Page 38 of Knot So Sweet (Leather and Lace #1)

Chapter 37

Candi

I f it weren’t for my brother, I would’ve died that night.

Grabbing my collar from the nightstand, I fastened it around my neck, covering the angry scar, trying to silence the demons still howling inside me. The leather felt like armor—my shield against the past and the memories that threatened to consume me.

I let out a long, shaky breath, forcing the weight of my emotions down, grabbing my lipstick and painting my lips the darkest shade of black.

The moment the familiar color settled onto my lips, the mask slid back into place, like a second skin. It was comforting, a protective barrier between me and the world. Between me and the raw, vulnerable parts of myself I couldn’t allow anyone to see.

I could still feel the ache, the bruises on my heart from last night, but I shoved them down. I needed to be numb. I needed to be the girl I had spent years perfecting—the girl who felt nothing.

It was time to face the music.

I headed down the stairs, my damp hair clinging to my face, but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered except pushing forward. Except surviving. I had a bar to run, a grand reopening to focus on. This was supposed to be my fresh start.

But when I reached the bottom of the stairs, my breath caught in my throat. What I saw wasn’t what I had expected and it stopped me in my tracks. Of course, my life would never be easy. Of course I wouldn't get the time to rebuild the wall around my heart before the tide ripped my feet out from under me.

A cold chill spread through my bones, a warning crawling up my spine, urging me to stop, to turn back and shield myself from the scene before me—but I couldn’t.

Not when I saw Vaughn carrying Kay's limp form in his arms.

Not when both of them were covered in crimson.

Blood. So much fucking blood.

The world around me tilted. The scene before me was too surreal, too horrible to comprehend. I blinked, hoping that when my eyes opened again, it would all disappear, that it wasn’t real.

But it was.

Kay’s body was limp in Vaughn’s arms. Blood dripped from her hands, her hair, her clothes. My heart stuttered as my gaze followed the trail of blood, splashes on the ground leading back to the alley.

"Vaughn..." His name slipped from my lips in a trembling whisper, barely audible over the pounding in my ears. "What... What the hell happened?"

My mind conjured the worst. Travis coming back. Creed or Owen getting hurt because of me.

FUCK.

He looked up, his dark eyes wild—the same midnight eyes like Viper's— they were filled with something I’d never seen in him before from my brother's beta.

Fear.

"Candi…." His voice was rough, edged with desperation. "You need to stay back."

But I couldn’t. My feet moved on their own, closing the distance between us, my heart racing as I tried to process what I was seeing.

"Is she—" I choked on the question, dread clawing at my throat. "Is she okay?"

Vaughn’s jaw tightened, his arms shifting as he adjusted Kay’s weight. "It's not her blood." His voice broke at the word, like he wasn’t entirely convinced. "But Adam—"

My blood ran cold. Adam.

"What happened?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Vaughn’s eyes darkened, a flash of something dangerous crossing his face.

"He’s dead."

The breath left my lungs, burning as I tried to process what that meant.

Kay had... killed him? I couldn’t comprehend it. All I could see was the blood and Kay’s fragile form, her hands stained with it.

How had things spiraled so far out of control? I had tried to leave it all behind. I’d run. I’d built walls so thick around myself that nothing should have been able to touch me. And yet, here I was, standing in the aftermath of another nightmare, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold those walls up.

And Viper... Ghost... they would come crashing down the moment I reached out to them.

But I had no choice.

I couldn’t let this fall on Kay or Vaughn. They were my family. They needed me now. And no matter how much I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t call him, wouldn’t let him or Ghost back in... I was trapped. I was falling right back into the tangled web I’d tried so hard to escape.

I tore my eyes from the blood to Vaughn's face—Viper’s nephew, my best friend’s beta. The weight of everything crashed over me in waves, but I couldn’t drown now. I had to take care of my family, even if it meant reopening wounds I wasn’t sure I could survive.

"Creed's back there with Adam," his voice broke.

My heart hammered harder. Creed was forced to deal with his brother’s body. Alone .

"I’ll find Creed," I said, my voice hoarse but resolute. "Call Viper too."

Vaughn nodded. "He might be the only one I trust right now. I’d call him so you wouldn’t have to, but—" He hesitated, looking down at Kay, broken in his arms. "She needs me." His voice cracked. "My doll... she needs me right now. Candi, I can't leave her."

The rawness in his words made me flinch. Vaughn wasn’t supposed to break, but here he was, teetering on the edge, holding the woman he loved in a world that had gone mad.

"I’m sorry, Candi," he said, guilt layering his voice. "I’m sorry I’m putting you in this position—"

"No," I interrupted, shaking my head, ignoring the dread in my stomach. "It’s okay. I’ll send Creed and Owen up. Take her upstairs. I’ll... I’ll handle Adam. I'll handle everything, don't you worry. I got this."

"Thank you," he murmured.

But as Vaughn disappeared with Kay, the weight of my own words pressed down harder. I was about to make the call I swore I wouldn’t. I had to be the one to reach out.

Viper had told me I could, that no matter what, he’d be there. But the last thing I wanted was to let him back into my world—especially now, when I wasn’t ready.

The walls I’d been building around myself weren’t strong enough to keep him and Ghost out, not yet. The cracks were already forming, and once I let them in, I feared there wouldn’t be anything left of me to protect.

But I couldn’t think about that now. I had to protect the ones I loved. No matter the cost.