Page 21 of Vow to Protect
Natalie sobs into her sleeves, the somber aftermath of a drunken binge. “Her father has her, Brett De Courcy. She loves him so much.”
“Tell me about him,” I probe.
A shy smile lightens her weary face. “He has kind eyes and a devilish grin. Not evil, more tempting. Like a tall, dark, mysterious lover. Things could have been so different. Brett’s nothing like the devil, not like Blaine.” She shivers, and her stare turns vacant. “His men call him Blade for a reason.”
“What do you mean? What did Blaine do to you?”
“He cut…” Natalie nibbles her fingernail as though she’s not allowed to speak out loud. “He didn’t hurt me all the time. Mostly it was threats. It’s them—the others. The wailing and constant crying. A realisation of the life they once knew is over. He forced me to lead them away. He said it was my destiny.” The hairs on my neck prick. Natalie hums to herself, rocking back and forth. “He’ll find me, eventually.” She taps her clavicle. “This mark is final.”
The memory fades. I never knew what she meant by that until my own flesh was etched with a biting blade.
“Why didn’t you help my sister?” I hide behind the hot coffee cup. He could’ve protected her too.
Brett freezes in the doorway. Any friendliness he’d shown dissipates with a scowl when his head revolves. “What the fuck did you say?” White knuckles on the handle give away his fury.
I want to challenge him, to ask him why he didn’t rescue her. To find out why he’s helping me but didn’t do the same for Natalie. “You took care of her child, but you kept Natalie at arm’s length. Were you embarrassed that she was a stripper? Was she not good enough for your well-to-do family?” I swallow hard. “She had no one to save her.”
His chest rises, and his torso twists to face me. Held under his intense stare, I sense anger mounting behind his eyes. They’re narrowed and black, glowering at me like he’s turned on a tap of free-flowing malice. My pulse skitters when he stalks across the room and stops inches from the bed.
“I told you already, I tried to help her,” he spits out. “Did she tell you otherwise?” The calm growl prickles over my scalp. Brett hunches over, his face too close to mine.
I sway my head so my hair swishes. “No. I thought you could’ve done more. You could have…”
“Oh, really?” His hand snaps up, silencing me. An angry vein throbs in his corded neck. “I could have locked her up in an apartment against her will and not let her leave? Who the fuck are you, Raen? If that’s even your actual name. You don’t look like Natalie—not one fucking bit. She knew I offered her a place to live. I offered her a different future on the rare occasions she turned up to see Tilly. If you’re trying to blackmail me for a few mill, I’ll fucking…” His nostrils flare, and his open palm spreads out like he’s fighting a battle to keep his temper in check.
“I swear Natalie is my sister, Brett,” I say in a gust, looking to the ceiling. “She didn’t tell me that much. We were together again for such a short time before he killed her. I only found out recently that she had a daughter.” He flexes his hand and stern features wash with an emotion akin to guilt. “I’m that little girl's family. I’ll find a way to prove it to you, Brett.”
His chin lifts. “That doesn’t give you any legal rights to her.”
“I don’t want rights.” I scowl. “And I don’t need anything to tie me to this godforsaken city.” My hand acknowledges the cityscape beside us. I’ve looked after myself for long enough. “It would be nice to meet her. But believe me, I do not want responsibility for anyone else. I’m better off on my own.” Everyone I’ve ever loved vanished from my life in their own tragedy. Love hurts. “And don’t think you can bully me either.”
Brett’s head shakes from side to side. “Bully you? Look—” He blows out a long breath. “I won’t touch you; I promise. That’s the last thing on my mind.” His jawline twitches, and his gaze drops to my wrung-out hands. “You have my word, Raen.” A moment passes before he speaks again. “Look…” With a flick of his wrist, he checks the time on his gold wristwatch. “I was in the dark about Tilly until the evening Natalie landed on my doorstep with Tilly wrapped in a bundle of blankets. Natalie and I flirted like a stripper and her paying customer would. I was a regular at the time and paid big bucks for private dances. She stuffed a napkin in my pocket with the hour she was clocking off. We had a one-night fuck. After that, she disappeared from the club. I found another dancer. That’s life. When she turned up with a kid, I offered to take them both in. She refused.” He paces, staring upward like he’s reliving the exact moment, second by second. “At that point she didn’t look fit enough to look after a houseplant, let alone a baby. Taking the kid was for the best.” His eyes cut to mine, vivid and sincere.
“Why didn't you ask where she was living or who she was working for?” I meet his gaze, finding his breadth and height unnerving. Brett stares right at me with a look I can’t decipher—loathing springs to mind, but his head bows, and I sense regret more than anything.
“Look. I fucked a stripper. Ten months later, she handed me a kid. This isn’t a fairytale, Raen. We were never going to fall in love and walk off into the sunset as a happy family.”
I gulp hard. Natalie’s voice murmurs in my head with her last breath still at the forefront of my memory. “She didn't deserve to die like that. If I only knew sooner what she’d gotten herself into, I would have tried to save her myself. Somehow.” I catch the wobble in my throat with a cough. The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster, from suffering brutality to being dumped in a dark cell and drugged. I detest the emotions charging through me. Weakness. Nerves. Anticipation of more danger. My chin hitches a fraction higher.
His nostrils flare in tandem with a dissatisfied grunt. “And look where that’s got you. Do you really think you could’ve saved her from that sick sonofabitch? I’m dealing with Blaine now. It’s over. Don’t leave the apartment,” he orders.
Brett angles to the exit. A stab of the unknown splinters through my chest. “Wait.” I bounce off the bed, staggering forward with jellied legs and no coordination.
Suddenly, I’m buoyant. The back of my knees fold over his forearm, and my cheek presses to hard muscle. There’s a moment of peace, where I’m safe, protected and cared for. The masculine scent of his skin teases me with seduction. A deep rumble echoes from the cavity of his chest, reverberating inside me with a shiver.
“You were knocked out cold, Raen. Please, stay in bed and rest. I’ve watched over you for the past few hours. There’s someone else who needs me now.”
He could’ve left me at the side of the motorway with a few euros and an abrupt goodbye, but he stayed with me instead.
“Brett.” His name leaves my tongue in a breath. I want to thank him, but he cuts me off.
“Don’t.” He drops me on top of the mattress and stares down at me momentarily. “No more chitchat.”
He’s the only one I can talk to, the only one to help me piece all the missing parts of her life together. “I watched that bastard torture my sister.” I prop up to elbows. “Do you know how difficult it’s been for me to share the same oxygen as him after that? I wasn’t prepared for all this. I should have fought back harder.”
“He would’ve killed you too.” His arms fold over his chest. That stark reminder of death welcomes the sting of liquid anger. I’ve cried too much already, and I refuse to let Brett think I’m weak. He could use that to his advantage. What man wouldn’t? The whole damn situation jars my heart. “Did she ever mention him?”
His back goes rigid and a remorseful silence stretches between us. “No,” he replies abruptly. “She didn’t.”
