Seductive Knight (24 page)

Alex forced a smile. Gawain nodded, then turned his attention back to what Bors was saying.

“Knight men are overprotective, Alex,” Addie said. “One of the many ways they show their love.”

“I attest to that,” Taylor piped in. “But, we’re going off the track here. Something is bothering you, Alex. What is it? Maybe we can help.”

Alex sighed. “I shouldn’t worry about what other people think of me, I know. It’s just sometimes, I can’t help it. Nanni, the woman who helped raise me took a duty of educating me. For years, she made me act proper at all times.”

“Why?” asked Edmund.

“To earn people’s respect, so I wouldn’t end up like my mother. She was a prostitute. Her words meant nothing to anyone. Not to the police, judge, anyone. It was the reason why we left. No one would believe her story that a man came in to our house and she defended herself against him. Except for my dad. Anyway, I made a promise to my mom and Nanni that I would never do anything that would make people think that I’m not a respectable woman.”

“Ah, that explains the reason why you were so proper when you and Edmund met at the airport.” Kirsten smiled. “He told me.”

“Yes. My being proper, I’m afraid, didn’t last. You see, it didn’t even take a day before I broke my promise. Because…because…”

“Because Gawain kissed you,” Julie finished.

Alex felt her cheeks grow warm. “Yes.”

“Percival threatened to kiss me during our first meeting. And he did. Even though I smelled like a pig,” Addie said dreamily. “I stayed in the convent for years, promising to become a nun, but as soon as I was out, Percival and I were humping like rabbits.”

Alex couldn’t help it, she laughed with the women.

“Bors carried me across the street the first day we met and then I shared food with him. That same night, I fell in love with him.”

“And you called him a troll, Taylor,” Julie said, laughing.

“I did.”

“Tristan touched my hand the first time I met him in the hospital. You know, in the eighteen nineties, that could mean marriage.”

Alex shook her head. Not only the Knight men could lift anyone’s spirits up, but the women.

“So you see, Alex. Kissing Gawain on your first day back in the US doesn’t mean you’re bad. There is nothing wrong with what you’ve done and are doing. And if anyone judges you based on your recent actions, I say fuck them.”

“Yeah!”

“Fuck them!”

“Screw the sons of bitches!” Julie, Taylor, and Addie said simultaneously.

“Whoohoo!” Kirsten clapped. “You all need your own curse jar.”

Just like that, she felt reborn. Nothing was wrong with sleeping with a man she’d been in love with for ages. Nothing was wrong in showing it through physical union.

Stories about each other’s first meetings were being shared when Edmund stood up. “I think someone rang the bell, Taylor. I’ll go check.”

It didn’t escape Alex’s notice when laughter left Edmund’s face and he reached under the towels to pull out a gun.

Tucking it behind his back, he said to them, “Stay put, ladies. Be right back.”

“Are we expecting trouble?” she asked no one in particular.

“Having a judge for a dad who created many enemies for being just, and an FBI Agent for a brother, we always expect trouble. That’s why we all learned how to shoot.”

“It seems I brought more trouble at your door, Kirsten.”

“Nonsense. Gawain stopped thinking about chicken rotisserie twenty-four seven and he hasn’t talked about his plane since you got here. What you brought is sunshine in my brother’s life.”

Alex’s heart thudded in her chest. “We’re attracted to each other, but I’m not sure if his feelings go as far as loving me.”

“In some ways, I’m sure my wonderful brother showed how much you mean to him.”

“He’ll surprise you. Just wait,” Julie said. “The Knights are a possessive lot. They take what they want.

You’re mine.
He said so, many times. Those were Gawain’s words, but he never said that he loved her. Alex was still mulling over the idea of Gawain being in love with her when Edmund came back. His brows were furrowed and he looked like thunder. He didn’t stop to tell them who was at the door. Instead, he gave Kirsten a quick glance, then headed toward where Gawain and the others stood.

* * * *

On the dock, Branyan produced a small Manila envelope out of his breast pocket. “Okay, like I mentioned on the phone, I got this package this morning. No name, no return address. Didn’t matter. We already know our guy.” He opened the envelope and pulled out an iPhone. “A note came with it. Listen to the last part of the conversation. Luke just solved the case.”

Percival, the tech geek in the family, played the recording. No one said a thing until the conversation ended.

“Fuck.” Percival handed the iPhone back to Branyan. “The Roses went through hell because of another Rose. Greedy bitches.”

Tristan shook his head. “Fucking sad. A lot of kids are living in a hell hole their families have created. And it is all because of money.”

“Where is Luke?” Gawain asked though all he wanted to do was kick the son of a bitch’s balls.

“He’s holed up in his mother’s house, my friend. He’s not going anywhere. He said that he’d changed his mind about the whole money thing.”

“What made him change his mind?” Gawain asked although what he also wanted was to find Luke and break his balls.

“The bastard finally realized what he had done and been crying his eye balls out.

“This doesn’t mean I wouldn’t fucking smash his face. He tried to sell Alex to those vultures.” Gawain spit the words like nails. “She trusted him.”

“I know, man.”

“Branyan, I wouldn’t trust his words. Something else or someone had made him tuck his tail. I’ll bet on it.”

“That’s my hunch, too, Bors, but we go with what we have. This recorded conversation between Luke, Frieda Perez and Lucrezia Rose will lead us to our mystery man. Outside of this circle, nobody else knows about the man. Not even the police. And yet, the Roses mentioned him. This is solid. We just have to make it bullet proof.”

Gawain couldn’t stop thinking about the what ifs and every possible horrible scenario if Alex had come back straight to her grandma and aunt’s arms. They could have hurt her. After all, she would inherit everything. And what if she’d stayed with Luke? The bastard would have sold her for half a million dollars. Fucking eh!

“I want to hang them all.”

Bors clapped Gawain on the shoulder. “I’m with you, little brother. I want their guts spilled for what they did to Alex’s family. She lost a mother and a father, friends, everything. All because of those mother fuckers. But we have to do the right thing. Like Branyan said, our evidence is not hard enough to knock them out.”

Gawain nodded.

At least Alex had enough for now to start living without wondering about that night. She would go back to the Philippines and he to work, do whatever it was he always did before she came back to his life. He had work to do and missed flying. Yeah, he’d go back to his ordinary life without Alex. The thought served as a heavy stone in his stomach. Who the fuck was he kidding? Nothing would be the same once Alex walked out his door. His imp had crawled under his skin many years ago. Now, she occupied his heart. What the hell was he going to do about that?

“You okay, little bro?”

Gawain took his gaze away from the water where he and Alex swam. He nodded at Bors. “Yeah. I’m fine. So what’s next?”

“We’ll pay Lucrezia and Frieda a visit.”

Edmund joined them. “No need.”

Since Edmund had become practically a member of the family, Bors had made it a point to inform him about the family situation. He briefed him about their dad’s philanthropic and unbiased work as a judge, which earned him numerous enemies, and Bors working as an undercover agent. He wanted Edmund to stay alert when around the family, especially when he was with Kirsten. He even showed him how to shoot. Edmund had also been briefed about Alex.

“What do you mean, Edmund?” Percival asked.

“They’re here. Including Miguel. They want to see Alex.”

Bors looked at Gawain. “Little bro, the past has caught up with Alex now. Time for her to shut one door and open another.”

“She may not be ready.” He glanced at Alex giggling with his sister and sisters-in-law. She’d been hurt, and more pain would come when she found out her friend and only living family had stabbed her in the back.

“She survived the first storm, rat. She can handle this next one. Especially with you on her side.” Tristan smiled at him.

“Hey, bunny. There is no turning around after this.
Everything
will change.”

Gawain knew. After this, Alex would most likely leave his home and move to her own house, or go back to the Philippines right away, or pick up pieces of her old life and then move on. He looked at his brothers and Branyan. They were all staring at him. Of course, things would change for him and Alex after this.

“Alex is a grown woman. Whatever she decides, I’m sure is good for her.”

“What about you? Are you grown enough to see her go?” Tristan asked with a serious face.

“I’ll not be in her way, T.”

“Because you love her that much,” Bors said matter-of-factly.

“Because I love her that much,” Gawain repeated. Fuck, yeah. He loved her.

“All right, guys. The rats are here and we’ve waited long enough. Let’s bring them in. Put them in the cage as soon as possible.” Branyan placed the iPhone back in the envelope.

“Perfect,” Bors grinned evilly. “I love it when the rats come out to eat the cheese.”

Chapter Seventeen

Everyone gathered around the picnic area. Taylor suggested that they should change and go in the house, but Bors would have none of it. He’d rather they meet the Roses in the back yard. He added that he would not spend time putting on his shirt for those piranhas. They’d already disturbed the picnic he had planned, he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of enjoying his air conditioned house.

While waiting for Edmund and Bors to bring the Roses and Miguel in the backyard, Alex paced in front of the picnic table and chairs.

Gawain watched Alex wring her hands.

Earlier, when Bors broke the news to her about Luke’s betrayal and Lucrezia’s connection to her family’s unfortunate demise, her shoulders sagged as if someone sat on them. And now, she had to face her grandmother.

“Babe? You want a drink?”

“What?”

“We have everything caffeine-free in the cooler.”

“No, thank you. My stomach is full of butterflies right now. If I eat, I might embarrass myself and throw up in front of them. Jesus, how did they know I’m here?”

“Baby—”

“Do you have a comb with you? I can’t believe they ruined my family.”

Alex’s accent was so thick, he could hardly get some of the words. She was so nervous. Gawain felt like punching anything. “You’re fine.”

Gawain looked at his family for help. They were all watching Alex.

“You have nothing to worry about, Alex. It is them who should quake in their high heels.” Addie smiled. As a habit, she placed her hand on her stomach protectively.

“Right, if they say anything bad against you, I’ll pull their hair and then drown them in the lake. I’ve never pulled a woman’s hair before, but there’s always the first time.” Kirsten nodded to punctuate her words.

“I’ll use their full names and horrible characters in my book and I’ll turn them into scullery maids cleaning chamber pots.” Julie waggled her brows.

Gawain could tell Julie was already thinking about the story. She was practically licking her lips.

“Just look them in the eye, Alex, and then flip them off. That’s what Percival would do, right, hon?”

Percival winked at Addie.

“Or, I could ask them questions,” Alex whispered.

Bors came back. Behind him were Lucrezia and Frieda. Miguel and Edmund trailed behind. Gawain wanted to smirk when he saw Lucrezia dabbling the corners of her eyes with a white handkerchief. Such a phony, dramatic witch, he thought. When he looked at Miguel, irritation bubbled in his chest. He didn’t like the way the man was leering at his sisters-in-law, Kirsten and Alex. Gawain’s brothers changed their stance as well. They, too, noticed the man’s insolence.

He didn’t like him right away. The man’s eyes made him think of snakes, and his smile looked conniving. He wanted to punch him so hard to break his teeth.

“Which one is my granddaughter?”

Gawain inched closer to Alex. Their arms touched. She felt warm, but shivering as if it was snowing outside.

Without accent or quiver in her voice Alex introduced herself. “I’m Alex. You are my grandmother?”

“Yes. Child, I am so glad to see you. You’ve grown. Remember your Aunt Frieda?”

“Yes. You weren’t at my tenth birthday party, Aunt Frieda.”

“I know. I didn’t think I should go, since it was a kid’s birthday party. Anyway, that was long time ago. I’m married now. See, this is my husband, Miguel.”

Miguel moved to stand beside Frieda. “Hello, Alex. I heard so many good things about you. Finally, I can put a face on a beautiful name.”

Gawain looked at Alex. Her color turned scary pale and she began shaking violently now. “Alex?”

“I’m sorry. I think I scared her. Must be the tattoos.” Miguel lifted his hands with his palms up.

Kirsten stood up, her eyes huge. Gawain shook his head at her, while Edmund quickly wrapped an arm around her.

“What’s wrong with her?” Frieda pointed at Alex. “She looks possessed.”

Miguel lowered his arms. The smile on his face disappeared. Slowly, he took a step back and then stood behind Lucrezia.

As if coming out of a trance. Alex closed her eyes and took deep breaths. When she opened them, they were blazing with hatred.

“Bors…”

“Yeah?”

“I told you there was something that I saw the night Mom and I took off for the Philippines but couldn’t remember what it was.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Now I remember. Spiders.”