“Then why didn’t you fight for me?”
He blinked, shocked at my question. “I don’t understand, I’ve always protected you, Esther.”
“Yes, you’ve protected me. You’ve made people know exactly what would happen if they ever touched me. But what about me? What about you touching me, my heart, my spirit, my hopes and dreams, the real me? Fuck that I don’t carry your blood, fuck that I don’t have your eyes, or your bloody nose. None of those things matter. I need your love, to hear your laughter, to see the smile on your face when you look at me. Those are the things that are important, not genes, or fucking chromosomes. I’ve always known what you did for a living, that you were a cruel man. But you never allowed me or Mum the love a family needs. We didn’t need protecting, we needed loving.”
Biting into his bottom lip, he screwed his face up and covered his mouth with his hand, once again hiding from me. “I’m so sorry. I…”
He stared at my outstretched hand for a long moment when I reached for him, and eventually he stepped forwards and enclosed my small hand in his large one. He was warm, but his skin was soft. I couldn’t remember the last time I had held this man’s hand, the last time I looked so deeply into his eyes and saw the love shining back at me. It had always been there, but both of us had chosen to neglect it, allowing it to fester into fallen hopes and dark dreams of ignorance.
“I hurt you so very much, just because I was scared and proud.” Taking a deep breath, he blew it out and perched himself on the edge of my bed. “I… I was stuck, Esther. I was backed so far into a corner that the only way out, to me, was Geoffrey. The information he provided was my insurance not to go to prison for a very long time.”
Regret formed in his eyes, and he squeezed my hand. “I’m not proud of how I used Geoffrey’s love for you for my own gain. For the first time in my life, I was scared. I am losing your mother, I had already lost you. And I tried so hard to find a way out of this situation without using Geoffrey. But there wasn’t any other way. I was wrong. So very wrong.”
Tears blurred my vision and I wiped them away quickly, needing to see his face. “I always loved you, Daddy. Always. I didn’t like you very much, but not for one second did I not love you.”
He smiled and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. “It’s time for me to go now, Esther. I’m tired of this, of all the fight, and the running.”
I closed my eyes, fighting with the need to take him my arms and never let him go again, but I nodded. “I know.”
“Be free, my little girl. Rik will take care of you now. Put your kickass strength to good use now.”
“I will. I promise.”
Swiping a stray tear from my cheek, he smiled and winked, then stood and turned to Rik. “I’m ready to stop running. For Esther’s omission in everything associated with me, then I will give you names and dates of everything.”
Rik quirked an eyebrow in surprise but nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
My father nodded quickly then lowered his face to the floor. “McKayla Benson works for me. She was planted in Sparrow to keep watch on Esther and Geoffrey.” My gasp was loud and he spun around to face me. “I’m so sorry, Esther.”
“I gathered,” Rik said quietly. “She’s already on her way in with one of my guys.”
Knox walked into the room and my father gave me one last sad smile before Knox took his arm and led him out.
Rik stood silently watching me when I lifted my eyes to him. “So, what now?” I asked.
He smiled, and tipped his head to the side slightly. “Now I take you home and make you strong and well again.”
I nodded, but only faintly. “You think that’s possible?”
He chuckled softly. “I know it is. You’re Esther Dean, soon to be Esther Bane. You kickass, despite your little legs. You’ll be fine.”
I smiled. Because he was right. I would be fine, with Rik holding my hand I knew I would never be anything else. “And Christy?”
A cruel smirk lifted one side of his sinful mouth. “On it, babe. The guys are looking, it won’t take them long.”
It was only then that his previous statement connected with the proper lobes in my brain and the air in my lungs froze. “Esther Bane?”
“Mmm.” He nodded. “Did I forget to tell you that we’re getting married next week?”
My heart skipped a beat and my eyes widened. “What? Next week!”
He tutted and rolled his eyes but his smile was mischievous and wide. “Oops. Seems I did forget to tell you.”
Twenty-nine
Bane
Every part of me locked down in a mesmerising state of awe. I couldn’t even gasp, or breathe it seemed, when Knox knocked my arm. “Breathe, Bane. Marry the poor girl before you drop down dead, or your fortune will be coming my way if you opt out before you’ve given her your name.”
I nodded, still unable to release the air trapped in my lungs, or move my eyes away from Esther as she slowly made her way towards me.
She was absolutely stunning. She wore a simple cream gown, the contours of her curves hugging the silk and emphasising every glorious inch of her. I wanted to reach out my fingers and touch her but my hands trembled so much I had to form fists and fix them by my side.
Will, slowly leading her up the aisle, leaned into her and whispered something. She clung to his arm as if she would collapse without him, and when her gaze lifted and she found me, her lips parted and she inhaled sharply.
Her eyes watered but her mouth lifted into a gorgeous smile, happiness and hope exposed through the fall of tears. “Rik Bane,” she mouthed silently.
“Little legs,” I replied silently, imagining those very legs wrapped around me, holding me to her as I made her come repeatedly.
Although Esther had been eager to make love, I wanted her to heal properly before I took her. I wanted her mind, and her body, to be completely focussed on me when I slid inside her, and I doubted she was that strong yet. I wanted to change her memories, the sickness she felt every time she remembered that cunt raping her. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to hurt her further, and time was often the only medicine needed to heal.
Her smile grew into a grin when she reached me, and she peered up at me. Her bright eyes shone with so much love that I finally managed to release the breath from my lungs.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Jesus, little legs.” I drew my finger along her forehead and brushed away a stray strand of hair that had fallen from where it was pinned on the top of her head. “You’re so beautiful.”
She blushed. For the first time in her life, Esther Dean blushed. I chuckled and she swat at my arm.
“Stop being mean, and marry me, damn it!”
“Well if he doesn’t, I definitely will,” Knox muttered from the side of me. I turned and glared at him, and he winked. “Just saying, like. She makes a mean coffee… And those legs…. Bloody hell those legs!”
The gasps that rang out around the church when I broke his nose produced our own wedding music…
***
“Anything?”
Frank shook his head. “Nothing, boss. It’s like she’s disappeared off the bloody planet.”
We’d been looking for Christy for over a week now and I was growing impatient.
“I’ve requested traffic cam surveillance but still no sightings,” Grace informed me. “Listen, go dance with your wife, we’ll keep at it.”
“It’s fine, she’s gone to our room with her mother to change.” I turned to Lex. “And the cunt who raped her?”
He shook his head, the disappointment on his face bold and exposed. “Nope. I’m guessing both him and Christy are hiding out together.”
Nodding, I growled quietly at the frustration growing by the second.
“Rik.”
I turned to find Sherry smiling at me. She looked pale and I worried for her health.
“Your wife has requested your presence in your suite,” she whispered in my ear, giving me a smirk wh
en she moved back.
Nodding, I patted her arm. “Thank you, Sherry.”
Tack took Sherry’s arm and hooked it over his elbow. “Come dance with me, Mrs Dean.”
She looked worried for a moment and I knew she was anxious about staying upright, the exhaustion on her face saying everything. But Tack lifted her small frame into his arms and carried her to the dancefloor.
“He’s a good guy,” Grace murmured, smiling at how Tack already had Sherry laughing loudly.
“You’re all good guys.”
Grace beamed at me, and Lex gawped. “Fuck, being a married man suits you.”
I scoffed, tapping his shoulder. “Yeah, it’s a today only good mood. Don’t get used to it.”
He nodded, knowing me well. “Ahh, well. It was good while it lasted. But while you’re still here, and that mood is still good, how do you feel about…”
“No,” I shook my head, cutting him off, “you’re not getting a raise.”
***
The breath left my lungs in a loud muttered ‘Fuck’.
“Rik Bane.” The way she said my name, on a soft breath, and the way her eyes sparkled with desire and hope had my dick roaring to life. “No more waiting. Please. I need you.”
My eyes roamed over her delectable body encased in a white silk corset and sheer stockings. It was impossible to refuse her this time.
I stepped into her, pushing her back against the bed until she fell back. She giggled when I fell on top of her and buried my face in the crook of her neck. “Mrs Bane, you drive me crazy.”
“Good,” she breathed against my ear. “Now drive me crazy.”
Grazing her soft skin with my tongue, I kissed down her neck and across the swell of her breasts. She moaned and lifted her hips, pressing herself against my hard-on and wordlessly pleading with me.
“Shush, babe.”
Her breaths left her in short, sharp flurries and her heart pumped furiously under my mouth as I ventured lower. Plucking at the ribbon lace that held the corset together, her creamy skin became more exposed the further down I nipped, until her beautiful tits and stomach gave my eyes something to feast on.
Running my finger along a small scar on her hipbone, I looked up and caught her gaze as I freed my cock from my trousers. “Are you ready?”
She nodded firmly. “I’ve always been ready for you, Rik. I know you won’t ever hurt me.”
“Damn right I won’t. That I can promise you. You’re mine to protect, to treasure, and to pleasure.”
She gasped when I slowly slid inside her. Her heat surrounded me immediately, the cushion of her walls squeezing me tightly and threatening to suck the cum from my balls before I’d even moved.
“Fuck, Es.”
She nodded and swept her hand up my back, her touch explosive and calming all at the same time. “Love me, baby.”
“Always,” I whispered as I slid out and then back in.
She moved with me, lifting herself into each of my unhurried thrusts. Her hot breath on my neck sent goosebumps over every inch of my skin, until my whole body felt like it was on fire.
Our breaths mingled when she brought her mouth over mine, and our moans became one as we grew lost in one another.
I’d fucked women, lots of women. I had even fucked Esther. But never in my lifetime had I merged every part of me, heart and soul, with a woman that completely owned every fibre of me. Esther made love to me, not just with her body, but with her mind, her spirit, and with every single one of her emotions. She blinded me, muted me and engulfed me until all I felt was her, all I saw was her, and all I wanted was to be buried within her forever.
Her orgasm was frenzied, loud and devastating. Tears rolled down her face, yet her eyes never left mine. She connected with me, allowed me to see into her soul as she shared her pleasure with me.
I gave her my pleasure when the most intense bliss rocked my body and I filled her with everything I had. Every muscle in my body screamed with ecstasy as my mind lost itself to the most remarkable woman. My wife. A woman that loved me, the bad parts of me, the good parts of me, and the parts of me that she saw within herself.
Laying her palm on my cheek, she smiled. “I love you.”
Echoing her words, I kissed her forehead. “We’ve both waited so long for this, babe. It’s our time to be happy now.”
Her smile grew wider and she nodded. “Damn right. No one can touch what we have. We’ll be formidable, together. We’ll kick ass, and we’ll create strong babies. We’ll love hard and fuck harder. We’ll protect one another, kill for one another…”
My head shot to the side when the door crashed open. Time seemed to stop when Christy stood in the doorway with a gun in her outstretched hand.
“Ahh,” She grinned. “The bride and groom.”
Her finger pressed on the trigger and I pulled Esther under me to protect her. The bullet slammed into my kidney and embedded into my spine, and my eyes found my wife’s horrified ones as my last breath whispered across her beautiful face.
Thirty
Esther
Fear shook me as I stared up at Rik’s face. His body was heavy on mine, his closed eyes making him look restful. My heart wanted to tell me he was in the most tranquil sleep and that his mind was favouring him with a wonderful dream. Alternatively, my soul was trembling in bleakness, slowly crushing me from the inside out. I tried to feel for his breath on my face but he suddenly disappeared when his lax body rolled off me.
“Get up.”
I gawped up at Christy, shock and horror traumatising my mind and making everything seem dreamlike. My head shook. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath and my heart beat so hard inside my chest that I swore it was trying to rip me open to get to its mate.
“Get -up!”
Her fingers snatched at my hair but the detachment that eclipsed every sensation overwhelmed any pain, leaving me numb and cold. My body lurched through the air and the breath that had been lodged in my throat left in a sudden rush when my back crashed into the wall.
Every instinct that should have arisen to help me fight was stunned with shock and alarm. I hunted blindly to find Rik, but he was hidden by the bed with just his feet visible. I needed to get to him, to help him – to kiss him and beg him not to go without me.
I blinked rapidly when soft fabric hit me in the side of the face. “Put it on, we have to go.”
“Go?”
Growing frustrated with my disorientation, Christy tugged at the t-shirt and pulled it over my head. I couldn’t function, my brain fixated on Rik and unable to process simple tasks.
Stumbling as Christy pulled me out of the room, I turned for one last glimpse of my husband. Still wearing his shoes, my heart lurched when I spotted his feet twitch. It was only slight, only very faint, but by fuck, it was all I needed to snap out of the crippling void that had taken over.
Christy, relying on my inability to fight with the shock running through me, cried out when I slammed into her. Knocking her into a wall and propelling the gun from her hand, I watched as it slid along the polished hotel corridor floor and came to a stop when it hit a fire extinguisher several meters away.
“What the…?”
Her nose exploded under my fist but she quickly recovered, jumping up and righting herself. “Don’t play stupid, Esther.”
“I’m not stupid, I’m fucking furious. I’d say that makes you very, very stupid!”
Fear flashed in her eyes, comforting the turbulence in my veins and turning my blood to pure adrenaline.
“You hurt my husband, you fucking bitch. I hope you’re ready for the consequences of that?”
She moved sideways, watching me closely as she prepared to pounce.
Knox skidded around the corner with Lex and, locking my eyes on Christy, I quickly put my hand up when they each pulled a gun. “NO! She’s mine.”
Both froze but did as I asked. Nodding my head in the direction of the room, I motioned for them both to go in and help Rik. “He needs a
n ambulance.”
Christy took advantage and made a dash for the gun. Her face bashed the hard floor when I jumped for her, the grunt of pain that left her satisfying the need in me to hurt her.
I’d trained her well. The back of her skull cracked my forehead and I fell back, freeing her from under me. Pain ricocheted behind my eyes but I swallowed it and reached out, grabbing her ankle and causing her to stumble back to the floor. Intense agony ripped through me when she kicked back and the heel of her boot smashed into my temple with so much force that vomit careered up my throat and the world tipped sideways.
Needing to get to Rik, I pulled every bit of strength I had and used it to clamber on top of her. The world was spinning and I was fighting to stay conscious but pure hatred fed stamina into every muscle.
Grabbing her hair and tilting her head back, I caged her thrashing body beneath me and twisted her head to the side so I could look into her eyes.
“Say goodnight, bitch. This is for Will, and for Rik.”
A single laugh left me when the bitch pissed herself, the warm puddle spreading out across the marbled tiles. Her eyes widened then closed as I slipped my other arm around her head and broke her neck in one swift snap.
Before I’d even lifted myself off her, a team of paramedics came running around the corner, one of them skidding on the river of piss and bashing his shoulder into the wall.
Molecules of oxygen in the air around me started to blur and my heart slowed down. The vomit that had sat patiently waiting in my throat spewed from me as the retreating thud of my pulse in my ears grew fainter and fainter.
“Okay, love, let’s take a look at you.”
I shook my head at the medic who crouched down beside me, and opened my mouth to tell him I was okay and that he needed to help Rik. Except no words came out. No air came in. No air came out. The world grew hazy as my eyes rolled into the back of my head and the darkness took it all away.
Bane (Memphis #1) Page 17