I decided to try and call his bluff. “Scott’s on his way, you know. He just rang me and said he knew you were in town and that you would be coming to the house. He knows you’re working against him.”

His body stilled, but only for a moment. “You’re full of shit.”

Yes. But it’s worth a shot.

“No, I’m not.” I stood straighter, challenging him.

He advanced on me, his face a mask of rage. “Don’t fucking lie to me!” He towered over me and I shrunk a little. Bourne was a large man, and I had no doubt that if he wanted to, he could take me out with very little effort.

I had to be all in or all out. Shaking my head, I said, “I’m not lying. Call him and suss him out if you think I’m full of shit.” Anything to stall him.

Staring at me for a long moment, it seemed like he finally decided I might be telling the truth. He pulled out his phone, but right before he could make the call, a loud banging sound came from the back of the house.

Bourne’s head snapped up and he shoved his gun in my face. “Stay here.”

I nodded my agreement as I gulped back my fear. “I will.” My shaky voice seemed to please him and he grunted as he stalked away from me.

My legs collapsed underneath me and I let myself fall onto the couch.

Please let that be Scott.

“What the fuck?” Bourne yelled in the kitchen, and I prayed again that it was Scott.

“You didn’t expect me, did you?” It wasn’t Scott, but I was pretty sure I’d heard that voice before, even though I couldn’t place it.

“This has nothing to do with you, King,” Bourne raged.

“I’d say it has everything to do with me considering I’m the fucking president of the mother chapter.”

“You don’t want to mess with me,” Bourne threatened.

“Fuck, Bourne, how dumb are you? Your ego is about ten sizes too big for you, and that there is your main problem. Come and play in my playground with the big boys and you’ll see how truly little you are. Only reason I haven’t dealt with you yet was that I had other shit to take care of for my own club. But I was hardly going to let Scott deal with you when I wanted the satisfaction of slicing the neck of the man who tried to double cross me.”

I stood in the doorway between the lounge room and the kitchen and watched their interaction.

Bourne’s eyes widened at King’s statement. “How…how did - ”

King cut him off. “How did I know you double crossed me? I told you, I play with the big boys and not much gets past us. I’ve got contacts everywhere and they kept me informed on what you were up to.” He leaned in close to Bourne. “I fucking run half of Sydney’s drugs and I’ve actually got a good relationship with the crew that run the other half. We don’t take kindly to men who try and steal that shit away from us.” His gaze flicked to me and I flinched under it. King oozed darkness. “I also don’t fucking like it when you threaten women. That deserves a little extra pain.”

I watched as King pulled his knife out and stabbed at Bourne’s dick.

Oh, God.

My hand flew to my mouth as Bourne’s blood-curdling scream filled the house. His face scrunched up in pain and he bent at the stomach as blood soaked through his jeans.

I experienced a mixture of horror and satisfaction, and it felt wrong to be kind of satisfied at his pain, but after being threatened by two men in the last two days, I was all for them hurting.

King grabbed hold of the back of Bourne’s neck and dragged his head back up. He held him so that his neck was exposed and I sucked in a breath when he placed the knife blade against his skin.

Running the blade lightly across his neck, he drew a small amount of blood. “Did I ever tell you how much I love the sight of blood? Other people’s blood. That shit turns me on.” He pressed harder against Bourne’s neck, drawing more blood this time. “Fuck, I could cut patterns on skin for hours.”

Bourne whimpered under King’s knife, and that only served to excite King more while he continued to draw blood.

And then King’s phone rang, and it seemed to jolt him from his blood lust. “Fuck,” he muttered. Eying me, he asked, “Anything you wanna say to him before I kill him?”

I pulled my shit together and closed the distance between us. Looking King in the eyes, even though he scared the hell out of me, I said, “Thank you, there is something I want to say.”

His mouth spread into a smile. Lifting his chin at Bourne, he said, “Go ahead, gorgeous. Have at him.”

I turned to Bourne and slapped his face. Hard. Twice. “Fuck you, asshole, and the horse you rode in on.”

King’s smile twitched and I was certain he was trying not to laugh. I raised my brows at him. “You said I could say anything.”

He nodded, barely containing his laugh. “I did.”

“Well, that was what I wanted to say.” I stepped away from Bourne.

“I see what Cole sees in you,” he murmured.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. And now I am going to leave you to do whatever it is you’re going to do, but can I ask you a favour?”

He chuckled. “Do I have a choice?”

“I’d prefer not. Can you do this somewhere other than near my kitchen table, please?”

His smile finally turned into a laugh. “Only because you used your manners,” he said with a wink.

I watched as he hefted Bourne up and led him out the back door. Bourne’s neck was a masterpiece of cuts and blood, and I figured King was about to make a huge mess. And that didn’t even bother me. I liked the fact he was ridding the Earth of another piece of shit.