride.

“All right. I’ll be there,” I say.

I hang up and turn, and then I see Willow.

She’s watching me from the bed, blue-gray eyes worried. She has the covers pulled over her knees, tight where she holds them to her chest.

I wish I could stay and look at her forever. She’s beautiful, her dark curls messy and tangled from being in bed for an entire night. There’s a healthy flush to her skin. She looks alive in a way she never did before, like she’s finally starting to bloom.

But now her bastard father has come back into the picture to try to wreck the fragile peace we’ve found.

I won’t let him.

I take a step toward the bed, careful. I don’t want to scare her any more than she’s already frightened, but I know it’s unavoidable. I can’t just leave her in the dark. Not when it concerns her father.

“Edward did something to our business,” I say quietly. I don’t give her details. She doesn’t need them, and they don’t matter. “He’s demanding a meeting.”

Willow’s mouth presses into a thin line, and I can tell she’s struggling to tamp down the fear she must feel, the gut response she has to hearing her father’s name.

I wish I could rewind to when I was kissing her, to the moment I was about to slide inside her and claim my wife again. I wish the outside world wouldn’t intrude like this, just when we were connecting.

“My brothers and I will deal with it,” I say firmly. “I promise. All right?”

Willow looks into my eyes, hope tangled with uncertainty.

“Okay,” she whispers.

“Stay here,” I say quietly, then lean forward to kiss her forehead.

I can feel how warm her skin is. I hope she stays this way, warm and safe in my home, until I can come back. I won’t let anything happen to her. Not so long as she’s with me.

I leave the house, as much as I don’t want to. But there’s no way to postpone or avoid this, and maybe that’s for the best.

If I can, I’ll stop Edward now. I’ll make sure he never hurts Willow again.

Lachlan is already there when I arrive, Aiden and Finn close by him. Jamie hangs back behind the car, keeping enough distance to watch our backs. The only person missing is Tristan—and it’s not because he’s a cousin.

Tristan is the public face of our organization, our corporate tie. He can’t be here, even though I know he probably wants to be.

If shit goes south, we can’t have it affecting our business any more than it already has.

“How are we doing this?” Finn asks, glancing at me. I’m sure he’s asking for my benefit, but I almost don’t even care.

Lachlan nods toward the park. “There’s a gazebo. We’ll meet him on the other side. No sudden movements, no fast decisions. We’ll play this as cool as we fucking can.”

It’s nothing new. But I know Lachlan is saying it because we’re all frustrated, all pissed that Edward would do something so stupid and insidious to get back at us.

I follow the others across the park. Despite the circumstances, it’s a beautiful day. I could imagine coming here with Willow, having lunch with her, having a life. Those thoughts just make me even more angry at Edward, more furious that he’s meddling with our lives. With Willow’s.

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