Page 14 of Hart of Darkness
Nadine hugged herself. “That dude reminds me of a gang member.” She tipped her head at Rafe’s retreating form.
I could understand her trepidation. Rafe was a big dude and wore adon’t fuck with meexpression most of the time.
“Nadine, I can assure you no one will hurt you here. Both Rafe and me, no matter how scary we might seem, we’ll protect you with our lives.” That was no lie. Rafe would cut off any man’s head who preyed on women, as would I.
Nadine reminded me of Allie and Bee and how uneasy they’d been when I offered them a place to stay. They hadn’t budged at first. Bee had come before Allie, but Bee had been homeless and desperately needed food, a shower, and a warm bed. I’d given Bee full reign of my house all by herself for a few nights to prove to her I wasn’t a rapist or anything of the sort and that she could trust me. Even the two women who were asleep in their beds at the moment had been apprehensive when they’d first arrived, but Norma had helped to ease their tension, the conviction in her voice much like that in Maggie’s.
“See,” Maggie added. “You’re safe.”
Nadine’s tense shoulders loosened as she stepped into the common room. Maggie sashayed her very curvy hips in behind Nadine, while I locked us in. Then I joined the women, who sat down on the U-shaped couch.
After a beat of silence, Maggie jumped to her feet and threw her arms around my neck. “It’s so good to see you and to know you didn’t die in a gang fight.”
I wracked my brain at where her sudden affection was coming from. She was acting as if we had been good friends at one time, when all we had been were enemies. Despite that, my body suddenly reacted in ways that weren’t appropriate at the moment. For sure, Rafe was right. I needed a woman to relieve some of my stress.
I backed away. If I didn’t, I would be escorting her down the hall and into my office so I could throw her on the couch. “You look great.” Boy, did she ever. Maggie was sexier than Eddie had mentioned. The curly hair she’d had as a teenager had turned into soft, wavy locks as a woman, and her large hips were making me all warm inside. Not only was I into blondes, but I liked my women with meat on them. “And you too are not dead.”
Most of the members from my gang were either in jail, dead, or into some bad shit, like my brother Duke. I knew that the men who had been in Maggie’s gang had followed the same path.
She tucked hair behind her ear then adjusted the scarf around her neck. “I could’ve been if it weren’t for a cop who helped me turn my life around.”
“Cop,” Nadine muttered. “You know a cop?”
Maggie returned to her spot next to Nadine. “Please relax. I brought you here and not the police station.”
As though that was all she needed to hear, Nadine slumped against the couch.
Maggie unleashed her bag from across her body. “I can’t believe you own a shelter. Why?” She took inventory of the first floor. When she glanced up, awe was written all over her face. The high ceilings with wood beams gave the room a spacious feeling.
That answer would have to wait. I was more concerned with Nadine.
I parked myself on the arm of the couch. “Nadine, what happened to you?” Debbie and Angel, the two women asleep on the third floor, had come to the shelter looking much like Nadine. Seeing a woman fucked up by a man made me want to use the guy as a punching bag.
“She was a victim in a standoff between a gang and the cops earlier tonight,” Maggie said. “She was lucky to get away. Can she stay here?”
The red flag waved in my head. My one question before anyone could stay here was, “Are you running from the cops?” I didn’t expect anyone to say yes even if they were. But I had to ask because I didn’t want to get entangled with the law. I could be charged with harboring or aiding and abetting.
Rafe waltzed over, carrying the metal container with all the necessities to bandage up someone. “Standoff with the cops?” He set the first-aid kit on the large square coffee table then took a seat on the edge of the couch opposite me.
“Won’t the cops be looking for her?” I asked.
Maggie began cleaning the blood off Nadine’s face with astringent wipes. “I’m sure they will or are. But Nadine feels like she would be in danger if she goes to the cops.”
Nadine winced but let Maggie tend to her wounds anyway.
Rafe and I exchanged a silent look that askedwhat do we do?
“Can I stay here?” Nadine’s distressed tone pierced my heart.
I rubbed my beard. In my time searching for Grace, I’d come into contact with girls who didn’t want to involve the law. Hell, Allie and Bee were two of the girls. But at that time, I hadn’t been running a shelter that was also a business. Now I had to toe the line.
On the flip side, I couldn’t throw Nadine to the wolves. I wasn’t saying the cops were corrupt, but I’d known a few to side with the bad guys. Jeremy Pitt came to mind. Not only that, but if something did happen to Nadine after I said no, then I would feel like a piece of shit for shoving her out the door.
“As long as you need to.” The words fell easily from my lips despite the consequences.
Rafe gave me a cursory glance before he said, “Maggie, you realize you can get into trouble for interfering with an investigation.”
She set down the first-aid kit. “Nadine’s a victim. So I don’t see how. But I’ll handle the cops.” Her tone was confident as sure as it was dark outside.
