Page 95 of His Coveted Obsession

He closed his eyes, and his hands rested on my hips. His deep breaths shuddered, but he relaxed.

Once I finished, he tilted his head back to rinse out the soap. Next came the conditioner, and I took my time untangling the curls.

“Easton?”

“Yes?”

“There was a man next to me. He was so afraid.Soafraid. Who knows how long he was there for? D-did you find him? I didn’t see him leave with us.”

“What did he look like?”

“He had dark brown hair, dusty skin, but it was hard to see since the lights were so dim in there.”

“There was a man who fit your description. They removed his organs, and he was left for dead.”

Thomas’s head fell onto my chest, and he sobbed, fingers gripping my waist. “God… Poor, poor man. That almost happened to me. They wanted to take my organs on the first day I was there. He must have been in so much pain. Then this man… so big, so scary. He stopped them and said he wanted me for sale instead. I almost ended up like that. He must have suffered so much. They put this mask on you so you can’t scream and they tie you down as they cut you open without anesthesia. How are people like this, East?”

I lifted his chin as his tears mingled with the water. “Men like that are made. I was…” I paused with a sigh, not ready for my story because it made me angry and my parents weren’t worth my anger. “This is why we do what we do, Thomas.”

“I… I feel like my world has been completely turned inside out. The darkness is… consuming me.” He put the palm of his hand across his heart and curled his fingers as if he could rip it out. “It… hurts.”

Visions of my past hit me unfettered. I remembered that consuming darkness all too well. The pain. The rage. Then the relief that I ended my tormentors’ lives.

“You’re not like them. You’re pure.”

Once we were clean, I took my time drying him off. He swayed on his feet from exhaustion.

“I barely slept those three days. It was extremely cold, and the floor was incredibly hard. I was wet through most of it. Then there were the hunger pains… god.”

After we got dressed, we headed upstairs to find Dante had just arrived and Luca jumping into his arms, kissing his face. A memory flashed through my mind of when Thomas would sometimes do that to me. I recognized the love for what it was.

Dante saw us and set Luca down. “Hey, kid. You look better.”

“Thanks,” Thomas said softly.

“I’ve brought a special someone for you and Annie, if you want.”

“Who?”

Dante whistled, and a huge, muscular dog with sleek black fur and a dribble of white on its chest bounded over. His Cane Corso. Thomas instinctively took a step back. “As a child, I was bitten by a dog, and I’d been scared of them since. I’m sorry.”

“She won’t hurt you,” he explained. “This is Cleo, and she’s well-behaved and well-trained. Luca here turned her into a damn fluffball.”

Luca put a hand to his mouth and giggled. “She’s a protector, and she knows when you’re sad.”

Thomas held out his trembling hand, and she walked over to him, looking more like a soldier than a fluffball. She sniffed his hand, and then she bent her head to where his palm sat on top. The dog lifted her head and pressed her cold, wet nose on his arm.

“She wants you to pet her,” Luca said.

“Once a guard dog, now some damn emotional support animal,” Dante scoffed, but there was affection in his tone. “I thought you could use her.”

“Thank you.”

Annie soon came out and rushed to her brother. They hugged each other, but both were looking better.

To my surprise, she hugged me, too. My entire body stiffened. “Thanks for saving us.”

“You’re… welcome.”

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