Page 3

Knuckles

There was a pressing need deep inside my soul for me to go hunting. I hadn’t been prepared for this. Not in any way imaginable. And it wasn’t just needing to hunt prey and not being able to. It was Hannah Gill. My best friend’s sister. The daughter of a man I deeply respected. She was thirty-two to my forty-five, numbers I had to remind myself of every fucking time I saw her. I knew she was trouble the second I laid eyes on her, but I hadn’t expected to watch that trouble play out in real time. I also hadn’t expected the beast inside me to rise so forcefully and violently as it had when I saw that motherfucker hit Hannah. What concerned me most was how the desire to hunt and kill the motherfucker who hit her was stunted by the overwhelming need to see exactly how badly Hannah was hurt, to do everything in my power to make it better, and to soothe and calm her fears. Then make sure no one ever fucking touched her again.

The ride to her house on a little farm outside Nashville didn’t take too long. I thought Hannah had fallen asleep but the second the truck stopped, she opened her door and stumbled out onto her driveway and toward the house.

“Hannah, wait up!” I should have known she wasn’t going to obey me. Made my hand itch to spank her ass until she did what I told her. Unfortunately, spanking her pert ass wasn’t ever going to be an option. Just meant I’d have to get creative. “Hannah!” The infuriating woman slammed the door shut just before I reached it. I heard the locks click, then her retreating footsteps. “Hannah!” I banged a fist against the door several times.

“Go away, Knuckles!” At least she was answering. The relief in my chest did nothing to ease the alarm in my brain. This wasn’t good. So fucking not good…

“Already told you I ain’t leavin’ you alone. Open up or I break the door down. Simple as that.”

There was a hesitation, and I could practically see her weighing her options. “I could call the cops.”

“Yep. You could. And when they let me out of holding later tonight, I’ll find you and handcuff you to me. Good luck shuttin’ me out then.”

As I hoped, the door opened, Hannah on the other side huffing out an irritated breath. “Fine. But don’t touch anything. And you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“My, you’re a regular little ray of sunshine now that you’re gettin’ your wits about you.” I gave her a smirk to which she responded with a scowl.

“And you’re an asshole!”

Instantly, the good humor I was trying my damndest to project snapped like too much tension on a rubber band. “This asshole saved you from a beatin’ of epic proportions, Hannah!”

She gasped and took a step back before lifting her chin and putting her shoulders back. “I would have handled it.” Her voice was tight with emotion. Mostly anger.

There was something in the back of my mind, some little voice inside my head telling me I needed to take a step back and regroup. Unfortunately, my fucking mouth didn’t get the message in time. “Looked to me like you were already trying to handle it. And failing miserably. Do you think anyone in the fuckin’ club would’ve come to your rescue?”

“Clearly, someone did.” She raised an eyebrow at me.

There was a full beat of silence before I exploded. With a ferocious roar, I pivoted and threw a haymaker at the wall, putting my fist through the drywall. “Fuckin’ hell! Have you not looked in the mirror, Hannah? That motherfucker hit you! Repeatedly! In a fuckin’ public place !” The more I yelled at her, the more out of control I was getting. None of this was her fault. None of it! Why was I taking my anger out on her? The answer was clear. Because I knew, in my fuckin’ shriveled up heart, this wasn’t the first time she’d been hit by that bastard. “If he’ll hit you so casually and viciously where others are watching and had no fear of someone callin’ the cops, where do you think he’ll stop when you’re in private? Huh? You think he’ll stop beatin’ you after you pass out? Will it be too late when he does?”

“I know exactly what he’ll do in private, Knuckles! I know exactly ! And I forced the whole situation where I knew he would hit me in public!”

Had she shot me in the face, I’m not sure I could have been more surprised at Hannah’s response. I took a step backward, shaking my head in disbelief and a gut wrenching horror. “You what?” The words were little more than a whisper. I knew I was going to lose my everloving shit. Like explode like a fucking nuclear bomb.

“None of your business.” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. “Just know I had a plan and a goal. Nothing else matters.”

“Like fuckin’ hell!” I crossed the space separating us and pulled her against me, wrapping my hand around her throat and tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look up at me. “You will fuckin’ tell me every fuckin’ thing, Hannah.” My voice sounded grim and deadly, on the edge of violence. I didn’t even try to check my reaction. She needed to see this side of me because I had the sickening feeling this woman was going to be seeing a lot of me. Way more than either of us would be comfortable with.

Her eyes widened and she paled, sweat erupting over the skin of her brow and upper lip. A visceral reaction. To me? My anger? Instantly, I let her go, nearly stumbling backward in my haste to put distance between us. Nausea bubbled in my stomach, and I had to concentrate on breathing to keep from puking.

We both stood there for long, long minutes. I’m not sure Hannah moved at all. I knew I was afraid to move a muscle other than to breathe. If she ran from me, I knew I’d burn the world down to get her to come back. Given what she’d been through, the situation she’d intentionally put herself into, I was guessing she’d been hit more than just what I witnessed tonight.

“I’m sorry, Hannah,” I whispered. “I’d never hurt you. Ever.”

“I know.” Though her reply was soft, I could see in her eyes she was telling the truth. “You were trying to make an impression.”

“No, Hannah. I’m fuckin’ pissed as hell and wanted you to see it. I’m not sure what pisses me off more. The fact you’re admittin’ you expected the assault, or the thought you might have somethin’ planned you’re not lettin’ anyone know about.”

She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. Which meant I totally had her pegged. “I mean, take your pick. Plenty to be pissed at me about, I guess.”

OK, I didn’t like the sound of that. “Not sure what you mean, but I’m fairly certain I ain’t gonna enjoy it.”

“Look, Knuckles. I’ve had a long couple of days. I want to take a shower and put some ice on my face. Maybe take an aspirin or something. Give me a minute and I’ll bring you a pillow and some bedding for the couch. Then I need to be alone, please.”

I grunted, not wanting to maintain the distance she was so skillfully putting between us. “I’ll respect your wishes. But you will respect mine too.” When she lifted her chin again, I continued. “No locked doors between us. If you need me, I will absolutely break down the door to get to you.”

“You’re not responsible for me.”

“Nope. But this is still happenin’.”

She let out a frustrated snarl. “Why are you so annoying? Why can’t you just let me be alone for a while?”

“Because like it or not, you’ve had head trauma tonight. You don’t need to be alone. Beyond that…” I shrugged, not willing to admit to her what I knew in my heart was gonna happen to us both. “I’ll let you know.” She rolled her eyes but pivoted and stomped down the short hallway to what I assumed was her bedroom. “And don’t worry about bedding,” I called to her. “Just take a soak or whatever and relax. I’ll check on you in half an hour.” My orders were met with a slammed door and the snick of the lock clicking. “All right,” I muttered. “Game on, little girl.”