Possession (Club X #3)(37)
Author: K.M. Scott

“We usually get a better class of people here. Anyway, I’ll get Simone downstairs as soon as Janie gets her sewn into her costume.”

“All right. I’m sure Abbi will be fine. Just tell Simone to lay off the cake from now on.”

“Got it!”

Samson ran back to get Simone ready as the fifth floor began to fill up with members waiting for their rooms. Booked solid all night, the fantasy rooms would be busy right up until closing, but my focus was on Mason’s brother two floors down. Checking the monitor, I saw Cash close the door behind him, leaving Jethro on the couch to wait for Abbi.

Inhaling, I took a deep breath of the lingering stench of his cologne and watched as she entered the room. She’d never interacted with any of the members before—something I hadn’t considered until that moment—but she gave him one of her sweet smiles and introduced herself. The first notes of music filtered into the room, and on cue, she closed her eyes and began dancing.

Her white dress flowed gently as her hips slowly swung left and right. Just as the first night I saw her perform, she enchanted me. The intoxicating mixture of innocence and sensuality never failed to take my breath away. She was beauty and sweetness, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I saw Jethro respond to her just as every other member had, leaning back against the couch to stare up in awe of her dancing just for him. That she danced only for me was our secret.

Abbi turned her back to him to perform the section of her dance that involved her teasing members with her gorgeous ass and shy glances. Always a favorite part in the past, it seemed to make Jethro unhappy. Leaning forward, he frowned, but when Abbi looked back and smiled at him, he appeared to like what he saw.

Then as I watched her turn her back on him again, he lurched forward and grabbed her so quickly she cried out in terror. In a second, I was running down two flights of stairs, pushing people out of the way as my fear of what he was doing to Abbi took over. I tore down the third floor hallway, threw the door open, and what I saw made me go blind with rage.

Jethro’s fucking hands grabbed at Abbi’s body as she screamed for him to stop. I ripped him off her and tossed him across the room. She fell to the ground, but I followed him and slammed my fist into his face, crushing his nose as I held him down on the floor. Blood squirted from his face, covering my hands, and I reared my arm back again to smash my knuckles against his cheekbone. His jaw shattered beneath my fist, but still I didn’t stop. Over and over, I pummeled him, governed by a singular need to hurt him like he hurt her.

I didn’t know when he stopped fighting back—he’d landed a few punches but I didn’t feel them—but at some point I realized he was little more than a ragdoll. Hands pulled at me to let him go. I couldn’t. I couldn’t stop even though his blood covered me and he’d stopped fighting back.

Finally, I heard Abbi screaming for me to stop. I turned to see her crying and instantly dropped Jethro’s lifeless body to the floor to go to her. Cash and Stefan tried to hold me back, but I easily pushed their hands from my shoulders and took Abbi in my arms.

Sobbing, she sagged against my chest and whispered, “I didn’t mean to do this. He just came at me.”

Her words made my hands ball into fists again. She hadn’t deserved what that fucking pig had done, and now she was apologizing. I ran my hand down her back, trying to comfort her. “You did nothing wrong, angel. Don’t talk. Shhh. I’m here, angel. I’m here.”

I felt a hand on my arm and turned my head to see Cash next to me saying something. His words sounded garbled, like he was talking underwater. Finally, they began to come through loud and clear. “Kane, what happened here?”

“He grabbed Abbi. I stopped him.”

Mason entered the room and pointed his finger in my face, barking, “You’ll pay for this and not just with this club!”

Lunging at him, I reached out to grab that fucking finger to break it off, but Abbi and Cash held me back while Stefan pulled Mason out into the hallway so I couldn’t get at him too. Abbi begged me to stop, quietly pleading, “Kane, no more. Please no more.”

“Cash, I’m taking Abbi home.”

He looked back at Jethro lying all bloody and broken on the floor and then at me. “The cops are going to want to know what happened. Mason’s not going to help with this.”

“I don’t care. I’m going home. Handle this.”

Abbi buried her head in my chest, and I huddled close to her as we walked her out to my car at the back of the building. Blood ran off my hands and arms, covering her white dress wherever I touched her. At the car, I stopped and slid out of my shirt for her to wear so she wouldn’t have to look at blood all the way home.

She stared up at me as I wrapped it around her shoulders. “Are you okay? There’s so much blood, Kane. Are you hurt?”

Shaking my head, I smiled. “I don’t think so. Wear this. It has less blood on it.”

I began to button it to cover her, and she stopped my hands. “You’re always covering me with your shirt. I need to know you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, angel. As long as you’re not hurt, I’m fine.”

Abbi caressed my cheek with her palm and gave me a tiny smile. “I’m worried, Kane. I don’t want you to get in trouble for this. I can’t stand the idea of that.”

“I’m fine. Cash will take care of it. Let’s go home and get you cleaned up.”

I knew that was a lie. If Mason’s brother died, I’d be arrested and charged with murder. If he lived, at the very least I’d be charged with assault. Either way, there was little chance Mason could be bribed out of making sure I saw the inside of a prison again.

Abbi held my still blood-covered hand as I drove to the house, apologizing the entire way there. This wasn’t her fault, and no matter how much I knew I should be sorry for what I’d done, I wasn’t. He’d hurt someone I loved and gotten what he deserved. I wouldn’t be sorry for that.

That’s what a man was supposed to do. A man should protect the woman he loves, and that’s what I did. I wouldn’t apologize for taking care of Abbi.

She leaned her head against my shoulder and said quietly, “Kane, I’m worried. What’s going to happen?”

I softly kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry. No matter what, we’ll be okay.”

That promise I could live up to. Even if the worst happened and they ended up putting me away for what I did, Cash and Stefan would make sure Abbi was taken care of. When all was said and done, they were my brothers and whoever I cared about they cared about.