by Penelope Sky
Dinner was quiet and uneventful. Catalina talked about rehearsals that week, and Richard hung on every word she said. Both men seem to be fascinated by her, teasing her but so proud at the same time. It made me wonder what Damien’s mother had been like, since her absence was constantly felt.
Damien was quiet, staying mute while the conversation continued. He enjoyed his wine and his dinner and stayed away from the bread basket in the center, not that there was anything in it since Catalina and I had demolished it.
After dinner, Damien and his father went to the other side of the room to play a game of chess. Richard stared at the board so intently as he thought about every move before he made it. Damien didn’t even try, which was impressive because he actually played pretty well. They left Catalina and me alone at the dinner table, enjoying the tiramisu because Damien didn’t want any and Richard wasn’t allowed to have sugar anymore.
“How’s it going with that guy?” I knew she’d gotten the man’s number at the restaurant and called him, but I didn’t know what had happened after that.
“Good. He’s good in bed, but he’s a dull conversationalist. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I don’t like to talk much either.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You talk more than anyone I know.”
“Well, I talk a lot to my friends. But guys I’m seeing? Not so much. I go out with guys for the D. Gossiping, shopping, dancing is reserved for only friends.” She took a small bite of tiramisu but left most of it untouched, probably because she couldn’t weigh more than a certain amount. Otherwise, her job would be in jeopardy. “I mean, are you really with Damien because of those long conversations over dinner? No. My brother is as dull as they come.”
I appreciated her friendship and I wanted us to remain close, but I didn’t want to bash Damien, especially when I didn’t agree with her insults, even if they were jokes. “He’s not dull.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure…”
“He’s not. He’s the smartest, most loyal, most interesting man I’ve ever met. He’s my best friend.”
“That’s sweet. But I still think he’s dull. And I also don’t think there’s anything wrong with a woman only wanting a man for physical reasons. That’s exactly how men are, wanting a woman for the weekend as a lover and nothing more. It’s how I feel about most men. They’re fun for a while…but then I get bored.”
I never got bored of Damien. And, even after a lifetime, I suspected I never would.
“So, have you heard from your douchebag ex-husband?”
I didn’t argue with her insult that time. Liam deserved it. “Not for a while. I hope that last interaction will make him cool off. He pretty much got his ass handed to him by a chick.”
“If he ever wants to go again, tell him he can call me.” She took another bite of her dessert. “So how are things going with Damien? I don’t want any details…if you catch my meaning.”
“Really good.” It was hard not to smile and think about the way I slept beside him every night, the way he kissed me goodbye in the morning before he left for work, the way we’d demolished that pizza together in front of the TV. I felt so right that I wondered how being with Liam had ever felt right.
Catalina studied me for a while, her brown hair pinned back into a pretty updo. “That smile on your face says it’s more than good.” She reached her hand out to my arm and gave it a gentle pat. “And I’m happy for you. I’m happy for my brother too because he’s been alone for so long, and the older he gets, the grouchier he gets, like an old man. He needed to find a good woman before it was too late.”
Damien was such a catch, and he could have any woman he wanted, regardless of his age. He was seeing a supermodel before I left Liam, and every guy wanted Charlotte to be the woman in their arms. I considered myself a major step down from her, but Damien wanted me instead.
“So, when are you going to be able to go outside? Because we should go get a drink sometime. I know you’re tied down now, but you can always help me pick up a sexy guy.”
I glanced at Damien on the other side of the room. He was focused on the game, figuring out the next move once his father finished his move. Whenever his father was taking his turn, Damien would watch him, as if he were trying to memorize his face so he could think of it when his father was no longer around. When they sat together, it was easy to see the similarities in their appearances. Both men had rugged jaws, hostile eyes, and strong physiques. Damien’s father was in his seventies, and he was still handsome in old age. It made me realize Damien would always be handsome as long as he lived.
“Hello?” When I didn’t respond, Catalina grew impatient.
I turned back to her, realizing I’d gotten so lost in my stare. “I really don’t know. If I step outside the house, I know Liam will try to grab me.”
“Then have Damien kill him. Problem solved.”
I didn’t want violence to be my only answer. Liam and I had nothing anymore, but I could never forget all our memories together. Allowing him to be murdered didn’t sit right with me, even if he was forcing me to take that violent path. “I can’t do that.”
Catalina watched me but didn’t press her argument. “Then you need to figure out something else to do. Because you should be out living life, not stuck in here like a princess locked in a tower. You should be going to work every day, going out for a drink with me every night, and just doing your own thing. You shouldn’t let a man take that away from you. I know I wouldn’t.”
We snuggled together on the couch while the movie played on the TV above the fireplace. I curled into his side with a blanket over my body. His body kept me warm like a heating pad, and the fire filled the entire room with heat, not that we needed it since it was summertime. We both just enjoyed looking at the flames. It was something we’d been doing since we met.
When the movie was over, I sat up and looked at him.
He seemed to know a serious conversation was coming because he grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “Yes, Annabella?”
“I want to talk to you about something…”
Now that it was quiet with the TV off, he stared at me with his striking green eyes, the flames casting a beautiful glow on his tanned skin. Whenever he was home, he was always in just sweatpants, and it was sexy to see him walk around like that all night. He regarded me with an intense expression, waiting for me to make my point. “Alright.”
“I know we haven’t talked about it much, but what are we gonna do about Liam?” I liked spending my evenings in this castle like I had no cares in the world. It was easy to pretend we didn’t have a problem. But this problem was only going to get worse the longer it was allowed to grow. “I don’t want to talk about him, but I want to find a solution. I want to go back to work. I want us to go out to dinner together. I want us to have more of a relationship.”
He processed all that with a blank expression, as if the mention of my ex didn’t anger him. “How do you expect me to fix this problem? I can’t kill him, so I’ll never be able to stop him.”
“There has to be another solution besides death.”
“There’s not.” He lowered his voice, which made him sound more serious.
“He hasn’t bothered us in a while…”
“Yes, he has. I just didn’t tell you about it.”
Slowly, I started to feel the dread growing in my stomach. I felt slightly betrayed because Damien had hidden this from me, but I knew he did it in my best interest. “What happened?”
“The usual. He threatened me, nothing out of the ordinary.” His sarcasm showed how annoyed he was, how exhausted he was that this was a recurring issue he couldn’t fix with his usual response. “He said I was the reason your relationship failed and I should step away so you guys can try again.”
“Oh my god…”
“He doesn’t get it. He keeps saying the same thing over and over again. His version of reality is so different from yours. I don’t think this is ever gonna go away. And the longer we do n
othing, the more likely it is that he’ll be able to take you.”
I didn’t want to believe Liam would really do that, but I didn’t know what to believe anymore. If he was going to get over this, it would’ve happened by now. The fact that he continued to bother Damien told me this was a problem with no solution. “I’m so sorry… I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry you have to put up with my baggage.”
The anger in his eyes died away. “Don’t apologize for that. It’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you. For better or worse, I’m here with you. We’ll get through this together, no matter what. I’m just frustrated that you won’t allow me to do what’s necessary to defeat this problem.”
“How can you sit there and ask my permission to kill someone I loved? Any other sane person would respond the same way.”
“Not if the person they loved the most were at risk.”
I studied his gaze for a few seconds, slowly realizing the implication of his words. “I hope you don’t think I don’t love you because I don’t want you to kill him. I hope you don’t think he means more to me than you do. If I tell you to kill him, you will. That makes me a murderer. Don’t you understand that?”
“I do understand that. But I also understand that every day I don’t do something, I become more vulnerable to an attack I can’t see coming. You’re giving him the upper hand by handicapping me. You’re directly putting me in danger.” He watched me with a dispassionate gaze, speaking with little emotion in his voice. There was a touch of resentment in his tone, obvious frustration, even when he tried to hide it.
“Damien, I would die if anything happened to you. That’s the last thing that I want. I love you…so much.” I moved closer into him and cupped his face. “If I had to choose, I would choose you over him in a heartbeat. But don’t make me kill somebody, anybody, especially a man I spent half a decade with. I just can’t tell you to kill him…I can’t. Please understand.” My hands slid from his face as I looked for a sign of sympathy or understanding.
It was there…but so faint I could barely see it. It was like a dim light in a cloud of fog. There was illumination, but it would never be bright enough to pierce through.
Thirteen
Damien
I didn’t like the situation we were in, but I’d have to be naïve not to understand it. Annabella was as gentle as a spring flower, as harmless as a butterfly. She could never wish death upon anyone, even if they deserved it.
And I loved that about her.
I had to understand it wasn’t about him or me. It was about her. And if he came at me with a bullet, knife, or fist, I’d just have to do my best and kill him first. If given no other choice, she would understand. Somewhere down the road, his demise was inevitable. We both knew it.
We’d deal with the consequences later.
Annabella was asleep beside me, wearing one of my t-shirts with just her panties underneath. Her hair was all over the place, my pillow, the sheets, and everywhere else, leaving her fragrance soaked deeply into my belongings. Sometimes she would sigh in her sleep, her lips slightly parted and so sexy. She would roll away to the other side of the bed, but at some point, she’d reach for me, making sure I wasn’t too far away. She washed her face before bed every night, and I loved her plain look. Charlotte had to be caked with makeup to look anything like she appeared in magazines, but Annabella was stunning on her own. She never seemed to understand that, no matter how many times I told her.
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and looked at the time.
I had to leave.
I slid from the bed as quietly as possible, doing my best to limit the creak of the wooden frame and the mattress. Once I was on my feet, I stepped into the closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before I went to walk over to grab my wallet from the dresser.
Annabella was up in bed, sitting against the headboard as she looked around with sleepy eyes. Her gaze was focused on the bathroom, but when she heard me emerge from the closet, she turned her gaze on me. Once she realized I was dressed to go out, the concern emerged. “What are you doing?”
I’d hoped to slip out and come back in without her noticing. But I blew that. “I have to take care of something.”
“At this time of night?” She leaned over and looked at the clock sitting on my nightstand. “It’s three in the morning.”
“My job never sleeps.”
“Well…when will you be back?”
I moved back to the bed and sat on the edge. This was the reason I hadn’t wanted to be with Annabella in the first place. My life had dangerous tangents. There were times when I wouldn’t come home for days, nights when I would sneak out the door with a gun tucked in the back of my jeans. There would be nights when I killed people. I didn’t want her to get mixed up in that. “Before you wake up.”
Her eyes suddenly fell down, visibly disappointed. But she didn’t make an argument or guilt-trip me for leaving her so abruptly. “Please be careful.”
“I’m always careful.” My hand moved into her hair, and I stared at her for a while, treasuring the moment even though we would have so many other good memories in the future. This beautiful woman wanted me to stay in bed with her instead of attending to business. It was all I’d ever wanted.
I just hadn’t known that until recently.
“Get some sleep.” I leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the lips, a gentle touch that was purposely superficial. Anything more than that would get me back in bed again.
I grabbed my wallet and keys and headed to the door.
“Damien?”
I turned back around, my hand resting on the doorknob.
“I love you.”
Paralyzed by her sincerity, I watched this woman love me with naked eyes. Those words always pierced me right through the heart. Every time she’d said it in the past, I’d always felt like shit because she should love someone better than me. But I would work harder to be a man worthy of her love, worthy of the heaven between her legs. It made me feel so much. And it made me want to leave her even less. “I love you too.”
I took care of a few things at the lab, collected a payment from my distributors, and I prepared my own payment for the asshole I despised.
I’d had a strong month, lots of sales, lots of drugs. The cash was stuffed into two black duffel bags set on the rug in front of my desk. Sometimes I considered skewing my numbers so he could collect as little as possible. But if he called my bluff, there would be repercussions. He had eyes and ears everywhere, so my secrets weren’t safe. And now that I had someone to protect, I couldn’t risk her for anything, couldn’t make a single mistake for fear of her safety. My vendetta against him was officially over because I couldn’t do anything about it. The risk wasn’t worth the reward…not anymore.
He announced his presence obnoxiously, like always. “You came prepared this time.” His heavy footfalls were audible even on the thick rug. “Good job. You get an A for the day.”
I sat in my chair behind my desk and watched him saunter inside like he owned the damn place. There was so much violence in my blood, wanting this man dead for so many reasons, but his arrogance was the biggest reason of all. I despised myself for giving in to his demands, for rolling over like a fucking dog. But I knew I didn’t have any other choice.
He crossed his arms and glanced at the two duffel bags on the floor. “Looks like you’ve had a good month. Or should I say, we’ve had a good month.” He kicked each bag, as if that was an accurate way to count the cash inside.
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his bullshit, so I stayed quiet at my desk.
With his arms still crossed over his body, he stared at me as if he’d asked me a question that never got a response. His bright-blue eyes were the only kind feature he possessed, a pretty color that probably made women go weak. Everything else was rigid, hard, and thick like steel. He was in a dark blue t-shirt and black jeans, his thick muscles filling out everything he wore. “You’re no fun ton
ight.”
My fingers scratched against the scruff of my jawline as I dragged my hand across my lips. “Take your money and go.”
He pressed his thin lips tightly together. “Bad day?”
“No. It didn’t go to shit until you walked in.”
He chuckled and looked from side to side, as if people were standing there with him, mocking me along with him. “You really hate this, don’t you?”
“Would you enjoy being robbed?”
“Trust me, if I were robbing you, you’d know. You wouldn’t have a cent in your pocket right now.” He moved to the doorway, snapped his fingers, and two men came inside and picked up the heavy bags of cash. “And this is my money. I earned this shit, asshole.”
I fantasized about shoving a knife through his throat all the way to the back of his skull. His body would go limp first. His eyes would turn dull quickly afterward.
“Maybe your life would be a bit easier if you weren’t screwing another man’s wife.” He turned to join his men in the hallway.
I didn’t react to his statement initially, but after a few seconds, I understood the implication of his words. My heart started to beat fast as if a battle was about to rage. Even my palms were a little sweaty. I jumped out of the chair and followed him out the door. “What the fuck are you trying to say?”
He took his time turning around, and when he showed his face again, he was grinning like he enjoyed how this had played out. “It means what it means. You aren’t my only client. Everybody in this town is my fucking client.”
Annabella had mentioned the Skull King once before, that he did business with Liam. I never put too much thought into it until now. Heath was already a major enemy of mine, but if he was teamed up with Liam, I had a serious problem on my hands.
“All you had to do was pay me.” His smile faded away as his gaze became hostile once again. He’d never forgive me for using his own brother against him, for embarrassing him in front of his soldiers. This wasn’t about money. It was about so much more. And I was going to pay for it. “But you didn’t. You thought you were better than everybody else. But you’re the worst one.”