Page 83 of Brutal Knight

I know the look he’s giving me.

Fuck it. The truth will get out, even if he doesn’t already know. And I’m not about to hide what happened or pretend that I was wrong.

I jerk my head at him, silently asking him for a moment in private as Willow returns to Violet’s side. My brother steps away and leans in when I start to talk.

“I think you should know, one of the girls went back to try to give me a private show just now. We had a one-night thing a year ago, and I thought I explained at the time what it would be like.”

Lachlan’s expression changes when he hears those words. I can tell he’s displeased that I made the mistake. He has every right to be annoyed by it. There’s a reason he has rules like this about the club.

It’s to prevent incidents like this.

“And?” Lachlan prompts, jerking his head toward Willow.

“And I sorted it. She’s been fired,” I say calmly.

I know Lachlan is pissed. He’s the one that handles the club, the one that takes care of any issues that crop up. I didn’t just break his rules. I went over his head and fired someone. The hard lines of his face and the tension in his jaw make it clear that he’s not happy.

After a moment, he nods, looking across the club. He doesn’t meet my gaze immediately, only shifting his focus back to me when he speaks again.

“I trust you’ve got your head on straight now?”

I know what he’s asking. I glance over at Willow for a fraction of a second and find her laughing with Violet. I wonder if they’re talking about what just happened. I wonder if Willow is telling her a story about us, if she finally feels at home with my family.

“Yeah,” I finally reply. “Yeah, I do.”

Lachlan nods once, sharp, then turns back to the bar. I can tell he’s not entirely pleased or okay with what happened, but he’ll let it go. For us, family is everything. One dancer won’t change that. And I think he can tell that I mean it when I say I know where my priorities lie now. As it should be.

I follow Lachlan back to the rest of the group. They’re gathered at the bar, laughing and drinking.

Tristan is making Willow laugh about something. Violet is leaning toward Finn, a soft smile on her face. It’s uncharacteristic enough to make me wonder. We’ve known Violet most of our lives. She’s feisty, comfortable around us. But there’s a softness in her smile when she looks at him that I can’t quite identify.

I don’t think about it too much. Right now is for celebrating, and when I stand beside Willow, she immediately fits herself against me like that’s the only place she belongs.

After the near-disaster of what just happened, I’m glad I still have Willow at my side. Nothing else matters as much as having her with me.

I’m so aware of how close I came to watching everything I care about fall apart. I won’t let that happen again.

After another hour or so of drinking and socializing, Willow glances up at me, smiling, and I feel like everything in the world has shifted into place.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask.

She nods, her smile sweet. “Yeah. I’m ready. Let’s go home.”

CHAPTER31

Willow

I’m so comfortable that I slip in and out of sleep a few times before I really wake up. Each time I come to, the sharp pine and musk scent of Connor’s body wash fills my nostrils, soothing me. The warmth of his body radiates into me, making me feel safe and secure as I drift back to sleep.

When I finally open my eyes, his arms are around me. I run my fingers across his skin and think about how long it’s taken me to get here.

There was a time I’d resigned myself to what I thought was reality. I believed there was no chance, no hope left for me. I was always going to be a thing that was pawned off and traded, owned by others for power or status. I would never have agency, never have my own life.

Connor changed that.

He stood by me when I was still an addict, still struggling to survive. He saw me through the hardest part of my life, when Dmitri was dead and everyone wanted to capture me and use me. Connor never expected anything from me except getting clean, never tried to force me to do anything but come back to reality.

I didn’t plan on loving him or even liking him. I told myself he did what he needed to ensure the safety of his family—he helped me get clean because he knew what he was risking by bringing me home.

---