Morgan shook his head as he draped a hand over the back of the seat and turned to face Purity. “I’m not saying that at all,” he assured her. “I’m saying this isn’t over, and the more people who know what’s happening gives you even more layers of protection and help in case this idiot comes looking to finish what he started.”
“Look, I don’t want to cause anyone any trouble,” Purity said, shifting in her seat and leaning forward. “Really, I can take care of myself.”
Deacon shook his head. “I’m not letting you take the heat for me stopping that prick,” he told her. “We’ll figure it out in the morning.” He glanced over at Morgan. “I’ll call Elias and Barnett, let them both know what happened.”
Morgan nodded as he shuffled back around to face forward. “I think that’s the smart play.”
Deacon nodded once as he turned back to the dark road ahead of him, his headlights lighting up the way home. This was more than he intended to get involved with when he decided to return to Dark Moon Falls and definitely not what he was looking for when he suggested a night out, but there was nothing he could do about it now. His impulses always dragged his ass into trouble, one way or another. He would just deal with the consequences.
Forty-five minutes later, Deacon pulled into the parking lot of Dark Moon Motor Lodge in front of room thirteen. The motor lodge was an ancient looking building, stuck in the fifties, with only twenty rooms in the single-story structure with a neon vacancy sign at the front that always blinked even when the place was full. The office sat on one end by the road with a small bar beside it that always seemed empty, which made Deacon happy. He could handle crowds, but preferred quiet places most of the time. At this time of night, both the office and the bar were dark and lifeless.
Deacon turned the engine off and opened his door, stepping out into the night along with the others. He tossed Purity his room key, telling her to make herself at home. He figured she’d want to clean up some after what she just went through and might desire some privacy to do it. “There’s some T-shirts of mine in the top drawer if you need something to sleep in. We can go by your place tomorrow and get some of your things.”
Purity nodded, a weak smile turning up her lips. “Thanks,” she whispered as she headed for the door.
Deacon watched her walk away, her shoulders slumped in sharp contrast to the rest of her. He remembered how she danced on the stage just a few hours ago, and as his cock twitched in his pants, he wondered if inviting her to spend the night was the safest route for his sanity.
Once she closed the door behind her, Morgan walked over to where Deacon stood, his own keys in his hand as he stared at his friend. “You sure about this?” Morgan asked. “You just got to town, and you still have your own issues to deal with. This won’t help matters.”
Deacon took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as he gave Morgan a curt nod. “I know, but you saw what happened back there. I couldn’t just turn away.”
“Not saying you should have,” Morgan said. “However, that didn’t mean you had to bring her home, either.”
“I know, but I don’t think my wolf would have permitted me leaving her in Summermire.” He shook his head. “That damn animal’s been pacing back and forth since we saw that asswipe hit her the first time. I’m surprised he didn’t bust out and rip Damien apart right then and there.”
Morgan twirled his keys in his hand. “Our wolves can be feisty critters at times, I agree, but still…This? How will you get your father to talk to you if you’re dealing with this?”
Deacon gave a small snort of laughter. “Whether or not Purity is here wouldn’t matter. Getting my father to talk to me will be a challenge in and of itself. Helping her may just be the distraction I need to keep me from going bonkers.”
Morgan laughed as he reached out and smacked Deacon on the back. “I think that train left decades ago,” he said, still chuckling. He then moved around to his own car. “I’m heading home. Try to get some sleep. Call me if you need anything and don’t forget to call Elias and Barnett. They won’t be pleased if something happens in Dark Moon Falls, and they didn’t get the heads up.”
Deacon nodded as he watched his friend move to the driver’s side of his car. “I said I will, and I meant it. Stop being a nag.” He took another deep breath. “And thanks for your help tonight.”
Morgan opened his door, pausing before getting inside. “Next round of beer’s on you,” he said. Then his face turned serious. “And good luck,” he said, pointing to Deacon’s room. “I think there’s some serious baggage there. You may be in over your head.”
Turning his gaze to the motel room door, Deacon said goodnight to his friend, slipping his hands into his pockets. Morgan was more than likely right, but then, everyone had baggage. The key was to find the right person to help you unpack it. Perhaps fate brought Purity and him together for a reason. Only time would tell. The question was, did Deacon have the time available to find out?
Chapter Six
Her anxiety casting a cold shiver over her body, Purity entered the room, leaving the men who had saved her tonight in the parking lot. She knew going to a stranger’s place this late at night, or any other time, really, was not the smartest move on her part, but she knew she couldn’t go home. Deacon had been right; Damien knew where she lived, and he would visit her to finish what he started, making it worse the second time around for the humiliation he suffered with Deacon’s interference. She should have known defying Damien would not go over well when she told him she was finished for the night, refusing to dance any more that evening. It never went well for anyone who defied him, especially someone he thought he owned, and he very much thought he owned her. Damn her sister and her gambling.
The lamp between the beds was on, casting the room in shadows as the light only reached so far. She took the time to glance around the small space, taking in Deacon’s makeshift home. He seemed almost as conflicted about life as she did. He wore it on the brooding droop of his brows and the way he walked, slow, almost like each step was forced. Of course, he was quick to jump in and rescue her from an even worse beating, something she hadn’t expected.
She took a deep breath. He might regret doing that once Damien figured out who he was and came looking for her. She really needed to just walk away before Deacon found himself involved in the chaos of her life any more than he already was. He didn’t deserve it. No one who stepped in to defend a stripper deserved it. Purity felt the tears start to bubble up and tightened her resolve. Her life was her decision, regardless if it was to save her sister, Summer. Purity made a choice; she could have permitted Damien to take out his debt on Summer since Purity’s sister is the one who created the bill of sin, and then Purity wouldn’t have been caught in the man’s web of revenge. Yet, she couldn’t do that, not with the way Damien had hurt Summer that first night. After seeing the bruises on Summer’s body, there was just no way Purity could allow her sister to return to Cheaters as a pawn to the wannabe crime lord.
Purity walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Inside, neatly folded, were two stacks of T-shirts, just as Deacon had said. She knew one of his shirts would be like a short dress on her, swallowing her body almost like a tent. Still, it beat staying in the clothes she walked out of Cheaters in, some of which had blood on them from where Damien hit her.
She reached inside, snatched the gray shirt on top of the stack, and walked to the bathroom to clean up, dreading what she might see in the mirror when she looked. Sighing, she moved to the bathroom, locking herself inside.
Placing the T-shirt on the counter, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her shirt was ripped around the collar, and she didn’t even remember it tearing; her face was a mess thanks to her tears, mascara streaking her otherwise pale cheeks, and her right eye was slightly swollen and turning a dark shade of purple. Her blond hair was mussed up, wisps sticking out in all directions, some plastered to her forehead with sweat. God, I look like shit, and that bastard would ma
ke me dance like this, too. She knew it was the truth. If Deacon hadn’t shown up when he did, Damien would have dragged her back inside the club and forced her onto the stage without even giving her a chance to clean up, just to prove to her he was the boss. He’s a jackass, that’s what he is.
Shaking her head, she reached for the faucet and turned on the hot water. Why did she have to pick tonight to get defiant and stand up to Damien?
She heard the motel room door open and shut, turning her attention to the bathroom door as if she could see the muscular man on the other side. What made Deacon rush to her aid? Most men who ventured into Cheaters would have ducked their heads and walked on by, choosing not to get involved, so what was so different about the man on the other side of that door?
Turning back to the sink, Purity took her time and washed up, changing out of her clothes when she finished and slipping his T-shirt over her head. She left her panties on, but decided against the bra. She hated sleeping in a bra. Besides, what did it really matter at this point? It’s not like Deacon hadn’t seen her naked already.
Once she was cleaned up, she went out into the small room to join the man who rescued her from a severe beating, her hands over her chest, her pride shattered. And my damn sister is off living the grand life. Purity sighed as she stood there, staring at the beds in the room and then turned her gaze to Deacon who still stood in the doorway. She wasn’t sure what to say, so she just stood there, waiting.
Deacon gave her a weak smile as if he didn’t know what to do any more than she did, and she wondered if he regretted bringing her back to his room. “I just checked in yesterday, so I’m not settled into any one spot,” he said as he gestured to the beds. He moved over to a table by the window at the front of the room, looking out at the depressing parking lot. “You can have your pick of beds, either the one closest to the john, or by the door. I sleep pretty light, so I’ll hear anything that might happen through the night.” He shrugged. “Habit left over from the Army. I doubt your boss will bother us tonight, however.” He reached for a bottle of Jameson on the table, flipping over one of the glasses beside the ice bucket the motel offered. “Can I get you a drink? I have some soda in that little fridge there, or you can have a glass of whiskey with me. There’s bottled water down on the floor, if you’d rather have that.”
“Water is fine,” she said as she watched him drop three ice cubes into the glass and fill it halfway with whiskey.
He smiled at her as he walked over to the case of water on the floor and pulled a bottle out. “Do you want it on ice?”
Purity shook her head as she reached for the water bottle. “This is fine. Thanks.” She twisted the top off and took a long swig, for no other reason than she didn’t want to have to talk right then, her nerves wound tight, her body shaking a little. She was alone in a room with a man she just met in a strip club, a man who already saw all of her natural assets on display. No, this isn’t awkward at all.
Deacon walked back over to the small kitchen table and sat down, his glass in his hand. “Mind if I ask what that was all about back there?”
She watched as he picked up his drink and took a small sip, his throat bobbing with his swallow. She sucked in a breath at the sight of his firm jaw, the press of his lips together when he finished drinking, his broad shoulders. She closed her eyes and moved over to sit on the bed closest to the bathroom and furthest away from Deacon, a heat pooling between her legs she denied. I do not need to be feeling like this. “My sister got into trouble with Damien a while ago, owing him money for some stupid bets. He runs a gambling ring behind closed doors, has a whole slew of thugs who keep people paying.” Purity held the water bottle in her hands between her legs as she stared down at it. “Summer wound up owing quite a bit, and with the interest he charges, she would never be able to pay him back.” She took a deep breath, thinking back to the day Damien came to collect. “He wanted to force her into prostitution to pay it off. As it was, he made her dance at Cheaters. He had a couple of his men beat the shit out of her, and I think they raped her as well. She would never tell me the truth on that part, but it wouldn’t surprise me.” She glanced up at Deacon, his dark eyes staring at her, his hand still on his glass as he sat there completely still, listening. “I snuck her out of town.” She felt her lips twist in a halfhearted smile. “I packed her a bag, stuffed her in a car, and told her to drive like hell. I didn’t even ask where she went. I didn’t want to know. If I knew, then Damien could have found out. I don’t even know how to reach her by phone.” She shrugged. “We haven’t spoken since she left five months ago.” She glanced back down at the water bottle. “The truth is, I should have left with her.” She shook her head. “I thought once she left, it would be over. I didn’t think he’d take his rage out on me. I’m lucky dancing in the club is all he makes me do.”
“Why don’t you leave like your sister?” Deacon asked. “Just get away.”
“He has me followed and watched,” she told Deacon, shrugging. “The only way I managed to get away with you tonight is because he didn’t expect anyone to step in and help me. We caught him off guard, his goons not there to witness his brutal attack on me in the parking lot, but I guarantee there are people watching my apartment right now, and my car is probably gone or being watched as well.” She shook her head. “There’s no escaping him.”
Deacon grinned as he lifted his glass. “And yet, we did,” he said just before taking a sip. “Now, we just need to keep you out of his grip. Trust me; he won’t lay a finger on you ever again. Not and keep it, anyway.” Deacon took a bigger swallow of his drink.
Purity stared at him, thinking she would take the bed by the bathroom. She wanted Deacon between her and whatever was on the other side of that door.
Chapter Seven
Deacon opened the door to Hot Joy Café, gesturing for Purity to walk in ahead of him. “They have the best cheese danishes around,” he told her as they walked up to the counter to order. “Of course, there are other things as well, so pick what you want.” He stopped talking, feeling as if the words rushed out of him in a chaotic flood. He wasn’t sure why he felt so nervous, but somehow, seeing her in his room that morning, wearing nothing but his T-shirt and a smile felt more intimate than seeing her completely naked at the strip club. As she had moved around the room that morning, she bent over a couple of times, the hem of his shirt rising over the bottom cups of her ass, just enough to give him a sneak peek of things higher up. He had to rush to the shower to take care of things like a teenage boy before Purity noticed his reaction to her lack of dress. He also took her to Dazzles to buy a pair of jeans and a shirt more her size.
“Cheese danish sounds great,” she told him as she walked past. “And coffee. Lots of strong, dark coffee.”
“Say no more,” he said, smiling at her, and for the first time since he returned to Dark Moon Falls, he felt as if things might not be as bad as he feared.
“Good morning, Joy,” Deacon said as they stepped up to the counter, giving the bubbly brown-haired girl a smile. “How are things today?”
Joy leaned on the counter, hands clasped as she returned his smile. “Pretty slow, but it’s only Thursday. By Saturday, when the tourists swarm the place, I’ll be begging for a break, I’m sure.” She laughed a little, her nose scrunching up the freckles on her nose. “What can I get the two of you?”
“Two coffees and two of your cheese danishes,” Deacon said, sliding a ten and a five across the counter.
Within a couple of minutes, they sat in a booth, staring at the traffic passing by the window. “I agree with what Morgan said last night; it’s not safe for you to go back to your place,” Deacon said as he lifted his danish to take a bite. Running his tongue over his lips as he set the danish back on the plate, he shrugged. “You still need some of your things, though. I don’t mind going to your place and picking up some stuff if you want to make a list.”
She finished sipping her coffee, pressing her lips into a thin line when she fi
nished.
Deacon stared at her lips, his wolf panting within, almost as if he howled in heat. Deacon knew the feeling.
“Do you think it’s safe?” she asked, holding her cup with both hands. “I told you, Damien’s watching my place. I’m sure the moment you step up to my apartment door, his goons will swarm out of the woodwork.”
He nodded. “I’ll call Morgan and Logan, take them with me. There’s strength in numbers. You’ll be safe in the motel room, just keep the door locked. Don’t answer it. It shouldn’t take long.”
“You’re really going out of your way to help me,” Purity said. “Why?”
He stared at his coffee cup, pressing his lips tightly together. He saw another woman’s body, one beaten and ripped apart by a man who thought he owned her and didn’t approve of her doing things on her own. Her independence cost her her life, and Deacon had not been able to do anything to save her. He sighed, shaking his head. “I’ve seen what happens when no one is there to stand in the gap,” he told her, his voice low, distant. “I won’t stand by and see it done to someone else.” He turned his gaze out the window. “Staying silent already cost me too much,”
She nodded, and he was grateful she didn’t offer her apologies or ask more questions. Even after ten years, Deacon wasn’t ready to talk about it, and the consequences were still being felt for his having left Dark Moon Falls after finding his sister’s body.
“Deacon,” a voice called out, snapping his attention out of the past. Glancing up, he saw Logan and his mate, Madison, approaching their table. “And Purity, right?” Logan asked as he extended an arm to shake her hand. As they shook, Logan slid into a chair, turning to Deacon as he spoke. “Morgan called me first thing this morning, giving me the quick version of what happened last night.”
Madison reached out, taking Purity’s wrist and giving it a squeeze. “It sounded horrible,” the blond woman said, a sympathetic look on her face. “Are you all right? Do you need anything?”
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 92
