Page 6 of Second Goal

Damn it, Kiley. My brain rushes to conclusions and Kane’s accusations ring in my head.

Is she using?Fuck. I would have noticed. But what else could this be?

Kane is going to lose his shit. Hell, I’m about to lose it myself, especially when the man reaches out and grabs Kiley’s upper arm, jerking her toward him. His voice bounces off the narrow walls, but I don’t hear his words, they’re drowned out by the drumming of my heart in my ears.

When Pax starts barking, tugging at the leash and ready to bolt at the stranger, I think about letting him loose. To let him take out the motherfucker’s windpipe. But my fingers itch to do it myself.

Kiley looks up. Shock registers when her eyes meet mine. Then fear. Not for the creep whose hand is still bruisingly wrapped around her arm, but for me.

“Blake,” she gasps. I don’t hear it, but I see her mouth open on my name.

The man looks at me too, black, beady eyes that take me in, and I see recognition there. He knows who I am. Which isn’t unusual in this city. But for some reason, it only increases my anxiety.

Who the hell is this fucker?

“Let her go.” The words come out slow, calm, despite every cell in my body screaming for me to knock the guy’s front teeth out. But I don’t doubt he’s carrying a weapon, and if I make too sudden of a move, I know I’ll only put Kiley more at risk than she already is.

Pax continues to bark, hair standing on end, acutely aware of the danger in front of us. I just wish Kiley had as much sense as the damn dog. But she still seems more terrified of me being here than the fact that she’s in a dark alleyway with a man whose eyes tell me he’s capable of anything.

Kiley starts to pull away from him, but he jerks her back, hard enough that her chest bounces off his.

The asshole is two seconds away from losing his gonads.

“I said, let her go.” This time my words hold the threat I’ve been holding back, and I see both Kiley and the man flinch.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Kiley whimpers, her eyes pleading with him. And the way she looks at the bastard, I realize she knows him.

The man snarls and whispers something in her ear before releasing her, then disappearing into the shadows from where he came. A second later, the sound of a metal door clangs shut with a bang.

Kiley looks at me, then frantically around her like she’s trying to find an escape route. I see it in her face when she realizes it’s no use. Her shoulders slump, and her body trembles when she lets out a shaky breath.

She doesn’t say a word, just keeps her gaze lowered as she walks toward me.

“It’s not what you think,” she whispers, her hand fluttering over the top of Pax’s head when he starts licking her.

Frustration. Anger. Confusion. They swirl inside of me. I want to demand the truth, but I’m afraid of what I’ll say if I open my mouth now. God knows it won’t be a gentle reprimand.

I grunt and nod toward the direction of our apartment, a silent command, which she’s smart enough not to argue with. Neither of us say a word until we’re in her apartment. She fills a bowl of water and puts it on the floor for Pax when I unleash him.

I start to pace, rubbing the back of my neck and trying to get my emotions in check.

“Are you going to tell Kane?” she asks.

“Jesus, Kiley, I don’t even know what I’d tell him.” I stop pacing and look at her. “Were you buying drugs?”

“No.” She shakes her head, eyes going wide. “You know I don’t use. I...” She glances away and pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. And I know she’s trying to think up some excuse, to tell me anything but the truth.

I move toward her, pulling her hoodie down, then cupping her jaw in my palm, forcing her to look at me. “No lies, Kiley. I can protect you. Whatever is going on.”

She takes a step back and my hand drops. “I don’t need you protecting me.”

I snort and remove the distance she’s trying to put between us. “Doesn’t matter what you want. I made a promise—”

“Kane doesn’t care.”

I don’t tell her the promise was to myself. “He’ll care if I tell him what I saw today. Tell me the truth.”

For a brief moment, I see all her walls come crashing down. She holds my gaze and I know there’s a part of her that wants to tell me everything. But just as fast as those walls came down, they’re reconstructed, higher and stronger than before.

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