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“Yes. That’s exactly what I mean. My father saw a way to have an insider close to the ruling government of Tanistan. He used my sixteen-year-old brother, Jovani. His assignment was to get close to the king’s daughter, thereby giving him access to information. Especially when he started interning for the king under the guise of working on a business degree.”
Demonte’s stomach rolled, remembering the day he learned his father had shipped his young brother off to spy for the family. The only saving grace was that Jovani actually grew to like the girl. So much so, that he'd made him promise to look out for her should anything happen to him. Was it a premonition… or just the line of work their family was in?
“I was at college at the time and didn’t know any of this. When I found out, I pushed to end our dealings with the organization. Their response was to have my brother run over by a truck.”
He fought against the memories that still visited him in his dreams. Nightmares, really. His brother hadn’t been built for family dealings. He was gentle and kind, and was always laughing. How he must have hated lying to Janel.
“From that day forward, I’ve worked to not only end our trafficking business, but to also replace my father as head of the family. The end is in sight, but I need your help to make it happen.”
“You said your brother’s name was Jovani. Who was he to Janel?” Dozer asked.
He took a breath and admitted, “Janel knew him as James, her fiancé.”
A gasp from the door had them all turning to see Janel. Her eyes filled with tears, her hand covering her mouth. “No, no, no…” she whispered, staring directly into Demonte’s eyes and seeing the truth of what he said.
And then she cried out and ran, and if he still possessed a heart, it would be breaking.
CHAPTER 14
Dozer
“Fuck!” Dozer pushed back from the table, sending his chair flying against the wall once again. The stubborn woman refused to do as she was told.
He ran for the door, but Demonte called out, “Dozer, I promised my brother I’d always look out for her. Keep her safe!”
Dozer didn’t need to reply. He was sure Demonte had his answer from the steely determination on his face. He sprinted from the room and down the hallway, catching a glimpse of Janel running toward the bar. The exact opposite direction from the bedroom.
He slowed down, giving her a few minutes to herself. He wasn’t worried—the compound was locked up tight. There was no way she could leave the building unless a member let her out. He could only imagine how she must be hurting after hearing what she did.
From what she’d said about her fiancé, it was obvious she loved him and had been messed up after his death. Now to find out everything she believed about the man was a lie would seriously fuck with her head. How could he even attempt to help her get through this? He knew shit about emotions. Proof of that was how he’d treated her earlier in his room.
He’d hurt her. He’d seen it in the tip of her defiant chin and the way she masked the insecurities in her eyes. He’d been so close to fucking her, and she would have let him. She wanted him to take her. His teeth ground together thinking of how close he’d been to taking her virginity against a fucking wall.
He’d been so into her it had taken him too long to connect what she’d said with the meaning of her words. He didn’t fuck virgins. He scrubbed his hand down his face and caught her scent lingering on his fingers. His cock remembered and twitched in his jeans. He was out of luck because no matter how badly he wanted to carry her up to his room and eat her out until her scent was all over his face and then fuck her until she couldn’t remember her own name, he couldn’t have her. She was a fucking virgin princess.
She’d said her fiancé had wanted to wait until they were married. Knowing what he knew now, he had to question if their wedding would have ever taken place or maybe the man would have simply disappeared. He supposed not fucking her had somehow in the man’s moral compass made what he’d done right. Spying on her family was the ultimate betrayal and he’d used Janel to do it.
If the man wasn’t already dead, he’d kill him with his own bare hands. Janel didn’t deserve to be played like that. She needed all the pretty words and devotion someone like her would want in a relationship. He wasn’t the relationship kind. He knew nothing about being in a fucking relationship. He had no healthy examples to draw from.
When Dozer walked in the bar, he didn’t immediately see Janel and his heart raced, thinking she’d somehow gotten past the security system but then he found her behind the bar, sitting on the floor with her back against the wall. The devastation on her face ran in rivers of silent tears down her cheeks.
He took a seat beside her and pulled her onto his lap. She whimpered and tucked her head beneath his chin, and gripped his cut in her delicate hands as her body shook. He let her cry and found himself rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. Who the hell was he? He didn’t have the answer to that. All he knew was he’d do whatever he could to ease her pain.
He had no clue how long they sat there or how many tears she’d shed before she finally ran dry. The front of his shirt was soaked and he didn’t give a fuck. When her breathing evened out and she had fallen into an exhausted sleep, he picked her up, carried her up to his room, tucked her into his bed, and left.
There was only one thing on his mind as he made his way back downstairs and that was pouring himself a drink and not stopping until he was numb to the nagging ache in his chest.
Before he got back down to the bar, he found Prez waiting on him in his office with two filled shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey on the table. “In here, Dozer. The crew has started coming back in. You know how crazy it gets in the bar.”
Sinking down into a chair, he threw one back, refilled the glass and repeated.
“Is she okay?” Prez asked before drinking his own whiskey.
“I don’t know. That’s a hell of a thing to find out about someone you thought you knew and loved.”
“I told Luciano she’d be safe here.”
He chuckled and downed his third shot, again picking up her scent on the hand holding the glass. “And you think she’s going to be safe with me?”
