Page 179 of Brutal Knight

I suddenly realized with a shock that I was no better than her parents.

I may not have sold her but I had tried to control her. Tried to chain her to me, force her to be with me every second, instead of justletting herlove me.

I hadn't trusted her, just like I hadn't trusted my brothers.

Andhow could shetruly trust me, love me, if I was treating her like every other person had, her whole life?

God, I was fucked up. And it was wrong.

"You're right," I said.

Poppy's eyes met mine. "I know."

"Please," I said, feeling humbled. "Help me find her. I really do believe she's in danger. I at least need to make sure she’s okay."

Poppy nodded. "Okay," she pulled in a breath, her lips parting.

Suddenly Dante next to me jumped to his feet. At the same time, there was a popping noise. Dante was in motion while I stared in shock as Poppy fell sideways, her blood splattered across the sofa.

She was dead.

My shock quickly wore off and I raced after Dante, running towards the sound of the front door slamming against the wall.

Poppy's yard was too long as we chased after a brown-haired man, booking it across her front lawn. He was fast but we were faster, eventually tackling him to the ground.

Dante wrenched the gun from his hands while I slammed a fist into his face in rapid succession. He struggled, trying to fight me off, but I was enraged, uncontrolled.

My whole world was falling apart.

Tatiana left me.

Someone tried to kill Rose and her baby.

I'd been kicked out of the only family I ever loved.

The one person who knew how to find Tatiana was now dead.

And everything was my own fault.

I'd grown up not being able to trust my own parents. Taught how to betray those you loved. Struggled to survive after my whole family had been killed. And had turned down the only love ever offered to me without asking for anything in return.

And the hope of finding her again had disappeared with the sickening sound of a bullet sliding through skull and brains.

I slammed my fist over and over, blood spurting, the man's face quickly turning black and blue.

Tatiana was in danger --ifshe was even still alive, and this motherfucker had just killed the one person who could tell me how to find her. I was going to kill him!

"Knight!" Dante roared, yanking me back to my senses. "Stop! We need to get information from him."

I stilled, pulling in gulping breaths as I tried to gain control over myself.

The man had brown hair and eyes, a slightly handsome face, with a thin frame--a runner's body. It clicked. He was the man with the collie, out running that night I came to see Poppy.

"Where is she?" I snarled, hitting him again.

"I can't tell you," the man sneered, spittle and blood flying. "He's not ready for you, yet."

"I'll call Torian," Dante said, pulling out his phone.

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