Page 14 of His Brother's Wife
“No.”
“No?” Enda was astonished.
“I can’t. He …he’ll hurt people. People I care about.”
“He’s hurting you!”
“I can take it.”
Enda lost it then. “How can you be so blind? You’re an intelligent, brave woman and he’s reducing you to what? His punching bag? Is he doing anything …?” He only got part way through the question before he realized. “Oh, dear god …is he raping you?”
Ama gave a sob and nodded. Enda took her in his arms. He wanted to kill Jackson right there, right then. “What’s he holding over you, baby? What is it?”
She told him and he closed his eyes. He had no trouble believing Jackson would have Selima or anyone else Ama loved hurt or even killed. He could understand how Ama thought she was backed into a corner. Bastard.
Enda sat down with her on his couch. “Ama, I know you want to protect your sister. I do. But I think there’s something you need to understand about Jackson. He’s …psychopathic. My father won’t hear it, and Olivier struggles with accepting it even though he knows it’s the truth. Has Olly told you about Penelope?”
Ama shook her head, looking desolate and exhausted. “No.”
Enda took a deep breath in. “Penny was Jackson’s girlfriend, of sorts, a few years back. They didn’t date for long; Penny could see what kind of man he was. So, she tried to end it. Jackson, of course, is never dumped. By anyone. When Penny met someone else, Danny, Jackson had them both murdered. Danny by a hit-and-run driver. Penny was stabbed to death in her car.”
Ama looked as if she was going to throw up. “Jesus. Jesus.” She bent double, wrapping her arms around herself. When she looked up at Enda, tears were flooding down her face. “What if he does the same to Selima?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “I might leave him, but what if he has her killed before I’m even down the driveway? At the very least, he’ll destroy my father’s business.”
“Inca saw the bruises too. What did she say to you?”
Ama smiled through her tears. “She told me all I had to do was ask and she’ll be there for me. I love her already.”
Enda took her in his arms. “I’m so scared for you, baby,” he said softly. “I swear, we will find a way out of this.”
Ama nodded, pressing her lips against his. “I don’t want to go home, just for tonight. I’ll tell him our meeting with Inca and Raff went late, so I decided to stay in the city with friends.”
Enda kissed her back. “Cara mia, I want to make you happy again.”
Ama pulled away from him and stood, pulling her shirt over her head and slipping out of her skirt. Enda pressed his lips to her belly, careful not to hurt her bruises. Jackson certainly knew where to beat someone so that it wouldn’t show.Fucker.
With a rush of adrenaline, Enda swept her into his arms and carried her to bed. Ama gazed up at him as he stripped. “Don’t wait, my darling. Don’t wait.”
His cock, already ramrod hard and bobbing under its own weight, entered her and she shivered with pleasure as her cunt tightened around it. They fit together so perfectly it almost seemed unbelievable. They made love slowly and intensely until both came, shivering through a mellow orgasm. Enda kissed her tenderly.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?”
Ama shook her head and tried to smile. “No. You’re erasing bad memories, if that helps.”
To his surprise, Enda found tears in his own eyes. “I hate this. I hate what he is doing to you.”
Ama nodded, clinging to him. “I know. But I have to protect my family. Until I can figure out a way …”
There was a furious pounding on the front door of the apartment and they both froze. Nobody knew they were there or even knew Enda owned the penthouse. Enda sat up and wrapped the sheet around Ama. “Go into the bathroom and stay there. Keep the light off.”
She nodded and disappeared into the dark room. Enda got up and tugged his jeans on as the knocking came again.
Steeling himself, he tugged open the door. Olivier stood outside and Enda gaped at him. “Olly …what the hell?”
Olivier shook his head. “No time for explanations now. It’s dad, Enda. He’s had a massive heart attack. He’s in the hospital.” Olivier looked devastated and scared. “Bring Ama. We’ll tell Jackson we picked her up on the way.”
As they all three ran the corridors of the hospital, a million questions whirled around Ama’s brain. So, Olivier knew about her and Enda and knew about the apartment. How the hell did he know? She couldn’t think of a way that wasn’t negative. And that’s what was killing her—thinking bad things about Olivier, whom she adored, as she knew Enda did. She trusted—had trusted—Olivier with her life. And now …
They saw Jackson up ahead, and for once, Ama felt sorry for the monster. At this moment, he looked like the lost little boy, rather than the scheming rapist and possible murderer she now thought of him as. This was a different Jackson—vulnerable. She patted his arm awkwardly. “I’m so sorry, Jackson.”
