CH.43

Knox allowed the faintest smirk to ghost across his lips at the thought and a sense of masculine pride swelled in his chest at her fearless defiance in the face of such unrelenting scrutiny.

Just as swiftly as the vision of her had captured his roving attention, he forced his gaze away with an almost physical wrench of will.

“Drive!” Knox spoke through the car com.

“Roger that boss!” Came the driver’s response.

Knox stared unseeingly through the tinted partition as the roar of the rabid crowd faded into the distance.

A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw while he ruthlessly tamped down the warring impulses raging within like a tempest begging for release.

The primal urge to shield her from their withering judgment and scathing condemnation battled with the bone-deep longing to gather her into his arms, to possess her fully as he'd dreamed of for so long.

To claim her as his own in every sense of the word, damn the consequences. And simmering beneath it all like the molten core of a raging volcano was the cold, implacable fury at those who dared make this woman - his woman, whether she knew it yet or not - suffer such indignities and degradations.

His fists clenched hard enough for the knuckles to strain against the taut skin until a sharp, lancing sting blossomed in his chest, breaking through the haze of his darkening thoughts.

"Man, you looked ready to go nuclear back there," Killian’s voice filtered though the flat screen tv inside the car.

Knox shot him a look that could freeze lava. His fingers reached out to press the shutdown button on the armrest, but nothing appeared to function.

“Don’t bother, bro. You can’t get rid of me so easily. The system is under my control, hihihi,” Killian grinned.

Knox ignored the annoying prick and tried to shut his eyes.

“So, how did you feel to see her again? Did you receive any reaction down there? Do I need to notify my sister-in-law about the danger she had inadvertently signed up for—”

Knox’s aura blazed with unabashed fury for the briefest of moments and the amber of his eyes seeming to smolder like the heart of a raging wildfire before he reigned it in with an iron grip of self-control honed over decades.

He detested noise even more than lies and betrayal. He was certain Killian would have a bullet in his skull if the nuisance was standing next to him.

He inhaled a quick, sharp breath and hissed when the lingering ache from a recent bullet wound flared… This served as a pointed reminder of the ever-present dangers that awaited the unprepared and overconfident in his world.

“I'm just trying to participate in your excitement as your cherished brother in arms, so go easy on me, boss. In any case, your wife's manager had extended an invitation to lunch with her lawyer—”

Killian's voice was lost when a loud breaking sound reverberated throughout the speeding car and the tv screen went black.

Knox grunted in irritation.

His slender and elegant fingers reached his chest, gracing the area just below his heart. His eyes flickered a different shade for a brief moment before returning to their customary amber, and a dangerous expression crossed his face.

Those who had dared strike at him or the precious few he called family would soon learn a brutal lesson about the folly of rousing a sleeping lion.

May the universe have mercy...for Knox would have none to spare for the undeserving.

The limited-edition Bentley slid into the underground parking garage, the vast area with its harsh fluorescent lights and maze-like support pillars creating dark, menacing shades like a concrete tomb.

The driver negotiated the hair-raising twists with skill until they came to a quiet nook close to the back exit before smoothly applying the brakes and coming to a halt with the hiss of disconnected air brakes.

Even before the luxury sedan had fully rolled to a halt, the rear passenger door was wrenched open by a waiting figure in a towering slab of muscle encased in an impeccably tailored suit that likely cost more than most men earned in a year.

Seven wore his customary inscrutable expression as he stood in stoic silence, holding the door open with an air of deferential patience born from years of close-quarter service to his demanding boss/friend.

Knox's penetrating amber gaze darted briefly to the imposing guy, his only acknowledgement being an imperceptible nod before he emerged from the plush leather seat with the silent, coiled grace of a big jungle cat.

His movements were economical yet purposeful as he straightened the lapels of his charcoal suit with a reflexive tug while his eyes scanned their surroundings with a predator's practiced vigilance.

A low growl of a powerful engine heralded the presence of another vehicle. This one was a midnight gray automobile with ‘Gaard’ carved on it, sleek and utterly lethal in its menacing beauty that seemed like some legendary beast.

Seven didn't so much as bat an eye as the intimidating vehicle rumbled to a stop beside them and then the side door opened in a silent invitation.

Knox paused fractionally, something indiscernible flickering across his chiseled features for the span of a heartbeat as he studied the hulking machine with those molten eyes.

"The old house," was the only terse command that rolled off his tongue in that gravelly baritone.

Seven simply inclined his head in a subtle acknowledgment of the order. He stepped aside to allow his friend access to the car’s luxuriously appointed interior.

The deep rumbling of engine reverberated through the underground as they moved away, leaving the Bentley and its mysterious driver in their wake.

Knox leaned back leisurely and closed his eyes, allowing the subtle motions to lull him momentarily.

Seven's phone shrill to life with an incoming call at that moment with the name 'Killian' flashing across the screen.

Seven immediately silenced the phone with a flick of his thumb, well-accustomed to the latter’s particular brand of antics and irreverent behavior by now.

He sighed when the phone wouldn’t stop ringing, braced himself and answered the call. However, he immediately had to pull the phone away from his ear when Killian's excited voice exploded through the tiny speaker at eardrum-rupturing decibel levels.

"Did you hear the good news, bro? I got that frosty prick Ice Mountain to finally pull through and come through for our girl!" Killian's raucous laughter crackled over the line in a burst of static. "Gotta admit, the big guy may be an uncompromising hard-ass, but damn if he doesn't get results when it counts."

Seven rolled his eyes imperceptibly at Killian's cavalier choice of endearment for their mutual friend.

He side-eyed Knox, recognizing the minute tightening around the other man's eyes and the corners of his mouth - the only outward betrayal of the broiling undercurrent roiling beneath that otherwise impassive mask of control.

‘Killian is certain to get himself killed for real one day.’ Seven thought inwardly.

"So where am I bringing the precious cargo, huh?" Killian continued in that snarky tone of his that somehow managed to be both insolent and amusing.

"The penthouse love nest for some well-deserved R&R and...reunion activities? Or do you want her stashed at one of the off-books safe houses for now?"

"Bring my wife home!" Knox ordered.

The words seemed to reverberate through the cabin with a sense of finality, as if daring either of them to question or counter the decree.

"You got it, boss man," Killian responded without missing a beat, that irrepressible grin of his evident even through the tinny speaker. "One ravishing sister-in-law will be delivered straight to the love nest for some well-deserved R&R and...reunion activities."

The call disconnected with an audible click, leaving them surrounded once more by that smothering tension as the vehicle navigated the roads leading away from the city center.