14. Knox

14

KNOX

We’ve tracked Nick via satellite and from the pings on Kali’s phone, but the bastard is smarter than any of us gave him credit for. He’s transferred cars and then arranged for a second car to be transported by train in an enclosed container. They will be arriving in Arizona the next day, at least they would be if the train was going to travel without interruption, but I don’t have any intention of letting the train cross state lines.

Nico and Carter, along with some of my guys, have been able to stop the train, and before it even comes to a complete stop, I’m climbing up the train and running down the length until I find the container I’m looking for.

Dylan, Bear, and Aiden haul open the heavy metal doors, ready with sniper rifles to take out Nick if need be. We’ve been under the assumption he’s worked alone this whole time, but who knows at this point. They’ve all been instructed to shoot him if they get a clear shot.

My heart plummets, and I can’t breathe as I take in the bloody scene in front of me.

Kali is sitting with her back against the wall. Her feet are duct taped together at the ankles. She’s holding a jagged piece of metal in her bloody grasp. There’s blood on her shirt and even some on her face.

“Kali!” I yell, and my voice doesn’t even sound like me. I’m terrified she’s dead; she hasn’t moved, and she’s just staring at the ground, no recollection in her eyes.

I move in closer to her. “Kali, honey?”

She blinks and looks up from the floor. “Knox! Oh Knox, I’m so sorry I lied to you.” She drops the weapon, and tears streak through the blood splatter on her face.

Nick is dead on the ground in front of her, stabbed multiple times. Blood is everywhere, and there is a stab in the heart and the blade is still there, a pocketknife.

Kali looks at the dead body but jerks her head away. “Can you get my knife for me?”

“Where’d you get that?” I ask as I pull the knife from the man’s chest. Normally I would leave it and follow protocol, but I can’t tell Kali no. I wipe it on my pant leg and close it up before handing it to her.

“That guy that bought my car gave it to me in case I needed it. I had forgotten about it, but it was in my pocket.”

Thank God , I think. What would have happened if she didn’t have it ? I lift her up in my embrace, and she winces. I hold her easily to me, but I don’t let her go. “You got him, Kali. Thank God you’re all right.”

I don’t want to let her go, but I know she’s going to need help down from the train. Bear is below me, and he’s so tall I can reach her down easily. “Hold on, baby. Bear’s going to help me get you down, but I’m coming after you.”

She doesn’t respond, and I’m trying not to freak out by how quiet and withdrawn she is.

“I got her,” Bear grunts, holding his arms out to me.

I bend down and help her into Bear’s arms. As soon as he has her and moves back, I jump off the platform to the ground with them. “Here,” I say to him.

He puts her back into my arms, and I hold her against me. She’s covered in blood, and I don’t know where she’s hurt.

“I need to take you to the hospital and get you cleaned up.”

Finally, she seems to wake up. “No, I’m fine. Don’t leave me.”

I press my nose to the side of her neck and breathe her in. I can’t believe I almost lost her. “I’m not leaving you... ever.”

“Kali!” Nico hollers.

He and Carter are running down the track. I don’t even know how they were able to stop the train, but I’m glad they did. However, I was ready to follow it wherever I needed to go.

Nico stops, stunned when he sees that Kali is covered in blood. “It’s not hers,” I reassure him, and when he reaches for her, I know I have to let her go to him. He grips on to her until she moans. “Ease up, Nico. I’m not sure where she’s hurt.”

He looks at me over the top of her head. He’s mad. I know he is. He blames me for this because I promised I would protect her. “This is your fault,” Nico says.

I don’t try to argue with him. I’m already eaten up with guilt. “I know.”

“No!” Kali says and then pushes out of Nico’s arms and stumbles into mine. I grab her and hold her up. “No! It’s not Knox’s fault. I snuck out. He didn’t know.”

“Kali, baby—” I tell her, not wanting her to get upset.

“No, Nico, look at me. I’m alive. I’m okay.”

He nods and takes a deep breath. “Let’s get you cleaned up. You need to call your sister.”

She refuses to go to the hospital, so we sit her in one of the ambulances that is here, and I have Logan sew up the cuts on her hands. He’s the most meticulous of all of us, and when he was in the military he was a doctor, so having him around comes in handy.

We all stand around at the back of the open doors watching her, and she doesn’t even flinch as she gets sewn up.

“She’s tough as hell. Always has been,” Nico says.

“Hell yeah, she is,” Carter agrees.

“I know.” I turn to Nico. “I swear, Nico, I would die before I let something happen to her. She wanted to save the girl, and I should have known she wouldn’t have been able to sit by while someone else was getting hurt.”

Nico shakes his head. “No, I understand. She’s stubborn... just like her sister.” When he realizes he said that out loud, he looks over at Carter. “Don’t tell Anna I said that.”

At that moment, Kali lifts her head up. “Oh, I’m going to tell her for sure.”

“Come here, you,” Nico tells her, and she climbs out of the truck into his arms. I know that Nico and Carter are both married, but it still bothers me seeing them with their arms around Kali or when Carter is rubbing her back with his prosthetic arm.

I almost reach for her, but I don’t have to because she walks willingly into my arms. “Thank you, Knox.”

It’s almost like she’s telling me goodbye or something, but that’s not happening.

“You need to come back to the house and get cleaned up, shower, then you can call Anna. You guys are welcome to come, of course.”

Nico looks at Carter, and he’s nodding his head. “Sure, let’s do that.”

I talk to Bear and watch as Kali gives him a hug and thanks him. Bear smiles at her—at least it’s supposed to be a smile, but it looks more like a cringe. There’s paperwork and everything else that needs to be done, but Nash is on his way, and he’ll make sure that cleanup is handled.

I hold my hand out to Kali. “Let’s go.”

Kali

I’ve showered and talked to Anna. After her first initial yelling, she was okay when she discovered I wasn’t hurt except for the cuts on my hands. She asked me if I was coming to Arizona, but I don’t know what I’m doing at this point. I know what I want, but I don’t know if that’s possible.

Nico is sitting across from me on the couch. “You need to come home... to Arizona. Anna and Faith need to see for themselves that you’re safe. Your family needs you.”

Knox has barely left my side since we got here. I thought Nico was going to lose it when Knox told him he was going to help me in the shower. But Knox wasn’t backing down, and when I told Nico it was okay, he finally let it go. Knox hasn’t said much, and I know he feels guilty for everything, but he shouldn’t.

I look over at Knox, who’s sitting next to me. His thigh is warm and pressed against mine he’s sitting so close. I want to stay with him, but we haven’t talked about any kind of future. I’m still feeling tied up in knots about lying to him and seeing him so close to that bomb all because of me.

How can I already care about him so much? The way he sees me, like he knows me better than anyone else. Why didn’t I take the chance and tell him that sooner?

Knox puts his elbows on his knees and leans forward. “You should go to your sister.”

I open my mouth, but I’m speechless. I try to hide my disappointment and despair.

“Uh, okay,” I whisper.

Nico is looking at us, and even he is surprised.

Knox puts his hand on my knee. “But I’m going too.”

I raise my head to look into his eyes. Did I just hear him right?

“I can station anywhere.”

My mouth drops. “You’d do that? Just to be with me?” I can’t help asking. “What about your house?”

“We’ll rent it out or sell it. I don’t care. It never felt like home until you were here with me. I just know I want to be where you are, Kali. If you’ll have me.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on to him, but that’s not enough. I seize his mouth, claiming it in a passionate kiss.

He pulls back and looks into my eyes. “I love you, Kali.”

Even with Nico and Carter sitting with us, I don’t care. I climb into his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you too, Knox.”