The Sound of Salvation (Deliverance Book 1)

by I. A. Dice

  “I told you to stay away from her!”

  The overprotective brother instead of being overprotective and worried about the rapidly deteriorating condition of his sister, was simply furious. He watched me and Nadia as if he couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

  He probably couldn’t.

  Too bad he couldn’t prioritize either—calming Nadia before hitting Thomas.

  Nadia took a step forward when Nick charged at me, but his expression told me he was ready to throw one of his sorry-ass punches at my face, so I pulled Nadia behind me just in time for Nick’s fist to connect with the left side of my face.

  “You slept with her?! You slept with my sister?!”

  Scorpio jumped to his feet and grabbed Nick by the shoulders. He meant well but made things worse. Nick, like an enraged bull, fought to break free, murder on his mind. He sucker-punched Scorpio under the ribs and jumped at me like a crazy rooster, taking a fistful of my shirt and pinning me to the nearest wall.

  “Let him go!” Nadia and Mel cried in sync.

  “Don’t,” I said, looking at my best friend’s face hovering inches from mine. “Go on, hit me.”

  He had to unwind and to be honest, I deserved a black eye. I went behind his back, and that was low even for me. Self-preservation instincts pushed me into action, but I suppressed my reflexes.

  Truth be told, I thought he would let go, but I underestimated his rage. He threw his hand back, then forth, and landed a neat blast on my jaw. And I had to admit that pissed-off Nick punched like a boxer.

  He let me go and turned toward Nadia. Tears stained her cheeks, but she tried to pull him away from me. Courage left her when Nick took a step forward, his fists clenched, steam coming out of his nose.

  She stopped fighting, she stopped crying. She froze, staring at her brother and choking back tears.

  “You let him fuck you?!” Nick roared, grabbed her arm and yanked her closer. “You’re…”

  I didn’t let him finish. Whatever was to spew from his mouth would trample Nadia’s self-esteem and give her one more reason to cry. I grabbed Nick by his shirt and pulled hard. He let go of Nadia, landing with his back on the table. Chips and drinks flew to the floor, but Nick scrambled to his feet and swung at me. This time I didn’t try to suppress my reflexes. I dodged, then hit his face with all I had.

  “You touch her again, and I’ll break your fucking hands,” I seethed, then turned on my heel and cupped Nadia’s face. “You okay?”

  She nodded, looking over my shoulder. “Get me out of here. Please.”

  I took her hand and led her outside. The last we heard before we closed the door was Scorpio trying to convince Nick not to chase us.

  CHAPTER 25

  NADIA

  Jealous

  “Good morning,” Thomas whispered, kissing the soft spot behind my ear.

  I peeked a little. He was dressed, his hair damp from a recent shower. I cringed at the sudden onset of a headache. No wonder. I had cried myself to sleep in his arms, and I hadn’t uttered a word since we left Nick’s house.

  “Hey. What time is it?”

  “Almost ten. I rang James to tell him you won’t make your morning appointment. He said he’s got the afternoon free if you want to see him later.” He kissed my forehead and moved away so I could sit. “How are you feeling today?”

  Another cringe. “I have a headache. Why aren’t you at the office?”

  “I’m not going in today. Nick needs time to cool off and it’ll be better if he doesn’t see my face so early in the morning.” He handed me a cup of coffee, then opened the drawer in the bedside table, and took out a box of paracetamol. “You need to eat something.”

  “I’ll throw up if I eat.” I tugged on his hand, until he got the hint, and laid beside me, hiding me in his arms. “I’m sorry about Nick. I knew he wouldn’t be happy about us, but I can’t believe he hit you.”

  “I can’t believe it hurt. Don’t apologise for him. When he sees what you mean to me, he’ll apologise himself.”

  “Have you thought this through?” I cocked my head to kiss his chin, internal shivers touching every one of my organs. “Are you one hundred percent sure I’m what you want? Because I’m yours if you want me, Thomas. It’s pointless to delude myself that we’re just physical when we’re so much more. I just need you to really think about this, because what you saw so far is just the tip of the iceberg, and I want you to…”

  “And breathe,” he cut in the same way he did seconds before he kissed me for the first time. “I have never been so sure of anything in my life. You were mine the moment I laid my eyes on you at the airport. You just didn’t know it then.”

  “Now I do.” I nuzzled my face in the crook of his neck and sighed, the emotions that accompanied me last night gone. “Don’t cheat on me.”

  He chuckled softly, then more when I smacked his head.

  “My reputation doesn’t speak in my favour, but cheating is the last thing I would do.” He rested on his elbow. “You’ll have to be patient with me, baby doll. I’ll make mistakes while I learn how to take care of you.”

  That one sentence was enough to melt me. I stretched and made myself comfortable, hugging the pillow.

  “If you’re not going to the office, we can stay in bed all day.”

  “We do have a party to attend tonight. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss hearing Aaron live again, and I have to be there.”

  A pang of dread settled over me at the thought of seeing Nick, but one kiss pressed to the crown of my head pushed the worry aside.

  Nick couldn’t hate Thomas forever. He just needed time to process the information. After all, they were best friends and business partners. Nick cared about Thomas more than any other friend he ever had, and I had a feeling his anger was in part triggered by fear. He was afraid to lose a friend if my relationship with Thomas didn’t last the same way I feared to lose Amelia when she started dating my brother.

  “Next week, while you’re in Barcelona, I think it might be a good idea to employ two bodyguards to keep an eye on all of you.”

  I sat up, hoping I misheard him. “You’re joking, right? No way!” As if I would let him hire two vultures to report our every move back. “You can’t. Promise you won’t.”

  “If anything happens, we’ll be a thousand miles away.”

  I put my finger to his lips. “We’ll be fine. Do you see me trying to sneak spies into your party?”

  He laughed pulling me back to the previous position. “Spies? You plan on doing something I wouldn’t be happy about?”

  “No, but I can’t speak for the other girls. I can’t let you control me. I lived through it once, and I’m not doing it again.”

  He pulled my chin up. “I’m not trying to control you. I just need to know that you’re safe.”

  “I will be. I won’t mix, and I’ll text you throughout the night that we’re fine, and I’ll stay out of trouble.”

  “And if anyone bothers you, get the bouncers involved.”

  I kissed him, but a simple peck wasn’t enough. He teased my bottom lip, then sank deeper in my mouth, igniting my senses.

  “Compromise,” he muttered. “That’ll take some getting used to.”

  ***

  If there was anything I learned about Thomas during the last few weeks of mind-blowing sex, it was his fondness of my bare neck and back. He caressed the line of my spine, and worshiped it with kisses every time, so for Aaron’s party I settled for a simple, elegant, backless dress. We would be surrounded by a crowd of perfectly proportioned blondes, and I needed Thomas to think about the bedroom only when he looked at me.

  I stood in front of the mirror in the hallway, finishing off with gold earrings when Thomas entered my apartment. A fitted, three-piece charcoal suit hugged the tall, muscular perfection that was his body.

  He stopped two steps in, sizing me up. “Remember what you said about me having to work on my asshole persona? You would change your mind real quick if
you could hear the thoughts that’ll scream in my head later when every guy at that fucking party eyes you up.”

  “We don’t have to go. I have Netflix and wine.”

  A sad smile crossed his face. “I need to go, baby. Nick won’t risk making a scene with all the paparazzi there.”

  I wouldn’t bet my money on that.

  The party was held at Grande, a club around the corner from C&G Records. Almost two hundred guests crowded the space, and waiters walked around the room with champagne on silver plates. I snatched a glass the moment we entered, expecting some sort of a power display on Nick’s part. He was a Grimwald, and we rarely backed down.

  “They’re by the bar,” Thomas said. “Come on.”

  “You want to go there? He hit you last night. I doubt he’s ready to shake hands, Thomas.”

  “Avoiding him won’t help. He needs to see us together, baby doll. He needs to know I care about you.”

  “Do you now?” I chuckled, but it came out nervous.

  He pulled me closer and closed my lips with an affectionate kiss in the middle of the crowded room. “Like you can’t imagine.”

  My heart picked up pace with every step we got closer to my unpredictable brother. I liked to think I knew him well, but this time I couldn’t guess his reaction

  Nick chatted to Aaron with his hand around Mel’s waist. He seemed relaxed, but the moment he saw us approaching, his shoulders tensed, and a frown replaced amusement. He held Thomas’s gaze for a moment, then turned his head, and pulled Mel into the crowd.

  “Told you he wouldn’t make a scene,” Thomas said, disappointment in his voice.

  All day he acted as if Nick’s lack of approval didn’t bother him, but he couldn’t fool me.

  I squeezed his hand. “He’ll come around. I promise.”

  “Nadia!” Aaron cheered, charging at me like a bull, and drew me in for a hug. “Nice to see you again. I hoped you would visit me.”

  “I’m sorry; I’ve been busy.”

  “Well, the offer stands if you’re ever in need of live entertainment.”

  “I’ll bring her in on Monday.” Thomas pulled me closer, marking his territory. “You’re in all day, right?”

  “Right,” Aaron mumbled, and shook his head as if shooing away unwanted thoughts. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

  Nicholas re-emerged from the crowd pissed off.

  “Nadia, a word. Now.”

  Mel stopped behind him, panting, and wide-eyed, and Thomas chose that moment to kiss my temple.

  Don’t push it.

  “Go,” he whispered. “I’ll wait here.”

  Nick led me through the dancefloor and out the emergency exit to the back of the building. I took the opportunity to light a cigarette.

  “Don’t be mad at Thomas, Nick. At least not just at him. We’re both guilty.”

  He scoffed and took the packet from my hand. “You’re my sister, and he’s my best friend. He had no right to touch you. He’s a player, Nadia. He treats women like trash. You’re better than that!”

  Better than a one-night stand with a guy I just met? Yes, but it wasn’t just one night, and it was never meant to be only one night, no matter what I told myself. I wanted Thomas since the first time I saw his cinnamon eyes, but I fought the feelings with all my might.

  “He cares about me. I’m not like the blondes, and you know it. I care about him, too.”

  “He’s not good for you, sis. I don’t want you to get hurt. He might care now, but it’s not enough.”

  He coughed inhaling the smoke but got better by the time he was halfway through the cigarette.

  “It’s a start. He makes me happy. He makes the huge hole in my heart heal. I know I’m asking for much, but try to accept it, okay? He doesn’t let it show, but he’s upset that you’re not talking to him.” I butted the cigarette in the ashtray, and kissed Nick’s cheek. “Don’t worry, I won’t come crying to you if this doesn’t last.”

  “I know you won’t. You’ll get my wife drunk instead.”

  With that, he turned around, and entered the building. I stayed behind and lit up another cigarette. Nick wouldn’t forgive Thomas at the snap of my fingers, but the fact he chose to talk to me meant he wanted to forgive him. He just needed time.

  CHAPTER 26

  THOMAS

  Permission

  Thirty-two toddlers ran around a function room I rented out for Maya’s birthday. A large, pink and blue bouncy castle filled sixty percent of the floor space, and whatever was left was occupied by the sugar-rushed kids.

  Parents were either squashed by the walls, or tending to their spawns’ every whim, and I stood by the door with Richard like cheap security detail, stopping the wild bunch from escaping.

  “One hour down, one to go,” he shouted to me, despite standing four feet away. “I’m going to get a drink You want something?”

  Giggles, screams and squeals filled the air.

  I couldn’t hear my own thoughts. I pointed to the bottle of water in my hand. “I’m good.”

  “Maya’s enjoying herself.” Claudia took Richard’s place, grinning. “And you look like you’re having fun too.”

  “Don’t I just. I’ll be glad if my head doesn’t explode by the time we’re done here. How can they make so much noise?”

  I took my phone out to check for messages from Nadia who rose bright and early and went on a shopping spree with Amelia to find the perfect dress for the wedding.

  A few messages waited on the screen, and I smiled, flicking through the pictures of my girl wearing different dresses. A dark green one caught my eye—fitted at the top, and loose at the bottom. I sent her the picture back, and within thirty seconds I got a reply.

  That’s the one I bought. We’re at Nick’s, he still has a lot to say about us.

  Call me if you need me.

  “You’re smiling,” Claudia said, her eyebrow raised. “You’re smiling at your phone. Is it a girl?” Her voice rose to a high-pitched squeal, and her eyes widened. “You’re seeing someone?!”

  “Kind of. It’s complicated.”

  She came closer, excitement in her eyes. “Why didn’t you say anything? Who is she? Why isn’t she here? I want to meet her! Why is it complicated? Come on!” She shoved me away. “Tell me something! Tell me everything!”

  Then let me get a word in.

  Why are women so prone to piling the question marks one on top of another until they run out of breath and ideas? One question at a time, please. Men aren’t great at multitasking and thinking about the answers to five different questions at once is multitasking: level hard.

  “It’s Nick’s sister, Nadia, and you’ll meet her soon.”

  Claudia frowned, not appeased, and opened her mouth to ask thirty-two supporting questions. I stopped her, feeling my phone buzz in my pocket. I fished it out, my muscles like stone at the thought of hearing Nadia’s teary voice if Nick decided to act like an asshole again.

  There would be fucking hell to pay if he made her cry.

  Instead of Baby Doll, I saw Amelia on the screen and my palms grew cold. She only called me when Nick and I hit the clubs after they argued.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Can you come over? Like, right now? I don’t know what to do. I think Nadia’s having a panic attack. She’s crying and shaking and won’t let anyone near her. I don’t know how to calm her down. Nick’s scared so he’s screaming, and she’s…”

  “I’m on my way,” I said, then looked at Claudia. “I have to go.” I jogged up to Maya and kissed the crown of her head. “I need to go sunshine, but I’ll pick you up one day and we’ll go to feed the ducks at Uncle Nick’s, okay?”

  She was too excited about the bouncy castle to get upset about me leaving. I pecked Claudia’s cheek before I pushed the double doors open, and hurried down the corridor, keys in hand.

  “What happened?” I asked Mel who patiently waited on the other side of the call. “Did Nick say something to her?”
/>
  “No.” Mel’s weak voice filled the BMW. “Ty called. He’s Adrian’s friend. They talked for about a minute, and she just started to shake and cry… What am I supposed to do? Call an ambulance?”

  “No. I’ll be there in ten. Tell Nick to stop screaming.”

  I pressed the pedal to the floor, rational thinking gone out the window, my only goal to get to Nadia as soon as possible. Seven minutes later, I jumped out of the car. Mel waited outside. She looked helpless, worried, and a little scared.

  “Where is she? Is she better? What the fuck did Ty tell her?”

  Her bottom lip quivered. “Nick hung up with him a minute ago. He called to warn Nadia that Adrian’s mother will be asking her to fly back to New York. Adrian… God, Nick called him yesterday and told him not to bother Nadia, and that she’s moving on, and he—he overdosed on sleeping pills. He almost died.”

  The guy gave “desperate men do desperate things” a new meaning.

  “They’re in the kitchen,” Mel added. “We tried to give her some of the Xanax she left here, but she’s not having it and Nick wants to take her to the emergency room.”

  I heard him as soon as Mel opened the front door.

  “Calm down! Please, Nadia. He’s fine! I spoke to Ty; Adrian’s going to be okay. I promise he’s okay!”

  The worry and desperation in his voice was almost palpable. I understood his reaction, but it made things worse.

  “I don’t know how to help you. Just tell me what to do.”

  Nick stood with his back to me in the middle of the kitchen, and something broke inside me when I saw Nadia. She sat on the tiles under the patio door, pale and trembling; rocking back and forth; staring into the distance with unseeing eyes.

  Her right hand was on her side, close to her heart, and her left hand held her right arm the way I taught her.

  Unaware of my presence, Nick took a few steps forward. He wanted to take Nadia’s hand or embrace her, but she pressed her back flat against the doors, and brought her trembling hands up to cover her face.