Page 19 of Knox (The Devil’s Luck MC #6)

CAROLINE

I had gone up against most of the Devil’s Luck in one way or another. I had done terrible things to them and the things—and people—they cared about. They had every reason to hate my guts. They had every reason to draw their guns and pepper me with bullets.

The only thing standing in their way was an ancient Ford and their own brother.

Knox still had his hand on my thigh. I had a feeling it was the only thing grounding both of us.

The tension between the Devils and us crackled like lightning. I didn’t know where to look. There were eight men—including Grant and Gabriel, who seemed to back Knox but were bound to their president at the end of the day—blocking our path of escape.

Just eight men. I knew them all, of course, both from direct interactions and Wolverine intel.

Black Jack, the president, who had given my father a run for his money since his return to Reno.

His woman, Sam—I helped burn down her bar.

Mason, the vice president—High Roller, I believed, was his MC name—whose girl I basically assaulted.

Jameson AKA Tex. I clipped his ear with a bullet—I couldn’t see it under his hair.

His woman, the cop Carrie, had irritated and inconvenienced me beyond belief.

I’d hurt her, too. Abel “Snake Eyes” and Brody “Chips.” I hurt them and their girls, too.

I was a truly awful piece of shit excuse for a human. All these lives I’d fucked over multiple times… They had to be itching to pull out their guns and take revenge. I would have wanted to in their shoes.

Grant and Gabriel joined the others. Something in their faces made my stomach clench with mistrust. Did they really come down to warn Knox, or was it some kind of setup?

Did they genuinely try to save Knox from their president’s wrath, or did they just want to be here to enjoy the show when Jackson showed up?

Black Jack got off his bike and took a few angry steps toward the Ford. “Get out of the fucking truck,” he ordered in a tone that promised an easy death. “Both of you. Now .”

I stiffened and grabbed Knox’s arm so tight he winced. “Knox,” I said out of the corner of my mouth. “How the hell do we get out of this? You know they’re gonna kill me for everything I’ve done over the past few months.”

Knox snapped his head toward me. His stupidly pretty blue eyes burned hotter than hellfire when they locked on mine. His jaw flexed hard enough that I thought he might shatter his own teeth.

“Did you already forget what I promised you, woman?” His voice dropped low, lethal. “I’m not letting anyone lay a single fucking finger on you. No one’s putting a bullet in you while I’m breathing.”

The words hit me straight in the chest, to strike my cold, dead heart like an arrow. “Knox, you can’t take my side over your brothers. I can’t ask that of you. It isn’t right.”

Knox turned off the truck and tossed the keys on the dashboard. “This whole damn situation isn’t right,” he growled, turning back to glare at Black Jack as if daring his president to make a move. “But I’ll be dead in the dirt before I let them put their hands on you.”

“Knox,” I said pointedly, half warning, half pleading.

He looked at me again. “Stay in the truck, Caroline. No matter what. You hear me?”

I wanted to start an argument and be an obnoxious bitch, but Knox was already opening the door and jumping out. I reached for him just as he slammed the door shut behind him to approach Jackson.

The Devil’s Luck MC all killed their engines. The rumbling from them that filled the air was instantly replaced with ominous silence.

I had seen Wolverine MC members turn on each other like starving dogs plenty of times. I spent months trying to fuck these men over in the name of my father. Was it because I wanted to cut ties with him forever that it allowed humanity—guilt, fear, shame—to flood me like a tidal wave?

Knox approached Jackson slowly with his palms raised like white flags. “Hey, Jackson,” he said in a quiet tone, like he was trying to calm a dangerous animal. “Look, I know how this looks. Just let me explain?—”

Jackson’s fist connected with Knox’s cheekbone with the sound of bone against bone, so loud it echoed off the trees. I flinched and covered a scream with both hands. Knox’s head snapped to the side, his body jerking with the force of it, but he only stumbled back a step, holding his ground.

Stay standing, you idiot , I thought.

With a punch that hard, his face was going to be black and blue in no time. I knew the swelling would be anything but pretty. We could worry about that if we made it through this alive.

“I deserved that,” Knox rasped, “but, Jackson?—”

Jackson Black wasn’t done.

He grabbed Knox’s shirt, yanked him forward, and threw another punch just below where the first one hit.

Knox staggered again, this time almost falling on his ass.

The skin split, and a trickle of blood oozed from the already-bruised cheek, tracking down to his chin.

Knox just swiped the back of his hand across it and spat on the dirt.

“Yeah,” he panted. “I deserved that, too. Don’tcha think, guys?”

I glanced at the other Devils. They all looked like they were trying to hate Knox but could only look uncomfortable. None of them responded. This was Jackson’s show.

But his jaw was clenched with rage, just like his fists. “You have no fucking right to be so cocky, Flush.” He looked at me. “Get the fuck out of the truck, Bates, or I’ll drag you out myself!”

Knox freaked the fuck out at that. He swung at his president.

The punch clocked Jackson in the chin. His head jerked sideways, but he took the hit like a man used to swallowing pain.

His broad frame staggered back a step but he held his ground just like Knox.

He also spit blood into the dirt, but instead of Knox’s cocky act, Jackson darkened like a storm cloud.

His growl was low enough to vibrate the air between them.

It probably made every animal for miles run for shelter.

I knew they were going to beat the piss out of each other until neither one of them could stand. No way was I going to let Knox lose everything just to protect me.

I got out of the truck and shouted, “ Stop !”

All nine men turned to me as if in slow motion. My body went as stiff as a board. Shit . Now I was completely unguarded outside of the rusted hunk of metal. Now they could all whip their guns out and riddle me with bullets.

“Fuckin’ hell, Caroline,” Knox snapped, turning to join me. “I told you to?—”

“Oh, no you don’t.” Jackson grabbed the back of Knox’s shirt, hauling him back. “I’m not done with you. Bates, you stay the fuck back. I’ll deal with you next.”

“No, you’ll deal with me now. ”

Black Jack stared at me like he never expected anyone to stand up against him. He was broad and scarred and dangerous and wild , and no matter how cunning I was, I would never win a physical match against him. If he wanted to knock me unconscious, he wouldn’t even break a sweat.

But I was cunning. I was ruthless. I was smart as hell and outwitted more men than I could count over the years.

I protected my father and myself for years.

I protected Wolverines whether they deserved it or not.

Everything I did was for survival. It was always selfish.

Always in pursuit of money, power, and greed.

Knox broke all my walls down last night and this morning. He cracked my harsh, unbreakable soul wide open and revealed a gooey, sad, lonely middle. I still couldn’t make sense of why I let him see me so vulnerable, but I did. Still, that didn’t mean I was weak.

Knox opened a path toward something selfless. Protecting him .

I marched up to Jackson and glared back just as furiously.

He still had Knox’s shirt fisted in his grip.

“Knox spent the past day trying to convince me that you aren’t the same sort of animal as my father,” I said harshly.

“I almost started to believe it.” I smiled bitterly.

“But it looks like you just proved him wrong and made my point for me. You and Walter are two sides of the same coin.”

Jackson straightened like I’d slapped him. He released Knox with a shove. He did not like that accusation one bit.

Good.

Knox angled himself between me and Jackson, shaking out his fist. His knuckles were busted, too. His cheekbone was bruised as all hell and smeared with blood.

“Leave it alone, Caroline,” he warned, harsh but with an edge of pleading. He was breathing hard, his eyes flicking from me to Jackson like he wasn’t sure who was going to act first.

I should. Probably. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t . This was my mess, and my responsibility.

I said as much. “Listen up, dickhead, this whole mess is my fault. Don’t be a fucking idiot and blame Knox for any of it. He’s a fool, yes,” I added with a brief devilish smirk at him, then dropped it. “But he’s loyal as hell to you. Direct your wrath my way.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jackson snapped at me. “You’ll get your share when it’s your turn. Club business first.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So you’re going to keep beating each other to death? Even though it’s all my fault? Genius plan. How did you morons ever beat the Wolverines?”

Jackson barked a short, humorless laugh.

“I know damn well this is all happening because of you. You really think confessing is gonna earn you a damn thing from me? A little guilt’s gonna buy you redemption for all the shit you’ve pulled?

All the blood you spilled? You could bleed yourself dry right here, and it wouldn’t be enough to redeem yourself. ”

Jackson leaned forward a little, ignoring Knox’s warning growl. I met the eyes of my father’s counterpart unflinchingly.

But his next words each felt like a knife stab to my gut.

“You destroy everything you touch, Bates’s bitch .”

Knox snarled and shoved Jackson’s shoulders. “Knock it off, asshole! Don’t fucking call her that!”

Jackson let the force of the shove push him back a step.

“You know what?” he said coolly to me. “You’re not worth wasting breath on.

” He turned his glare on Knox. “Knox, get her the fuck out of Reno, and once it’s done, we’ll finish this.

One less Wolverine in our city is a victory I’ll fucking take. ”

Just like that, Jackson jerked his chin at his VP, Mason. “Stay behind with them and make sure Flush follows through. Gabriel, you stay, too. Princess here is slippery as blood.”

I was so. Fucking. Angry.

I took two storming steps forward. Knox grabbed my arm, but I didn’t hear his warning hiss. Jackson looked down his nose at me.

“Three men to watch little old me? I should be so lucky, President Black Jack. ”

Jackson’s lip curled. He was glaring at me like I was dirt—like I was personally responsible for all his misfortunes.

And he was right.

“If your own daddy doesn’t want you anymore, that’s all I need to know.

The man who taught his baby girl every dirty trick he knows—looked at you and decided you weren’t shit.

You’re not here because you’re sorry,” he spat cruelly.

“You’re here because you ran out of options.

And I’m not stupid enough to forget what you did to us just because you’re crying about it now.

Too bad Knox didn’t see it that way. Did you, Knox? ”

Jackson’s eyes slid to Knox, whose hand dropped from my arm and looked away, rubbing his busted cheekbone.

A month ago, none of those words would have stung. I would have embraced the insults, made them my armor. But after last night, it felt like each word Jackson said was like him stabbing my heart. The jab at Knox was the final stab—and twist.

Black Jack and the other Devils mounted their bikes, revving them to life. I stared at the three remaining.

Still better than Vane.