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“I have a healthy caution when it comes to him. I’ve not given him any reason to come after me, but I’m not looking to intentionally provoke him either.”
She sat back in her chair, not touching more of her food, then took a deep breath. “I got dumped.”
That… didn’t compute. “Dumped?”
“Yeah. The guy I was dating got tired of waiting on me. So one night he decided to get even.”
Everything inside me stilled. I had no idea exactly what had happened, but I knew it wasn’t good. There was no way I could get away with not telling El Diablo what she was about to say, and I might have to make a trip somewhere to kill a motherfucker.
“Define ‘got tired of waiting’ on you.” I tried to keep my voice neutral, but when her head snapped up and she winced, I knew I hadn’t been very successful.
“I wouldn’t sleep with him.” Her voice was a mere thread of sound. “I wasn’t ready for that, and I knew from the moment I met him it wouldn’t be him.”
“He try to rape you?”
“No. But he wasn’t happy I wouldn’t have sex with him. That’s when he broke up with me. Because he said if he was in a relationship with someone, he wanted sex to be involved. ‘A man has needs’ and all that shit.”
“How’d he get even?”
“Stole my wallet. Drained my bank account. Maxed out my credit card. I had my bank account set to notify me of any transactions or it would have been a while before I realized. Normally I wouldn’t have even checked my credit card account, but after I figured out what he’d done, I looked. I guess he used my credit card first, then went after my bank account.”
“He have your PIN number?”
“Yeah. Watched me get money from an ATM, I guess. The bank said every transaction was made using my PIN. I’m surprised Dad hasn’t said anything about it yet. He has to know.”
“Did you call this asshole out?”
“No. I just got in my car and headed for home. I wanted to be with my family. Where I knew the rules and no one was out to fuck me over.”
“Where’s the bastard now?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. It’s going to disappoint my dad, but I’m not going back to school.”
“Gonna need a name, sweetheart.” Because I was definitely going to take that motherfucker down. I got the feeling she was holding back on me, but I’d take her at her word. For now.
She shook her head. “No. I tell you, you tell my dad. Then the guy disappears. I know my dad’s a killer, but I don’t want him killing on my behalf. Especially over something like this.”
“Like what? The fact that he ripped you off? Or that he tried to pressure you into having sex with him?”
“Either. He didn’t assault me.”
“He try to shame you into fuckin’ him? Make you feel like you owed him?” When her eyes went wide and her lips parted, I knew I’d hit the mark. “That’s what I thought. You will tell me his name and anything else you know about him, and I’ll deal with him.”
“I can’t do that,” she whispered. “I know what happens if I do.” Then she tilted her head. “Is this to get in good with my father? You said you wanted him to know Bones would be an ally with you as president.”
I laughed, but it was a humorless sound. “Sweetheart, I don’t need to get in good with your father. He already knows what I’m capable of. If he didn’t, there’s no way he’d have agreed to let me take this on instead of Thorn. Right now, I’m more concerned with making sure that asshole never comes near you again. He doesn’t deserve you.”
“I don’t know about that, but he’s done with me. And I’m done with him.”
“Good. Now. Finish eating. I’m going to call El Diablo and let him know you’re safe.”
She gasped. “Are you going to tell him about… uh…”
“No. Not unless he asks me outright. Not yet anyway. But I won’t lie to him.”
“Please, Ice.” Her gaze was beseeching with tears threatening to overflow. I wasn’t sure I could take more of her tears. They affected me like nothing else before. I wasn’t a man who went around being mean to women, but tears didn’t affect me unless they were my mother’s or Suzie’s. Or, apparently, Dawn’s.
“I won’t lie to him. I should tell him about this, but he’s not a threat to your safety. Whether or not I have to kill him will depend entirely on what my club can find out about him. I won’t take this to Thorn or El Diablo but will keep it in Bones. For now. But this conversation isn’t over.”
“I guess that’s the best I should have expected.”
