Keep Her From Harm

by Sam Crescent

  Entering the office, he saw Rick still up and still working. His mother, Charlotte, was passed out on the sofa with a blanket thrown over her.

  “Couldn’t sleep?”

  “No. There’s a lot of shit to do.”

  “I’d be spending time with my woman right about now, and believe me that is where I would want to be, but as it happens, I’m cleaning up after my brothers’ mess.” Rick continued to type even as he spoke.

  Damian frowned, wondering what he’d seen, or even what he was doing. Before he could say something, Rick started talking.

  “You know we Dentons have a reputation for sticking together. No matter what happens, we are united as one. It doesn’t matter if we’re hit, we will band together. You try to take on one, you take us all on. We’ve always been a big family, and one day soon I hope to add to the fold, but right now there’s no way in hell of me sharing my woman. I’m a self-centered prick. I don’t deny that. Thankfully, I’ve got a few years before I’m sterile I imagine.” Finally, Rick looked up at him, and typing ceased. “This person you got, Lewis, he is good. Anyway, back to what I was saying. Oh yeah, that’s right. Family, unity, love, and all that fucking shit. Your father fucked up when he screwed the Colton whore. It wasn’t supposed to end up with a kid, but you know what? We got Gabriel, and you got Wyatt and Owen mixed in with all of this. They’re good men. I can see that, and your father can see that. The problem you’ve got is as a family, this little hiccup caused this.”

  “No, it didn’t.”

  Rick slammed his hand on the desk, waking Charlotte up. “It did, and you don’t for a second interrupt me, boy. That’s what you are. You’re a fucking child, and so are all of your brothers, and to a point so is mine. They didn’t tell you to get your head out of your fucking asses and deal with the problem. You treated this entire situation like a bunch of girls, and guess what? It’s come to bite you in the ass.”

  “I think that is quite enough, Rick.”

  “With all due respect, Charlotte, shut the fuck up. I don’t want to hear your shit because my brother screwed a woman before he even met you. Get over it. So what? Gabriel is alive, and you’ve got an extra couple of sons and daughters to pamper. They took their eye off the ball, which at this present time has cost a great deal of people their lives. Not just those two women at the warehouse. There have been two cops that in the past hour have died. Don’t worry, I’ve already got our lawyer onto it to help the family. It’s the least I can do. You want to know what I do, Damian? I clean shit up. That’s what I do. It’s what I’ve always done. When I left, it was because there was nothing to clean up. Maddox and Stuart had a handle on everything. Instead everything turns to shit in a matter of months. He fucked a Colton and Gabriel’s here. Get over it. I have. He’s my brand-new nephew. Grow some fucking balls. If you don’t, say goodbye to this life, and to that woman you’ve got upstairs because this doesn’t come easy.” Rick shook his head. “I never should have gone.”

  “Why did you go?”

  “Maddox and Stuart sent him away,” Charlotte said, finally speaking up. “They couldn’t keep up with the never-ending pile of dead bodies, and the cops demanding to speak to Rick at every turn. Discovering Mandy, and her getting a job in England, your father and uncle thought it would do him good.”

  “Charlotte, you need to leave,” Rick said.

  Damian was shocked when his mother just turned away, and left. “You can’t order my mom around in her own home.”

  “I can when what I’m about to show you would hurt her.” Rick spun the laptop he’d been typing away, and Damian took a step forward. “Like I said, Lewis is brilliant.”

  The laptop was showing the torture of the two girls, not only that, but it was also showing Ivan Smith and another guy dumping the body. Rick pointed at the screen. “That ugly fucker is Westbrook. Who is the guy with him?”

  “Ivan Smith. You just beat the shit out of one of his guys.”

  “He’s the one you want to kill?” Rick asked.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Great. We’re all on the same side. I’ve sent this to the lawyer, and he’s working on getting our family released. Until then, go and get some sleep.”

  “You’re not going to go after them right away?” Damian asked.

  “Nope. We’re going to make it a family affair.”

  ****

  Mia put Martha and Reese down for the early morning nap. She looked at her son, and smiled down at his beautiful face with his chubby cheeks. The moment she had seen him, she knew without a doubt that she would do everything to take care of him, to love him.

  Next, she moved to Martha. The young girl was a dream to take care of. Rarely did she cry, and she was always smiling and giggling. Again, Mia had grown to love the little girl with her dark curls and shocking green eyes. Without a doubt Martha was going to be a heartbreaker.

  “She’s a beautiful girl, isn’t she?” Charlotte asked, moving into the nursery.

  “Yes, she is. You must be one proud grandma.”

  “Always. I love my children. We often disappoint them, but they have never done so with me.”

  Glancing over at the older woman, she saw Charlotte was incredibly pale. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I am fine. I’m just … I’m feeling my age right now, and all of the mistakes that I have made over the years. If Maddox hadn’t been too busy trying to deal with me, none of this would be happening. He’s always such a good man. He needed to keep everything in check, and he didn’t because of me. This is all my fault.”

  “Damian explained everything to me. The legacy, what the family does.”

  Charlotte nodded. “A lot of women, myself included, find it hard to believe, but I’ve seen it, and I’ve felt it with the way Maddox is with me. There are many times I’m not a very good wife to him. I probably shouldn’t tell you this.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for everything. There’s no way that you could have known what those men would do to those women.”

  “Maddox would. That’s the point, Mia. My husband has been the head of the Denton family for as long as I can remember. He’s always known and seen when threats are coming. Especially from small time crooks like Westbrook and Ivan. No matter how much you try to make me feel better, there is no changing the fact that this is my fault.”

  “Ivan Smith?” Mia asked.

  “Yes. That boy’s father.”

  Mia reached out and stroked Reese’s cheek. “He won’t be anything like Ivan. I’ve kept him away as often as I could.”

  “You’re a good mother, and I would be happy to have you as a daughter-in-law.”

  “I think that is a little soon to presume. Damian and I, we’re—I don’t know what we are. I care about him, and when I’m around him, I feel so much happiness.”

  “I get that with Maddox, even when he pisses me off and hurts me. I’ve been a damn fool. I was angry with Maddox because of Gabriel, and yet, we weren’t even together. He’d not even seen me, you know? How can I be angry about something that we had no control over? I’m waiting for him to get home, and I will do better.”

  Mia moved toward Charlotte, and wrapped her arms around the other woman. “You’re a good mother.”

  “You’re a sweet girl. Damian’s about to head out. I will watch them while you say goodbye.”

  Mia left the nursery making her way toward the room they had shared. She had woken up this morning with his arms wrapped around her. For a few short seconds, she could pretend that he didn’t have to leave, that there wasn’t a problem. She had closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to wake up with him kissing her, stroking her body. Ivan hadn’t been her only lover. She had a boyfriend before him, and she’d loved sex. It had been good, but she had wanted the passion she had read in so many books. Yes, it was cliched, but what was wrong with wanting something more?

  After Ivan she had thought there was no way she could ever feel anything again, and it had been over a year since
it happened. With Damian, it was hard for her to really understand because he was the only person she felt safe with, comfortable to be herself.

  Entering the bedroom, she saw him sitting on the bed, holding something in his hand. He looked up toward her as she stepped into the room.

  “Your mother said you were leaving. I didn’t want you to go without saying goodbye.” She frowned. “Where are you going?”

  “Damage control. Rick wants us talking to some of our suppliers, and to also make it known that we were not responsible for the murder of those two girls. We’re also going to be adding some extra security detail to our places. It’ll help show them we’re back and we’re taking care of our own.”

  “That sounds like the right thing to do.”

  “Yeah, Rick is the only one who doesn’t have his head up his own ass. I guess being away from his woman is incentive enough to get the job done.”

  There was so much she wanted to say, and yet nothing came out of her mouth. He had admitted to being in love with her last night, and now there was silence. “Reese and Martha are settled. We had breakfast, and I took them for a walk around the garden. Martha loves the fresh air, and so does Reese.” Her son was thriving in this new environment. Not only was her son doing well, but she felt a change in herself. For too long she had been afraid of everything and anything, and now it was like she was able to think, to focus, to fight.

  “Are we all right?” Damian asked.

  “Why wouldn’t we be?”

  “Last night, not only did I tell you the truth of who I am, and what my family do, I told you that I was in love with you. After everything you’ve been through, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did walk out that door and not come back.”

  Mia rested her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You’re going to define who I am based on my past?”

  “You’ve been through a lot.”

  “So has everyone else, and guess what? We fight, we move on.”

  “I’m going to kill Ivan Smith, Mia. I’m going to cut his dick off and feed it to him. Then I’m going to plunge my knife into his stomach and tear him until I split him apart.”

  “That’s very … colorful.”

  “It’s the man that I am.” He stood up and started to walk toward her.

  Mia wasn’t afraid. She knew who he was and what he was capable of. To her, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was at the end of the day he came home.

  “I’m in love with you,” he said.

  She placed her hands on his chest and stared into his eyes. “Then come home. Do what you need to do and come home.” Then without any hesitation, she went onto her tiptoes, and pressed her lips against his. She pushed her fingers into his hair, and held him tightly to her as she teased across his lips until he opened up, and she plunged her tongue into his mouth.

  Releasing a moan, she gasped herself as he grabbed her ass, and pressed her against the wall.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mia. So much,” he said, breaking the kiss. He had her pressed against the wall and his body, and she liked it.

  The hardness of his cock nestled against her stomach. Staring into his eyes, she knew that she wanted him more than anything else. “You think you know me?”

  He tilted his head to the side.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know, Damian. I’m not just some damsel in distress. I’ve been able to live my life perfectly fine.”

  “You were terrified of Ivan.”

  “I was scared of what that monster would make me do. I love my son, and I don’t know the kind of limits I would have to keep him warm at night and fed. I’ve heard a lot of bad stuff about Ivan’s women, and that was what I was to a lot of people. Just another woman. I wasn’t his.” She ran her thumb across his lip. “He wasn’t my first, Damian. I’m not some damsel in distress here. I can take care of myself, and you don’t have to be careful with me.”

  “Damian, come on. We’ve got to go,” Rick said, yelling toward them. She turned toward the door.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “Then go. I’m still going to be here when you get back.”

  He sank his fingers into her hair, tugged on the length, and slammed his lips down on hers, making her moan.

  “Come on!” Rick’s yell was losing patience.

  Damian groaned. “I feel like a fucking teenage boy right now.”

  She chuckled. “Go. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll see.”

  He stepped back and held his hands up. “I want you to wear this for me,” he said. In his hand was a necklace, a heart with a single jewel in the corner. It was delicate and beautiful.

  “Why?”

  “I saw this a few years ago, and I always promised myself that when I finally found my woman, I’d want her to wear it. To a lot of people it has no significant value. It’s expensive, but this is more personal to me, Mia. I want you to have it so that you know you own my heart, and you do.”

  She lifted her hair up, and turned. “I’ll wear it for you.” She had no jewelry, and when he placed the fine chain around her neck, there was something that triggered in her head.

  This was her granting him permission to own her.

  It was strange how bound to him she felt. Some of the women may not initially feel a connection with their men, but she did. Every time she looked at Damian there was this pull that she couldn’t deny, this feeling that she wanted to be with him more than anything else. Maybe, just maybe it was in fact love. Her feelings for him that she had never given to another.

  “Damian, for fuck’s sake! I’m getting bloody old here.”

  He laughed. “I better go.” He pressed another kiss to her lips. “I’ll be back.”

  She couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Ten

  “Why didn’t we bring Landon and the others?” Damian asked.

  Rick climbed back into the car, and turned over the ignition. “They didn’t need to come, but you did. I wanted to talk with you.”

  “You’re going to berate me again for taking my eye off the ball.”

  “Nope. We’ve got somewhere to go.”

  His uncle was giving him more questions than actual answers, and he was bored of trying to guess what Rick was thinking. The man seemed to have a mind of his own.

  “You know, Damian, even though I’m in England, and I work as much as I do, I still have time to talk with my brothers. I stay updated on everything that is going on around here, and I want to say how sorry I am for your loss. I didn’t really know Betty well, but I’ve heard she was a good woman.”

  Damian looked toward Rick. “What is this?”

  “Maddox called me when it happened. Told me that you were having trouble dealing with the guilt. Did you love her?”

  He didn’t say anything to start off with, and instead stared out of the car. “I don’t have anything to say.”

  “And that just tells me you’ve got a whole lot to say. Mia seems nice.”

  “You’ve barely said two words to her.”

  “She brought you back into the fold, Damian. What I want to know is why you were at Ivan’s. Your father never asked, and none of your brothers did either. It’s why I know the problems that are happening are because no one is paying attention. Why don’t you start by telling me the truth?”

  Damian ran a finger over his lips, knowing that Rick wasn’t going to let him out of this damn car. “You want the truth?”

  “Yes, I want the truth, and I’ll know if you’re lying. I’ve been away, but I’m not a fucking idiot. I helped take care of all of your ugly asses for a time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I didn’t live in England forever, and I didn’t meet Mandy straight away. We all helped raise you. Your mother had six boys one after the other. We all had to pitch in. You guys were not easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, you guys were fucking hard. Jacob was always exploring the house. There was one time I found him with a knife chasing after Oliver around
the house. When I asked what he was doing, he said he saw it on television. Little brat had changed the channel to a horror one, and thought it was okay to start killing his brothers. That was a hard one to explain.”

  Damian burst out laughing. “You’re kidding right. You’re going down memory lane right now?”

  “I just thought about the fact that you’re one of the youngest of my brother’s kids. Things get pretty hectic with life and shit, and you may have been left behind.”

  “I don’t need attention, Rick. I’m a grown ass man.”

  “And yet you were at Ivan’s for a reason, and I want to know what it was. You’d already told your dad and brothers to fuck off. You couldn’t stand Gabriel or any of the Coltons, so keep it real for me, Damian. I don’t want any of your bullshit.” Rick kept on driving, and Damian still didn’t know where they were going.

  “We’ve got shit to do.”

  “Did you find what you were looking for at a bottom of a bottle, or is that why you want to Ivan’s? You were causing a fight there. Trying to gain attention.”

  Damian paused as Rick brought the car to park at a curb outside of the cemetery where he had laid Betty to rest. “What the fuck are you doing?” When he went to pull on the door handle to let himself out, Rick locked them.

  “You’re not leaving, and we’re not moving an inch until we resolve this problem. We’ve done the damage control, and you work amazingly well. I know you’ve got it in you, but now I need to deal with that other tricky little problem.”

  “Is that what all this is about? You think I’m a problem?”

  “Damian, you are a problem. For the longest time you’ve been locked in some kind of downward spiral. The Dentons work on being a united front. Now a bunch of us are locked in jail, and I’m here taking care of your asses. When your father and brothers leave, I need to know that everyone is a unit.”

  “Why don’t you talk to Gabriel?” he asked.

  “Gabriel didn’t go looking for a fight. He has done everything he could to prove himself. So have his other siblings. The problem with Gabriel is deep rooted in everyone else, and I will deal with that. Now you, on the other hand, you and I both know what you were trying to do when you went to that shitty town, and you made a scene.”