Chained Desire

Chapter |19|

K N O X ' S P. O. V

I feel the heavy slung of Aaron's knuckles ram into my face again and again. I don't bother to fight back, but instead welcome the pain, knowing that with each deserved punch, his anger directs towards me and away from her.

Caitlin gasps somewhere in the background. I imagine Kiara pulling her back, knowing we need this right now.

My eyes swells at the socket, my jaw aches as another punch cracks down on it. "Aaron!" I can hear Kiara warn. It's enough to cause him to pull back.

I cough, rolling onto my side to spit blood out onto the floor. My tongue runs over my teeth which are thankfully still all intact, but f**k that s**t hurt.

"Get up." The mafia boss in him orders.

Gripping the edge of the fireplace, I haul myself into standing. All my muscles burn at the joint, still recovering from last week's beat down. Caitlin is sitting down, Kiara's arm wrapped around her waist.

It almost brings out a smile, knowing Kiara who's known for being a cold b***h still has love in her heart for Caitlin. That's what she needs right now. Family.

"Caitlin explain everything from the start."

"Okay," She glances at me, pain circling inside those blue orbs that I wish to soothe away. "Just don't hurt him again, please." He nods, but I know the promise is circumstantial. If Aaron doesn't like what he hears then I'll probably end up down in the cellar on the hanging hook.

Maybe he'll even feed me to the tigers.

"I thought running away would solve both our problems. You guys would be free of me and I would be free to do whatever the f**k I wanted with less judgement. It was really bad at first. I couldn't myself, ended up racking up a big debt. I tried to deal drugs to earn back the money but just ended up buying more. Eventually I went to prison for five months, forced to get sober and when I came out, there was a massive debt to be paid off. I owed it to Geneva."

"Geneva?" He exclaims, looking at me. "Wasn't that the shady ass pimp who owned the strip club?"

"Yeah, same guy."

Aaron clenches his jaw, biting down on his tongue like he senses where this s**t is going. "In order to pay it off, I had to work for him. There wasn't really another option. I worked at the club for a long time as a stripper, weirdly it helped me with my sobriety. I didn't want to be high or drunk incase someone tried something on me, but these past few months...he made me work as an escort."

Kiara's grip on Caitlin tightens as if trying to protect her from it all. "As in dates or—"

She shakes her head, rose blooming on her pale cheeks in embarrassment. "I didn't have a choice." Her voice breaks at that, and she begins to sob. Kiara pulls her in and I almost c***k the marble in two as I force myself to stay put.

It's as if her tears cause me to bleed inside. Never ending anguish that won't subside until she's okay. Aaron though...his face crumbles, and he staggers back, shielding his face away from us.

I watch the tears that splash down his cheeks. I watch a man so strong and fierce break at the pain his little sister has suffered.

"Don't be sorry," He finally croaks out. Wiping his face, he sinks onto the other side of Caitlin and draws her in.

Like she's a child again, she rests her head on his shoulder, both of them sobbing and clinging onto each other as if it's some cathartic healing process.

Kiara untangles herself from Caitlin, moving her hands so they rest on Aaron instead. She slowly moves towards me, observing the scene as I am. With her polished nails, she dabs at the few tears that fall, and then turns to me, "I think we should give them some privacy. Clean you up." I know it's not an offer but an order.

Nodding, I force myself to follow her to the kitchen, reassuring myself that Caitlin's safe now. She's at home with her family. It's strange, the absence that's felt without her. Over this past week, we've practically been attached at the hip, sleeping together in the same bed everynight though we haven't even f****d.

Yet still, that's an intimacy I've never shared with anyone else.

Kiara opens the freezer to grab the cold pack . She throws them to me, a little harder than needed, barely looking me in the eyes. s**t. That's definitely not a good sign.

I wince as I press the cold pack against my face, and I swear that I see her lips twitch up. "How are you?" I say, attempting to test the waters.

Her sigh expresses it all - emotional exhaustion, anxiety, fear, pain. "I think the problem was that we never saw her as we do now. As an adult. We treated her like she was fragile, especially at the beginning, convincing ourselves the drinking was just what kids do. Like we did."

"No-one could have predicted that." I think Caitlin began drinking long before anyone really noticed it. I've fallen victim to the drink before, I should have noticed but I was too busy in Scotland trying to sort out the family business. Too busy to focus on the family here.

"I should have. I should have done more. I met her when she was eight, she was the best kid, so understanding and mature. Then when I married Aaron, she was twelve and by then I already saw her as my own, but I also knew that she wasn't. She was my sister-in-law, and even though I helped raise her, I thought what she needed was that. A big sister. I let her get away with murder, even when Aaron was mad at her for doing stupid s**t, I always had a soft spot so I'd convince him to let her off. I think that was a mistake. I think it made her believe we didn't care. What she needed was a mother, someone to take on that role, didn't she? Watching Anastasia go through the same motions of life Caitlin did at that age...I think sometimes the drinking and the drugs was for attention. She wanted us to punish her, she wanted to be seen, but I made a mistake. I let her off, I thought that was the right thing to do and it wasn't and now...oh god, the things she has been through because of that...I can't even imagine it. Forced to f**k for money? Oh my god, what the hell did I do to her?"

"Shh," I drop the pack on the counter and wrap her in my arms. Her body trembles in my grip, so I. hold her a little sister, knowing she's trying her best to stifle the tears. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Aaron's, and it wasn't hers. The bastard who took advantage of Caitlin, who forced her into this deserves this guilt. This pain, and I promise you, that I'm gonna make him feel it."

Hiccuping, she pulls back, grabbing a tissue from the dispenser to dab beneath her eyes. "Geneva? I've heard Aaron talk about, I thought you guys had a plan to get him indicted?"

"We did, but he figured out who Caitlin really was. Shredded the documents and then obviously the place got burnt down, along with any proof."

"So he's still alive?"

"For now, with half a burnt face, but I'll find him."

"Only if Aaron lets you live that long. Jesus Knox, I don't know how to calm him down from this. I think only Caitlin can save you."

I chuckle softly, shaking my hand when she offers me a beer from the fridge. "You sure? It's cold."

"I know but all of this...I think Caitlin needs support right now. Going sober with her might help her out a bit." Kiara and Aaron rarely drink, especially after Caitlin left. In fact, I know Kiara must have bought the beer because Kai came around.

She tilts her head to the side, as though I'm her next meal. "You're sweet on her. I saw the way you looked at her when she was crying, I saw your hand tighten like you wanted to reach out. I heard the need to protect you in her voice. Is there something else you want to share? Something that might earn you a visit with Draco."

Not that f*****g tiger. He growls at me everytime I go anywhere near him or Anastasia, being extremely protective of its owner. I wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction of eating me - I bet I taste delicious too.

"I haven't f****d her if that's what you're thinking."

"I know you haven't. Your conscience would eat you up. You want to tell Aaron that you like his little sister...maybe even love her."

Love? f**k. It's been easy to avoid that, no-one has ever come close to securing that from me.

But now...

"It's complicated, but I care about her Kiara. I really f*****g do."

"I know that," Her gaze softens but it's the pity in her eyes that screws me up inside. "You're a good man Knox. Aaron knows that and he won't kill you for doing what you thought was best for Caitlin, I mean you got her back here, but this is too much right now. Don't tell him just yet, and let her heal first. Jumping into a relationship is the worst thing for her."

"No offence but how would you know the right thing for her." I snap, immediately regretting my words as hurt flashes in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"No you're right, but I know what's best for Aaron. Finding out his 35 year old best friend wants to date his 22 year old little sister who he has just found again will destroy him. He'll hurt you and that will break him and Caitlin even more."

I turn away, battling with my own conscience and my heart. Caitlin is what I want, what I need, but am I what she needs?

"Just promise me you'll wait. Let her get settled back into life, let us figure out how to deal with that creep of a pimp and let them heal together."

That's what I want. Aaron and Caitlin to be okay.

Nodding, I try to put on a smile. "You thinking of mutual therapy for them?"

She laughs, "Probably have to drag Aaron there but yeah, that might be good for them both."

I glance back out of the kitchen door. I can barely see them on the couch together but I can Caitlin laughing amiss her sobs. "Do you think we should go back out there yet?"

"No, let's just wait until they find us. I promised Isla cookies, and you're gonna help me make them."

I give her a salute, nodding. "Yes ma'am."

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A/N: Thoughts on Aaron??

Is that how you thought he would act?