Page 34 of Slay Bells Ring

I wage an inner war with myself, and in the end, I pull a chair from the kitchen and plop down next to our guest. Kane does the same, though he places himself on the man’s other side, leaving a good three feet between us.

It’s probably best if we don’t get too close to each other. After what he said earlier, I don’t know if I can be close to him without wanting to tear his clothes off. If I fuck that man again, I’ll hate myself even more.

Of course, even so, it might just be worth it.

Together, Kane and I wait.

Chapter Sixteen – Kane

The man doesn’t begin to stir until sunrise, which is to say, it’s a long night of sitting there and staring at his unconscious face while waiting for him to do something. I told Holly she could sleep if she wanted, that I’d take watch, but she refused and decided to play watchdog with me.

It’s just as well. I like having her in my sight.

“What…” The man groans as he comes to, opening his eyes and then blinking a dozen times until his gaze focuses on Holly, then on me. “Who—shit.”

I give the man a wicked smile. “Shit’s right, buddy. You came to the wrong cabin and tried to kill the wrong girl. Ms. Cooper is under my protection right now. Do you know who I am?” As I speak, the man grows paler and paler… or maybe he only grows paler because he realizes he’s tied up and I’m holding onto a really big knife.

All the man can do is shake his head no.

“So, you don’t know who I am, but you obviously know who she is.” I point the knife at Holly, who glaresat the man with the same hatred she first sent toward me. I do like the fire in those eyes, but… I don’t want her to hate me—which isn’t something I should be thinking about right now.

Need to focus on the matter before us.

“You came here to kill her, didn’t you?” I ask, wanting to hear him admit it.

The man’s face twists in annoyance, but he remembers how helpless he is, so that annoyance fades into submission as he sighs and mutters, “Yeah, I came here to kill the girl.”

No sooner does he say it when Holly stands, curls her fingers into a tight fist, and then launches that fist directly into his face. The punch is quick and good in form, and she hits his nose at the right angle to break it. The snapping of cartilage is music to my ears. “Looks like you failed,” Holly hisses out, and then she takes her seat once more.

As the man groans from the sudden attack, as blood starts to ooze down his face from his broken nose, I look at Holly and she glances at me. “What?” she asks with a shrug.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look sexier while punching someone else in my life. It also filled me with a bizarre sense of satisfaction. Holly is capable; she might not have been able to kill me, but she is still strong in her own right, and she knows how to throw a wicked hook.

It takes me a moment to say, “Nothing.” Turning my attention back to the man, I tell him, “She’s a little upset, for obvious reasons. I’m sure you can understand that. We killed the last guy who tried to put a bullet in her. He’s out back.” I lift the knife between us. “Stuck this in his chest.It slid into him like he was nothing but butter. We could do the same to you, but we have a proposition for you.”

The man is silent, but his nostrils flare and his eyes widen. He has to know this won’t end well for him.

“You tell us everything you know, and I won’t use this knife on you,” I say. “What do you think? Is that something you can do for us, or should I let Ms. Cooper here take a turn with the knife? I should warn you, she came to this cabin wanting blood, so she might want to drain you of most of yours—”

“Fine,” the man sputters out. “Fine. I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you what I can. What do you want to know?”

Holly and I exchange a glance before she says, “Who hired you? Obviously.”

He sighs, and under his breath he mutters, “I’m not getting paid enough for this shit.” His eyes are an amber color, and they flick between Holly and me. If I had to guess, he’s in his twenties, too young to truly recognize the consequences of a job like this turning sour. “You want to know who hired me? Fine. I’ll tell you what I know. I don’t know his name. He’s some old guy. Gray hair, brown eyes. He had me meet him in his car in an alley. Fancy car, fancy suit. Said he’d pay me five hundred thousand to kill one girl, that it’d be a quick and easy job and the world wouldn’t miss her. Sounds like I wasn’t the only one he offered the money to, the asshole. He didn’t tell me about any competition.”

“I wouldn’t be worried about your former employer right now,” I warn him.

Holly is quiet for a few seconds. “What color was his car?”

“Black.”

“Clean-shaven, acted like he was too good to be talking to you?”

The man nods. “Yeah, yeah. Seems like you know him. Looks like whoever it is wants you dead. Now, that’s all I know, and you promised you’d let me go—”

Holly and I ignore the man as we turn to each other. I lean towards her and she does the same as she says, “It’s Howard. Has to be. No doubts anymore.” Her voice comes out soft and sad, like she’s hurt even though she already suspected he was behind this. “Guess his ambitions want me out of the picture.”

“I guess so,” I say.

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