“They sound like animals!” Matt gave a good impression of Enzo’s snarl before he punched Deja in her belly. “Just making sure you’re not carrying that bastard’s seed.”
Enzo placed his hands behind his back since his fingers were now claws. Ven did the same. Enzo let out another snarl this one telling Ven to stand down. Matt hit Deja again before he bent over and pinched her nipples making her cry out in pain. Enzo vibrated with rage, the only thing that kept him still was the gun trained on her.
Death lit Enzo’s eyes when Declyn slipped into the room. He crossed to the male holding the gun on Deja and prepared to break his neck the moment he got the go ahead from Enzo.
Matt straightened up. “I grow bored. It’s time for you to die.”
Enzo agreed and gave a roar that startled the males in the room but sent the Kur’iks into action. Declyn broke the neck of the male holding the gun on Deja and dropped the body. Ven launched himself at Don tearing him in half with his rage. Enzo walked over to Matt, who was holding Deja in front of him like a shield.
Enzo allowed one nail to become a claw and slid it carefully against Deja’s skin and under the cloth keeping her from talking. He ripped it apart.
“Camire, sorry it took me so long to get here.” His eyes were dull. The pain of seeing her hurt muddied his gaze. “We came as soon as we knew where you were.”
“How sweet. I plan to walk out of here, and I’m taking Deja with me. After I’m free, I’ll give her back, maybe in pieces.”
“Matt are you crazy? All your men are dead, look around the room.”
“There are more downstairs. You know I don’t like to be alone.” He raised his voice and commanded that they come upstairs.
“Sorry,” Cole said walking into the room. They can’t hear you because I killed them.”
“This is who you picked over me!” He shook her in rage.
Enzo’s growl made him stop before he pulled her closer making sure she was in front of him.
“Don’t get too upset. I gave each man a chance to leave and make a new life for himself. They weren’t interested.” Cole gave him a smile while he looked over the dead in the room.
“Declyn’s downstairs. He has Xander and Caden on clean up.”
Enzo nodded no one would find the bodies or evidence of blood.
Matt looked around. In his pride of never being taken down, he ignored that whatever he was dealing with wasn’t human. All he needed to do was get out of here. Then he’d report them to the authorities and watch as they took them down. After that, he would still get Deja, but she would pay for what she cost him today.
“Take her and let me leave. I’ve come to my senses she’s not worth the hassle.” He stared at Enzo waiting for his answers.
“All right.” Enzo stepped aside allowing him access to the door.
“I’ll be back for you,” he whispered in Deja’s ear. “After the government has exterminated your alien friends.”
Enzo reached out and scratched Matt on his way out. “Fear,” he murmured as Matt stumbled to the stairs.
There was a whimper coming from Matt and a scream before Xander came into view and put him asleep.
Enzo broke the handcuffs chaining her to the bed and took off his shirt and covered her with it.
“What happened to you?” She demanded, seeing the bandages and the blood that covered the bandage.
“No Deja this is about you and what that monster was doing to you. I couldn’t protect you, and I’m sorry.” He pulled her into his arms while her body shook against his.
“You protected me. Both you and Ven and you brought some of our friends to help get the job done. He beat me, but I’ll recover, and it could have been so much worse. You got here in time. How did you get here?’
“Safire came to look for us when she heard your message this morning.”
“I’ll call her when we get home. I think we’ll have to skip dinner today. What did you do with Matt? You didn’t kill him.”
“I can kill him if you want, but I thought it was a little too nice and neat if his body went missing. Instead, I infected him with a naturally occurring enzyme in my body, and I reinforced it by giving it an order, fear. For the rest of his life, he will have unnatural fears that will drive him crazy.”
“Won’t they find the enzyme within his body?”
“No, your technology isn’t close to being able to spot something like this. The enzyme will look just like one of his own unique to his body, but it will keep replicating until he knows nothing but fear.”
“Do you think that’s a little harsh?” Deja looked at him her brown eyes beseeching him.
“I think he planned to rape you. That’s what I think. He planned to get you pregnant, tie you to him and maybe kill you after the kids. No, I don’t think it’s a little harsh. I want to do so much more to him and I could, but I won’t take the chance the authorities may realize they are sharing the earth with my people.” Enzo’s eyes were blazing, and his body was shaking.
He’s this way because of us.
He came for us because he cares.
They all care.
Deja laid her head on his chest. It was past time he knew what she’d done.
“I have something to tell you.” It was now or never.
“Tell me when we get home, camire.”
“But…”
He placed a finger in front of her mouth. “You think you have some big secret that will cause me to reject you. Nothing will make that happen.”
Enzo helped her to her feet; she looked around for her tennis shoes only to realize they were gone. Matt never intended for her to leave this house, not until she gave into his demands.
Deja dropped her head the mistakes she made in her life went through her mind. Did she deserve this for falling for a good-looking man with a smooth tongue? She should have known better. Maybe tried harder. Why did it feel like she was trying so hard but getting nowhere? The poor mouse on his wheel made an appearance in her brain. She sucked in a deep breath. Her past held both mistakes and triumphs. She had to believe that was a hallmark of life.
She leaned into Enzo’s side as he walked her down the stairs. He took them into the living room Matt barely used, and they sat.
She looked up at him not able to ask the question.
“We’re waiting for Caden and Xander, then we all leave together.”
She nodded, he said they would take care of the bodies upstairs and get rid of the blood. Ven tore Don in half while Declyn had simply broken Jim’s neck.
Why was she so calm? Come on she spoke to the voices in her head, I need you to get upset, cry, have a fit. Do something to reaffirm that human life matters.
I had a fit the day Don was set free for the murder of that teen.
I screamed the day he beat that eleven-year-old boy.
I cried the day I saw Matt with that sixteen-year-old girl.
I watched you beg and plead with them to do something different or at least run their drugs differently so they wouldn’t hurt the innocent. They laughed at you. Now you want me to cry for them? Well okay, I will. I’ll cry for the lives that could have been but never were.
Deja listened to the monster inside of her and realized that in life it was easy to call what you didn’t understand a monster. When in reality sometimes the monster is the boy or the girl next door.
When Xander and Caden came downstairs, Enzo reached for her.
“Stay by my side…forget that.” He picked her up and walked to the door with everyone following behind them. “Stay quiet.”
She nodded and let herself relax in his arms; she needed the reassurance of his heartbeat in her ear. They walked down the street passing several strangers who didn’t react to their presence at all. He placed her in the car then Ven came and stood by her side until Enzo got in. Ven slid in the back and before she knew it they were leaving the neighborhood.
“You have a way of hiding your presence from others don’t you?”
/> “We do, and if we're careful, we can hide you also,” Enzo answered giving her a brief look.
Maybe she should break down, maybe she would break down, but she didn’t get any sleep last night so for now, she was going to nod off while she knew she was safe.
Chapter Eighteen
Enzo picked her up after he pulled into the garage and didn’t set her down until he got to their bedroom. As much as she wanted to escape, wrap herself in the bedspread and never be heard from again, she didn’t. She walked calmly to her closet and pulled out an outfit then headed to the bathroom with towel, soap, and music. For once Ven wasn’t in there. He was sitting on the couch watching her along with Enzo.
She wanted to stop to tell them that everything was fine, that she was okay. Instead, she walked into the bathroom and started running a bath. There was a time for a bath, to surround yourself with hot water and let the trauma to your body soak away. She used some bubble bath along with a scented salt, lit a few candles and turned off the main lights before she finally sank deep into the tub and let the trauma and fear of the night take over her body.
Her time with Matt wasn’t going away because she shifted it to the back of her mind. She walked through this, allowed the old memories she refused to think of surface. She saw where she went wrong and where ignorance was bliss. She saw where she grew and no longer buried her head in the sand. The water was cooling down; her music was beginning to irritate her. It was time to get out of the tub and have a talk with Enzo. She dressed in a pair of comfy pajama’s and walked into the living room.
Enzo was waiting for her on the couch, but Ven was gone.
“Where’s Ven?” She walked to one of the armchairs and sat down.
“He went to see Declyn and Cole.”
She nodded, he wanted to give them time to talk. “I think you and I should talk.”
“Deja you don’t have to tell me all your secrets.”
“I know, and maybe this sounds weird, but that’s why I want to tell you. You accept me and have always accepted me. I want you to know me, the real me, including the parts that aren’t all that pretty. I first met Matt at the doctor’s office where I used to work. It was a chance meeting; he’d brought his mother in for her appointment. I met his mother first she talked on and on about her son and how he was a lawyer doing great things for the community. I was so impressed by a man I hadn’t even met.
“I met him as I was coming out of the hall bathroom and he said he was looking for the entrance to the office. We started talking he asked me out, but I told him I couldn’t date a son of one of our patients, and he understood. A couple of months later I was getting off the bus. I always took the bus to work to save on parking, he saw me and slowed down. We started to talk he told me he lost his mother about two months ago and asked me out. There was no reason to say no, so I accepted.
“It was good at first. I had stars in my eyes; he treated me so right. I just knew he must be the one. Still, I hesitated, and I couldn’t figure out why. He asked me to marry him several times, and I kept trying to convince myself I loved him. That’s when I decided we probably needed a break so my heart could catch up with my head. A week later I saw Don beat an eleven-year-old kid and laugh about it. That’s when the pieces I refused to see fell into place. He was a drug dealer. To me, he was the worst kind because he lived in a rich community and fed off a poor one.
“I left him. I thought it would be over, but it wasn’t. He bought my silence by threatening the young boy and his family. He even threatened Safire; then I realized that several of the police were on his payroll because they came over every weekend and partied with him.
“I should have known. I’m too smart to get taken advantage of like that. My heart hurt even though I realized I didn’t love him. I think I could have if he had been what he was pretending to be. Then came the part where I needed to make myself realize he never cared for me. Having me by his side legitimized him. It threw suspicion off him, and that’s what he liked, not me.”
She stood up and walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. She gave Enzo time to think about what she said before walking back into the living room and tucking herself into the chair.
“What part am I supposed to be appalled at?”
“The whole thing. I allowed myself to be tricked. I wanted to love Matt but didn’t. I thought he was my prince charming, and we’d be together forever. He used kids to move his drugs. How could I condone that? Don beat that child like he was a grown man who did something wrong. You know what I did Enzo, nothing. That’s what I did. To scared he would kill someone. I allowed their lives to buy my silence. Who got hooked because of me? I don’t know, but it’s my fault.” She dashed at the tears flowing down her face. She deserved to cry to look weak.
“Who’s alive because of you? Did that boy make it to twelve or thirteen years old? Well, did he?”
“Yeah, he did.” Her eyes brightened with joy for a minute. “I talked to his parents several months later and told them what was happening. They moved in the middle of the night. Now and then I get an anonymous letter that says they’re doing well.”
“You’re not responsible for other people’s bad decisions or choices. You can only live your life. You did what you thought was right and Deja you paid the price. Who were you going to report him to, his friends in authority? Would they have been willing to condemn him or would they have brought you up on false charges?”
She knew all this. She’d been over it time and time again. It wasn’t the killing of his friends that was bothering her that much or even Matt knowing what real fear was. It was the thought of Enzo looking at her like she was only human instead of giving her that look that said she could do anything.
“I screwed up Enzo, and you need to recognize that.”
He stood up and walked over to her picking her up before he sat down in the chair with her on his lap.
“I’ve been here a long time, we all have. Our life span is much longer than yours. The one thing I’m well acquainted with is screwing up. I could give you story after story of a bad move or decision on my part, but I’m still here. I’ve paid for some of the mistakes I’ve made in my life; others are simply gifts from the creator. If you want me to condemn you or treat you like your anything other than a miracle in my life I can’t do that.
“Deja you're the miracle I thought I’d never find, and I don’t want to let you go.”
He’s talking like we won’t make it.
It's barely been two weeks.
I don’t want to lose him.
He’s not mad at us.
Maybe we should tell him our other little secret too.
Darn, she forgot about that one. Might as well come clean.
“I’ve got another secret to tell you. Remember when you said you wanted a waitress but none of your females wanted to do it?”
“Yeah,” His voice was weary.
“I ran an ad for a waitress and told them to meet me on Monday at The Wolves’ Den for interviews. I figured whoever could make it through the barrier was a potential candidate.” She got out of his lap.
“I better call Fire before she goes crazy.” She walked into the bedroom to plug her phone in before she dialed Fire’s number.”
“Deja where are you?” The frantic sound of her friend’s voice made her sorry she didn’t call her the minute she walked into the apartment.
“I’m safe, Enzo, Ven and several other friends came to rescue me.”
“Did he hurt you?”
Deja sat on the bed before lying down. “That’s a little hard to answer. He did things that hurt, but mostly he gave me my freedom. I was still holding out thinking he could be more than he was, but Safire he’ll never change not because he can’t, but because he doesn’t want to, and I can finally accept that.”
“You sound like you’re going to be okay.”
“Thanks, I think I am. We’re going to have to reschedule dinner.”
“I figured that,” she laughed feeling better now that she heard Deja’s voice. “I met Enzo and Ven. I have to tell you if I found a family like that I wouldn’t want to leave them either.”
“You realize Ven’s not even old enough to drink.”
“I peeped that. Still, it’s like being surrounded by your sexy husband and fine looking son.”
Deja laughed loud and long. “Fire I don’t think mothers ever think of their sons as being sexy. It’s like a rule that all children still look six even after they are adults.”
“See this is what happens when your biological clock is ticking, and there are no prospects. You don’t know that all children only look like they’re six. What will I do Deja? I think I’m bound to grow old and die alone.”
“Fire you’re beautiful, and any man would be lucky to have you.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Deja, you have the man of muscles, Enzo, eating from the palm of your hand. I’ll have you know I saw this tall, dark chocolate man yesterday. He was drool worthy; he caught me looking and took off so fast you would have thought someone yelled fire. I feel my age creeping up on me.”
“Your twenty-nine.”
“I’ll be thirty in six months, and I’m alone. Who will want me when I turn thirty? I’m like milk about to expire.”
“Fire calm down you’re not about to expire, you’re not an old maid. Thirty is the new twenty you’re positively a spring chicken.”
“Says the woman with the boyfriend. I bet you don’t sleep alone at nights. Sorry, you’re right I’m worrying over nothing. I’m glad your fine. Do you think Matt will come after you again?”
“No, I think I’ve heard the last of him.”
“I’m glad you deserve a break. I’m going to go, are we going to try and get together next Sunday.”
“Sounds good.”
Safire hung up leaving Deja to worry about her best friend. There wasn’t anything she could do right now, and Enzo’s side was bothering her.
“Enzo,” she knocked on the bathroom door then walked in to see him looking at long gash in his side.
“You need stitches,” she walked to the sink and turned on the water looking for the anti-bacterial soap to wash her hands.
Enzo: The Wolves Den: A BBW Scifi/Paranormal Romance Page 11