Page 72 of Hart of Darkness
“I’m not a saint,” he said.
I wanted to say,You act like a saint and look like a god.But I refrained from spewing those words only because I wanted to hear more of what he had to say. So I drank more coffee.
He kicked out his bare legs and sat back with no evidence of an erection. “I don’t see myself with a big heart. I opened that shelter hoping Grace would walk through the door. As angry as you are at Cory, I’m a little furious with Grace if she is alive, and if I’m being honest, I’m hurt that she hasn’t bothered to reach out to me. I’m pissed off at my old man for being drunk and driving away my mom when I was a kid. I have a love-hate relationship with my older brother, Duke. I blame him for Grace, but I blame myself more. We all have problems, Maggie, that will test our resolve. There’s nothing wrong with you feeling the way you do. But instead of freaking out about things, especially about you and me, let nature take its course.”
“Says the pot calling the kettle black,” I added. “You’re the one who wanted to leave feelings at the door.”
He pursed his lips. “Mmm. And you’re the one who said, ‘I’m not into relationships, short or long. I hook up with a man, and then I walk away. No strings.’ Right?”
He had me there.
He dragged his chair closer to me, then his hands were on my legs. “We’re both dealing with some serious stuff. So let’s take one day at a time.”
I frowned.
He pinched my chin as he guided me to look at him. “Hey, where’s that strong, confident, and beautiful woman I know?”
I laughed and blushed at the same time. Actually, I almost shed some tears. I gave myself a mental shake. I’d never gotten emotional over a man before. I felt as though Dillon was rejecting me, when I was the one who’d pushed him away.
Sleep. That was what I needed. I also needed to change the subject. We were walking into deep waters, and he was spot-on. Whatever was happening between us, we needed to let nature take its course.
“So I want to go over to that house where I found Nadine.”
He leaned back. “That’s why you were sneaking out? And are you mad? The cops probably have that place under surveillance.”
All that tension, lust, and emotional conversation vaporized.
“Dillon, my way of helping women is to tell their stories and not just stick it to Cory, but to end the Black Knights once and for all.” I knew other sex-trafficking groups existed out there. I knew that girls would still be vulnerable to the charms of bad men. I knew that runaway girls usually pimped themselves out for food and a warm bed. Still, as a reporter, I had the opportunity to warn them.
He batted his sleepy eyes at me. “Baby, I admire you for that. But you heard Dom. Nothing good can come of you snooping. And let’s not forget Denim. By the way, I’m a little perturbed that you didn’t tell me you knew who the leader of the Black Knights was. I could’ve warned Denim.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I never meant for Denim to get hurt.” If I had the chance to talk to Denim again, I would apologize.
“I’m not upset so much about Denim. He and I knew he was walking into dangerous territory. What irks me is that we’re supposed to be working together. You should’ve told me you knew about Miguel.”
My stomach pitched, not only because Denim had gotten hurt, but more because I’d upset Dillon. He was worried about me. I’d repeatedly bragged about how I could take care of myself. Maybe it was time I let someone take care of me. I liked when Dillon had said, “I got you.” He cared. He really cared.
I wasn’t going to argue with him. He was right. We’d agreed to work together, and I had put his brother in harm’s way. “I should’ve. I didn’t want to break Ted’s trust. So do you have something in mind if you don’t want me snooping at that house?” Which I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t do.
He rose, his muscles bunching as he held out his hand. “Come on.”
“I’m not going back to bed.”Maybe I would if it was your bed.
“It’s time we pay Duke a visit. I think he’s back in town now.”
I let him help me to my feet. “We? What does he have to do with the Black Knights?”
“He might know something about the Black Knights, given his reputation with criminals. And Dom said something earlier tonight that makes me believe Duke knows more about Grace’s situation than he cares to tell me. We can kill two birds with one stone.”
“Seriously? At three in the morning?” I remembered Duke, the oldest of the Hart brothers, and the asshole in the bunch. He’d broken Lou’s nose in one of our encounters. Despite that, Dillon wasn’t getting any arguments out of me.
“The timing is perfect. If we can catch him off guard, he might reveal more. Who knows? Maybe he’ll fix us breakfast.”
“You’re crazy.”
He laughed. “You haven’t seen crazy yet.”
