Page 37 of Cannon (King Family Saga #3)

Cannon

I pulled up to Reese’s place with my thoughts still tangled around Queen.

My hand hovered over the steering wheel, the raw knuckles still tender from the beating I’d given Javi.

Between the missing money at the club and having to deal with Smoke, I had enough shit on my plate.

But family was family, and I was obligated to look out for Reese and her kids, especially since I was the one who killed their man of the house.

But there was something in the way that Reese last touched me. Something about the look in her eye. Then there were Gage’s words. “She’s all yours now.” Those words had been bothering me since he uttered them.

I had to shake it off. My loyalties were to my sister, but if she got too friendly with me again, I was going to have to set her straight.

It had been over a week since I’d seen her and I knew that she was going to be planning Gage’s funeral. There was no way in hell I was going to that shit. But I still wanted to support her along the way.

As soon as I arrived, I hopped out of the whip, and rushed to the door where I knocked. I’d really been missing the boys and couldn’t wait to see them. In a matter of moments, Reese opened the door.

“Cannon!” She threw her arms around me, her perfume choking me with its sweetness. “I’m so happy you stopped by today.”

“Sup,” I replied as I wiggled out of her touch.

“What’s wrong with you? And what happened to your face and your hand?” she asked, holding my face as if we were lost lovers.

I recoiled and replied, “work hazard…”

“I don’t want you working there. Look at your face…

I jerked my head away from her touch. “It’s fine, Reese. Just a lil fight at the club.”

Her smile was too bright, almost manic. Something was off about her energy. She seemed almost… happy. Which made no sense considering she’d just lost her man.

“Come in, come in!” She practically skipped back into the house. “The boys are at school, but they’ll be back soon. They’ve been asking about you.”

I followed her inside, my guard up. The house was spotless, like she’d been cleaning nonstop. Fresh flowers sat on the dining room table. Music played softly in the background. This wasn’t the home of a grieving widow.

“You seem… good,” I said carefully, watching her reaction.

“I am good.” She beamed at me. “I’ve been handling everything. The funeral is all planned for Saturday. Simple service, just like Gage would have wanted.”

The way she said his name, casual, without a hint of pain, it sent a chill down my spine.

“That’s… quick.”

“No sense dragging it out.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, I’ve got so much to do after. Did you know Gage had a life insurance policy? A million dollars.”

My blood ran cold. A million. The pieces started clicking together in my head. Gage’s words echoed: “She’s all yours now.”

“That’s a lot of money,” I said, keeping my voice neutral.

“I know! And I’ve been thinking…” She moved closer, her eyes bright with excitement. “You’re living in that terrible apartment. Let me help you get a better place. Something nice, close to us. The boys would love having you nearby.”

I took a step back. “Nah, I’m good. Don’t need your money.”

“Don’t be silly! What’s mine is yours.” She reached for my arm. “We’ve always taken care of each other.”

“Reese,” I said firmly, “you need to save that money. Put it in accounts for the boys’ college. That’s what Gage would want.”

Her smile faltered for just a second. “The boys will be fine. I’ve got plans…”

“What kind of plans?” I cut her off, remembering Gage’s warnings about her gambling, her spending habits. How she was always broke no matter how much money came in.

“Just… plans,” she said vaguely. “Investments. But first, I want to take care of you. You’ve always taken such good care of me”

Something dark and twisted settled in my gut. Had she planned this? Did she give herself that bruise? Did she have me kill him for insurance money? Was my sister this twisted?

“I don’t need you to take care of me,” I said, my voice hardening. “Never have.”

She stepped closer, her eyes locked on mine. Before I could react, she lunged forward, pressing her lips against mine. For a split second, I froze in shock, then instinct took over. I shoved her away harder than I meant to, sending her stumbling back against the wall.

“What the fuck, Reese?” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, disgust rising in my throat.

“I love you, Cannon,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’ve always loved you. More than a brother.”

I stared at her, my mind spinning. She was in-fuckin’-sane.”You’re my sister.”

“Not by blood!” She pushed off the wall, moving toward me again.

“We’re not related. We never were. And I’ve loved you since that day you killed that boy who attacked me.

Remember? You were sixteen. You protected me.

You’ve always protected me. That was the day I fell in love with you.

When I realized that I wanted to repay you for protecting me. ”

The memory flashed through my mind. Reese, fifteen, clothes torn, crying as some neighborhood kid tried to force himself on her. Me, finding them, the rage that overtook me. The knife in my hand. The blood.

“That doesn’t mean… Jesus, Reese. We grew up together. We were adopted together. We’re family.”

“We can be more,” she insisted, reaching for me again. “Now that Gage is gone, we can be together. The way it was always meant to be.”

Everything clicked into place: the bruise was definitely self-inflicted, the crocodile tears, the manipulations. She’d known exactly what I would do to any man who hurt her. She’d played me.

“Did you set him up?” I asked, my voice deadly quiet. “Did you set me up to kill him?”

Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “Does it matter? He’s gone now. We can be together.”

I backed away from her, shaking my head. “You’re sick, Reese. You need help.”

“I need you!” she cried, desperation creeping into her voice. “The boys need you! We can be a family…a real family!”

“The boys deserve better than this,” I said, moving toward the door. “Better than you using them as pawns in whatever fucked-up game you’re playing.”

“You’ll love me eventually,” she said, her voice hardening with certainty. “You’ll see. We belong together.”

I turned away, unable to look at her anymore. This woman I’d known most of my life, suddenly a stranger. “I’m leaving. Don’t call me.”

“The boys will be home soon,” she pleaded. “At least wait to see them.”

“No.” I opened the door, pausing without looking back. “Tell them… tell them I won’t be coming around anymore.”

“You can’t abandon them!” she screamed. “They need you!”

“What they need is a mother who isn’t manipulating everyone around her.” I stepped outside, the fresh air a relief after the suffocating tension inside. “Get help, Reese. For their sake, if not yours.”

I walked to my car, her screams following me across the yard. As I slid behind the wheel, I caught a glimpse of her in the doorway; hair wild, eyes blazing, mouth twisted in fury. A stranger wearing my sister’s face.

I pulled away from the curb, my hands shaking on the steering wheel.

The weight of what I’d done, killing Gage for her, pressed down on me like a mountain.

I’d taken a man’s life because I believed he was hurting my family.

And he had been the victim all along. That shit was fuckin’ with me.

I never killed for the sake of killing. It was always out of protection of either myself or the ones that I loved.

Reese was out of her fuckin’ mind. We had been through so much together and she held me down when I was in prison, but our relationship was over.

I couldn’t believe I was losing the only family that I had.

I drove in silence, the summer heat pressing through the windshield but cold settling in my chest. Reese’s face, her words, her kiss kept replaying in my head, twisting everything I thought I knew about family.

First Tessa giving me up at birth. Then my adoptive mother. Now Reese.

Every woman I was supposed to be able to trust turned on me in some way, used me, betrayed me. Would Queen be next? Did I even really trust her?

I thought of the boys, their little arms around me, their voices calling me Uncle Cannon. The only pure thing left, and even that I had to walk away from because their mother had poisoned it.

Just as I was making my way back to the city, I got a text from Creed.