Page 93 of Kill for a Kiss

“I thought she was a myth. I heard she’sunhinged!” His eyes go wide. “Ohgod, they’remarried. That means the Knights and theSong-Smiths are…” He trails off, puts his hands to his face, and then mutters through his fingers. “We areso screwed.”

“Doubled the fucked-up, yeah,” I say, picking a splinter off the log I’m sitting on. “But I’ve dealt with that my whole life.”

Stan snorts out a laugh. “You say that like you’ve been tied to the Knights this entire time.”

I say nothing.

He pauses, squinting his eyes at me. “Youaren’t, right?”

I stare into the fire. Then I say nonchalantly, “Kayla’s my half-sister.”

Then there’s silence. The crackle of the meat sizzling on the pit is the only sound between us. But soon enough, Stan throws his head back with a groan loud enough to wake the woods. “You’re herbrother?!”

My lips twitch. “Half-brother. Same mother.”

“I’m gonna be sick.” He grabs a nearby beer can and takes a swig. “That makes youKnight-bloodedthis whole goddamn time. That makes you, like, second in line to the throne of that hell-pit town, Darkhaven. What the hell, Sterling? Were you just waiting to ruin my night with that one?”

I lean back. “I thought I’d let the shock of Damon’s wedding wear off first.”

“Too late. That’scompounded trauma.”

He takes a deep breath and lets it out. Stands up and looks like he’s using that brain of his for once.

“So Naomi Knight’s your mother. Her daughter, Kayla is your half-sister. Kayla married Damon. Damon’syourhalf-brother from our dad’s side. That makes Clo like, your evil stepmother.”

He starts pacing, muttering under his breath.

“And before this mess of a conversation, I helped you—both of us—do very questionable things with a girl we’re both inlove with, on the couch Isleep on. What a fucking night.”

I glance at him. “Want to go back to not talking?”

Stan waves it off. “No, no. This is good. We’re unearthing family secrets.Thisis real,deepbrotherly bonding. Damonwisheshe was here.”

But when he drops into the log seat across from me, his voice lowers.

“The Knights…” he whispers, staring into the fire. “They run Darkhaven through money, influence,power. The type of shit that makes monsters behave.”

I nod. “They own everything the east side of this country. From the ports to the clubs. Even the blood banks.”

Stan lets out a ragged breath. “If Clo’s rebuilding better andbigger, she’ll need way more clearance. Network and trade routes. She’ll have to knock on the Knights’ door eventually.”

“She’s already inside,” I say.

The quiet stretches. Then Stan tilts his head back, giving me a narrow-eyed look. “You’ve got Knight blood. You ever think about being there? In Darkhaven?”

I don’t answer. I don’t have to.

He grins. “You’d burn that place to the ground if you could.”

I glance at the fire. “It’d be a start.”

If I ever had free rein of that place—with the Knight name behind me and my mercenary reputation ahead of me—I’d rip every rotting root out of that concrete jungle. The clubs, the auction floors, the corrupted rings of power. All of it. It’d be satisfying work. Cleansing.Violent. My type of playground.

Still, I say nothing. But across the fire, Stan lets out a low whistle. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” He grins wide. “Can’t blame you. You’d rule that place.”

I arch a brow.

He jabs a thumb toward me. “You’re a merc with Knight and Song-Smith blood, and a murder resume that could be its own horror movie. What would you do if someone handed you the keys to Sin City, huh?”