❥ KNOX'S POV

It has taken years for Knox to learn how to manage his temper.

Sadly, thanks to Finn's reckless actions tonight, he is now seconds away from strangling some poor boy to death.

When the boy's frightened brown eyes flutter shut and his arms go limp at his sides, Knox curses under his breath. He's gone too damn far. Again. He releases his vice-like grip from around the boy's throat, allowing him to fall to his knees and gasp for air. A million thoughts cross Knox's clouded mind at that moment. How the hell did this suburban ass kid get mixed up with a Jackal? And what was Finn even doing on this side of town?

That little shithead is such a magnet for trouble. Tonight's shootout resulted in the death of one of their own, and Knox is partly responsible for it.

"Sam said he'll be in here in five minutes." Cole approaches Knox slowly, his eyes darting between him and the crying boy at his feet. "Why do you want to take the kid back to the clubhouse? It'll be easier to put a bullet in him now and vanish."

Ignoring Cole, Knox squats to be level with the boy.

He's covered in blood and is quivering from shock and adrenaline. Fat tears run down his freckled cheeks, and his bottom lip is trembling so fast Knox is afraid it may very well fall off. The boy can't be as innocent as he looks. If he were, he wouldn't have gotten caught up with a one percenter.

"Did you know from the jump that your boyfriend was a member of The Jackals, or were you recently made aware?" Knox asks calmly, but the boy still doesn't respond. "Listen, kid. The sooner you talk to me, the sooner I'll let you go."

"Shaun wasn't my b-boyfriend."

"Huh. So you can speak."

"Fuck you!"

Knox chuckles when the boy meets his eyes, this time sporting a scowl on his face. "Tell me your name."

"Everett."

"How long have you and Shaun been hanging out, Everett?"

"A few weeks."

"Did you know he belonged to The Jackals MC?" Knox repeats, studying Everett's every move. "I've seen them chew up and spit out folks even more fragile than you. They're extremely dangerous bastards."

As if Knox can actually talk smack and pass judgment on others.

The Fallen Angels, his MC and second family, are no better than The Jackals. Both clubs lie, cheat, steal, and kill for money and power. The only difference between the two is that The Fallen Angels don't poison the land that they live on. They actually take care of and give back to their community.

Knox's proudest moment was when he helped Finn get off the streets and get clean almost five years ago. At the clubhouse, Finn began as a hangaround, then he graduated from a prospect to a patch member about three years later. None of it would've happened if Knox hadn't vouched for him to the President.

If only Knox hadn't done that, perhaps Shaun would still be alive, and The Fallen Angels' decade long rivalry with The Jackals wouldn't be escalating towards an all-out war.

So much for helping the needy.

"We've only been hanging out for a few weeks," says Everett. "What we had... it was just a stupid fling. I always knew he was a biker, but he never talked about his club with me, or even what his position was. I swear that's all I know!"

Dragging a calloused hand down his face, Knox sighs. "Let me tell you something important that you should know about me, Everett. I can't stand a liar."

"W-what do you mean? I'm not ly—"

Knox snatches Everett up from the ground to dig into his pockets. The boy is smart enough to not put up a fight. What Knox finds is a wallet, a cell phone, and a small USB. He tosses everything back except for the USB and phone. Everett's face pales and his eyes go wide. Knox growls when he speaks again.

"If it was just a stupid fucking fling, then how do you explain this?" Knox holds the USB high. "After I made it inside the club to survey the damage, I saw him pass this to you. His lips were running before he died. Word for word, I want to know what he told you. Lie to me and there'll be consequences, kid."

Everett blinks back fresh tears. "I-I don't know why he gave that to me, okay?! He didn't tell me what was on it, just told me to destroy it and run. He didn't want the cops to get a hold of it, so I took it. That's literally it. Can I please go home now?"

"Sam is here!" Cole announces after a black industrial van pulls into the alley and screeches to a halt. "Do you want me to take the kid, Knox?"

"No. Just ride my bike back to the clubhouse." Knox drags Everett towards the van and shoves him into the back. Stretched out on one of the bench seats is a bruised and battered Finn. Sitting opposite of him is a newly patched-in member whose name Knox has long forgotten. "Sit with Finn. We need this bench."

The young man obliges, knowing better than to talk back. After Knox and Everett take their seats, the driver speeds off into the night.

"Do you realize how badly you fucked us tonight?" Knox snaps at Finn, kicking him in the shoulder. He howls in response and sits up straight. "When I got the call that you were down here getting your ass handed to you, I had to cut the Pindell deal short and race over to see what new mess you made."

Finn rolls his tired eyes. "I'm a grown ass man, Knox! You don't have to come rescue me every time I get into a fight. God, I'm so fucking sick of the members calling on you to rat me out like you're my goddamn father every time I slip up and make a mistake—"

Knox leaps forward to backhand Finn across his swollen face, knocking him onto the floor. Everett gasps while the other member remains still.

This isn't the first time, and it surely won't be the last time, that Finn has forgotten his place and stepped out of line with a high-ranking member. He's a firecracker with no filter, but he's also extremely loyal and hardworking. The only reason why Knox hasn't killed him yet is because he genuinely cares about Finn.

Most days, he's the only person in the world who does.

"Mind your tone when you speak to me," Knox snarls. "I understand you're still riding high off getting your second kill tonight, but it'll do you some good to not forget your place. You'd still be out on the streets fucked up with a dirty needle plunged in your arm had I not intervened when I did, so show me some fucking respect."

Silence fills the inside of the van.

Finn slowly gets off the floor to retake his seat, his head bowed and ego shattered. He mutters a quiet apology to Knox, and neither speaks another word until after they pass through the gates of the clubhouse. It sits on a fifty acre property owned by Gavin Barnes, President of The Fallen Angels. He's outside to meet them when the van rolls to a stop.

Knox opens the double doors, dragging Everett along with him as he exits.

"Who wants to tell me what the fuck happened tonight at Club Inferno?" Gavin's dark eyes travel from person to person.

He's a tall and intimidating bastard, ninety percent muscle and covered in tattoos. His most impressive features is his beard. It's thick and hangs several inches past his collarbone. He secretly obsesses over it almost as much as he does his wife.

"You!" Gavin points at Finn. "What the hell did you get us into this time?"

"Pres, I—" Finn starts.

"He wouldn't be here if it weren't for me, so I take full responsibility for what happened," Knox interrupts. "We should discuss this further inside."

Gavin nods, then points at Everett. "Who's the kid?"

"He got caught in the middle of the shootout. He was close to the Jackal who died," Knox answers. "I'm going to get him cleaned up and then question him some more. In the meantime, give this to Mason and find out what's on it. I don't know if it's encrypted or not, but he can hack his way into anything."

Knox tosses the USB to a confused Gavin.

"The Jackal tried to get rid of it right before he died. Might have some important shit on there that we can use," Knox clarifies.

"Good work. Meet us at church when you're done with the kid." Gavin grips Finn by the back of the neck and then drags him inside the clubhouse. Knox follows, but he walks a different path with Everett.

"What do you plan on doing with me? I told you everything I know," Everett cries. "P-please don't kill me. This isn't how I'm supposed to die. Please just let me go!"

"No one is going to kill you, kid. Stop your damn whining, okay? It's giving me a fucking headache." Knox tightens his grip on Everett's arm, pulling him upstairs and into his massive minimalist-styled bedroom.

Shutting the door behind them, he pushes Everett into the bathroom after collecting a washcloth, a towel, and a t-shirt that could fit two Everett's inside of it. After passing them over to the boy, Knox crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe.

He can't remember the last time he had someone in his bedroom, be it a patch whore or a one-night stand. This would be way less intense if he made Everett use the bathroom at the end of the hall. But then that runs the risk of someone walking in on him mid-shower. Wait. No. That isn't Knox's problem. The fuck does he care? Simply put, he shouldn't.

And yet, for whatever reason, he's brought the boy into his personal space.

"You'll feel better once you get all that blood off you," Knox says, his tone a lot softer than before.

Everett scoffs. "I'll feel better once you drop me off at my house."

"That ain't happening tonight, so your options are to sleep with a dead man's blood on you, or strip and get washed up properly."

"Well, I'm obviously doing the latter, but not with you standing right here."

Knox laughs, scratching at his beard. "I don't know you, therefore I don't trust you enough to leave you alone. So, yeah. I'm going to stand right here and fucking watch your every move. Now get to it."

"This is so messed up," Everett mutters. He drops everything on the closed toilet seat before stripping down to his skimpy red thong. Knox whistles in appreciation. "Go to hell, pervert."

"Were you planning on getting lucky with that dead Jackal tonight?" Knox doesn't shy away from checking Everett out. The boy is attractive and slender with a little bit of muscle and not nearly enough fat on his body. A hell of a lot smaller than what Knox typically goes after. "Tiny as you are, I'm sure he would've ended up breaking you in bed."

"Guess I'll never find that out due to your psychopathic friend gunning him down."

"His name is Finn."

"I don't care what his stupid name is. I hate him and I hate you." Everett storms into the shower and slams the sliding glass door shut. He removes his underwear and tosses them over the top at Knox. They land at his feet instead of his head.

Knox chuckles. "Smartass."