Page 6 of His Dark Discipline

He’s smart. I’ll give him that. He keeps to the shadows and creeps around to the side entrance, which I assume Lily has left unlocked for him.

I’m seeing red, and my rage peaks when I see the little bastard reach into his pocket and pull out a baggy filled with white powder.

The door slides open, spilling golden light onto the cold, damp lawn. His grin expands, widens like a hyena, and when I see Lily poke her face out, I lose all control.

“Son of a bitch!” I roar, springing out of the darkness like a tiger. He turns, but not even a prize fighter could fend me off now.

I catch him by the throat with one hand and slam him onto his back. He swings at me, but I snatch his fist and pin his arm above his head, then press a knee into his chest and pin him beneath me.

“Oh my God, Damon!?” Lily yelps in surprise.

“Do you know who I am?” I roar. Thatcher’s eyes blaze with terror as he does his best to nod as I grip his neck. “You do, don’t you? Then you know what I could do to you if I wanted?”

Again, he nods. I glance over at Lily, who looks terrified.

Christ. She’s so fucking innocent and has no idea what kind of guy she’s just invited into her home.

“I’m not in the habit of letting things slide,” I snarl at Thatcher, who has gone pale as a sheet of ice. “But I will tonight, because she’s here. But if I catch you here again – if I even hear about you talking to her again, I’ll bury you so deep beneath the earth that it will take an archeological team to find your bones. Understand me?”

Thatcher nods as best he can. Reaching into his pocket, I snatch his phone, then rip the baggie of cocaine from his hand.

“You’re lucky I am even letting you keep your car, asshole,” I tell him as I let him up.

“T-thank you!” he stammers before running away like a dog with his tail between his legs. Before he’s even out of earshot, I turn to my stepdaughter.

The light from the house creates an aura behind her. She’s practically glowing like the angel she is.

The silky smooth skin of her thighs is visible, not even remotely hidden by the tiniest pair of shorts I’ve ever seen. Again, she’s wearing one of my T-shirts, one she must have stolen before I left. Her nipples are hard, and I can make out the outline of her perfect tits.

“What is wrong with you!?” I snap, doing my best to control my anger. “Do you have any idea what kind of guy that was?” I hold up the cocaine for her to see. “Did you know he was bringing this?”

“I—no.” She shakes her head. I can read anybody. She’s not lying. “What…what is that?”

“It’s the first step down the wrong path in life.” Still fuming, I step forward and show her Thatcher’s phone. “Did you send him naked pictures?”

“Damon—”

“Did you!?” I roar.

Lily hesitates, and my chest burns. Then she shakes her head. “No.”

A brief wave of relief flows over me, temporarily calming my anger and allowing me to get my focus back. Behind me, I hear the sound of Thatcher’s tires squealing as he heads for the hills.

Lucky, I grit my teeth. He’s so fucking lucky.

“Damon, what are you doing here?”

“Your mother called me,” I reply, trying to lower my voice. She’s scared. She should be. “Said she was worried about you. Said you’ve gone a little bit boy crazy since I left.”

Lily shakes her head, but I can see it in her eyes; everything Marla said was true.

The rage returns.

“What do you care, anyway?” she whimpers. “You left us. You left…me.”

I’m a thinking man. A cold, calculated man whose self-control got me to where I am today. But when it comes to Lily, I’m nothing more than an animal.

She gets the best of me, and I lunge forward and snatch her around the waist. I hoist her over my shoulder as she wriggles and screams and carry her away from the house and back to my car.

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