Hart of Vengeance: The Hart Series

by Alexander, S. B.

  A wide smile broke out on Dillon as though he were proud of Duke.

  “Why didn’t you visit me?”

  Duke sighed. “Honestly, to protect you. The shit I’m in brings all kinds of threats. So I didn’t want to put any of your lives in jeopardy. It might not be what you wanted to hear. You might be thinking you’re a big boy who could take care of himself, but that’s not the way I see it. I’m the older brother. I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you.” He flicked his chin at me then at Dillon. “And Grace. It kills me every day that I kept her at arm’s length. If I hadn’t, I might’ve been able to prevent what happened to her.” It sounded as though Duke was on the verge of tears, although he wasn’t showing any visible signs.

  “Well, it fucking hurt, bro,” I said. “You could’ve at least taken my calls and told me that.”

  Duke’s voice sounded pained when he spoke. “As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t show I care.”

  I knew that feeling well, which was the reason I’d cut Jade out of my life. Apart from that, I wasn’t one to hold a grudge, and if the shoe was on the other foot, I probably would’ve done the same thing.

  Dillon gripped Duke’s shoulder. “If you want to redeem yourself, start by getting out of the shit storm you’re in.”

  “Walk away from the cartel,” I added in a low tone just in case anyone was listening.

  Most of the other cops had cleared out.

  Duke leaned in closer to Dillon and me. “If I do, you two might as well get my funeral arrangements ready because you can’t walk away from the cartel.”

  I couldn’t believe I was about to ask this. “Anything I can do to help?”

  He feigned a smile. “Build an honest life for you and Jade. Marry her. Have kids. And stay away from me. Both of you. Because if I screw up, my enemies are coming for you and everyone I care about.”

  He’d never spoken truer words. But I had to help in some way.

  “I know a dude in prison who can set you up with a new name and passport.”

  “So do I, bro. I’ll be fine. I’ve made my bed.”

  No matter how hard Dillon and I tried to help him, he wasn’t going to let us. Duke was as stubborn as they came.

  “I’m not taking your penthouse,” I said.

  “Too late,” he fired back. “I already put it in your name. And before you protest, saying yes is helping me.” He gave me the impression he was shoring up loose ends in the event he was killed.

  A knot formed in my gut. “Okay.” Sometimes there was no arguing with Duke. When he had his mind made up, he wasn’t changing it.

  Ted took the cuffs off Jade, and before I could track her, she was throwing her arms around me. “Officer Hughes isn’t taking any of us to jail.”

  Thank fuck. I was more relieved she wasn’t going.

  Ted came over and took the cuffs off Duke then me.

  As soon as my arms were free, I tugged Jade to me. “You okay?”

  She flashed her green eyes up at me. “I’m so sorry.”

  I edged back and cupped her face. “Sorry?”

  She sniffled. “You went to jail for something you didn’t do. Savannah could’ve helped you.”

  “She couldn’t. She did what she had to do to protect herself. Tito would’ve killed her.”

  She buried her face into my chest and cried.

  I rubbed her back. “Shh. Everything will be okay now.” I rested my chin on her head, inhaling her coconut shampoo. “We can move on with our lives.” No more Tito. No running. No fear for Jade’s life. And no fucking Travers. With my name cleared, that meant no parole.

  I squeezed Jade to me as my body began to shed six years of hell, one muscle at a time.

  Mallory ambled over, looking less pale than she had earlier. “Well, that was fun. Not.”

  Jade left me to hug Mallory.

  Ted combed his mustache with his fingers. “For now, go home. If I need any of you, I’ll find you.” Ted regarded Dillon. “Can we chat?”

  Dillon and Ted walked away.

  Duke ambled around the bar. “Anyone want a drink?”

  I wasn’t in the mood for liquor, but rather a sexy, black-haired, green-eyed beauty. I wanted to hug and kiss and do many other naughty things to her until we couldn’t breathe.

  32

  Jade

  The rain came down in sheets, pounding on the roof of Dillon’s car as he drove Maggie, Denim, and me to the church. We were having a small service for Savannah.

  I bounced my knee while the scenery outside the backseat window sped by. Every time I blinked, I saw flames after flames after flames. I remembered Savannah’s screams vividly. I had been choking on smoke, and Dad had been yelling at me to get my sister out of the house.

  I blinked several times to erase the memories. It was eerily chilling that I was burying Savannah around the time of my parents’ death.

  I captured a fingernail in between my teeth. “Why does it rain on funerals?” I mumbled to myself.

  “The rain is God’s tears,” Maggie said from the passenger seat. “He’s crying for them just like we are.”

  A chill blanketed me as I let her words seep in. At Mom and Dad’s funeral, there had been a drizzle of rain, not a steady stream of hard rain. Still, I liked Maggie’s reasoning. In fact, I loved her reasoning. It was poignant yet uplifting and comforting, and for some odd reason, the pain in my chest eased.

  “Thank you for that,” I said to Maggie.

  I’d finally met her after Tito was arrested. She’d been covering the big showdown for the local news station. We hadn’t had a chance to get to know one another yet, however before we’d gotten in the car, she’d invited me to her wedding.

  I’d accepted. The last time I’d been to a wedding, I was ten. Mom had dragged Savannah and me with her to a friend’s wedding. It had been a happy occasion, and it would be nice to see happiness again.

  After I buried Savannah, I planned on doing things that made me happy. I’d taken the first step and said yes to Denim when he asked me to move into Duke’s penthouse with him. I hadn’t batted an eye. I’d thrown myself at him with a kiss that said “hell yeah,” and not because of the lavish apartment on the top floor of an expensive building, which was icing on the cake, but because I had Denim back and things were looking up.

  As for Duke, he was getting The Monarch ready to reopen. However, in the three weeks since the club incident, I hadn’t seen Duke. I was hoping to see him at the service. I wanted to thank him for paying for the burial service, and I still needed to get some things off my chest with him.

  Denim reached over and pried my hand from my mouth. “You’ve been surviving on your nails,” he teased.

  I batted my eyelashes his way. His face was completely healed, showing no signs of the beating he’d taken from Tito and his men. He had a couple of scars, but they made him look more badass amid his close-shaven beard than ever before.

  I was feeling a ton better from my gunshot wound. I, too, had a scar forming above my right breast. Denim had said it was a sexy battle scar. To me, it was a stark reminder that I wanted nothing to do with criminals.

  Denim had promised me he wouldn’t regress or fall into his old ways.

  “Not even if Duke needs your help?” I’d asked.

  “No. Duke is on his own,” he’d said. “I’m not going back to prison.”

  I believed him. He’d enrolled in online courses to finish his degree in business, and he’d been out job hunting. He hadn’t had any luck yet, but I was confident he would find something soon.

  I was back at work and loving my job with Kelton Maxwell. In between working long hours, I was learning the paralegal role with Mallory’s help.

  Denim kissed the back of my hand. As he did, his blond locks toppled forward, grazing my skin. “Angel, you okay?”

  Tingles sprouted. “I’m good.”

  Denim grinned, his blue eyes clear, happy, and loving. He seemed like a new man now that his murder conviction was about to b
e erased. If it were even possible, he looked sexier than he ever had. Maybe it was the suit. I thought suits looked yummy on men, especially if it was tailored, and Denim was wearing one of Duke’s expensive suits—black pants and jacket, dark-blue shirt, and a gray tie to complement the ensemble.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “For what?”

  Dillon flicked on the blinker. “We’re here.”

  “I’ll tell you later.” I didn’t want to go into detail in front of Dillon and Maggie.

  Once we were parked, Dillon climbed out, darted around the car to the passenger side, and held up an umbrella for Maggie.

  “Are you ready?” Denim asked.

  “Not really.”

  He grabbed the handle of his umbrella, hopped out, and held open the door for me.

  I slid along the buttery leather seat and took his hand. Once we were cozied up under the umbrella, we rushed into the church.

  Mallory was waiting just inside, wearing a simple black dress that fell to her knees. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail, her mouth was pinched, and crinkles lined her forehead.

  Before Denim lowered the umbrella, Mallory was throwing her arms around me. “I’m sorry it’s raining outside. I’ve been so worried about you.” She knew all too well rain had a tendency to trigger bad memories.

  I hugged her tightly. “I’m okay.” I truly was. Denim was part of the reason. Honestly, if I didn’t have him to hold me at night, I probably would’ve stayed in bed that day.

  She inspected every inch of me. “Are you sure?”

  I smiled with lingering tears. “It’s time for new beginnings.”

  Denim stole me from Mallory, cocooning me in his strong arms. My back was pressed against his front. “It sure is.” He kissed me on the ear. “Jade is in good hands now.”

  Mallory jutted out her chin. “If you hurt her again, you better leave town because I’ll find a way to overturn your murder conviction.”

  “You’ll make a good lawyer one day, Mal.” Denim wasn’t the least bit concerned by her threat.

  “Damn straight,” she retorted.

  A gust of wind blew in, signaling the entrance of a young lady with bright amber eyes and blond hair. She smiled at me. “Jade Kelly?”

  “You must be Ellie.” I walked up and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much for coming. And for being such a great friend to Savannah.”

  She squeezed me. “She was special.”

  I’d learned when I’d contacted Ellie to invite her to Savannah’s service that she and Savannah had met just after my sister graduated high school. Both of them were into drugs, but Ellie had gotten clean early on.

  Someone touched my back. “Jade?”

  I pivoted on my heel. “Todd, you managed to get away from work. Thank you.”

  He smiled, showing his overlapping tooth. “So sorry for your loss.”

  Ellie touched my arm. “I’ll see you afterwards.” She left to find a seat.

  Mallory joined Todd. The two had gone out a couple of times in the last few weeks. I didn’t know if they were serious, but it was nice to see my BFF dating. “We should get settled. Kelton is inside with a few others from the office.” Mallory grabbed Todd’s hand.

  Warmth spread through my chest because I knew I had the best boss in the world. True to his word about how family came first, he’d given me more time off than I was allowed. But I hadn’t taken more than a week. I was the type who had to keep busy.

  Denim ambled up, and we were about to follow Mal and Todd when the door opened, bringing in more cold air along with Duke.

  I hadn’t been sure if he would show.

  Denim and Duke exchanged a brotherly hug. “Thanks for coming, bro.”

  I touched Denim’s arm. “Can I have a word with Duke alone?”

  Duke regarded me with suspicion.

  “I won’t knee you in the balls,” I teased. That day with Tito in the club, I had been a madwoman, and I couldn’t fault Duke for being a little uneasy around me.

  Duke’s features relaxed with a hint of a smile.

  Denim kissed me on the cheek. “Good luck, bro.” He sauntered off, chuckling.

  When Duke and I were alone in the small entryway of the church, I said, “Thank you for paying for the service.”

  He bobbed his head and swallowed. “Jade, I never wanted anything but happiness for Savannah.” Sincerity weaved through his words.

  “What happened between you two?”

  “Our relationship was volatile. We were oil and water.”

  I angled my head. “But you loved her?”

  “I guess. Does it matter?”

  Duke was a hard man to read, and I was dreaming if I thought he would give me a straight answer. The fact that he’d wanted nothing but happiness for Savannah said it all. So I dropped the ten-question interrogation.

  “You’re right,” I said. “We should go in. Thanks again for helping and for everything you’ve done for Denim.”

  “Jade, do me a favor?” His tone was a plea, or maybe I was imagining things. The Duke I knew would never plead with anyone. “Take care of Denim.” He sounded like he wouldn’t see Denim again.

  My heart splintered. “Without a doubt.” I hooked my arm in his. “Shall we?”

  He stiffened as though he didn’t want to go in.

  “I got you,” I said. “So do your brothers.” Tears began to flow down my cheeks.

  Duke sighed then closed his hand over the one I had on his arm.

  As we walked to our seats, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Duke. He was in too deep with the cartel, and according to Denim, there were only two ways out—prison or a body bag.

  More tears began to spill as I eyed the coffin. Soft music floated from the overhead speakers, and heads turned.

  I nodded at Kelton and at the others who were there to pay their respects.

  Once we were seated in the front row, and I was sandwiched in between Duke and Denim, I slumped my shoulders, exhaling.

  Denim entwined his fingers with mine. “You okay?”

  I squeezed his hand. “I love you,” I whispered. I couldn’t begin to describe how I was feeling except protected and loved.

  He leaned closer to my ear. “Ditto, angel.”

  We were starting anew, and after the funeral, I had to focus on Denim and me. We had no one and nothing standing in our way.

  Tito was in prison and, according to Kelton, would be for quite some time. We had a nice place to live, and I had the one man I’d never stopped loving back in my arms. I hoped that man would one day be my husband, partner, lover, best friend, and the father of our children.

  Epilogue

  Denim

  The holidays were never a great time of year for me. Growing up, my siblings and I didn’t get much under the Christmas tree. I’d always told myself that when I had a family one day, I would shower them with gifts galore. I wanted my kids to believe in Santa Claus. I wanted to see the excitement on their faces when they ran into the living room on Christmas morning and saw the presents under the tree. I wanted to see them tear the wrapping paper to shreds and their eyes pop wide when they finally saw what Santa had brought them.

  The sun was barely up as dawn began to bleed through the dark sky. I set the shoebox I’d just wrapped under the tree. I’d gotten up early to wrap Jade’s gift. It was the first chance I had since I’d only picked it up the day before.

  I was hoping she would like it. I wanted Christmas to be special for her. Since her parents had died in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, she wasn’t thrilled about celebrating, and with Savannah recently buried, it was even harder for her to get into the spirit.

  I wandered into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I still couldn’t believe Duke had given me the penthouse. Jade had put her own spin on the decor. Vases of flowers and plants were scattered about. A blanket her mom had crocheted was draped over the leather couch, and decorative square pillows were dispersed on the couch and chair
s. The Christmas tree was tucked into the corner near the fireplace.

  With Christmas ready to go, I snuck back into bed, careful not to wake Jade. But as soon as I slid into our king-size bed, she rolled over and immediately seated her hand on my groin.

  “Merry Christmas, big guy.” Her voice was sultry and sleepy. “Where did you go?”

  I turned onto my side, found her foot with mine, and rubbed. “I was playing Santa Claus.”

  She slid closer to me. “The only present I want is you inside me. Or…” She licked her lips. “How about a little oral sex?”

  I swallowed, and my cock instantly got hard. “How about both?”

  She purred, and that was my cue.

  I shed my sweatpants and was on top of her naked body in two seconds flat.

  She giggled.

  I shoved my cock into her in one fast thrust.

  She purred again like a sweet kitten, arching her back. Her nipples were hard and ready.

  I latched on to her tit with my teeth. “Best Christmas present.” I rocked my hips into her wet pussy.

  She pushed on my shoulders. “I want your tongue taking me to heaven and back.”

  I waggled my eyebrows. “I thought you would never ask.” I kissed, nipped, and licked my way down her soft skin. Her nipples were peaks of hard, delectable pleasure.

  Her hands latched on to my hair and massaged my scalp, dragging her long nails until she pulled on some strands.

  “That’s it. Hold on for the ride.”

  She giggled. “Shut up and eat me.”

  I chuckled.

  She wrapped her legs around my waist and turned us. When I was on my back, she wasted no time sitting on my dick.

  “I’m supposed to eat you.”

  “In a minute.” She rode me, rocking her hips. Her tits bounced, her face was flushed, and her eyes were heavy with desire. “This feels too good.”

  “Fuck yeah, it does. But I want control.”

  “You’ll get your turn.”

  I knew the perfect position. “Get your pussy up here,” I ordered in a tone that was deep and commanding. “Suck my dick while I eat you.”