Page 39 of Knot So Sweet (Leather and Lace #1)

Chapter 38

Candi

I stood there, staring at the blood-soaked ground. Adam’s mangled body lay crumpled before me, a twisted reminder of how quickly things could spiral out of control.

My heart pounded like a war drum in my chest, the rhythm echoing the panic in my mind. Creed had gone inside after I forced him to check on Kay. I’d told him it was because Kay needed him more, but the truth? I couldn’t let him see me like this—vulnerable, raw, and about to call the one person I swore I’d never call again.

Viper.

The weight of the phone in my hand was suffocating, heavier with every passing second. Each tick of the clock felt like a countdown to breaking my own promise.

I had sworn I’d never need him again, never reach out for the MC’s help. Yet here I was, standing over Adam’s lifeless body, with nowhere else to turn.

I closed my eyes and took a breath, the air shaking in my lungs. I wasn’t ready for this—for him. I wasn’t ready to hear his voice, to feel the inevitable pull that would come the second he spoke.

The thought of him seeing me in pieces, knowing how weak I really was under all the bravado, terrified me more than the mess I was standing in.

I turned my back on Adam’s body, unable to stomach the sight any longer, bile rising in my throat. My pulse hammered in my ears, deafening as I tried to steady myself.

"You can do this," I whispered, my voice trembling with a fragility I hated.

My hand shook as I pulled out the phone. His number was already at the top of my contacts, staring back at me like the final thread tethering me to some semblance of control.

I had worked so hard to protect myself, to protect the people I cared about, but this felt like the beginning of everything unraveling.

This is for them, not for me, I reminded myself, gritting my teeth against the panic clawing at my chest. You have to keep them safe. That’s all that matters. You can’t afford to be selfish.

My thumb hovered over the call button, a part of me screaming to stop. For a split second, I almost hurled the phone into the alley, ran in the opposite direction, and disappeared.

It was instinct—this need to flee, to run from the emotions, the ache, the unrelenting pull toward something I knew I could never let myself have.

But there was no more running.

With a shaky breath, I tapped the button and lifted the phone to my ear. Don’t pick up. Don’t pick up. Don’t—

" Hello, sweetheart. "

Two words. That’s all it took. Two words from him, and the ground beneath my feet felt like it was crumbling.

He was there. Like he promised he always would be. And the worst part? I hated how much relief washed over me just from hearing his voice.

My grip tightened around the phone, desperate for something to hold on to. "Viper, I—" My voice cracked, betraying the facade I’d been clinging to, and I squeezed my eyes shut. "I—"

My chest constricted as the words I wasn’t brave enough to speak hovered in the silence, clinging to every breath.

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"You okay, baby?" His voice was low, gentle, careful—as if he knew how close I was to shattering. Like he could feel every ounce of fear bleeding through my words.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep steady. "It’s not me," I managed, shaking my head as though he could see me. "It’s Kay. Adam’s dead. Vaughn’s got her upstairs. There’s blood... everywhere."

The words tumbled out in a rush, barely coherent as I tried to keep it together. "I don’t know what to do, Victor. I’m freaking out."

I used his name on purpose—Victor—hoping it would anchor me, give me the strength I so desperately needed. Give me the control I desperately craved.

Silence followed, heavy and thick, as I waited for him to process what I’d just told him. I could practically feel him thinking, strategizing, calculating how to fix the mess I’d gotten myself into.

That’s what scared me the most—he’d fix it, all of it. But in doing so, he’d also see the cracks in my armor and he'd try and fix them too.

And right now, I was weak enough to let him.

"Where are you, baby? Are you safe?" His voice was calm and even, while I tried to not spiral into a full blown panic attack.

"The Den," I whispered, glancing around as if the empty alleyway could provide some sort of answer. "But Adam’s body... It's in the back alley. I don’t know what to do. If Michelle finds out—"

"She won’t, Candice," he growled, his tone hardening with the promise. "I’ll make sure of it. But I need to know, sweetheart. Are you safe?" His voice softened again, laced with that unwavering protectiveness that made my heart stutter.

Safe? I didn’t even know what that meant anymore. My hands were shaking, my mind a mess of fear and exhaustion. But Viper was asking if I was safe, like I could ever be safe when my life had been one long war. But I didn’t want to lie to him. Not now.

"I—I don’t know," I admitted, my voice small, trembling. "I don’t feel safe."

A low growl rumbled through the phone, and the sound of his anger made something inside me tighten. "Stay put. I’m coming to you right now. Ghost will meet me there. I'll call him now and we’ll handle everything."

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see it, and whispered, "Okay."

"That's my good girl." His praise was a balm to my frayed nerves, soothing the ragged edges of my fear. "Thank you for calling me. For trusting me with this."

The line went dead, and I stood there in the alley, the phone limp in my hand, the weight of what I’d just done settling heavily in my chest. I had called him. I had reached out, and now there was no turning back. Viper and Ghost were coming.

And I knew... I knew that when they did, my world would never be the same again.