Sins (Havoc of Sins #3)

Chapter 10

Grim

I moaned as I shifted and was pleased to find I was still inside Kenna. I buried my face in her neck and breathed in deeply as I moved slowly in and out a few times.

I couldn’t wait to get her to Italy. We were already packed and ready to leave the following day. Elio had sent word that it was time to celebrate and had invited our family and friends to help him party. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’d been there many times and knew Kenna would love it. Elio never spared any expense when it came to celebrating, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to leave Kenna behind.

“Morning.” She bowed her back, and I palmed her breast and rolled her nipple between my fingers.

“I need you.” I kissed her shoulder. The memory of last night’s sex came back to me. We had kept it up until neither of us could move and had fallen asleep totally spent. I eyed my bookshelf, and more than half of them were on the floor thanks to some wild moves. I couldn’t get enough of her. I craved her. I turned her on her front and rolled to my knees and took her from behind. Her arms went up to act as pillow for her head, and a lazy smile spread across her lips as I pumped into her. The early morning sun began to peek through the open shades.

My phone lit up and vibrated against the nightstand, but I knocked it aside and sent it flying across the room. Leal growled his displeasure at the noise.

Kenna peeked up at me from behind her long lashes. “You keep this up, I won’t be able to walk right.”

“That’s the plan.” I picked up the pace, and she reached between her legs and cupped my balls. “Christ, woman, you have a death wish.” Her phone vibrated under my knee, and I pulled it free and saw the screen.

Benny: I leave tomorrow. I’d love to see you. Dinner tonight?

Anger bubbled to the surface, and I leaned over her body and showed her the text message. “Decline this.”

She pulled it closer to read the message. “No.”

I ran my fingers along her neck and across her stomach, then I tugged her up onto all fours. I tilted her chin to look at me. “He wants you.” I thrusted a few times to drive my point home.

“Do you want me?” she countered.

“I want you like this.” I stopped myself from saying anything else.

“Seems to me, you have me the way you want.” She turned to push her lips to mine then pulled back. “So, what’s the problem with me having dinner with an old friend?”

I didn’t like the feeling that ran through me, so I grabbed her hips and finished what I started. Perhaps I was a little rougher than I meant to be, but her screams made it worth it. She held on and took everything I gave her. I wanted her to feel me for the rest of the day.

She looked royally fucked by the time we stepped into the elevator and headed down toward the rest of the world. I smirked when she yawned and sagged into the wall with a sleepy look. I had both boys with me, even if Leal avoided eye contact with me when he stole pats from Kenna every so often.

“Hey,” I grabbed her hand when she went to step out and pulled her back to me, “have dinner with me.”

“Instead of Benny?” She gave me a knowing look. “Give me a reason that doesn’t end with you inside me.”

“Are you complaining?”

“Are you deflecting?” she challenged then waited a beat before she stepped back. “He’s just a friend, Grim.”

“He wants you.”

She walked backward, and I followed. The boys shifted instantly into business mode. “And what if he does?”

My insides twisted and I felt my face twist into a scowl. “I’ll kill him.”

“Your kill list is pretty long, baby.” She grinned. “Besides, Benny is the least of your problems.”

“We’ll see about that. Don’t forget that gorgeous pink bikini when we leave for Italy tomorrow.”

“Already packed. Have a good day, Mr. Gates.” She chuckled and waved over her head as she swayed her hips away from me.

Zhar stiffened, and his ears told me someone was approaching from behind me. Fuck me, now what?

“Mr. Gates?” I found Simon with both hands in his pockets. He looked like he’d gotten less sleep than I had. “May I have a word?” He looked around. “Alone.”

Intrigued, I nodded and waved him toward a quiet room. Something told me Cameron wasn’t aware of this meeting. I opened the door and let him go first. I couldn’t help but be amused when he sidestepped Leal, who looked back at me for permission for a taste. I shook my head, and he huffed as he followed us. I closed the door and told the boys to sit.

“I’m worried about Kenna,” he blurted, and I was instantly on alert. “I care about her, and I know you do too,” he cleared his throat like he was nervous how that came across, “but in different ways, of course. This isn’t about Cameron, though I don’t blame you if you thought it was…” He started to babble, and I checked my watch.

“I’m a busy man, Simon,” I cut in, “and you have the five remaining free minutes I have left.”

“Yes, sorry.” He pushed his glasses up his nose as he muttered something. “I know we are often on different sides of the fence, given my employer, and I stay working for him for my own reasons, but I need you to know I would never hurt Kenna.”

“Good. Then I won’t have to kill you,” I said, deadpan, and his eyes widened. “Now, get to the fucking point.”

“I think I know who Kenna’s stalker is.” He seemed to just blurt shit, but at least we were getting somewhere.

“And who might that be?” I wasn’t about to get excited until I had some real proof.

“Look, you may or may not know I spent some time in prison,” his face went apologetic as he added hurriedly, “for a crime I never committed.”

“And this is important, why?”

I knew Leo had done a background check on Simon. There were a few things that had seemed off about what he’d been accused of, but I didn’t give a shit because it wasn’t anything I thought would come back on our family. Besides, he worked with Cameron, so that meant I kept him as far away from my life as I could.

“I made friends with my cellmate,” he went on. “He had a bit of a problem with women and often became obsessed with them, but I kept my distance and turned the other way whenever I saw it. He had a lot of pull, and I wasn’t going to mess with him. In the end, he helped get me an early release through Cameron.” He rubbed his arm. “I didn’t see it with Kenna until it was too late.”

“See what?” I folded my arms and fought to keep my anger down. I was impatient for him to get to the damn point. “And what do you mean, too late?” The hairs on my skin prickled, knowing something dark was coming.

“I think he’s her stalker. He came over last night, drunk, and when he passed out, I noticed a black Sharpie smudge on the side of his hand.” Instantly, both dogs cued in to my change in heartbeat and were on high alert. My jaw locked tightly in place. “I heard that Tracy girl who was involved in all of this was killed, and I also heard there was a drawing on her body, and it was done with marker.” He licked his lips and waited for me to speak.

“And how do you know this?”

“I don’t know for sure, of course, but when I saw that marker, it just hit me. I’m a PI, and Kenna’s my boss’s daughter. Cameron pays good money for me to know things, and I like Kenna. I also know my friend, and –”

“Where is this man?” I ground my teeth as I tried to control my desire to lose my shit on the man in front of me.

“At my place.”

“Take me there.” As we headed out, Jesse joined my side with confusion on his face. “Where’s Kenna?”

“At the pool with Harris. He arrived last night.”

“Grab her and get Cartwright to meet me at my spot.” He looked at me with a question. I switched to Mandarin and filled him in. He veered off as Simon and I headed for the exit with the boys. I spotted Shore, and when he caught sight of me, he rushed over to open the door of the limo. The boys hopped inside. Simon prattled off his address to Cartwright.

“Get in,” I ordered Simon as he leaned down and looked inside. I saw him hesitate and had no doubt he might be rethinking his options of how he was going to get home. If the situation wasn’t so serious, I might have found some humor in the fact that Zhar had squeezed to sit on one side of Simon and Leal the other. They all swayed in one direction when the car took off. He looked like the meat in a sandwich. I was sure there was some familiarity there from his prison days.

I got to work and began to send messages. I made sure Dad knew I’d miss the morning meeting but hoped to make the afternoon one. I also texted Knox to get him to escort a client to the vault in Secrets. It was a low-risk task, given that they’d be surrounded by security, and these were the things I had to start getting him involved in more, now that…I stopped my thought and pushed away the pain that immediately filled me at the thought of losing Leo.

Jesse: I have Kenna. We’ll see you there. She’s not pleased.

I was sure she wasn’t. I switched chats.

Grim: Normal spot. 40 mins.

Trigger: Just dealt with a situation. I’m already here.

The car stopped, and I tucked my phone away and got my head in the game. “He’s, ah, just inside.” Simon hesitated as Shore opened the door. Leal started to growl. I ordered the dogs out then waited for him to follow. I wasn’t about to take my eyes off him yet.

We approached the house, and Simon unlocked the door with the dogs on his heels. We all went inside, and I finally laid eyes on the man who had possibly hurt and stalked Kenna.

“See, right there,” Simon whispered as he pointed to the marker smudge, but I was more interested in his ball hat. It was the same hat I’d seen in the photos of the man who had dumped Tracy’s body in the trash.

It was him .

Pure, white-hot rage filled me and burned deep in my chest. It was much the same as the rage I had to swallow back whenever I looked at Cameron, but this time, I wasn’t going to hold any of it back.

I pulled my arm back and punched him square in the face. I felt his cheekbone break, and it fueled me. It also brought him out of his drunken stupor with a cry of agony. Simon cursed and hurried to put some space between us.

“What the fuck?” the guy howled as I hauled him to his feet. He took one look at me, and his eyes bugged out. He made a pathetic attempt to swing at me, and I punched him in the gut. He caught sight of Simon, and his face turned red. “What the fuck? You brought him here? You goddamn traitor!”

“You went too far this time, Kurt.” Simon shook his head. “What was next? What was your plan with Kenna?”

“He’s in love with her, you know!” the guy named Kurt screamed at me as if to try to find an out.

“No,” Simon sighed calmly, “I’m not in love with Kenna.” He looked at me and held out his hands. “I’m in love with her sister.” I believed that one. I’d seen evidence of it myself. “But, Kurt, there’s a big difference between loving someone and hurting them.”

“I’d never hurt her!” he blubbered.

“You already did, you bastard,” I barked, and he cowered in my hold. I shook him like a rat and tossed him to the floor. I drew back my foot and kicked him. He landed against the wall and cried out as he held a hand to his cheek.

“I loved her,” he pleaded. “How could you not? You know what I mean, Mr. Gates. You…I mean—” He changed tactics. “It hurt me to see her with you. It made me angry. I didn’t mean…” Kurt’s gaze moved to the dogs and his eyes went wide again.

His face twisted as he squinted at Leal, who was always on my left side. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

I lost it.

I punched him in the temple and knocked him out cold. I wasn’t going to let myself ruin my fun prematurely. I dragged his body out the door and dropped him like the trash he was into the trunk of the limo.

“I’d like to stay here,” Simon said behind me. “The less Cameron knows, the better.”

I whirled around and stuck a finger in his face. “If I find out you were a part of this in any way, you’re next.”

He nodded. “And you know where to find me. I can promise you, Mr. Gates, I wouldn’t have told you about Kurt if I’d anything to do with it.” He looked at the car then back at me. “Lord knows Kenna deserves some kind of revenge.”

I nodded once and headed back to the car. We certainly agreed on that.

The desert was only a short ride away, but, in that time, I let myself retreat into the darkness that begged for a chance to take over. It felt good to let the need for a kill fill me with that welcome surge of adrenaline. When we stopped, I waved to Shore to leave Kurt in the trunk. Trigger, Brick, Rail, and Morgan were sitting on their bikes, and Minnie and Kenna were in conversation. When Shore opened my door, I saw the relief on Kenna’s face. I knew she must have wondered what was going on.

“I didn’t share anything,” Jesse told me as he joined my side. The dogs jumped out and sat down by the trunk.

“Grim?” Kenna carefully walked in her high heels over the unforgiving desert floor. I reached out and slid my hand over her bottom and drew her to me. She looked up and made a face. “I know that look.” Her lips pressed together. “Tell me what’s going on.”

I ran my fingers through her hair then swooped down to catch her startled lips. Normally, when I let the darkness in, I pushed her away, but this time it was different. I wanted to feed on her.

She let me have my way. She pressed her tight body to mine and matched my intensity for a moment but then pulled back and studied my face. “Tell me or I’m leaving.”

I smirked. Like I’d ever let that happen. She glared at my reaction. “Grim?” she demanded, and I nodded at Shore, and he opened the trunk.

“An unexpected person led me to your stalker.”

“Oh, my God,” she covered her mouth, “I know this guy!”

“You do?” That was news to me.

She bent down and eyed him. “Well, I mean, I’ve seen him around. He talked to Simon a few times.” She gasped. “Shit, was Simon involved in this?”

“No, he’s the one who told me about him. Apparently, his name’s Kurt.” I really didn’t think Simon had anything to do with it, although he puzzled me at times. I couldn’t quite figure the guy out.

“Thank God.”

“If he did, he knows what I’d do to him,” I growled. Kurt groaned, and I waved at Jesse to help me lift him out of the trunk. We dropped him down in the dirt, and I threw a look at Trigger and the others. They all moved forward to surround him.

“Nice to have a break in the fuckin’ heat.” Trigger scratched his chin. “Shapin’ up to be a good day.” He grinned.

Kurt lifted his dusty head off the ground and took in his surroundings. Then he broke into a chuckle as he rolled onto his back. “I wondered when this day would come.” He turned and spotted Kenna and sat up with a deep groan. “She’s gorgeous, yeah?” I squeezed my hand into a fist as Kenna made her way over to me. She was careful to keep out of his reach. “I bet she’s great in the sack.” Kenna ran her hand up my chest and made me look at her.

“He’ll never know.” She gave me a hungry expression, and I smirked because she was right. He never would, not with any woman ever again.

She dropped her hand and turned to look at him. “Why attack me?” She screwed up her mouth. “Was it because of Matt Myers?”

He spat on the ground and felt his broken jaw. “That was just the cherry on top.” He grimaced. “No, it was just to piss him off.”

“Who? Grim?” She bent down and caught herself as she balanced carefully on the tiny sticks for heels on her shoes.

“No, please,” he laughed and glared at me, “though he shouldn’t have touched something that should have been mine. I saw you first, way back when those tits of yours were only just starting. It was long before he laid eyes on you.”

“You’re disgusting, and I belong to no one,” Kenna spat back, and I caught Trigger’s expression and held up a hand. He could read my mind, but I wanted to give Kurt a little more rope. “Then who did you want to piss off?” Kenna asked.

He slowly got to his feet and leaned toward her, and the boys instantly jumped to either side of Kenna. “Your father, of course.”

“I see.” She stood, and Leal whined. He anxiously awaited my command to rip this guy’s face off. “Did you hurt the dogs because of my father, too?”

“No, I wanted them dead because you never hesitated to put your hands all over them. The two of them practically drool when they see you.” He dove at Kenna, but in that same second, I swung her by the waist into me, Leal launched himself at Kurt’s throat, and Trigger and the others had their weapons out ready to fire. Kurt screamed as Leal hung on tight, and I gave him a command to let go. He immediately did as I said. I held up a hand to Trigger and the guys, but they never lowered their guns.

“You’re okay.” I brushed her hair off her face and saw her wild expression. “I got you.”

“Okay.” She had a death grip on my forearms. I could see that had really rattled her. She wasn’t prepared for him to go for her like that. I’d been ready because I’d read his body language. Kenna was feisty and could hold her own, but she was different from the other girls in that she wasn’t physical. Minus that one time with Kelly, but that was just a good, old-fashioned catfight. “He’s not walking away from here, right?”

“Not in one piece.” I gave her a quick kiss and waved for Minnie to come over. “Go with Minnie and let me deal with him.”

“Yeah, okay.”

I turned and faced him as she walked toward Minnie. Slowly, I walked over as I thought about how much I was going to enjoy this.

“The fifth year I was in Mexico,” I said in a conversational tone as he sat on the ground with a hand pressed against his bloody neck, “I met a man who trained dogs for the Cartel. He had these two little pups who had just been taken from their mother. Their ears were taped, and their tails clipped. I never understood why people did that, but they weren’t mine, so…” I shrugged. I moved around him as I walked the perimeter of the circle created by the guys. “I would sit on the hood of his car and watch him run drills with those pups for hours. He told me you earned their trust first, then they’d earn yours.”

“How much longer is this story gonna take, for fuck’s sake?” He rolled his eyes, but I ignored him.

“For a year, I’d visit him off and on, and he taught me everything he knew about working with those dogs. I learned what commands he used for what, when to let them go, when to pull them in, and I gradually earned their friendship.”

“Touching.” He snickered, and I smiled at him.

“Then one day when I visited him, I found my friend on the ground with a bullet in his head and the pups playing with the killer’s body. They’d ripped him open and torn him limb from limb. That,” I stopped in front of him, “is true loyalty.” Kurt’s eyes went wide. “And they’re here to protect me,” I looked at Kenna, “and her.”

“I didn’t actually hurt them.” He tried to act tough, but I could see the fear was setting in.

“And I’m not actually going to hurt you.” I hauled him to his feet and looked at him dead in his eyes. “Run.”

He didn’t waste a beat; he swiveled and ran flat-out toward the open desert. The dogs growled and whined next to me as they strained against my legs and pawed the ground, but they stayed exactly where they were. Until…

“ Comer ,” I ordered. The command meant eat in Spanish.

They took off after that son of a bitch.