“Hunter, come upstairs,” he says.
“I have things that need to be done.” I continue typing.
“What could possibly be more important than being with our mate?” he asks quietly.
“Making her safe,” I rumble, looking at him sharply. “Was asking every fucking family member to guard the house overkill when her father is being watched? Yes, perhaps. But who gives a shit?” I stand, my fists on the wood. “At least I know that they will not allow someone who wants to hurt Haven close enough to do it. She is vulnerable right now. I’m certain we could defend her, yet I feel better having them here. Our lives have been filled with things that shouldn’t have happened, and I won’t let any mistake fuck up the safety of our mate.”
“I understand.” He looks at the computer. “What work?”
“The kind I’m good at,” I say, straightening. “I knew her father wouldn’t stop. I’ve been planning. He has harassed all the women who have been in his employ. They have been afraid to report him because in the human world, women aren’t believed as they should be. I don’t blame them for not speaking out, but I decided to encourage them to do so. I sent a lawyer to help them. Within the next few days, he will be arrested and sent to jail.”
“How? These things go on for years.”
“Bash and Ryker hate men who abuse women.” I lift my chin. “I asked a favor. They used their skills to influence several people, including a judge, and others. He’ll be in a cell in a few days, pending any complications. The world will know what kind of man he is, and Haven won’t have to worry anymore.”
“How long will he be locked away?”
“Not long,” I murmur, and he frowns. “Do you know how easy it is for a vampire to break into a prison?” His eyebrows shoot up. “A few words to influence the right people, her father will be nothing but a bad memory.”
“Haven doesn’t know,” he guesses.
“No. I won’t let him get away, continue to make money, and live a lavish life after the way he treated her. He doesn’t deserve to breathe in a world she lives in.” I rub my neck. “She tried her way, and it didn’t work. He should have taken her offer, but he didn’t, so I’m making him go away.”
“How long have you been working on this?” he asks.
“Since I knew he hit her.”
“What if he left her alone?”
“I’d still have him killed,” I growl.
“Hunter, I wanted to kill him for it,” he says.
“I know. At the time, we didn’t know all the details. I wasn’t sure how she would react to our involvement.” I cross my arms. “There was a woman,” I say softly, and he narrows his eyes. “She looked like his wife. It went too far, and he killed her. The men who work for him covered it up. Heath gave me the information. Should I tell her about it? Tell her that her father killed someone who looked like her mother, and see the pain she can’t hide.”
“I don’t want her to hurt any more than you, but I think she needs to know,” he says quietly.
“Perhaps,” I murmur, dropping my arms. “For now, she has enough to deal with. Once she's adjusted, I’ll give her the choice to know more. Yes, we could make him disappear, yet those who he abused need to see him pay for it in their world. He will still die, but not by our hands. It will be quiet, and there will be no suspicion toward us. We have to protect Haven and our world.”
“Depending on humans to do it,” he says, cringing.
“I know, I don’t like it,” I grumble.
“Who is going to the prison?”
“Ryker. He’s done it before.”
“Really?”
“He doesn’t talk about it.”
“How did you find out?”
“Heath.” The snake shifter can find out anything. “All that matters is he’s willing to do it.”
“How many women has he abused?”
“Besides Haven, twenty-two.”
