Chapter Four
Hope once again stepped out into the cool night. The weather at the moment was all over the place. One moment it was boiling hot, the next so cold a jacket wouldn’t do to protect her.
When she spotted Beast leaning against his car once again, she stopped. Should she go to him? He confused her, his presence making her nervous as she wanted things she never wanted from a man before, from anyone. Just by being near him, she felt the changes inside her, the craving, burning need, like fire building.
“Hey,” she said, not moving closer.
“I’ve got a present for you.”
“Oh,” she said, finally stepping closer. It was rude not to, right?
She held onto her bag tightly, not wanting to let it go.
He pulled out some papers from his pocket and handed them to her. He stood beneath a streetlight, so as she took them, she was able to read.
“Emancipation orders.” She shook her head, flicking to the back. “No, no, I don’t want this. I told you the money I have is for college. I can’t afford to live on my own.” Didn’t he know that she’d looked into everything these orders could mean? She’d done multiple calculations, seeing if there was any way she could be free of the woman who liked to spit up the past. Every single cent would be gone within a couple of years, and she’d have to turn to scholarships. She didn’t want that. Her plan kept her focused. She knew what she wanted, and this right now, wasn’t it. “She signed.” Tears filled her eyes, but they were happy. “Why? I don’t want this. I told you I didn’t want this.”
He took hold of her arms, but she was so distracted that any pleasure she’d have gotten from his touch rolled off her. She didn’t want his touch in that moment.
“You’re safe, Hope. She’d given you your freedom, but I’ve got a room for you at my place.”
This made her pause. “What?”
“I didn’t want to have to deal with a screaming aunt telling the world I stole her niece.”
She doubted Aunt Tay would ever do that.
“This way, she’s given you your freedom, not that you really need it. At eighteen, you can do whatever the hell you want, but I just wanted to have that piece of paper just in case. You’re going to live at my house. I pay for food, utilities, and I own my property. I deal with all the finance. You can still continue to work here if you wish, but I’ll have a driver escort you to and from. No questions asked.”
“Why?” she asked. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“I’ve got a feeling that not many people have been all that nice to you, Hope.”
She didn’t get it. This man owed her nothing. There was nothing she could ever give him to repay him, and yet here he stood, holding a chance for her future to be a whole lot better than it had been.
Staring at him, she knew in her heart she fell a little bit in love with him right then. Everyone was afraid of him, but he’d only ever showed her kindness, and she didn’t care what other people said. All she worried about was how he made her feel. She refused to care about anything else, especially right now.
“Thank you. Erm, I better go and get my stuff.”
“I’ve already got it.” He opened the car door. “If you climb inside, I’ll go and show you where you’re going to sleep.”
She climbed into the car and held still as he secured her seat belt. There was something sexy about the way he took charge, plugging her seat belt in.
Let’s face it. You’ve got a crush so damn big on him that rivals any kind of movie star crush.
He sat behind the wheel, and she watched as he pulled out of the parking lot, heading in the opposite direction of her old home, and instead, toward her new one.
I can totally handle this.
Out of the corner of her eye, she kept watching him, not wanting to miss a moment. Biting her lip, she couldn’t help but smile. Everything felt so charged, so different. She took a deep breath and wondered what her mother would think of Beast Carson.
It didn’t matter really. She felt amazing when she was around him.
“I’d like to keep my job if that’s okay.”
“I said it was. I’ll arrange for a driver to get you there and back safely. I don’t want you walking the streets.”
“Because it’s dangerous?”
“You don’t know when the bogeyman may come out and scare you.”
She chuckled. “I’ve not heard ‘the bogeyman’ in so long.”
“Did your parents ever tell you about it to make you go to sleep?” he asked.
“Nah. I was a very good kid. I always did as I was told. The only time I heard about the bogeyman was at Halloween, and my mom did it to be scary. I used to love Halloween. She’d get us both dressed up, and we’d go out trick-or-treating. I loved it.”
“What happened?”
“I got older, and all the magic with an addict dad just went out of the window. It was easier to stay in. We’d watch a few horror movies, and leave it at that.”
He pulled into the open gates. “I’ve never celebrated Halloween. Dressing up felt pointless. There’s no reason to be scared of those things that go bump in the night when you’re one of them.”
“I’m not even going to think about that right now,” she said.
He parked the car, and she was pleased she didn’t have to ask him anything more. Holding her bag tightly to her, she stared up at the house and followed Beast. He placed a hand at her back and began to move her into the house.
Guards stood at the door, and he nodded at them. It was only then she heard another car entering the grounds.
“I always have men following me,” he said as she’d stopped to look behind her.
Beast didn’t linger, and they were making their way up the long staircase. In fact, he moved toward the end of the hallway where she saw a second staircase.
“Dwayne’s room is down there. I’ll be having a word with him tomorrow. He won’t bother you. I’m going to get him to take you to school though.”
“I don’t mind walking.”
“And I don’t mind getting people to drive you to where you need to be.”
He stopped at the far room, and she stared at the door he stood at.
“This is my room?”
“Yes.”
She reached past him, gripping the door handle and twisting it. The door opened, and Beast flicked on the lights.
The room was huge. It easily had to be the size of an apartment. The bed was one of the largest she’d ever seen.
Beast moved past her. “En-suite bathroom so you’ll have your privacy. A walk-in closet, and over here is a storage area.”
She saw her clothes had already been hung up, and the few possessions she had were stored in the closet. The picture that she’d kept by the side of her bed was already there, waiting for her.
“Thank you,” she said, feeling incredibly touched.
“I hope you find some happiness in your stay here, Hope.” Next, he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. “This is now yours. I’ve already placed numbers in it—mine, Dwayne’s, and several of my men. You call them at any time, and they will come for you.”
She nodded, and smiled. “Thank you.”
“If there’s anything you need. Don’t hesitate to ask.”
He moved away, and she watched him leave.
“Wait, where do you sleep?” she asked.
“At the end of the hall. I’m a light sleeper, so I’ll know if Dwayne tries to sneak up here.” He winked at her, and she got a little thrill knowing she shared an entire floor with Beast.
“Thank you, for everything.”
He nodded, closing the door as he left. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she didn’t care about the time. Not right now. She was … in shock.
Her aunt was finally in the past, and she didn’t have to hear the crap coming from her mouth. Staring down at her cell phone, she flicked her thumb across the screen and scrolled through contacts. She smiled as she saw a contact for the local Chinese place.
She had to keep herself in check. There’s no way she could let her crush shine through. No way.
****
Beast stared at the security screen in the library. Dwayne was taking a test, which Hope had been helping him with seconds before. She now stood at one of the bookshelves, staring at the array of titles he had on them.
Today she wore a pair of shorts that fell to her knees, and a crop top. They were having hot weather once again. It had been a couple of days since he picked her up. She’d already gotten used to the routine, and Dwayne didn’t mind having her around. The two rarely spoke to one another unless she was tutoring. Neither of them moved in the same high school circles.
Dwayne had told him Hope was a loner, and a lot of people considered her a weirdo. Beast didn’t think she was a weirdo. More misunderstood than weird.
“Have you told her your part?” Caleb asked.
“No, and I’m not going to.” He didn’t look away from the screen. She’d climbed up to the second floor of books, the ones that were far more intimate.
He watched as she pulled a book from the top shelf. Now this one interested him as she opened up the book. The camera angle was just right to see the page she’d flicked to. Dwayne had gotten him that book three Christmases ago. It was a book on sexual positions, with rather detailed pictures. In response, he’d gotten Dwayne a checkup at the hospital, and a supply of condoms. He didn’t give a shit if people didn’t agree with his parenting methods. It worked for him and Dwayne.
Hope’s cheeks were on fire, but she didn’t close the book as if she was too shocked to see what was there. Her hand landed on the book, and he watched as she slowly traced her fingers across the picture. She turned the page over, and once again, she was met by a rather explicit display of sex.
What was she thinking?
He wished he was there right now. He’d ask her everything he could think of to know and understand about her.
“You’re a little … obsessed by this girl.”
“She’s not a girl. She’s a woman,” he said, not really paying attention to Caleb.
The way she looked at him, it was like a fucking drug, and he was growing more addicted with every single passing day.
She was of legal age.
Not once had Hope made him think of a child or a teenager. She was all woman. Her body was made for sex, and seeing as she was flicking to the next page, he knew her mind was as well.
He watched as she closed the book and looked down. Dwayne held a piece of paper up, and she nodded.
She placed the book back, but held the spine a little longer. She didn’t want to leave it alone.
Finally, Beast stood watching her for another few minutes as she marked Dwayne’s test, and he had no choice but to pull himself away. He couldn’t keep staring at her, watching her, even though deep down he knew that was all he wanted to do.
“We’ve got to head out to the warehouse,” Caleb said. “Business needs to be taken care of.”
Leaving the house, Beast didn’t need to give the order for his men to take care of Dwayne and Hope. He’d given them that update days ago.
Climbing into the back of the car, he pulled out his cell phone, checking through the texts before giving Caleb his undivided attention.
“What do we know?” Beast asked.
“Frank has been spending some time with the local cops.”
Gritting his teeth, Beast nodded. Frank was one of the guys who helped with the lending side of the business. He knew a great deal, but what Frank also had was a problem with gambling.
Just in Beast’s casinos he owned nearly a million bucks, and that was just for the past few months.
If Frank thought for a second he was going to get away with trying to rat to the cops, he was in for a shock, not that it should be all that much of a shock, not really.
“I’ve already paid William off. Gave him ten grand,” Caleb said.
William was their informant within the police force, who helped to turn a blind eye to certain activities. He’d been working for the Carsons for a long time now, and they’d helped get him a nice big retirement settlement, just like he deserved for helping friends.
“What’s the deal with Hope Miller?” Caleb asked.
“Just helping a girl out.”
“You and I both know that’s not true.”
“We’re the ones that gave her father the gun.”
“So? We’ve given plenty of crooks guns. They’ve killed a lot of people with them as well. What is it about this girl?”
He glanced over at his brother and didn’t say a word. Caleb held his hands up.
“Look, I’ve never seen you look at a woman the way you look at her, and I say ‘woman’ and not ‘high school girl’ because I know you. I’ve seen her. She’s older than her years. I also know you’ve used Sarah a lot more in the past few days since you’ve met Hope. She gets to you, doesn’t she?”
Beast wasn’t about to tell his baby brother exactly how an eighteen-year-old girl had him feeling. Just watching her look through that sex book had given him a fucking hard-on that took all of his self-control not to do anything about, which pissed him off.
When he looked into Hope’s eyes, he saw her yearning for a man, especially the way she looked at that fucking book. She’d been staring at it as if she wished she was the woman getting a nice, big, fat cock.
“She’s nice,” Caleb said. “I’ve seen her, and she’s not like your usual women. She’s innocent.”
“How about you stop thinking about the woman living in our house and start focusing more on your work?” He didn’t want to hear any more bullshit about her innocence. Even though it wasn’t bullshit, he was very much aware of how naïve she was to her current situation.
She now lived in a house full of monsters with the only exception being Dwayne, but his time would come as he grew older. His own father had already destroyed what little innocence he had by the time he was fifteen.
Maybe he should be running Dwayne, but he couldn’t do it.
His nephew wouldn’t know the kind of life he lived growing up, and he’d taken him away from a life of violence, so he didn’t have to.
Time would come for his training. Until then, Beast, Caleb, and his men were capable of running the family business.
Pulling up outside of the warehouse, Beast climbed out, buttoning his jacket and pushing Hope and Dwayne to the back of his mind. He didn’t need to be thinking about the innocence in his life right now.
Stepping into the warehouse, he saw his men holding back as Frank stayed tied to a chair. This wasn’t new for Beast. Everyone who tried to rat on him ended up on this chair.
“Mr. Carson, I swear I don’t know anything. My wife!”
“Your wife is in the hospital with her jaw wired shut, Frank.” He grabbed a chair, spun it around, and straddled it. “Here’s the thing, she got there long before we got you, so I have to wonder if she was the one warning you about crossing me.”
He glanced down at the man’s knuckles, which were tied to the arms of the chair. The telltale signs of a fight were evident there with the split skin.
“You beat your wife, Frank?”
He’d met Delia a few times. A beautiful woman, a little … slow at times, but he imagined that was down to one too many punches in the head.
His own mother had gotten slow over the years, and then of course when body parts weren’t given the right amount of care, it made walking difficult. He’d been sitting at the table while his father mocked his mother’s inability to walk. He wouldn’t even let her have crutches to help, and he’d seen the tears.
Of course, his father had beaten her one time too many, and when Beast came home and saw the bloody mess on the carpet, he’d decided to give his father a taste of his own medicine.
He’d not stopped, and spent an entire week humiliating his father, making him go through the agony he’d put his mother through before he finally got bored and simply killed him.
His mother got a beautiful resting place, which he maintained every single Sunday. His father got cremated and his ashes pissed on in the back garden. As far as Beast was concerned, it was justified.
Reaching out to the weapons on display, he picked up a steel hammer and tested the weight of it in his hands.
“Please, Beast, I swear. I didn’t—”
“What did your wife say?” Beast asked. “You see, I’ve got a real problem with men who beat their wives, especially when those wives are only trying to help their men. Women do that, Frank. There are a rare few out there that are only there to help you. To guide you, to warm your bed, and give you children.”
He brought the hammer down with force, shattering Frank’s hand.
“And those women don’t deserve to get hit.”