I’m so sick and tired of feeling weak and vulnerable. I think back to all the times when I could have used some self-defense training to help me out of the situations I kept finding myself in. Maybe I could have escaped. Maybe the terrible things wouldn’t have happened to me if I’d have some way to fight back.
And it’s the determination that I want to do something to change that, to get some of my power back that has me leaving the gym and going to find Damon. He’s in his office, like usual, and is just ending a call when I enter the room.
“Victoria, what’s wrong?” he asks immediately, no doubt confused by the emotions written all over my face.
“I want you to train me,” I blurt out, which earns me a cocked brow from Damon.
“Train you,” he says slowly as if tasting the words.
I’ve seen him training with his men on an almost daily basis. When push comes to shove, I know each and every one of them would protect me with their life, but I want to be able to depend on myself if things would ever go south, like in the past. I want to feel empowered by my own self-worth. “I want to be able to fight back, you know, if anything…ever happens again,” I confess.
I watch as his fist clenches on top of the desk. “Nothing will ever happen to you again,” he states firmly.
“You can’t protect me twenty-four-seven, Damon.”
“I can damn well try,” he mutters angrily.
“Are you going to train me or not? I mean, I can always ask someone else. Baz or one of your men I’m sure would be willing to –.”
“No,” he says suddenly, and I have to bite back a smile. I knew I could manipulate his jealousy into something to benefit me. “I’ll meet you in the gym in fifteen,” he tells me.
I’m already dressed in a white sports bra with a thin, blue tank top over it and black yoga pants from my run earlier, so I go back to the gym and wait. Damon arrives several minutes later wearing a pair of black shorts and a white tee. The t-shirt is deliciously stretched over his broad chest and showcases his bulging biceps.
A blush creeps up my chest as I feel a rush of heat like someone just kicked up the thermostat a few hundred degrees.
Shit, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
“Get on the mats,” he tells me, and I obey, walking over to the blue mats in the corner of the large gym.
He follows me slowly, circling around me like a predator getting ready to tackle its prey. “If someone is reaching for you, go for the most vulnerable places first.” He points to his eyes and his groin, and I can’t help but let my gaze linger on the second one.
In slow motion, he acts like he’s reaching for me. Gripping my arm, he brings it up towards his face. “Fingers out, right in the eye.”
“Okay,” I say, breathlessly.
“And if you can get even closer, knee to the groin.” He waits for me to practice the movement of my knee rising towards him before he gives me a satisfied nod. “Good girl,” he says in praise. “Now let’s practice some moves if I’m holding a weapon.”
He goes through some steps, and then goes back through them until I’m comfortable. “First point of contact?” he asks.
“Blow to the wrist to get the gun pointed away from my body,” I tell him before swinging my forearm up and knocking away his hand with the imaginary weapon.
“And then?” he prompts.
“Contact to anywhere vulnerable on the body,” I respond, going through the motions of kneeing him in the crotch and gouging his eyes, but never making contact, of course.
“Very good,” he says with a nod. “Let’s move on to something more…intimate.”
A shiver dances down my spine at the sound of that word coming out of his mouth, and I have to shake off the desire coursing through my veins. Even though I’m furious at Damon for everything he did, it still doesn’t change the fact that my body reacts to his in the most primal way.
I still want him.
He reaches out and puts his hands around my neck. “If someone is choking you, what do you do?”
I reach up and try to break his hold, but it doesn’t work.
He shakes his head. “You’re trying to match my strength, and it won’t work, Victoria. It doesn’t matter if the guy is my size or much bigger and stronger than me. You just have to be smarter than the person who is attacking you.”
He drops his hands and places my hands around his neck. Then, he shows me how he dips and turns out of my grip easily. “I’m using my entire body weight against your thumbs gripping my lower neck. Anyone’s hold should break.” He replaces his hands on my neck. “Now you try.”
I do the same move he just did, and it actually works. I’m so surprised that I let out a little triumphant squeal with a fist pump.
Damon laughs, and its deep timbre runs straight through me. A few seconds later, his expression is all business once again as he says, “Now, lie down on the mat. We’ve got some more moves to practice.”
I swallow hard at his words. Okay, I’m convinced that this was definitely not a good idea.
CHAPTER 24
DAMON
I PRACTICE WITH Victoria for hours until we’re both exhausted and I’m so full of pent-up sexual tension that I feel like I’m going to explode.
“That’s enough for today,” I say gruffly, turning my back on her to hide the evidence of my arousal.
“Okay,” she says, panting. “Tomorrow?” she asks, and I can hear the eagerness in her voice.
I don’t know if I can stand touching her again tomorrow with no release, but I agree to it anyway. What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment. And if it means I can spend more time with Victoria, then so be it. Otherwise, she’ll just stay locked away in her room, ignoring me. At least I get to see her, feel her next to me. And the training is something she does need. If anything were to ever happen to her again…
“Damon?” she calls my name, effectively breaking me out of my reverie, and I glance at her over my shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you,” she says, wiping sweat from her brow.
Her tank top clings to her body, showcasing her lithe figure and pebbled nipples, and I close my eyes and walk away from her without another word. My cock feels as hard as steel between my legs as I go to my bathroom, strip off my clothes and step into the hot shower.
I feel like a goddamn teenager again, yanking my cock after getting all hot and bothered from touching a girl. I tug and tug on that monster until I’m seeing fucking stars and groaning Victoria’s name.
Slapping my hand on the wet tiles, I come. Hard.
Slumping against the tiled wall, I curse as I watch the evidence of my orgasm washing down the drain.
I know I promised to keep training her, but this is gonna be harder than I thought. As long as I can keep my one-eyed monster in check, I’ll be all right. But with her body writhing underneath me and her hips bucking up into mine, fuck, I’m bound to be taking cold showers for the rest of the week until I can have Victoria again.
And I will have her again. Victoria is mine. And the sooner she comes to that realization, the better.
CHAPTER 25
DAMON
I GAVE THE name of Sara’s buyer to Baz a few weeks ago, not expecting any results. And so, when he comes to my office and tells me he found her, I almost can’t believe my ears.
“You…found her?” I stare at him in disbelief. “She’s…alive?” I ask, hopefulness dripping from my voice.
“She is alive and well,” Baz informs me. “I have the address where she currently resides with her husband.”
“Her husband?” I utter. Holy fuck, my sister is alive…and married? All this time I had been preparing myself for the worst news possible. I almost can’t believe she’s okay. I have so many questions as to how she escaped the clutches of her captor.
Baz hands me an index card with a phone number and an address down below. “Here’s her number, if you’d like to call her.”
I stare a
t the paper, afraid to reach out and touch it in case it disappears and this is all a dream. “I…I don’t know what to say.” I look up at Baz’s smiling face, and I tell him, “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.” I finally accept the paper, clutching it in my hand, scared of letting it go.
“You are my friend,” Baz says. “Friends help each other.” He rubs the back of his neck with his hand and says, “I’ll leave you alone so you can call your sister. Happy days, my friend.”
I watch with tears in my eyes blurring my vision as he leaves the room. My hand trembles as I dial the number on my cell phone. After three rings, a melodic voice on the other end answers with a simple, “Hello?”
Swallowing hard at the lump forming in my throat, I try to speak, but can’t.
“Hello? Who is this?” the voice asks.
I haven’t heard her voice in so long that I can’t even be sure that it’s her, but I feel it in my gut. This is my sister. This is Sara. “S-Sara?” I stammer.
After a pause, she asks again but more forcefully this time, “Who is this?”
“It’s your brother.”
“Arlo?” she whispers.
“Yes.”
“I want proof,” she demands. “Tell me something only Arlo would know.”
I like the fact that she sounds so damn strong and stubborn, just like I remember her. “I have a scar on my right cheek from when you threw a rock at me because I wouldn’t play kickball with you. I think I was only six then. I remember I cried so hard, but you begged me not to tell mom. You bribed me with chocolate chip ice cream, which was always my favorite, and I never told a soul.” Suddenly, I can hear her loud sobs through the phone, and it guts me. “Sara…Sara, it’s okay. Please don’t cry,” I beg her.
“I thought you were dead,” she cries out.
“Ditto,” I tell her with a huff.
“It’s…so nice to hear your voice, Arlo. I’ve missed you…so much,” she says between sobs. It takes her a while to calm her breathing and quiet her crying, and I just stay on the line, giving her as much support as I can from over the phone. “I’d love to see you,” she says quietly. “Will you come visit me?”
I stare at the address on the index card. She’s residing in a town in Pennsylvania I’ve never heard of before. “Of course,” I tell her right away. But then I think of Victoria and how she will react to my departure. Will she try to run? Will she get in trouble again while I’m gone? Cursing under my breath, I tell Sara, “Actually…I don’t know if it’s a good time right now.”
“Please, Arlo,” Sara practically begs me. And then I know I can’t possibly say no.
“Is it all right if I bring someone?”
“Your girlfriend?” she asks.
“Something like that,” I mutter.
“Oh, that would be wonderful, Arlo. I’d love to meet her.”
We set up the date and time and leave the conversation with a tearful goodbye. After disconnecting the call, I feel like the hole in my chest has decreased somewhat. Yes, I may have lost my mother and father, but now I have my sister back.
It doesn’t make anything right, but it somehow makes things…better.
Now I just need to convince Victoria to come with me to my sister’s house. Because right now, Victoria is safer by my side than without me, even if she doesn’t believe that.
CHAPTER 26
VICTORIA
DAMON DOESN’T MEET me for our usual training session, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. I had gotten used to our routine. We’ve actually been opening up to each other and talking, which is more than I can say from before we started training together.
He’s been cooped up in his office all day, so I decide to leave him alone. I’m sure it’s important if he’s willing to skip one of our sessions.
I spend the day walking the grounds, visiting the garden that needs some serious sprucing up, and reading at my favorite window seat in the house that has a large window with a view of the backyard.
When it’s almost dinnertime, I decide to make an appearance just in case Damon has time out of his busy schedule to eat.
After a quick shower, I straighten my hair and put on some makeup. I even put on a dress, which is something I haven’t done in a while since I was covered with bruises. Some yellow marks still remain, but my body looks like it once did before all the horrible shit happened to it.
Inside, however, I’m scarred. My lungs ache whenever I take a deep breath. I still can’t take baths because of my new fear of water. Hell, I have trouble controlling my breathing even when I take a shower. And I can’t sleep with the light off because of my new fear of the dark.
Mentally, they wrecked me, but I’m going to try to get better and stronger to spite them, if nothing else.
Pleased with my appearance, I go downstairs to join Damon. I’m happy to see he’s there and not holed up in his office anymore.
But it’s over dinner, while we’re feasting on baked herb-roasted chicken, when he drops a huge bombshell.
“I found Sara.”
My fork drops from my hand, clattering onto my plate as my gaze flicks up to meet his. “You…found her?” I ask in disbelief. “She’s alive? She’s okay?”
“She’s married,” Damon says with a soft smile.
Tears well up in my eyes as I think of Sara walking down the aisle and marrying the love of her life. If anyone deserves happiness, it’s her. “Have you talked to her yet?”
He nods and takes a sip of his red wine. I watch his full lips wrap around the glass, and I can’t help but remember what they felt like pressed up against mine. Training with him hasn’t been easy. Feeling his hands all over me but not letting things go any further has been driving me up the wall, and the sexual tension has been growing day by day.
Tonight, Damon is dressed in a black suit with a green tie that brings out his eyes. He looks handsome, as always, but I can’t even allow my mind to go there. After everything that we’ve been through…after everything that happened, I don’t know if my broken heart will ever heal enough to give him another chance.
“She wants me to come visit her this weekend,” Damon says, bringing me out of my inner turmoil.
“That’s…that’s wonderful,” I tell him.
My heartbeat picks up pace as I think of being alone in this place without Damon here to protect me. Even though he thinks I hate him and want to leave, he couldn’t be more wrong. At first, I just needed my space from him. But now, knowing that Damon is here and available anytime I need him makes me feel…safe. And the thought of him not being here or having his protection makes me feel anxious and vulnerable.
“Victoria,” he says, reaching across the table and laying out his hand, palm up. I stare at his hand, but don’t move a muscle. When I reject his gesture, he grimaces and says, “I think I already know the answer to this question, but would you want to come with me to see Sara?”
He’s giving me a choice? And clearly he thinks I’m going to say no. “Yes,” I tell him, watching as his eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise.
“You really want to go?”
“I’d love to see Sara,” I clarify. I also don’t want to be left alone, but I don’t tell him that part.
“Of course,” he says with a nod. “I’m sure she’d love to see you too.” He draws his hand back and picks up his fork, spearing a piece of steak before bringing it up to his mouth.
I watch him chew for a moment before I return my attention back to my own plate. We eat in companionable silence then, but I can feel the anxious energy between us.
We’re both excited to see Sara again. And knowing that she’s found happiness in this cruel, cruel world makes me hopeful that maybe someday I will too.
And when I look over at Damon and he flashes me a sexy grin, I allow myself to wonder if I’ll find happiness with him someday.
Deep down I hope the answer is…yes.
CHAPTER 27
DAMON
THE
TRIP TO the small town in Pennsylvania is long and silent. Victoria is brooding in the passenger’s seat, and I would pay anything to know what she’s thinking. The way she keeps fiddling with her purse, I know she’s anxious. Probably as anxious as I am about seeing Sara again.
A million questions swim through my head on the way there.
When was she rescued? When did she get married? Or better yet…who did she marry? And is she truly happy?
I won’t be able to rest my world-weary soul until I know the answer to the last question. If she is not truly happy, I will do everything in my power to make sure she is.
The GPS signals that we have one more turn to make before our destination. And as I see the large gated entrance with a guard shack outside of it, I can’t help but wonder who Sara did marry that he needs so much security.
Victoria’s eyes narrow as she watches the guard approach the car. “Name?” the man asks after I roll down my window.
“Arlo Rossi,” I say, giving him the name I haven’t used since I was a kid. “I’m here to see Sara.”
The guard nods and hits a button to open the gate. “She is expecting you. Drive on through, Mr. Rossi.”
After the gate swings open, I press my foot to the gas pedal and drive through. The driveway is long and paved with neatly pruned trees lining it on both sides.
As we approach the house, I can hear Victoria gasp with delight. “Oh my god, it’s gorgeous!” she remarks.
The house, or should I say mansion, is bigger than the home Victoria grew up in, the place we reside in now. The front of it is lined with tall windows, and there is a giant fountain with mermaids in the center of the circular drive.
I park in front of a long garage that sits off to the left, and I can’t help but wonder how many cars it actually holds. Ten, fifteen, twenty?
Victorious: A Dark Mafia Romance (Deviant Series Book 2) Page 8