“The situation is being handled.” Too cool like he normally dealt with dead bodies every day. Maybe he did, so relaxed about it.
And then there’d been that dog.
He’d been cool then too, almost angry at eleven years old with a damn bloodied rock in his hand. Knight Reed was obviously into some crazy fucking shit, a screw or two loose himself. Since I didn’t know what I was dealing with here, I tabled my temper, forcing myself to calm down. “It’s being handled?”
“Yes.”
“You do know Bryce killed himself.”
“Yes, obviously.” His fingers worked a chrome ring, his thumb flicking at it with some kind of animal mouth on the finish. “Like I said, it’s being handled.”
“By whom? Knight, shouldn’t we call the cops—”
His thumb left the ring, and his hand covered my mouth, gripping it like he had on the bed. He tasted like blood, metallic and heat. The warmth, that fire had obviously been him and the rest someone else.
I choked down sickness as his fingers dug into my cheeks, his eyes terribly cold.
“The cops will be called when it’s time,” he said, dark gaze roving over my face. “But that’s something you won’t have to deal with. That’s why you’re here. You’re here so you don’t have to deal with it.”
But deal with what? A suicide? What could I possibly have to deal with? The cops would only just question me, none it my or his fault.
But maybe something different was going on here, something I obviously didn’t understand. A knock hit and Knight turned, gazing through the room and to the other door. He pressed a finger to his mouth. “You say nothing.”
Understanding, I stood there and frozen, I didn’t think I could do anything anyway. I was locked where I stood, Knight’s back muscles roving under tanned skin as he made his way to the door. He opened it, and another guy stood there with a duffel bag, and though there was some distance between us, he was basically just as hot as Knight was. Blond, he took one look at Knight and sneered.
“Why the hell are you half naked?” he asked, then his brow jumped. “And is that blood—”
Knight shushed him before they both ended up outside the room, the door snapping shut behind them. Breathing, I instantly left the bathroom, thinking maybe there might be a way out. I came up with nothing but the front window, and since Knight was obviously behind that, I cursed.
I ended up peeking outside the blinds, Knight and the other hot guy a ways away from the door. They stood in front of an emerald-green ride, expensive looking and no doubt suped up. I didn’t know much about cars but the thing looked like something straight out of Fast and the Furious.
Honing in, I watched Knight and the guy, the blond just as familiar to me as Knight had been tonight. It’d obviously had been awhile, but I’d seen him before too, recognized his hair and bone structure.
I sucked in a breath at the recalled thought, the guy Knight’s friend, Royal. He used to hang out at Knight’s house all the time; when I saw him, Royal always with him. Knight often hung out with several boys, Jax and LJ the other two I recalled. There was a girl too back then. Paige, I thought her name was?
I gripped the curtains. Only one boy in particular had been with Knight that day he’d gone crazy, killed that dog. Royal had been the one holding it down and letting him do it. Did they both have plans for me tonight? Something as equally dark? Touching my throat, I watched as Royal smacked at Knight’s chest. Clearly annoyed with him about something, he raised and dropped his hands, and when he shoved at Knight again, I thought the guy had a death wish. Knight was like two of him.
For whatever reason, Knight took it, and though he too looked annoyed, he did bump Royal’s fist after he handed him the bag. I heard him mention something about thanks before Royal left and got into the running car. At that point, the front window went down but it wasn’t Royal to do it.
A girl sat in the front seat, one with dark hair and ridiculously pretty. She looked like an Instagram model, and after looking over at Royal, speaking to him for a second, she turned and frowned at Knight. I saw her mouth, “Really?” before shaking her head.
He did the same at her, but before anything else could be done I saw Knight stride back toward the door.
I let go of the blinds immediately, scurrying back to the bathroom. I stood there stiffly like I hadn’t moved, and Knight rolled his eyes, the moment he made eye contact with me.
“Enjoy the show?” he asked, angling his big body into the bathroom. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out a tank and a pair of shorts, pointing at me. “You’re breathing like you just ran a mile.”
Christ.
I said nothing, letting him hand off the clothes to me. They were only a size or two too big, not bad. They were obviously that girl’s, Royal’s fiancee, Knight said.
“Was that Royal Prinze?” I asked, since I’d been caught. I shrugged. “It looked like him.”
Knight’s jaw moved a little before he propped the bag on his shoulder. “It was. Any more questions?”
Only like a million, but I kept them silent for now. My lips worked, but when Knight left the bathroom, I didn’t do anything. He faced me, frowning again. “Need help taking off your clothes?”
Because I didn’t, I closed the bathroom door, and before he could make good on the threat, I started the water in
