A Pound of Flesh (A Pound of Flesh #1)(134)

“How old were you?”

“Six.” Carter cleared his throat. “Within two years, my mom was dead,” he continued. “And I was being sent to boarding school via my mother’s wishes in her will. My father, he just went along with it …” Carter trailed off, clearly uncomfortable.

“I was thrown out of most of the schools I went to. I hated every f*cking minute. If I wasn’t thrown out of school, I ran away. The older I got, the more I came to understand that if I made a big enough noise, caused enough shit, the more likely it was that the Fords would have to deal with me instead of shipping me off in the hopes that I’d never come back.”

Kat’s hand rubbed circles on Carter’s shoulder. Her heart broke wide-open for the small boy within the man before her.

“I don’t know how he was with you, Kat,” Carter said, “but Austin Ford is dangerous. He’s selfish and greedy.” Hate lit his irises. “And it makes me f*cking sick that he’s been anywhere near you.”

“I’m sorry.” What more could she say?

Not caring where they were, Carter wound his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry I scared you.”

“You didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.” Carter rubbed his palm over the small of her back. “And I’m sorry. I’m just …”

“I know.” She knew how hurt she would be if the circumstances were reversed.

He pressed his lips together. “The idea of you being with anyone makes me wanna tear the city up,” he confessed. “But him?” He shook his head slowly. “Thinking that you’d been with him f*cking killed me.” His heart thrummed under her palm.

“I’m with you,” she whispered. “I promise. I don’t want anyone else.”

His eyes burned. “I don’t want anyone else, either. It’s so perfect when it’s just us, away from all this shit.”

Kat fought through the haze of delight his words brought, thinking carefully for a moment. “You know, I have a friend … Ben.”

Carter’s brow furrowed, menace skipping across his face. “Ben? A friend, huh? Should I be worried?”

Kat brushed away the deliberate anxiety wrapping his question with a roll of her eyes. “Hardly. He’s a lawyer, among other things.” She bit the inside of her mouth. “He could help you. With Austin.”

“How could he help?”

Kat chuckled. “Ben could find dirt on just about anybody. That’s his job.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he could find something you could use against him.”

Carter’s lips twitched. “Fight fire with fire, you mean.”

“It’s worth a shot, right?”

Carter considered her offer. “I know Austin has been known to do business with some dodgy f*cking characters. Adam has always been the one to clean up his shit.”

Kat smiled. “That sounds like Ben’s forte.”

Carter regarded her carefully. “You’d do that for me?”

“I want you to have what’s rightfully yours. You deserve that.”


His exhale shook from him. “You’re something else, you know that?” The pad of his thumb whispered across her bottom lip. “Thank you. I owe you.” He paused. “Maybe I could do something for you.” He nibbled his lip adorably, hesitant. “We could— I could take you … I mean, do you— What, um, I was wondering. I … Dammit.” He rubbed his face. “I’m shit at this.”