Keep Her From Harm Read online

  Forty-eight hours later

  The last person Damian expected to see was Rick, especially dressed up in a suit with no trace of his uncle around. Usually Rick was the good boy. The one that was always teasing. He’d only ever seen Rick with Mandy, and from what his father and Stuart had told him, that wasn’t the case anymore.

  Rick sat behind the wheel as they all got strapped in. “Right, here is an update on shit. Ruby’s friend Lewis has pinpointed that the call came through from an Ivan Smith.”

  “What?” Damian asked.

  “How about you guys get me up to speed as we take a little detour toward the townie that got my brothers arrested? Jail does not look good on either Stuart or Maddox, and with them locked up, it means I can’t be home with my wife,” Rick said.

  “Why didn’t you bring Mandy along?” Abel asked.

  “She doesn’t need to witness what is about to happen. From the moment I met Mandy, I promised myself I wouldn’t continue in this life. She deserved a man who was like her, a man who didn’t have a darkness inside him. Now come on, tell me everything you know.”

  So they did. Among all four of them, they told Rick everything they needed to know. Whenever they went quiet, he would click his fingers demanding attention. As soon as they were finished, he started.

  “So Ruby got in touch with Lewis, the computer genius, and the moment Gabriel here entered the warehouse, the call was placed within seconds. It came from an Ivan Smith. Now Ivan Smith has gone missing. Yeah, I know. But he’s also been placed with this Westbrook guy. Now I know Westbrook. Anyone met him?” Rick asked.

  “Yeah, I did. He’s got a scar down his face.”

  “It’s not the only one he’s got. Several years ago, when Mandy was here, we went to a bar, and as she was ordering us some food and drink, Westbrook approached her. Told her that she’d be a damn good candidate to be fucked by a bunch of men for the net. I was a good little boy, told him to fuck off, and finished date night with my brothers and our women. Anyway, to cut a long story short, no one says shit like that to my woman. I went back, and he now wears my mark. I cut up his ugly face, and cut off his nipples for good measure. I know him. His MO was what I did to him. My guess, the fucker has been having a beef with the Dentons because of me. I’ve got no problem with that. I’ll finish what I started.”

  Rick pulled up outside of the club in the town where Damian first met Mia.

  “If he’s not here, why are we here?”

  “Because I want to pay a visit, and now is the time to get a message across,” Rick said.

  They all climbed out of the car.

  “Wait,” Damian said. “What about the others? We can’t leave them in jail.”

  “We won’t. Again, Lewis, computer nerd, is working on it. He can trace those two girls, their last movements, and he’s got access to the security footage. They’ll be out as soon as he can prove it wasn’t them,” Rick said, moving forward.

  “Wait, what about the cops on our side?” Abel said.

  “How the fuck do you guys get anything done?” Rick asked. “Does Maddox wipe your asses after you take a fucking shit?” He pointed at all of them. “You get things done by acting. Your brothers, father, and uncle are in prison for two murders they didn’t commit. Act now before they think for a second they can build up a case. There is no fucking way I’m going to stay and deal with this shit longer than I have to. Now, let’s go and get some answers. The cops are not here to help you. Don’t worry about them.” With that, they followed him toward the strip club that Damian himself had visited, hoping to find someone willing to end his fucking life.

  Rick kicked the doors open without using much force, or if he did, it didn’t show. One man charged at him, and Rick slammed the man’s head against the wall. Damian never seen his uncle in action, and he was shocked exactly how strong and deadly he was. He, Abel, Landon, and Gabriel hadn’t lifted a finger.

  With two men dead, Rick stood in the center of the room. “Now we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Where’s Ivan Smith?” One man stood and was about to run when Rick grabbed a chair, and threw it at him. Gabriel was on the man, knocking him clean out.

  Picking up one of the guns, Damian pointed it at one man as his brothers did the same, giving Rick the backup he needed.

  “You’re going to fucking die,” the big guy said.

  Rick laughed, grabbing the man’s shoulders and shoving his head through one glass table, after another. “Sorry, didn’t fucking hear you.” When that wasn’t enough, he pressed the man’s face against the glass until he was screaming. “Wow, you do make it look like I’m hurting you. I’ve not even gotten started.” There was no emotion on Rick’s face, and it startled Damian.

  The uncle he had known was nowhere to be seen.

  His uncle used the big guy to completely trash the club, throwing him around as if he was nothing more than a rag doll. Blood dripped on the floor.

  “You know what, I’m bored.” Rick grabbed a gun and shot the one that Gabriel was guarding. Two other men dropped, and then he pointed the gun at the man. “Tell me!”

  The one Abel held down whimpered. “He was called by Westbrook. He’s gone to the Westbrook casino.”

  Rick smiled, and shot the big guy in the face, causing the guy who’d blabbed to scream. The big guy fell down. Everyone was dead, apart from the guy who’d spoken up.

  “Good boy,” Rick said. “Now, you’re going to go to Westbrook and to Ivan, and you tell them that Rick Denton is coming to finish what he started!”

  ****

  Mia rushed into the bedroom to find Damian standing there. She’d heard him arrive, and had been with Martha and Reese at the time. Charlotte was taking care of them. Seeing him standing there in his suit and just looking like himself, she rushed toward him, throwing her arms around his neck.

  “You’re back.” He held her tightly, his mouth pressed against her neck. She closed her eyes, basking in his arms wrapped around her. “I was so worried.”

  “I’m out, but it’s not over, not by a long shot.”

  She pulled away, and he cupped her cheek, staring into her eyes. Mia stared into his brown ones, and then she looked at his neck, and at his shirt. “You’re covered in blood.”

  “We didn’t kill those girls.”

  “I know. They, erm, they showed the bodies once. I think they’ve stopped showing them now, but I recognized the damage that had been done.” She frowned. “There was a woman a couple of years ago. She had the same marks and stuff. She was dumped in a park near where I lived. I told the lawyer, and Lewis, all of this information. I hope it can help.”

  “I can’t keep this shit from you. I wanted it to be different, but like all things that is related to my life, it’s fucked up. I’ve run myself a bath.”

  “I can sit with you. Let me know when you’re decent.” She was just so happy to have him back. The past couple of days had been the hardest of her life. She had found herself waking in the middle of the night, and missing his presence. He didn’t know that she’d caught him watching her sleep. Sometimes he fell asleep, and she would lie in the bed, watching him.

  When it came to Damian he inspired feelings she had believed were dead. She would stand in the shower, washing her body, and she’d touch her shoulder or her stomach where Damian had touched or grazed, and she’d feel a stirring, a tingle that awakened her entire body, making her want his touch again.

  She waited for his call, and it came seconds later. Entering the bathroom, she froze as she caught sight of his naked body. She had known his was a large, muscular man, just not as big as he actually was. His shoulders were large, thick, and there were several tattoos up and down his arms. Her mouth went dry.

  Feeling like a moron, and getting aroused just by seeing his naked chest, she forced herself to take a seat. Rubbing her hands together, she smiled.

  “You like what you see?” he asked.

  Her cheeks heated. “Please, don’t.”

 
“It’s nice to know that you like what you see.” He winked at her. “I certainly love what I see. Love it when you wear jeans.”

  “Why?”

  “It shows your ass off to perfection. Whenever I see you bend over, it’s hard to not just stare.”

  “Because it’s huge?”

  “No, because it’s sexy as fuck, and makes me think of doing stuff that you’re not ready for.”

  Her pussy grew slick, and she pressed her thighs together, licking her lips. “Wow,” she said. “What makes you think I’m not ready?”

  “Ivan.”

  “He doesn’t get to control me, Damian. I’m a big girl.” She felt his gaze slide down her body. “We can come back to this. You wanted to tell me something.” They needed to stay on track before she lost herself. There was a lot of shit happening all around her. Now wasn’t the time to think about her personal needs.

  Needs she had thought had long gone.

  “The Dentons are a name that instills fear in a lot of people but also a lot of respect. We’re in drugs, women, money, and anyone who wants to set a business up in our city, has to come to us. We control everything, and we get our cut. You once asked me if I’d killed anyone, and the answer is yes. To be a Denton, you have to prove your worth. I’ve fought, I have killed, and I have done a great many things for my family, and to make the world safer, in a way.” She had figured most of this out. “The thing is, there is a curse or a legacy. It’s known as the Denton family legacy. There is a great deal of speculation about it. Some think it’s a pile of bullshit. Others believe it’s our weakness, and I guess in a way they are right.”

  “You have a weakness?” she asked.

  “The moment we see a woman, the woman that is meant to be ours, we know. She is the woman we will love, desire, respect, and just be devoted to. I know to a lot of people that’s far-fucking-fetched, but guess what? It’s the truth. My brothers, Jacob, Abel, Oliver, and even Landon have gone through it. My father feels it for my mother. I never felt it for Betty, but she was aware that there would be a woman out there I loved more than anything else in this world.” He paused, and she watched as he swallowed. “I never lied to her. I always told her the truth. It didn’t matter though. It wasn’t enough. I could never love her like she had seen my brothers love their women. She wasn’t mine, and I accidentally knocked her up, Mia. You think I’m a good man, and I try to be. I fucking try, and I’m not good. I’m like Ivan. The only difference is I wouldn’t rape a woman to get what I wanted.”

  She was shocked as she averted his head, and he wouldn’t even look at her. He rubbed at his eyes, and she just knew that he was crying. She really didn’t have a clue what to do. Men didn’t cry, did they? They never showed weakness, and yet Damian started to cry, snot-nosed ugly crying. His sobs filling the room, and breaking her heart, bringing her own tears to the surface. Unable to watch his pain any longer, she went to the bath, and climbed in, not even thinking what she was doing, and just knowing she had to do this. Straddling his waist, even though he was very much naked and she was dressed in jeans, she wrapped her arms around his neck. This was nothing sexual. Even as tears slid down her cheeks, she held onto a sobbing Damian. She felt the guilt coming off him in waves, and it broke her heart to see him this way.

  “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re fine. Everything is going to be fine.”

  “I thought she could handle it, Mia. I really did. I didn’t mean to get her pregnant, and I didn’t give her false hope either. I was real with her.”

  She closed her eyes imagining the torment he must have been through ever since he’d found Betty dead. It was too much to even think about, and had her heart breaking for him.

  “You can’t blame yourself, Damian.” She cupped his face. “You’re not the one who made promises you couldn’t keep. You were honest. You can’t blame yourself for that.”

  “She’s dead because of me.”

  “No. You were honest with her. You gave her everything that you could, and there’s no shame in that. This is not you, Damian. You didn’t tell her to kill herself. You didn’t expect anything like this. You cannot blame yourself.”

  “How can you even look at me, Mia? I’m a monster.”

  “I’ve seen monsters, and I’ve been with monsters. They don’t make me feel like this. You’re a good person, Damian.” She had known for some time exactly what the Denton family were. They were the kind of people that monsters were afraid of, and yet, she had seen and heard so much good about them. The guys who watched her talked often, and there were times she would sit and listen to them. Obviously, they didn’t know she was close, or if they ever knew, she didn’t know either way. “You’ve got a beautiful daughter. I will always be your friend, Damian.”

  He stroked her cheek. “You’re the woman, Mia.”

  “What?”

  “The moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. You’re my woman, and I’m totally in love with you.” Then he grabbed the back of her head, pulling her down for his kiss. She didn’t fight him though. Sinking her fingers into his hair, she took the kiss that she had been thinking about for some time now, loving the feel of his lips against hers.

  Chapter Nine

  Later that night when the tears were all gone Damian lay beside Mia, touching her cheek. They hadn’t fucked, or made love. Instead, she had held him as he cried, and then kissed him back. Running his thumb across her lip, he stared into her eyes, knowing without a doubt that he was the luckiest man alive.

  “You love me?”

  “More than anything you will ever know.”

  That made him sad, but he knew that in time she would love him. He was going to be sure to love her for the rest of his life.

  “I’ve never been loved before.” She touched his hand, and smiled. “I like you, Damian. I don’t know if I love you, but I want to. I want to be loved and to have everything I’ve seen your brothers have with their women. Am I presuming too much?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all.”

  “Is it always like this? Being arrested, thrown in jail?”

  “No, it’s not. With everything that has happened in the past year, we’ve dealt with our own stuff. Our family has always been at the top of the food chain. Someone decided to take our spot, and rule the city. This is our own fault. We’ll fix it.”

  “Can you walk away?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. We’ve always kept a semblance of peace in our city. We pride ourselves on the protection we provide for everyone, even the women that work for us. Those two women that died, that should never have happened, and we have all learned from our mistake. It will never happen again. That I promise you.”

  “You don’t need to promise me anything, Damian. I know you mean everything you say.”

  “How are you handling all this?” he asked. “You must have questions.”

  “I’m doing fine. You shouldn’t worry so much about me. Yes, I’ve been through a lot, but so has everyone else.” She smiled. “This is all surreal to me. You love me, and I can see it. The way you look at me, how you helped me.”

  “Even if I you weren’t mine, I wouldn’t have stood by and watched you be hurt. I saw the fear in your eyes and the disgust. I would have helped you, Mia.”

  “You’re a dream come true.” He saw her eyes glisten even as the tears didn’t fall. “My mom was addicted to drugs, and many nights I would lie awake listening to the men grunting as she fucked them for money to get her next fix. Some of the men would slap her around all the time. I would lie in my bed, or sit on the stairs outside of our apartment, and I would pretend that somewhere out there was someone looking for me, that one day they were going to love me more than anything else in the world, and I would spend days just hoping that when I found him, it would be something I always hoped for.” She stroked his cheek. “I may not have the same feelings as you with the intensity that you felt when you saw me, but all my life I’ve been hoping for someone like you. You’re my dream come true
, Damian.” With that, she pressed her lips against his.

  “You’re the bravest woman I know.”

  She smiled. “I’m not. I’m just a survivor.”

  “And that is what makes you brave. Everything you’ve described, it sounds like a complete nightmare to me at times. My father, he was a hard ass, but he loved us. I knew deep down that he did, even as he taught us hard lessons in life.” Just thinking about his father reminded him that he had to get them back. Rick hadn’t wanted to rest but he also saw that there was only so much they could do within one day of getting out, and Rick wanted his message to reach its target.

  “What’s wrong?” Mia asked. “You disappeared there.”

  “I’m just thinking about my father and brothers locked up there, and Uncle Stuart.”

  “Do you think you’ll get them out?”

  “Yeah, we have to.” There was no way his uncle was going to take over and run the Denton family business. His father told him that if needed they would have to hold Rick back from being put in jail. He was a law unto himself, and would likely cause more damage to his own reputation before this was over.

  Becoming a doctor hadn’t tempered the monster inside him. Only his wife Mandy had. Mia closed her eyes and began to yawn. “I’m so sorry. I feel so sleepy.”

  “Then get some sleep, baby. You don’t have to worry about a thing.” He pressed another kiss to her head, and watched as she started to fall asleep. It wasn’t long before she passed out, and sleep took her. For several minutes he watched her, loving the peace that washed over him. Spending time away from her was an agony he couldn’t begin to describe. Abel, Jacob, and Oliver had all felt the same way, and he wondered if this was the same feeling Landon felt.

  It was crazy. When sleep wasn’t easy to come by, he made his way out of his childhood bedroom, which had changed over the years. There were no large posters of movies he loved or even calendars of naked girls. He’d been a classic teenager, and his bedroom had gone through many transformations.

  Leaving the bedroom, he made his way downstairs, and found light coming from his father’s study. For the first time in his life, he actually missed his father, and knew jail wasn’t the place for him.