Dillon didn’t break eye contact. For once, he needed the help of his clan. He didn’t think it’d be this hard to ask.
“Are we going to beat some ass?” Erik asked, finally.
“Don’t think we have to,” Dillon said. “Met the guy once before. If we all go together, he might piss himself.”
He expected Erik to display a devious grin like usual, but his lips remained in a firm line. Holding back his sigh, Dillon wondered if Erik was still mad at him for the fight in town the other day. What was he supposed to do? Kiss his ass?
That wasn’t going to happen. No one had helped Dillon clean his wounds after dealing with Erik’s monstrous beast. No one had asked him if he was okay or if he wanted to switch shifts. Not since Casey shacked up with Evangeline, at least.
“It’s about time that we do something together that doesn’t involve shoving my head up my own ass,” Erik grumbled. “This for Bel?”
Everything Dillon did now was for Isabella. The beast just under his skin growled on her behalf, ready to tear into Tommy and teach him a lesson for all he’d done. He leashed the beast so he could breathe.
Like a slap across the face, Dillon realized where he’d gone wrong. Recent events had spread Dillon so thin that he felt thin and empty. He hadn’t been paying attention to the signs.
Dillon shrugged. “Isabella needed help and I couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather do this with.”
Slowly, the annoyance carved into the man’s face softened and lifted into excitement. Erik nodded.
“Alright, man. Let me put my shoes on. I’m going to need them if I’m going to shove a foot up someone’s ass.”
Glad that Erik read the situation correctly, Dillon went outside to wait. He paced back and forth while his beast thrashed under his skin. Seeing Isabella not only devastated, but terrified had left him enraged. He was going to pay a visit to whoever had taught her to react like that. He would make that man suffer unimaginable pain. Dillon knew he had it in him.
He hadn’t wanted anything so strongly before in his life. Erik must have noticed, too, because the man asked no questions before starting the truck.
Though, five minutes into the drive, Erik looked like he was about to burst.
“Man, I haven’t heard you say half as many words to us since we started our own clan. You like this girl. Don’t you?” Erik cut sidelong glances at Dillon.
The truck trembled beneath them, threatening to fall to pieces. Dillon had been waiting for the day an axle decided to go its own way. With his rage simmering just beneath his skin, Dillon couldn’t have cared less about whatever the truck did. He would fly the rest of the way to Isabella’s ex.
He’d assumed that was who’d stolen Isabella’s credit card and put so many charges on it.
“Fuck,” Dillon cursed all of a sudden. “I don’t know where the dick-bag lives.”
“Well, there’s a dick-bag that lives with us, but I get the sense that you’re not talking about Gavin.”
The truck shuddered just as a dull thud resonated from the truck bed. Dillon twisted to peer out the back window.
“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!” Erik cried.
Dillon opened the center, window so Gavin could talk to them
“What are the two of you up to?” Gavin asked, looking between them.
“On our way to kick some loser’s ass,” Erik answered. “Want to help?”
“We shouldn’t trifle in the affairs of the humans. I think we all know just how volatile the locals can be.”
Evangeline’s ex had been so offended by her upgrade that the human had set the cabin on fire while they’d been sleeping. Of course, they’d taken care of the situation with the help of a local witch, but they still hadn’t replaced everything destroyed by the fire. The water Dillon and Erik had dropped over the house seemed to have done even more damage.
“Dill has the hots for our new roommate,” Erik said, louder than necessary. “Her ex did something that made her cry, so we’re going whether you like it or not.”
Gavin shot Dillon a look. “Are you serious? Is everyone going to find fucking mates out here? What did I do to deserve this torture?”
“Well, maybe if you weren’t such a prickly dick. We’re dragons. Not cats.” Erik snorted at his own joke.
Gavin reached through the window and wrapped his hand around Erik’s throat. Dillon groaned as the two fought and the truck swerved across the road.
“She’s not my mate,” Dillon grumbled. “I don’t like that her ex can make her cry without even being in the same room.”
Both Erik and Gavin paused. Dillon had lived with them for a month, and yet they still seemed surprised when he said more than a single sentence at a time. They probably thought he was daft, though he wasn’t sure how to change their opinion. It wasn’t like he had even a high school diploma to show them that he wasn’t slow.
Even his teachers had assumed he wouldn’t be able to learn anything. They hadn’t seen how everyone targeted him. Kids thought that if they could take down the biggest guy, then they could earn some respect. It didn’t matter that the biggest guy in school just wanted to be left alone.
Gavin settled down. “Can’t have my new tenant crying all the time. Guess we’re going to pay him a visit. Anyone know where he lives?”
Dillon spun in his seat and raised a brow at Gavin. All that talk of avoiding human affairs, and now Gavin suddenly wanted to help?
Erik grabbed his phone from the center console and tossed it back to Gavin. “We don’t know, but I’m one hundred percent sure Evangeline will rat him out. Give her a call.”
Dillon hadn’t expected the solidarity that these two would offer. He’d always thought that the one that would be there for him would be Casey, but he hadn’t been around as much lately. Erik and Gavin were the ones who were always around.
This wasn’t about Dillon, though. They weren’t there to help him. They wanted to keep Isabella safe and make sure the local humans stayed away from their cabin, so the fire incident never repeated itself.
Erik gave Evangeline a call. Just like they’d thought, she quickly gave up Tommy’s address. She also told them that Casey would meet them there. Four dragon men would surely do the trick this time.
The address turned out to be a trailer. When Dillon took in the front porch’s rotting wood and the dangerous slant to it, rage crept up from the fire in the pit of his gut. He felt it sear the roof of his mouth but kept it in check as he got out of the truck. Was this how Tommy had forced Isabella to live?
He dreaded seeing the inside of the trailer because he knew it would only piss him off more. This man hadn’t deserved her. Tommy had kept her by making her believe she could have nothing else.
Dillon slammed on the front door and felt the entire building quake under his fist. He wanted to watch it come down around Tommy’s ears. Another truck pulled up, and Casey jogged to join them. When Tommy finally opened the door, he came face to face with a row of unhappy men.
Tommy audibly swallowed. Dillon felt a twinge of satisfaction when Tommy had to look up at him. Over Dillon’s entire life, he’d fought to hide his menacing nature. Now, he leaned into it. He squared his shoulders and let his beast closer to the surface until heat poured off him in waves.
Tommy backed up. “Whoa. What’s all this about?”
“Your payment is late,” Erik said. His lips split into a grin that was more threat than welcome. “We’ve come to collect.”
Tommy’s gaze bounced from Dillon to Erik, from Gavin to Casey. The human man must have realized he was outmatched. He raised his hands in an attempt to placate them.
“I don’t have any money. How can I pay if I have no money?”
Dillon didn’t like the tone of Tommy’s voice. Something about it said that Tommy knew he could weasel out of this. So, Dillon pushed past Tommy.
“That’s trespassing! I didn’t invite you inside,” Tommy cried out.
Erik followed. “We ar
en’t vampires, man.”
Dillon would not leave until Tommy have him what he’d come for. Isabella could not move on if Tommy’s debt hung over her head. The beast inside Dillon knew that they could not wait forever. He needed her more than he’d ever needed anything else.
Isabella was so much more than she gave herself credit for. She would realize that once she was free of her past.
“Pay up and we’ll leave,” Casey said.
Gavin picked up a stained pillow from the futon. He gripped it in both hands and tore it in half, stuffing falling to the floor like censored guts. “If you don’t, then we’ll just have to look for the money ourselves.”
Dillon glanced around. He would make sure Isabella’s life never felt like this again. He would give her sunshine and happiness, not these dank shadows and musty smells. He would give her the world, and that started with what Tommy owed her.
Chapter Twelve
Isabella clutched her phone tight. “They went where?”
Evangeline cackled on the other end. “Casey left to meet up with them, too. Tommy is going to shit his pants.”
“Why would they do this?” Isabella ran her hand through her hair and tugged. Her stomach rolled. “They’re just going to piss him off! I know what Trevor did. What if Tommy gets it in his head to do the same?”
“Honey, I’m sorry, but your ex is a baby compared to Trevor.”
Isabella paused. “What does that mean?”
“Tommy kept you afraid so he wouldn’t have to do any more work than that. Trevor used to talk shit about him all the time, but Tommy never lifted a hand.” Evangeline’s voice had become somber, as if she were delivering bad news.
It might as well have been. “You’re telling me I’m scared of…of a de-clawed kitten?”
“I mean…that’s not what I’m saying, but that’s also what I’m saying.”
Isabella hung up. Fury roiled in her gut. She rushed to the bathroom, convinced she would puke. When nothing came up, she sighed and shuffled over to the vanity.
Why hadn’t anyone told her this before? Why had they let her rot in Tommy’s clutches for so long? All these questions flew through her mind, turning her bitter and angry. She had to remind herself that Evangeline only recently escaped her own horrible relationship.
Nellie…well, Nellie hid away from the world. She turned a blind eye to nearly everything. When Nellie helped Evangeline and the clan, Isabella had been astonished.
While it felt like no one had helped her before, it seemed that everyone had rallied behind her now. She couldn’t figure out what had triggered the sudden change. They weren’t doing this for her. That didn’t make any sense.
Was it for her baby?
Isabella scowled at her reflection in the window and wished she could catch up to the truck full of men and beg them to stop. This wasn’t necessary. If she cancelled the card and paid the bill, then she could move on with her life. Confronting Tommy would only drag the issue out and make her suffer longer.
“Don’t worry, Bel,” Evangeline said over the phone.
But Isabella worried about everything. She worried about her ex, about her new home, about the guys’ safety. She couldn’t stop worrying.
Her stomach grumbled. She’d been waiting for another book payment to go through so she could buy groceries. Hungrier than ever, she’d already blown through her own food reserve and was hesitant to break into the cupboards here. Her nerves exhausted her and made her gut clench with pangs of hunger until she could barely stand it. Making a silent promise to replace the box, she grabbed a container of chicken flavored crackers and went to settle on the couch.
She nervously nibbled the edges of every cracker, listening for the sound of the guys’ return. The food settled her stomach and helped her drift off to sleep. When the familiar roar of Erik’s truck growled up the side of the mountain, she lurched upright.
A bit of spittle had dried on her cheek. She wiped at it with the back of her hand, not wanting anyone to see what kind of a mess she was. She blinked at the glare coming through the window from the light shining down on Erik’s truck. Considering that the truck was more rust than metal, she was surprised there was a glare at all.
Their voices drifted toward her as they piled out of the truck. She ungracefully fumbled off the couch and went to the door. Casey, Erik, and Gavin each clapped Dillon on the back before they started to disperse.
“Did you see him cry?” Erik asked, a bite in his voice.
Dillon didn’t answer, but his smile said enough.
Casey shook his head and turned away. Gavin followed him. Isabella wanted to call them back and demand to know what went on.
“He could press charges against every one of you,” she cried out before she could stop herself.
No one stopped.
Dillon approached her but kept his space. He reached out and hooked his pinky with hers, the only contact between their bodies, and yet it sparked a wildfire that climbed up her arm and into her core.
“Tommy isn’t going to bother you.”
She pressed her lips into a firm line because she was unconvinced. Evangeline had called Tommy meek. Isabella had never thought of him that way, but maybe her friend was right.
Dillon used his free hand to dig through his pockets. He came out with a wad of folded bills and lifted her hand so he could give it to her. After a heartbeat, he added two diamond earrings to her palm as well.
“Now, we know the problem is taken care of.”
Her throat tightened. Dillon didn’t have to do this for her. He and the other dragon men weren’t her family or her friends…No. She was lying to herself. These were her family. She might not share blood with any of them, but they’d treated her kinder than any family she’d had in the past.
Isabella counted the bills and found more than enough to take care of the late credit bill. She would deposit the cash into her bank account the next day and have them transfer the payment to her credit card company. The late bill would be taken care of, and she would never have to worry about it again.
“Let’s go watch a movie,” Dillon suggested. “Maybe it will attract the others and we can call it a movie night.”
Isabella didn’t fight her smile. “I’ll make some popcorn.”
She pocketed the earrings. They would make a great investment in her child’s future. Besides, keeping them gave her a small amount of satisfaction. Tommy didn’t know he had a child, and he never would, but he’d helped in a small way.
Chapter Thirteen
Dillon wanted to do something nice for Isabella. She seemed tired and distant the past few days. He began to worry that he and the other guys were putting too much strain on her. She made every meal and did a lot of the laundry, even though no one had asked her to do it.
He approached her while she was cleaning up the dishes from breakfast. She glanced up at him without stopping what she was doing.
He turned his phone toward her to show her a receipt. Her brows came together, confusion clouding her bright eyes.
“I don’t get it,” she said, looking up at him.
He swiped across the screen. “I booked you a spa day in town. You deserve a break after everything you’ve done around here.”
He didn’t expect her to shut down. Her brow flattened as her spine stiffened. She took a step back. He tried to say something, but Isabella shook her head before he could get a word out.
“I’m not taking your charity and that is final,” she said.
He jerked back. “Charity and gifts are two very different things.”
“They are not. I owe everyone here for the roof over my head. That’s why I do everything I can around here. I can’t take this from you. I’m already indebted to you as it is.”
“Indebted?” Dillon wasn’t sure what Isabella was trying to say.
She shook her head again. “Get a refund. I can’t…I don’t want…”
He turned the phone around and pretended to search for a refund op
tion while he did nothing but scroll up and down. “No refunds,” he lied.
Her jaw dropped, but she quickly pulled it up. Anger turned her face into a mask of rigid determination. “Then I’m not going. I can’t. Have fun.”
She threw her hands into the air and marched down the hall. Dillon chased after her, but she slammed her door in his face. He stepped back and scowled at it.
What was there to be mad at? He didn’t understand how he’d gone wrong. Isabella deserved kindness, but she seemed determined to push him back at every turn. It was only a day at the spa. It wasn’t like Dillon wanted to give her everything he owned.
Couldn’t she tell the this was an act of kindness?
“I could break this lock,” he informed her. “But I respect your privacy, so I won’t. Could you come out here and talk to me?”
Dillon heard silence. No, he heard the squeak of her mattress. He imagined her climbing onto it and folding her arms over her chest so she could glare at the door. For someone so bright and soft, she had a core of steel.
He couldn’t help but grin as a strange sense of pride came over him. If the door hadn’t stood between them, he would have pulled her into a tight hug. He’d been so worried about bothering her or putting too much weight on her, but Isabella was made of tougher stuff.
She wouldn’t break. He didn’t know if she could. Sure, there were moments when tears and worry got the best of her, but everyone went through days like that. Isabella wasn’t weak. She was her own kind of force.
One to be reckoned with.
Which meant, to get this door open, he needed to call another force to be reckoned with.
Evangeline answered her phone with a question, “So, have you and Isabella made it official yet?”
“I told her I’d give her time,” he said. “I’m ready whenever she is.”
He heard the scratch of pencil against paper. “So, what did you call me for?”
“Your friend locked herself in her room. I don’t know what to do.”
“I’m going to need to hear this story from her perspective. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Tell Gavin to put on coffee for when I get there.”
Finding The Forgotten (Rogue Dragons Book 2) Page 9
