When he made his way to the kitchen, anger struck him like a jolt of lightening. Zeke had Heaven backed against the counter as he stood a foot away from her. She held a butcher knife in her hand, pointing it toward Zeke.
Dylan’s heart sank when he saw her tear streaked face and bloody, torn dress. What had Zeke done?
He was as good as dead.
Zeke was too busy taunting Heaven to realize Dylan was approaching. But Heaven saw him. Her eyes met with his for a split second before Dylan had Zeke in his hands.
He fisted Zeke’s shirt, jerking him backwards and sending him stumbling across the floor. Before Zeke could gain his footing, Dylan was in his face, slamming Zeke’s body against the wall.
“I thought I told you to leave my girl alone,” he shouted. Zeke’s face twisted to the side, Blood spewed from his mouth and lips as Dylan delivered a blow. “If you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
“I didn’t hurt her,” Zeke said, struggling to get out of Dylan’s grasp. His head cracked against the wall as Dylan slammed him back into it.
“Then why is her dress torn and bloody? Why is she backed in a corner, crying and holding a knife?”
“He’s lying.” Heaven sobbed. “He was going to rape me.”
Dylan felt a snap deep within his chest. “You’re a dead man,” he growled, grabbing Zeke by the face. It wasn’t enough to hear Zeke’s head smacking the drywall. He balled his hand in a fist and delivered another blow to Zeke’s jaw.
In a rage of fury, he lost count of how many times he’d hit Zeke. He was ready to deliver a deathblow when a hand pulled his shoulder. Dylan spun around, arm drawn back, ready to deliver a punch to whoever had stopped him. When he noticed Scott’s eyes glistening, he held back.
“Dylan, stop! You’re going to kill him, and he isn’t worth spending time in prison.”
“He attacked my girl. You would do the same for Hope.”
“I understand your anger, but if you kill him, you go to jail and lose Heaven in the process.”
He’d already lost Heaven. What did it matter?
Dylan drew back to hit Zeke, again, when Heaven’s sobs broke through the cloud of rage. He pressed Zeke to the wall and leaned closer. “If you ever come near her, again, you won’t live to see another day.” His breath blew strands of hair from Zeke’s bloodied skin. “You’re lucky you didn’t succeed with your plan tonight. If you had…you wouldn’t be breathing. This is my final warning. Leave. Heaven. Alone!”
When Dylan released his grip, Zeke curled over, his breath raspy and labored. He was bruised and bloody, like he had just stepped out of a boxing match with a heavyweight champion. When Dylan stepped away from him, Scott didn’t waste any time in ushering Zeke out of the condo.
Dylan took swift steps over to Heaven. Her golden eyes locked with his when he pried the knife from her hand and took her in his arms. “Are you okay?”
“I…I think so.”
He barely heard her answer as he tightened his arms around her, holding her close. Her sobs vibrated his chest.
“This is my fault,” he said, his voice wavering with guilt. “I’ll never forgive myself for this. I swear, I won’t.”
“Hev? What happened?” Hope asked as she stood next to them, her hand caressing her sister’s back.
Heaven faced her sister, though she didn’t move from Dylan’s embrace. “I came down to get something to drink, and I heard a knock on the door,” she sobbed. “When I found out it was him, I tried shutting the door. He forced his way in. It escalated from there.” She stopped as Dylan wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Is that how your dress was torn?” he asked, his hand moving to her shoulder, caressing it where the broken strap lay. Heaven nodded her head. When he stroked her cheek, he noticed her wincing in pain. “What’s wrong with your face?”
Heaven shied away from his gaze. “Zeke tried to kiss me, so I bit him. Then he slapped me.”
Dylan turned to go, but Scott sidestepped into his path. “Hold on, cowboy. Where do you think you’re going?”
“He’s going to pay for hitting her.”
“I think you made him pay,” Hope snorted.
“Should I have handled it differently?”
“No, Dylan. I don’t blame you one bit for beating the shit out of him,” Hope replied. She wrapped a comforting arm around Heaven as they leaned against the counter. There was no anger in her voice or her eyes. If anything, silent gratitude greeted him.
Dylan refocused on Heaven. When he noticed her bottom lip quivering, his chest pinched.
“I did the best I could to defend myself. I stomped his foot, kneed him in the balls, and hit him as hard as I could. If I hadn’t…”
“Shh…” Hope whispered. She enfolded her sister in her arms. “I can’t believe he did this to you. What are the odds of him showing up here, tonight, when you were alone?”
“He said he’s been watching the condo for days, waiting for me to be alone,” Heaven answered, her words muffled against her sister’s shoulder.
Dylan pulled Scott to the side. “They’re not safe here.”
“I know. We need to take them somewhere they will be. Zeke knows some shady people. He’ll seek revenge. I guarantee it.”
“Why can’t we just call the cops and have him arrested?” Hope questioned.
Scott stepped away from Dylan and walked over to the counter. “After they got one look at Zeke, they would probably arrest Dylan for beating him. Besides, he would get out on bail until a court hearing is arranged. It wouldn’t make you and your sisters safer.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Hope replied, hugging her sister closer. “So, where are we supposed to go?”
“I don’t know about Scott, but this was the final straw for me. Heaven, I want you to come stay at my house.”
Heaven tore her face from Hope’s shoulder, but she didn’t meet his eyes. “No!”
Christ! She was going to be stubborn about this.
“I know you’re pissed at me, but that’s not important. Your safety is. Please, go get your things.”
“I’ll take Hope with me and call Layne to fill him in on the way home.”
Dylan nodded, still gazing at Heaven. Her eyes wavered with emotions. Anger. Fear. Sadness.
He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her what his heart wanted to say. But pride was a man’s worst enemy, especially when it came to matters of the heart.
* * * * *
CHAPTER 22
Dylan glanced at Heaven for the umpteenth time since leaving the condo. Her eyes, focused on the windshield, remained entranced and unmoving. The silence between them grew into tension. He could sense their connection dancing erratically with rejection and heartbreak. She felt dejected—and he felt dead.
He couldn’t blame her for hating him. But it didn’t make his chest squeeze any less. The longer silence remained between them, the more she pulled away.
Pushing the gearshift into Park, the roar of the engine died. He slipped the key out of the ignition and into his pocket.
At least the rain had stopped.
The thought of having to open the door and leave Heaven’s side, even for a minute, had him stalling. He gazed over at her, hoping to meet those golden eyes that melted his heart. He only found a bundle of curls resting on a slumped shoulder. Her head tilted where the window supported it.
A sigh trickled past his lips. He opened the door, forcing himself through the motions when he wanted to grab her in his arms and beg for her forgiveness. Like it would make a difference in her eyes. He’d wronged her in keeping the dreams to himself.
The hinges on the tailgate purred as it rose. He shoved his hands through the handles of her bags, lifting them from the back of the SUV. When he stole a glance over the seats, he noticed the passenger seat was empty.
Heaven stood just outside the vehicle, her eyes wandering over the estate as if she were expecting someone to jump out and grab her.
Goddamn, Zeke. Why did tha
t bastard have to target his angel? Heaven belonged to him, whether she wanted it that way or not. Her soul had connected to his and their bond would always exist, according to his mom. Not even Heaven could change that. But how could he tell her any of this after what had happened tonight? She’d only think he was trying to weasel his way back into her heart.
As they walked inside, Dylan kept glancing over his shoulder, making sure she was okay. Her head hung low like a child who’d been beaten. She hugged her chest, wrapping the sweater she wore against her. Her fingers clutched the edges. She was so tense, even her gait was off. The normal sway of her hips had been reduced to stiff movements.
Once they were inside, he placed her bags beside the steps. Stealing a glance in her direction, he laid his phone and keys on the hallway table. She seemed focused on the shards of vase still spread across the floor, the results of their earlier argument.
She stopped in front of a large piece of glass, nudging it with her shoe. Her eyes lifted and looked toward the table. They lingered for a moment. His breath caught when they fell on him, even if it was for a millisecond.
Great. Now she would think he had anger issues. He’d never acted the way he had earlier, but the thought of losing her hardened him.
He gave her a few minutes to say something, but when the silence became too much, he walked over to where she was standing. His heart pounded so loud, he could barely hear his own thoughts.
“I know you’re tired after everything that’s happened so I want you to sleep in my room. My bed is more comfortable than the others, and you need some rest.”
“You don’t have to do that. I will be fine in one of the other rooms,” Heaven replied, her voice tight, eyes fixed on the floor.
Dylan reached out to her through their bond, but he felt it recoil. “Allow me do this for you. After everything you’ve been through…” He struggled to find the right words to comfort her. Were there any? “None of this should have happened, including the way I treated you. Giving you my room is the least I can do. I can sleep somewhere else.”
“I’m not taking your bed from you.” The edge in her voice sent a wave of chills over his skin. He leaned closer, willing her to look at him, but he sensed her refusal. Their bond throbbed with sadness, regret. It was like a punch in the gut.
“Heaven…” Her name rushed from his lips. “Please, look at me,” he begged.
He fought to hide the moisture in his eyes when hers finally met his. Curls swayed back and forth. “I can’t do this,” she whispered as tears fell from her eyes.
“You don’t have to. Take my room. Get some rest and we will talk in the morning,” he said, choking on his words.
She moved around him, grabbed her bag, and went upstairs as quickly as she could. A piece of his heart broke with every step she took.
Showing her his emotions wasn’t fair to her, not after everything she’d been through this evening. He struggled to shut down his feelings. It would have been easier to prevent the ebbing of the tide.
Once he heard his bedroom door shut, he made his way to the den and sank into the sofa. He couldn’t believe what was happening. She was pulling away from him with every passing second. He had to figure out a way to make this right before she walked out of his life for good. The thought of her leaving made his skin prickle as if he’d fallen into a nest of hornets.
He stood, walked across the room, and grabbed the house phone from its base on a nearby shelf. He had to talk to someone about this, tonight. There was one person who understood his situation even more than he did, and he knew she would listen to everything with an open mind.
He punched the number pads on the phone and placed it to his ear, counting each ring as he paced in front of the sofa. Her voice ended the ringing.
“Hey, sweetheart, what has you calling so late?”
His mother’s steady voice was a sweet relief. He released a sigh before answering her. “Mom, I don’t know what to do. I think I’ve pushed Heaven away and lost my chance to be with her.”
The urgency in her voice seeped through the phone line. “What in the world happened?”
“My idiocy, that’s what happened. She found out about my dreams before I had a chance to tell her.”
“She did?”
“Yes.” He gripped the phone harder. “I tried to talk to her when we made it home, but Dad showed up. She came back later, and she already knew about the dreams. I panicked, even tried to lie my way out of it.”
“Dylan…” he heard her sigh. “Why would you try to lie about it? You and Heaven have a connection. She has a right to know about it.”
“I was in a meeting with Dad when she showed up. Her arrival caught me off guard.”
“Why was your dad there?”
He walked over to the fireplace and gripped the mantle. “You don’t want to know. But there was a woman here, too. A reporter. And when Heaven saw her…”
“She thought you were with this other woman, didn’t she?”
A growl slipped past his lips. He released the mantle and began pacing, again. “Yeah, she did.”
Stupid reporters. They’d been stirring up trouble since he’d come into the spotlight. Pictures were one thing, but when they started interfering with his personal life…it was too much.
“Listen to me, Dylan. This is a misunderstanding. Just talk to her about it.”
“It’s not that easy, Mom. Something horrible happened to her, tonight.”
A chortle echoed over the phone. “I’m afraid to ask what you mean by that.”
“I wasn’t the only one to hurt her. After she left here, in tears, she went back to the condo and was almost raped by Zeke Landon.”
“What?” Delia shouted. “Oh, my God, Dylan, is she okay? What did he do to her?”
Dylan couldn’t answer right away. The scene of Heaven cowering in the kitchen with a knife pointed toward Zeke played in his mind. “He…he hit her across the face, tore her dress, and he tried to…” His voice cracked at the thought. “He had his filthy hands all over my angel, Mom.”
“Did you have him arrested?”
“No, I didn’t. I beat the crap out of him instead.”
“Oh, Dylan,” she said, exaggerating the words as a sigh followed. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened with Zeke. You’re only responsible for your own actions.”
“But it’s my initial reaction that started this snowball rolling. If I’d told her about the dreams, she wouldn’t have gone back to the condo or been attacked by that freak.” He stopped pacing and looked down at the sofa.
“Where is she now?”
Dylan listened for any signs of movement upstairs. When silence answered him, he plopped onto the couch. “She’s up in my room, sleeping. Scott and Hope happened to arrive at the condo when I did. Hope went home with him and her other sister is with Layne.”
“Good. That was my next question.” He could hear relief in her voice, but there was still concern in the way she sighed. “You, my dear son, need to calm down. You and Heaven will be fine.”
Yeah, right. Heaven couldn’t even look at him. “Things are far from okay.”
“It’s only because she is hurting, Dylan, but don’t let that stop you from going to her. She needs you more than ever. Let her know how you feel. Most importantly, tell her about your connection.”
Dylan leaned on the edge of the couch. He gripped the cushion when he felt a fluctuation in the connection. Heaven was crying. She had to be. His breath grew laborious, like he was heaving with sobs.
“I feel her pushing away from me.”
“You and Heaven are so connected emotionally; your pain reverberates off each other. You feel everything twice as much. That’s why I told you things would heighten. Every thought, every emotion. Your senses will be crazy.”
Was that why it felt like his world was ending?
He closed his eyes, trying to make the room stop spinning. “I’m terrified that she will continue to push me away. The though
t of losing her devastates me.”
“You and Heaven are bound together for life. Losing her would devastate you, but only death will steal her from you. She won’t be able to deny the bond anymore than you. Talk to her.”
“You’re right,” he said in a calmer voice. He fell back against the sofa, pushing the thoughts of Zeke from his mind. “I will tell her everything in the morning.”
“There’s one more thing I need to tell you, Dylan. Something I found during my research today.”
His gut clenched. “Is it bad?”
“No, but it’s something you need to know. Something you’ll have to tell Heaven, too.”
Great. More secrets she’d think he’d been hiding from her. This was such a mess.
“I’m listening, Mom.”
* * *
Heaven blew her nose a final time. Her body was numb. She’d barely felt the cotton on her dress as she lowered it down her legs. She stepped out of it, tossing into the trash. Even if the dress weren’t torn and bloody, there were too many memories woven into the fabric. Like her morning with Dylan, and now, her assault from Zeke.
After changing into a nightshirt, she doused a washcloth in scalding water. Wringing the excess fluid from the cloth, she pressed it to the cheek Zeke had struck. The heat soothed her swollen skin, a relief she happily welcomed.
If only she could find a remedy for her heart.
Her mind replayed every vivid detail from the time she had woken up, until this moment. For a day that had started out perfect, it sure was ending on a sour note. Physical and mental exhaustion overcame her. She wanted this day to be over, wanted the heartache to disappear.
Once she turned off the overhead light, the soft glow of the lamp on the nightstand made the bed look inviting. She crawled into it, settling under the covers. The shock wore off at that exact moment. Another round of tears escaped her eyes when she thought about being in Dylan’s bed, alone. Even though he had hurt her, she still cared about him. Her feelings hadn’t changed, but she didn’t know about his. Had he invited her back to his place out of guilt?
What the Heart Wants Page 27
