I couldn’t help but think how Savannah could’ve easily been snatched by some creepy dude and put up for sale, although prison was hell too, just a different kind of hell.
Regardless, I knew that by telling me about Grace, Dillon was trying to put me at ease. “My brother doesn’t die easily,” Dillon had said without a hint of doubt in his voice.
When someone wanted a person dead, they would go to great lengths to make it happen. Tito had tried twice within days, and if my belief that things happened in threes were true, then Denim might be a goner.
I focused on the TV rather than Denim. The ribbon at the bottom of the screen caught my attention. “Update on the recent shooting at The Monarch.”
I turned up the volume.
A pretty blonde from the local news channel waved to the club behind her. “We’re standing outside The Monarch, a brand-new club that opened last week, where the recent shooting took place. We’ve tried to contact the owner, but a representative for the club declined to take our call. Police still haven’t found the shooter, but witnesses have described a man in his late twenties with dark hair. We also learned earlier that the woman who was shot will make a full recovery. We’ll have more updates on the news at eleven. Coming to you from downtown Boston, I’m Maggie Marx, KBCA News.”
So that was Maggie. In our long talks, Dillon had gushed about his bride-to-be and how she worked for a local news channel.
“She’s gorgeous,” I said to myself.
“So are you,” a husky voice said.
My heart stopped at the sound of Denim’s voice. I darted my gaze to the doorway. When I did, my mouth came apart. Tears catapulted out so fast, I couldn’t stop them.
His beautiful blue orbs popped amid the blackness ringing his eyes. His cheeks were swollen, and several cuts were scattered around his face.
“You’re alive.” My voice cracked.
He strutted in with a sense of purpose as though I were the last woman on earth and he needed me to save him.
Little did he know that he might be saving me. He might be giving me hope that we had a future together. I was deathly afraid he could or would break my heart again. Yet in that moment, with the way sparks were flying and the heat between us was sizzling, I would give him a hundred more chances.
He grasped my hand and brought it to his lips. “Hey, beautiful.”
He must have been looking at a different woman, because the last time I’d looked in the mirror, I’d screeched. My black hair was oily and matted to my head. My green eyes were dull, and my skin was ashen. I had managed to give myself a quick sponge bath, but I desperately needed a shower—a long, hot one that went on for days.
Denim showered kisses on the back of my hand, igniting a string of tingles that zipped up my arm, down my chest, and settled in my belly.
“Tito didn’t kill you. Wait, was Tito the one who tried to kill you?”
Denim gave me a lopsided smirk. “He tried.”
I tugged my hand free and tucked his blond strands behind his ear. “I’m so happy you’re alive. Tell me everything. How did you get away? Does Dillon know you’re okay?” Although I wanted to know the answers, I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to stare into his eyes and absorb him and the way he was looking at me with so much love and devotion.
His grin grew wider as he leaned into my touch. “I’ll tell you later. Right now, I just want to look at you. I’ve been worried out of my fucking mind about you.” He stared at my lips hungrily, marking his time like a wild predator eyeing his next meal.
Goose bumps popped to attention at the very idea that he could devour me. He’d done just that when I’d first met him.
The bell had rung, and kids spilled into the halls. I’d hung behind in chemistry lab to ask the teacher a question. Afterward, I bolted out of the class to get to my next one. Only I didn’t get far. I plowed into a hard chest and would have fallen on my butt if it weren’t for the hottest boy in school catching me.
“So sorry, baby doll.” His voice was raspy and gentle.
I let out a squeal.
He chuckled, guiding my chin up until our eyes met.
My mouth went dry, and my pulse banged hard against my skin.
“I’m Denim. And you are?”
I’m in love. But I didn’t say that. I couldn’t even speak.
His beautiful blue eyes penetrated through me with temptation and sin, and my brain shut down.
We stood there in the hall as kids ran by us, carving out our own private space.
My tongue snaked out to lick my lips.
He flinched.
“I’m Jade,” I finally said.
His gaze had roamed wild and free down to my chest and back up. “Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.”
He groaned, snapping me out of my trip down memory lane. He bowed his head until his lips were a tiny fraction from mine.
My pulse ignited in a steady boom, boom, boom.
Before I let my brain get ahead of my body, I pressed my lips to his.
He groaned again, a sound that shot spikes of ecstasy straight to my clit.
His lips were familiar yet new as he thrust his tongue into my mouth. He took like he once had so many years ago when I was his. Actually, I’d always been his. He’d never lost me. I had never given my heart to another man since him. In some twisted kind of fantasy, I’d always hoped we would reconnect one day.
He flattened his hand on my face, nipping my lips and my tongue, groaning and moaning with me.
Memories came roaring back of Denim and me stealing a kiss in between classes, hiding in closets at school, under the bleachers, and anywhere we could find to devour each other.
He broke the kiss. “We shouldn’t do this.”
I could feel my eyebrows coming together. “Why not? Is it because of me or prison?”
I might’ve been tipsy the other night, but I hadn’t forgotten the heat between us or our conversation. In particular, I remembered the part where he’d said, “Jade, don’t tease. I just got out of prison, and I’ll fuck you right here in front of everyone.”
A laugh rumbled from deep within the caverns of his belly and broke free, echoing around the room. “Truth?”
I rolled my eyes. “Since when do you not tell the truth?” One of his defining traits was his honesty. Not only that, the man always said what was on his mind, regardless if it hurt or not.
He placed my hand on his heart. “Feel this.”
I was usually one for romance, for sweet nothings, and a dozen roses—not roses, orchids—but I wouldn’t mind wrapping my fingers around his hard dick and showing him what he’d been missing.
His soft blue eyes glistened. “I’m not going to play games. I’ve had six years to pick apart everything I did wrong, and the biggest mistake I made was letting you go.”
At the time, I hadn’t believed his reasoning. I hadn’t believed I could get hurt if we stayed together. Now I was slowly seeing that maybe he was right, but that didn’t change how I felt for him.
“You hurt me, Denim. So tell me why I should give you another chance.”
“Because I’ll never walk away from you again,” he said as sure as we were breathing. “I don’t want another woman, Jade. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
I wanted to throw myself at him and confess the same to him, but a small whisper in the back of my mind told me to proceed with caution.
He’s mixed up with his former drug buddy. He’s working with the Feds. His life is still dangerous. What’s to say he won’t push you away again? Or that I won’t get shot at again? Or worse, killed, the next time someone wants to use me as revenge against him?
Someone clapped behind him. “What a wonderful speech.”
Denim’s jaw turned to cement, and he let go of my hand as he spun on his heel. “Rude much, Travers?”
Agent Travers stepped into the room. “Jade, nice to see you again.” His sweet demeanor with me was a sharp contrast to the crassness in his tone when he spoke to De
nim.
Aside from asking me about the shooting at the club, Travers had also grilled me about Duke. I didn’t have anything on Duke either. Besides, the man wouldn’t tell me his deepest, darkest secrets. In addition to Travers, Boston PD’s gang unit had asked me questions, including if I knew whether a gang was responsible for the shooting, in particular the Southside Creepers, which was led by Tito.
“You look like shit,” Travers said to Denim.
“What do you want that you had to interrupt a private moment? You’ve already spoken to my lawyer. I’m not obligated to help you.”
Travers flicked his head to the hall. “A word alone.”
“I don’t keep secrets from my girl. Besides, she works for my lawyer. Go for it.”
He was right. I couldn’t divulge the specifics with anyone except Kelton. Still, I felt as though I were the one intruding.
“Given the events at the club, I was hoping you will take the deal.”
“My brother isn’t going to tell me about gun shipments or anything about his business. I keep telling you that. Besides, he knows you and I have been talking.”
Travers’s nostrils flared. “How does Duke know that?”
Denim held up his hands. “You tell me. I hardly said hi to my brother when he dropped that bomb at my feet. Maybe your men are getting sloppy.”
“Careful, Hart. I can bring you in for obstructing an investigation.”
Denim growled low. “You have no grounds. Stop with the threats. I did my time and followed the rules for the early release program. The only thing you did was speed up the parole board’s decision.”
Travers narrowed his green eyes. “They weren’t going to give you parole given the fight you got into.”
I grasped Denim’s hand and squeezed, hoping to tame the anger I could see brewing in his pinched features.
“Whatever, man. Look, I’m tired. My body has been through hell, and right now I just want to spend time with my girl.”
“I thought you wanted your record wiped clean?” Travers asked.
Denim blanched.
As much as I despised Duke, I couldn’t fault Denim for not wanting to send his brother to prison.
Travers started for the door. “The offer still stands.”
“Travers,” Denim called.
I couldn’t see Travers’s face with his back to us, but I would bet he was sporting a smug grin.
“I’ll take your offer with one caveat,” Denim said.
Travers pivoted on his shiny loafers. His expression was blank. “I’m listening.”
“What if I can get you someone else?” Denim asked.
“Unless this someone else has something to do with gun trafficking, it’s of no use to me.”
Denim shoved his free hand through his hair. “Give me two weeks to get you someone better before you revoke the offer.”
Travers considered Denim. “You’ve got one.”
“Or what?” Denim asked.
“The offer is gone. And maybe I’ll arrest Duke by then.”
Denim flinched. “On what charges?”
“Now why would I tell you that?” That smug grin I was sure he’d had earlier was front and center. “One week.” Travers sauntered out like he’d won the war.
Denim roughed his hands through his hair. “Fuck my life.”
“I bet Travers is lying about arresting Duke. Just the way he said ‘maybe’ sounded like he’s hoping he can arrest Duke. Or he wants to scare you and Duke until you both crack.”
“Enough about Duke. I want to look at you. Where were we? Oh yeah.” He leaned in and kissed me like a man possessed.
At that moment, Travers, Feds, gangs, Duke, violence, and almost getting killed flew out of the room. I was right where I wanted to be.
25
Denim
I roamed the sprawling penthouse for nothing more than to expend some pent-up nerves. I hadn’t wanted to leave Jade, not after the kiss we’d shared. But I’d gone ahead and opened my big mouth and told Travers I would get him someone else he could skewer other than Duke. I wasn’t sure I could come through within a week or if Duke would agree to help me, but I had to try. I had to get Tito out of the picture. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Jade’s safety—or mine for that matter—and above all else, I could have the murder conviction wiped from my record.
Dillon stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the cityscape. “I wouldn’t want to live here. The view is great, but this place is lifeless. Does Duke even spend time here?”
I checked down the hall. “I think with a woman’s touch, it would be warmer and more inviting.”
The doors to the other rooms were shut. I was tempted to snoop to see what Duke had in those rooms, like a desk, filing cabinets, or some clue that would tell us more about our brother—the same brother I felt like I barely knew anymore.
But I decided not to go digging. Duke wasn’t beyond throwing me out the window. I also suspected Duke had hidden cameras. I didn’t see any in the living room or kitchen area. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding the cameras in his recessed lighting or some James-Bond-type device that looked like a normal fixture or piece of furniture.
More importantly, if I wanted him to trust me, I had to make sure my actions were aboveboard in case he was watching us.
I joined Dillon, skirting the island and then the dining table. The fall weather was slowly morphing into winter, and I couldn’t wait for the snow. I wanted to cozy up to a fireplace in a log cabin in the mountains with Jade and hibernate for the winter. Now that was a perfect idea if she would only take me back. We still hadn’t finished our conversation since we’d been rudely interrupted by Travers, and then Dillon had walked in.
I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t want me. I didn’t deserve her. She was pure and perfect, and she should be with someone who hadn’t been in jail for murder or had an enemy or enemies who could use her to get to me.
But she had a magnetic pull on my heart, and I was done pushing her away. Whether she was with me or not, she would always be a pawn to anyone who wanted me dead. I crossed my fingers she would take me back. If our mind-blowing, dick-squeezing, heart-pumping kiss was any indication of how she felt, then I stood a good chance.
Dillon waved a hand in front of me. “Earth to Denim.”
I stared at myself in the reflection in the window. My face looked like the monster in Frankenstein. I had two black eyes, a split lip, and my upper torso still throbbed in pain. If it weren’t for four Advil, I might not be upright.
“I’m here. What was the question?”
“It’s nothing,” Dillon said.
I glanced at him. “You look worried.” Or maybe tired. Like Duke, Dillon didn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, but as his brother, I could tell. It was barely noticeable, but he got faint little lines in the corners of his eyes when he was concerned.
“In a way, yeah. I don’t agree with what type of business Duke’s in, but he’s still our brother, and I don’t want to see him go to prison.”
Deep down, I hoped Duke knew what he was doing or that he had a back door he could escape through if things went haywire for him. He would survive in prison, but I didn’t wish that on him.
“I don’t either, bro. Come to think of it, maybe that was the reason he never bothered to visit me in the joint. He didn’t want to see where he could end up one day.” It was the only thing that made sense to me.
The sun was tucked behind buildings as dusk set in. The traffic below was heavy. Pedestrians entered and exited the shops and hailed cabs.
Dillon lifted a shoulder. “Do you really think Duke will roll over for Tito?”
“Not at all. But I promised Tito I would get him a spot at the table, and if we can convince Duke to help us formulate how to take Tito down, I think he’ll bite. Plus, handing Tito to the Feds will get him off my back and maybe keep the Feds away from Duke for a little while.” I didn’t think the Feds would give up on Duke even i
f they put Tito away. But that was for another day.
Dillon scratched his arm. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
“When it comes to Duke, I don’t.”
Dillon checked his phone. “Duke’s late.”
Duke had given the bellman the okay to let us up to his place to wait for him.
“Did you get a chance to tell Jade how you feel?” Dillon asked.
“Kind of. But after Travers left and you came in, I didn’t get a chance to finish. Now we’re here.” I’d thrown a lot at Jade, caught her off guard, and if I knew her, she would want time to think. I would wait for as long as it took. “I need to keep her somewhere safe. The shit with Tito could go south. And Grace, man. Tito will pick off everyone I love if he doesn’t get what he wants.”
“Then we need to make darn sure he does,” Dillon said on a growl. “Grace can’t get mixed up in this shit.”
“No fucking kidding.” I hadn’t been there for Grace, but now that I was a free man, I would do whatever it took to make sure no one ever hurt her again. “What about your shelter?”
Dillon shook his head. “I’m not putting the women in jeopardy. Grace will be safe at my house. She can handle herself. Maggie can too. I’m worried about Jade. She isn’t trained in combat or guns or fighting. Anyway, Duke agreed Jade could stay here.”
I could feel my eyebrows lifting. “For real? Wait. She won’t stay here. She hates Duke.” I was shocked my brother had offered. After Jade had let loose on him the other day, I didn’t expect Duke to be hospitable.
“You’re going to convince her,” Dillon said. “She gets out of the hospital tomorrow.”
I wanted to argue with him that he shouldn’t get involved, but we’d already been down that road. Yet I had to say it one more time. “Don’t get involved with all this shit. I’m a big boy. I survived prison. I can handle this.” I had no idea where Jade lived, but Duke’s penthouse wasn’t a bad idea to keep her safe.
Dillon grinned. “You can’t handle Duke. Sorry, bro. But I can.”
“How? Duke isn’t going to roll over and let you pet his belly.”
Hart of Vengeance: The Hart Series Page 18