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″Ruin them.”
She glances over my body, eyeing my tattoos. She steps forward, hands running along my forearm where the image of a skull with a Celtic dagger running through it sits. “Can I try something?” She asks.
″Sure.”
Haley’s arms tentatively wrap around me. Her body sags into mine, and she lets out a shaky breath. I run my hand through her hair, holding her head against my chest, savoring the scent of her coconut shampoo. My skin lights on fire with her so close, and I don’t want her to let go.
″Men make me sick,” she whispers. “Literally. I’ve never been able to let them touch me.”
My chest constricts at her confession. There’s so much damage in her broken heart. It’s amazing she survived this long. My childhood was less than perfect. I grew up to be a cold-blooded ruler. The next king of savages. Yet, she’s endured worse than I ever could.
I don’t know why, but I press my lips to the top of her head. “And now?”
″I don’t want you to let me go, Callum.”
I won’t, not for the rest of my fucking life if that’s what she needs.
Chapter thirteen
Luckystillisn’ttalking.It’s late when I return from Haley’s, but Declan is still here, trying to get him to talk, so I didn’t have a choice. I’d much rather be where Scotty is, sleeping on Haley’s couch. Da’s shown up, too. My dress shoes click against the concrete ground, echoing off the walls.
″Did you get your dick wet?” Declan asks me, wiping his hands on a rag.
Da’s head whips around, his blue eyes settling on me. “You left this for pussy?” He pushes off the chair he’s sitting on, heading for me. “You put your family at risk over some slut!”
Da’s fist clenches the collar of my shirt. If I didn’t grow up with him as my father, I’d have no idea what the fuck he just said. His accent is still so thick, even after twenty years in the states.
″It isn’t like that, Da.”
″How is it then, lad?”
Declan smirks. “Cal’s got it bad for the doctor.”
″Bloody hell!” Da scoffs, letting go of me.
I raise my brows, confused that he’s let me go. He’s gone from angry I left the warehouse and Lucky’s torture, to releasing me before he can get a punch in. I straighten out the wrinkles in my suit and ask, “Has he talked yet?”
″Nope,” Declan says.
I heave a sigh, sitting on the folding chair in front of Lucky. Da being here means I need to get some fucking answers before he loses his shit and thinks I’m not ready to lead the organization, and the conversation about taking over early will never happen.
Resting my elbows on my knees, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Take his fingers next, Dec.”
Lucky moans as I stand to help Declan untie his hand. “Jesus, Cal. Can’t you just end it already? We both know I ain’t gonna talk. You trained me, Cal. You trained me.”
He’s right. I did train him. Ten years ago, I took an eighteen-year-old boy and molded him into a bodyguard to protect my family. He went through a boot camp held by me to teach him how to withstand torture.
This wouldn’t work on him, and ithadto work. Fucking Christ, did this have to work because Da has to trust me in order to hand over the keys to the kingdom. “He’s right, Dec. Causing him physical pain won’t help. Bring me his wife,” I say.
I’d never fucking hurt a woman unless she was directly guilty of something. Then, she would be placed on trial just like any other man. Women could be powerful, though. I’d seen Ma bring Da to his knees. Lila could do the same here. She could force her husband to tell the truth if she believed it meant I’d spare his life.
She’d be bitter to know I killed him, though. And that put me in a fucking shitty spot, because, again, I couldn’t kill the damn woman. And how would she move on? She’d be a witness to murder. She could ruin my life.
″Fuck, no. Callum! Don’t you fucking touch her! You piece of fucking shit!”
I inhale sharply, preparing to let out a roar that’ll echo through the warehouse. “Then, fucking talk!”
Declan winces, stepping sideways to separate himself from me.
