Chapter 6

Keavy~

"J ust…just give me a moment to freshen up," I panted, needing a second.

"What for?" Kenneth asked. "I'm just going to dirty you up again, sweetheart."

Admittedly, his bedroom talk could use some work because it seemed forced, but it wasn't like I had plans on marrying the man. When Kenneth had walked into Miller's, he hadn't exactly caught my eye, but as the night had worn on, he seemed perfect for a one-night stand. Though he wasn't exactly worthy of being on an underwear billboard, the man was six-foot, had dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and looked like he took care of himself well enough. He had also paid his tab in cash, which had suggested that I wouldn't have to spring for the motel room all by myself.

At any rate, as soon as last-call had been announced, Kenneth had made his move, inviting me back to his place, and since it'd been a while, I had figured why not. Like I'd said, I was already resigned to be single for the rest of my life, so I was going to get my kicks where I could get them, and all would be going well if he would just shut up.

"I'd just like to freshen up a bit after working eight hours," I told him as he had me pushed up against the kitchen counter. "I promise that it'll just take a second."

Not wanting to scare off easy pussy, Kenneth said, "I'll get us a couple of glasses of wine while you do your thing." His lips skimmed down my neck as he added, "Just don't keep me waiting too long, sweetheart."

"Don't worry," I cooed. "I'm just as eager as you are, or else I wouldn't be here." I threw him a quick wink to lessen the sting as I added, "Where's your bathroom?"

Instead of telling me, he grabbed my hand to escort me down the hallway, and that gentlemanly action had me wondering if I was being too hard on Kenneth. Maybe he was a better man than I'd been giving him credit for, and I had to remind myself to quit judging people so quickly.

"Here you go," he said as he opened the door for me.

"Thank you," I said right before kissing his cheek.

As soon as he shut the door, I looked in the mirror, and though I looked tired around my eyes, I didn't look that bad. After all, it was going to be three in the morning soon, so I shouldn't be expected to look as fresh as a daisy, right?

I quickly took off my earrings, having learned the hard way that earrings and rough sex weren't always a good combination. I was a girl that didn't mind having her hair pulled, but there was nothing fun about it when the man accidentally grabbed your earring as well. I didn't relish having my earlobe ripped open because I'd been trying to look sexy.

After taking out my earrings, I started contemplating if I should take my hair down when I heard some raised voices. My first thought was that Kenneth must be married or have a girlfriend, and I could only imagine the drama at that possibility. However, when none of the voices appeared to sound female, that got my back up in a way that Cian had always warned me about. If this sonofabitch brought me here for a gang bang, then I was going to kill them all.

Ever so carefully, I cracked the bathroom door open to see if I could hear what was being said, and my hands tightened around the wood as I heard them loud and clearly.

"Did you really think that you could hide from us?" asked one guy.

"Look…I swear-"

"I want to know if you really thought that you'd get away with not paying us," a second guy scoffed. "I mean, how fucking stupid are you, Swanson?"

"I'm…I'm going…going to pay…" Kenneth stammered. "I…I swear."

"Is that why you haven't been returning Desmond O'Brien's calls?" the first guy asked, and I closed my eyes as my heart skipped a beat.

Kenneth was wanted by the O'Briens.

"My…I lost my…my phone…" Kenneth went on, desperation coating his voice. "I swear, I'm going to pay. I'd never…I lost my phone."

"Really?" the second guy drawled out.

A second later, the sound of a phone ringing vibrated through the quiet house, and my chest started pounding with how stupid Kenneth Swanson really was. I opened my eyes, wondering why God would do this to me. Out of all the men that had been at Miller's tonight, why would He let me pick the one guy that was in to the O'Briens?

"I'm sorry," Kenneth blurted. "I…please-"

"Whose purse is this?" the first guy asked, making me freeze in place. As soon as we'd gotten through Kenneth's front door, I had placed my purse on a little table in between the kitchen and living room, and I hadn't bothered to bring it with me to the bathroom.

Shit.

"No one's," he lied, and credit to him for not sacrificing me like most men would. "A…some chick left it behind the other night. I…I just haven't had time…time to return it."

"I'd believe you if you weren't a liar, Swanson," the first guy replied. "Now, you either tell us who else is here, or you and your female friend are really going to be in for an exciting night."

Remembering everything that Cian had ever taught me about the dynamics between predator and prey, I left my earrings on the bathroom counter, then walked out into the hallway, making my way back into the kitchen with purpose and a straight back.

"Am I interrupting?" I asked, and both strangers turned to look at me, an appreciative smile spreading across both of their faces.

"Well, I guess Kenneth really doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie," the shorter man asked, though short was a relative term. The man was the same height as Kenneth.

The other guy started shaking his head. "Why'd you have to have a fucking witness, Swanson," he muttered, though there was no regret in his voice.

To his credit, Kenneth said, "Just…she knows nothing."

"She knows too much by just knowing what we look like if you ask me," the shorter one said. "While I don't like killing women, I like prison even less."

Kenneth's hazel eyes slid my way, and he really looked sorry, but it was hard to identify with his regret when my life was being threatened. Besides, how good of a man could he be if he was involved with the O'Briens? Granted, that wasn't to say that every sinner was a bad person, because I had a fair amount of sins of my own, but only a fool would end up on the bad side of an O'Brien.

"You can try to kill me," I told them. "But I don't think it's going to work out too well in your favor."

Those few words had both men pointing their guns at me, and that's when Kenneth's true nature came out. With both their attentions focused on me, Kenneth made a run for it, and I almost felt sorry for these two if he got away. It was rumored that Declan O'Brien didn't suffer fools gladly, so I couldn't see him appreciating his men getting duped by the likes of Kenneth Swanson.

"Go after him!" the shorter one yelled, giving me my opening as soon as the taller man took off after Kenneth.

Kicking my leg high, I knocked the gun from his hand, and unlike those stupid female characters in the movies, I knew better than to rest or give the man a chance to collect himself. With him still trapped in shock, my right leg came up, kicking him with enough force to send him flying against the kitchen counter. As soon as he fell to the floor, I wasted no time with grabbing a knife from the utility block, then ramming it into his gut, twisting it as it punctured his stomach.

Blood immediately started pouring from the corner of his mouth, and his brown eyes were wide with disbelief, but that's what you got when you underestimated your opponent, something that Cian had taught me never to do.

Standing up, I looked around, and with no sign of Kenneth or the other guy, I pulled the knife from the dying man's body, then stabbed him one more time for good measure before leaving him on the floor to bleed out, taking the knife with me.

After placing the bloody knife in my purse, I grabbed the guy's gun from where he'd dropped it, then waited just inside the doorway. With or without Kenneth in tow, the second guy would come back for his friend, and he was going to be in for a world of surprise when he found out that I knew how to shoot any gun that you put in my hand.

After what felt like an eternity later, I finally heard him call for his partner. "Ren, where are you? The fucker got away."

Two steps inside threshold, I jumped out from behind the door, then shot him in the head before he even knew what hit him. His large frame hit the floor with a thud, and it really amazed me how two of O'Briens men could be so easily taken over. Like his friend, he had underestimated me, assuming that Ren would have no trouble taking care of the likes of me.

Little did he know, there wasn't anyone like me.

Cian had made sure of that, and thank God.