Page 40 of Dangerous Vengeance

I stand by the dresser nursing my aching heart until the door opens again. I expect it to be Dominic, maybe returned to kill me now, but it’s Nanette. I swipe at my eyes and sniffle, and she says, “Would you like to go to him? He’s asking for you.”

Nanette is like an angel in this place. She is fresh and warm, and I feel safer just for her being here.

“Yes, please.”

I follow her down the narrow hallway, across the wide foyer, and into the dark hallway. Matty’s room is here, just a few steps away. I am so eager to see him, I almost take off running and surpass my leader, but given the conversation I just had with the leader of this family, I know it’s not wise. So like a good girl I stay a few paces behind her and wait until she opens the door.

He's there, alone. His eyes are open, but he looks in pain still. It’s been a week since he was shot, and I don’t know how long it takes to heal from a gunshot wound, but this one was pretty serious. He almost died and the bandages on his chest show that. I rush to his side, grasping his hand and kissing it eagerly.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Nanette says. I can hear her smile as she speaks. Maybe she’s rooting for us, like a rugged, disparate romance where you can’t wait to see the love interests get together.

“Hey…” Matty croons, his voice is gravelly, as if he’s not used it for a while.

“Oh my god, I thought you were dead. They haven’t told me anything. I’ve been alone for a week.” I lay across the side of his bed, sinking into a chair left next to it. His hand lays on the back of my head and I press my forehead to his other hand.

“Hey, shhh… it’s okay.” I’ve never seen Matty be this way. He’s tough and angry and commanding. He’s not gentle and nurturing. Perhaps his near-death experience has softened him somehow. “Look, you’re mine now. Okay? I’ve staked my claim. My brothers know you belong to me. They will never lay a hand on you.”

I raise my head and look him in the eye. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, they know you know everything. Dominic told me my father put the judgment in his hands. He wants to kill you, but I told him he has to go through me first.” Matty pinches my chin weakly. “I’m not letting him touch you.”

My chest heaves with emotion. “Oh, Matty…” I let tears stream down my face freely. I don’t care that he sees me. I don’t care that it makes me weak. I don’t care that this whole family is fucked up and they need to pay for so many horrible things they’ve done. “I love you. I need you.”

“I’m not going anywhere, okay?” He takes a deep breath and sighs. “Doesn’t hurt so bad to breathe anymore.”

I reach up and touch the bandage on his chest. His hand covers mine and he looks me in the eye. “It’s almost the same spot where Hal was shot.”

He nods. Our eyes meet again, and I feel a connection. “Dominic is going to look into Hal’s murder, baby. He’s going to help you.” He brushes his thumb over the back of my hand. “I need your word you are on our side. You won’t tell a soul what you know.”

My gut ties itself in a knot. Hal taught me a sense of honor and justice. It’s why I want to avenge him, because if anyone in this world was pure and noble, it was him. But he also taught me a sense of loyalty. That I need to be honest and have integrity, be trustworthy to those who care for me. Looking the other way when it comes to Matty is simple—I love him. Looking the other way when it comes to his family, not so much. But if he is here to protect me, and it’s what I have to do to survive. I have no choice.

“Of course, Matvey. I will respect your wishes and say nothing. My heart is yours.”

I kiss the back of his hand again and gaze into his eyes. My heart really is his, and I pray to whatever god is listening that it will be safe that way.

24

MATTY

Natalie clings to me like a lost fawn, alone amongst the wolves. I’ve no doubt in my mind that’s the way she feels. She’s been a prisoner in my brother’s house all this time with no hope of me returning to her. My request alone has kept her alive, and now that I’m regaining strength, I fully intend to back that up.

I caress the back of her head as she cries into my hand. It has been a very rough road, and for us it’s over. At least for now. Rome may have his hands full on the next leg of the journey—hunting down the murderer we know has been hired to kill all of us, staring with him. But right now, what matters most to me is making sure Natalie is alive and safe, and she gets justice for her uncle the way she wants so desperately.

“Hey,” I call softly, stirring her with a nudge to the head. She looks up and wipes her face but doesn’t let go of my hand. “Come here…”

She glances at the bed awkwardly, then my face. “I’m here. What do you mean?”

I pat my thigh and nod, and she blushes a deep red. Her lips warm, darkening to the color of strawberries ripe in summer. It’s been a while, and though I can’t do to her what my body wishes it could, I need release. “Here,” I say, patting my leg again, inches from my dick which is now beginning to swell.

Natalie glances at the door and then my face. “Someone could walk in. You’re hurt. This isn’t smart. They’ll just lock me up again.” I can see the fear written on her face and I’m not fucking around with that. If I had my full strength, she’d be taking the whip right now, pinned over the edge of this mattress with my cock in her ass whining about how fucking huge I am.

“Take your fucking clothes off and get on this bed now, woman.” The tone I use is not playful, neither is it inviting, but I know her. I know what she craves, what she loves. I know how to push her buttons and make her want me, how to care for her in the way her body needs.

Natalie stands and nods. Her shoulders are tense, her eyes fixed on me. Beneath this thin blanket I wear nothing, but the blouse and pants she wears cover far too much skin. Nanette must have shared some clothing with her, because I’ve never seen this outfit. It’s nice, but it has to go, and she must agree. She peels her clothes off one item at a time. The shirt first, then the pants. Red silky bra, then satin panties. She stands in front of me timidly, one hand hooked around the opposite elbow.

“Fuck you’re so beautiful,” I tell her, patting my thigh. “Get up here.”

I carefully push the blanket down over my growing cock and expose myself. She grins when she sees it and uses the chair as a step stool to climb up onto the bed. It shakes as she adjusts herself, straddling my knees first and gripping my hard dick. She strokes me and watches my face. Her long dark hair hangs over one shoulder, veiling her expression from anyone who may walk into the room, and then she lowers her mouth and takes me in.

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