Page 2 of You Know I Love You

“Oh my God,” Willa whispers loudly, making me chuckle. Damn, she is adorable. How the hell is she a Haven? And when did adorable become such a big part of my vocabulary? I don’t think I’ve ever used that word to describe anyone or anything in the past. Now I can't stop thinking it when it comes to her.

Her friend hooks her arm into Willa’s as they make it into the main part of the warehouse where two men are in the middle of a match. A thick crowd has gathered around the ring with everyone on their feet. I hang back and watch the girls.

Anyone who sees Willa will know she’s fresh grade A fucking meat. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her, and I'm not letting anyone get close.

Teddy glances back toward me a few times, her eyes narrowing. She’s protective. Clearly more street-smart than Willa, but if I recall right, she is a city girl that moved here a fewyears ago. Her mother is employed at the Haven estate, where she resides in the guesthouse.

Both of them stand out in contrast to all the other women here, and Princess sure as fuck doesn’t belong in a dirty-ass warehouse.

Willa covers her face with her hand when one of the men in the ring takes a right hook that drops him, blood splattering out across the ring. The crowd roars.

I know her brother is up next. People start to chantRichie Rich. He has yet to lose a fight here at the Landing. He’s in it for the blood. The kid sure as fuck doesn’t need money. Hence the name I’d given him that first day I met him.

Princess tries to lift up on her tiptoes in her sneakers but can’t see for shit. I know this is my chance, and I never let an opportunity pass by. Wouldn’t be here today if I had.

I step up next to Willa. “Want to get closer, Princess?”

She turns her head toward me, giving me her attention.

“You can do that?” Willa asks, her eyes so wide behind those glasses.

“You got a name?” Her friend cuts in.

“Everyone calls me King,” I tell her, not bothering to glance her way. Not when I can stare down at Willa, trying to figure out what is so captivating about her that has stolen all of my attention. “You can call me Vasily, though, Princess.” Willa’s face starts to turn pink, lighting up those freckles.

“You can get us closer, Vasily?” She licks those bow-shaped lips of hers.

“Yeah, I can.” I throw my arm around her, tucking her close to me. “Stay close.”

“Okay.” Willa presses her tiny body against mine. A protectiveness roars to life inside of me.

The crowd parts as I make my way through it toward the stage. Willa pushes even farther into me. The sweet smell ofberries and lemon hit me, and I know it can only be her in a place like this.

That’s when it finally registers. This was fucking it. Why I’ve felt off all night. Now that I have her pressed against me, that feeling is gone. Replaced by a new feeling that I’ve never had before and am not ready to even begin to try to figure out.

I don’t want to let her go, but I know that’s not an option. She doesn’t belong in my world. She is too good for it. I’m already playing with fire.

I am, after all, the one who killed her father.

Chapter Two

WILLA

The buzz in the crowd fills the air as they chant my brother's name. I’ve been on to him for a few weeks now. If he thinks I hadn’t seen the marks on his face or the bruises on his side, he is sadly mistaken, but that is Rich. My twin always tries to protect me, and with that comes secrets. It is starting to feel like everyone in my life is keeping secrets from me. It is their way of trying to protect me.

All it does is isolate me. It makes me feel alone and even broken. That I am not strong enough to face reality. That I should be kept in a box. They all think the same of me, that I’m Willa, the bookworm who spends far too much time in her head. Except keeping me in that box only makes that so much more true. Now I know I have to get myself out of it. I have to stop letting people put me where they think I belong.

I decided recently that I no longer want to be who people assume I am. That I am going to do and say whatever the heck I want for once in my life. Rebel a little even.

But now that I’m pressing into Vasily King’s side, I’m wondering if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. I only came here in hopes of getting a peek. I have now landed myself in the deep end only knowing how to doggy paddle.

It doesn’t go unnoticed how people hurriedly get out of Vasily's way. He doesn’t have to say he’s the one in charge. Everyone else's actions around him show that. They all give me curious expressions as we pass by. I can tell they’re wondering who I am.

What's strange to me is that, despite having grown up on this island, I don't recognize many people. When we get to the front, I see my brother stepping into the ring. He shifts his gaze from Vasily to me. I don’t miss the way he clenches his fists.

He mouths the wordfuck,but the crowd is too loud to hear it. His eyes dart around me, and I know he's likely wondering where Teddy is. I try to turn to find her myself, but I can't with Vasily having me tucked so tight into his side.

"Hey." I push on his chest. "My friend." I push harder, and he turns his head back toward the crowd. I'm sure he can see over everyone. He tenses, and I try to follow his line of sight, but it's useless.

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