Page 41 of His Daggered Heart

“Oh, Cora, hello sweet innocent girl,” she smiles, but as beautiful as her pearly whites are on display she looks evil. Ugly.

I take a step forward and she side-eyes me.

“You’re looking a little heavy, sweetie, have you gained some weight?”

Cora’s jaw tightens, tears filling her eyes and my fight or flight is initiated. Locked and loaded with the fight option glowing red like a panic button. Press me, press me.

“She’s pregnant, you dumb cunt,” I hiss.

She brings her manicured fingers up to her eyes, admiring her nails as if she’s bored with us. “Oh, that’s right, Xzavien’s bastard child, right? How unfortunate that he fucked you and left you to fend for yourself. I could never relate. You really should take some parenting classes. At a party? Pregnant?” She tsks again and I see red.

My fist connects with her nose and I hear it crunch.

“You dumb fucking bitch, who the fuck do you think you are?” I yell.

Her hands raise to her bloody nose but I don’t stop there. She deserves every fucking thing I’m about to do to her. I grab her hair, yanking her head forward and I slam her into the wall, the wood crackling against her skull.

“Don’t you ever fucking talk to my best friend again.”

I pull her back up and she scratches and claws at my skin but I don’t feel it. I don’t feel anything but rage. Adrenaline races through my veins, my heart whooshing in my ears. “As a matter of fact, don’t ever look at any of us or speak to any of us ever again.”

She stomps on my foot with her Prada boots, and I spit in her face. I look down at my bloody toes and push her away from me.

“And just so you know, bitch…” I raise my fists and they fly toward her. Every memory of boxing classes from the community center are engrained in me like muscle memory. She falls back to the floor as the crowd surrounding us parts while I finish her.

“I am fucking end game because we are already engaged.”

Xzavien races to her rescue. He looks at me and then behind me, at Kohen, Levi and Cora I’m sure.

“Get your bitch, X, and never ever come around here again,” Kohen says.

“You are fucking finished.” X bucks up to Kohen and Levi steps up next to him, ready to have his back. X speaks and I want to go at him to but I go to Cora, who is crying ferociously. X looks at her and thinks better of it, addressing Kohen instead. “You don’t have a say here anymore,” X tells him.

Anymore? What does that mean?

“Don’t I? Would you like to bet on it?” Kohen steps closer to him and so does Levi. “I have all the say, so here, pussy.” They are toe to toe now. Behind them, a formation of guys comes up.

“Everything alright here?” one guy asks, his twin brother next to him. They are at least 6‘5 and built like UFC fighters.

“No, it isn’t okay. Xzavien needs to be banned from this property, as a matter of fact…” Kohen rubs his palms together, contemplating his next words. “...he needs to be gone forever. He was expelled, or did he not tell you that?”

The twin brothers look at each other, their communication silent. “He didn’t,” they say in unison. “What is his crime?”

Why are they talking like that?

“He has crossed lines many times, and furthermore, he took advantage of a drunk girl who was not able to consent and she now bears his child.”

What?I will fucking murder him.

They stare at each other again, their chests rising like mountains as they take a deep breath. “We will take care of it,”‘ they say simply.

I look at X and he looks absolutely terrified. They carry him away as he begs and pleads, squirming in their hold. But they drag him through the crowd. No one bats an eye.

“What happens here stays here,” a man says loudly. Everyone turns to face him, Britt at his side.

“What happens within the Knight walls, stays,” is all he says. His eyes meet Kohen’s and they nod. What the fuck is happening right now? Erica rises up and the other guys who were with those twins begin to escort her out, but not before Kohen stops one.

“She is banned as well.”

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