AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I heaved out a sigh. “You know I could investigate this myself, don’t you? Look into it without even telling you? There’d be no reason for him to know you were even involved. Shit, there’d be no reason for him to know I was involved. The joys of umbrella companies.”
She studied me again, then heaved out a shuddery breath. “You’ve no idea how tempted I am to take you up on that offer.”
“Good,” I told her, my tone gravelly with the need to do something, anything, to fix this for her.
Months down the line, when we were on a more even footing and she wasn’t so on edge and we were more serious, I’d take care of the debt hanging over her. Now? I couldn’t. I knew she’d refuse, and I didn’t even want to waste time arguing about it.
I had no rights over her.
Yet.
But I would, and when I did, those debts would be paid and she’d be moving out of that flea hole she called home.
I guess I had my answer as to why she was living somewhere even criminals would think twice about moving in.
“I can’t though,” she whispered, and I felt the tension in her as she fought with her inclinations.
It did me good to see her like that though. I could tell she wanted to do it, wanted to hit the bastard where it hurt the most—his pocket, but equally
, she didn’t want that.
She wanted to move on with her life. And I could understand and respect that.
“Okay,” I murmured, not willing to push her because I was going to go and handle this on my own regardless of her wishes. Maybe she knew that because she eyed me warily.
Her mouth opened and she started to speak before she shook her head. “Thank you for being so kind.”
Her formal words had me snorting. “Kind? I’m not kind.”
“You were. To me. Not to him.” Her top lip curled. “And he doesn’t deserve kindness.”
No, he deserved destruction.
And did he but know it, I was going to rain a whole shitload of it down on the unknown bastard’s head.
I’d enjoy it, too. Would revel in wrecking that man’s world like he’d wrecked Jessica’s.
An eye for an eye… Though her attacker would never realize that, because I’d hide my intervention from the world’s view, I’d know it, and I’d be able to breathe better knowing it too.
I couldn’t protect, defend, or save the woman who, all those years ago, had been hurt. But I could protect, defend, and save her memory, as well as safeguard her future.
That would be my privilege, and my honor.
Chapter 7
Max
When she laughed it was like my heart wanted to burst.
Seriously.
It was close to pathetic. If Derek had come to me and told me he felt this way about Kayla, I’d have snorted at him. Ribbed him so damn hard he’d have regretted sharing shit with me.
But now? Yeah, now I understood.
How couldn’t I?
Just watching her in these unguarded moments made me feel like I could conquer the world, and yet, be equally as aware that the invincible way I felt around her was exactly that; because I was around her.
