Chapter Twelve
“You’re settling down,” Caleb said. “How did that happen? When did The Nightmare become a husband? A fiancé? All that good stuff.”
Dwayne rolled his eyes as he looked at his uncle. “You sound jealous.”
“Nah, he’s not jealous, he’s just worried that he’s going to have to pick up the slack when you go on your honeymoon,” Beast said. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Not a clue.” Dwayne stared at his reflection. The tailor would be back in no time to finish up his tux for the wedding. He’d not wanted to just buy any suit. This one felt special.
“So, you really love her? I didn’t think you had a heart.”
“I have a heart, Caleb. You just don’t always get to see it.” He smiled at his uncle. He and Caleb had that love/hate relationship. There were times they hated each other, but they always had each other’s back. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Caleb or to Beast. “Yes, I love her. I’m not marrying her to fill some void or whatever. I love her more than anything in the world. Being without her, it was like a part of me was missing.”
“That we can understand,” Beast said. “I wouldn’t be anywhere without Hope.”
“Neither I with Faith. They certainly came into our lives with a bit of a shock.” Caleb stood up and circled Dwayne. “Marriage is a big step though. You’ve not dated a woman before in your life.”
“I’ve been dating Charity for some time now. There hasn’t been any other woman for me and there never will.”
“Does she know everything that you do? The killing?” Caleb asked. “Some women will find that hard to deal with.”
“Charity will surprise you. She knows what I do and what I’m capable of doing. She’s seen it firsthand, and without me being who I am, she wouldn’t have ever gotten free.”
“I get that, Dwayne, but this life is not for everyone. I just want to make sure you’ve been up front and honest with her about everything,” Caleb said, the concerned uncle suddenly stepping up.
“I have. She knows everything.”
“I don’t keep secrets from Hope. They’re the curse of a marriage. Once you start lying there’s no way out, and besides, when you’re with the right woman, it doesn’t matter what you do. Love is more important,” Beast said.
Dwayne wasn’t about to upset him on that score. He believed that honesty was indeed the best policy, but he also knew that sometimes the truth can unravel every single couple. He’d be honest with Charity, but he would always make sure he knew her thoughts as well. This marriage, he wanted it to work. He liked waking up in the morning, Charity in his arms, the sun shining on both of them. There were moments when he truly believed he’d fallen in love with an angel. When they were apart, he wanted to be with her.
She was looking for places to work and colleges to attend, and the fact he got to help her with that meant everything to him. The little moments they shared, like the food fight they had; they’d burst out laughing because they had to clean up their apartment.
The fact she always came back on a Saturday from doing laundry, and he’d watch her fold it or iron it.
The small domestic things that he once didn’t think had any place in his world were some of what he lived for.
When they were married, and after their honeymoon, he wanted to go house hunting. That wasn’t a huge need until they started a family, and Charity wasn’t ready to start a family yet. Even though she loved kids and had become close with Hope and Faith, she didn’t want to start having babies immediately.
He didn’t completely mind that either as he wanted to spend some time with her first before they had kids. Children would draw her away from him at times, and even though he did want to see a tiny Charity or a tiny son running around, he could wait.
With Charity, he’d wait forever. She was worth waiting for.
Patience was one of his strong suits when he needed it.
For the next hour he stood in one place as the tailor made changes to the length, and used his tape measure. Staring in the mirror, Dwayne tried to keep his impatience in check. He hated standing for so long while another man touched him, even if it was for a suit.
This is for your wedding. It’ll be fine.
However, by the time the tailor said he’d have everything done for when he needed, Dwayne couldn’t wait to get the fuck out of there.
After changing back into his clothes, he met Beast and Caleb on the street.
“Are you guys ready to go? Charity wants me to pick out some flowers next.” He pulled out his cell phone and saw there wasn’t a message from his woman. She wanted to meet him at the florist.
Glancing up he saw Caleb and Beast looking a little worried.
“What’s up with you two? I’ve not killed anyone today or when that guy was taking forever!”
Beast turned his cell phone around, and Dwayne’s world shattered.
****
An hour earlier
“Are you sure you don’t want company?” Hope asked.
Charity smiled as she crossed the road. She knew it wouldn’t be long before it was Dwayne’s birthday, and she had sneaked out of the apartment, hoping to get something that he wouldn’t know about. She still didn’t know where her guard was nor could she spot him in a crowd, but she knew without a doubt he was there. Dwayne didn’t say stuff he didn’t mean, and she liked that about him.
There was no bullshit when it came to him.
“Nah, you told me when his birthday was, and I don’t get why he doesn’t celebrate it.”
“I know. He’s a pain in the ass when he wants to be, but Beast always buys him a present. He doesn’t like his day to be a big deal. I’ll make him a cake, and he always stops by for dinner.”
“I better go. I’ll talk soon.”
“Okay.”
She was going to make Dwayne like his birthday. There was no way that she wasn’t going to celebrate his day. He meant a great deal to her, and that meant birthdays were really important.
“Take care,” she said, disconnecting the call.
Walking down the street, she hummed to herself, glancing at a couple of the windows to see if there was anything that screamed for it to be Dwayne’s.
As she passed an alleyway, she glanced down at her cell phone, and someone covered her mouth. His hold was so tight that it scared her instantly. Dropping her cell phone to the ground, she tried to fight, but whoever had taken her had shocked her. She did everything Dwayne told her not to do. There was no one else in sight, and the man pulled her into the alleyway.
Screaming against his hand, she tried to fight him, clawing at his hands, but he wouldn’t let go. She tried to fling her head back to stop him from taking her.
Dwayne’s warnings in her head, and as she stamped her foot down on her assailant’s, he released her long enough to get away. Just as she was about to scream, her hair was pulled, and she whimpered. She was thrown against the car, her face slammed against the hood. She felt a little dizzy, and as she was dumped inside the trunk of a car, he punched her in the face, stopping her from attacking him as she covered her head.
Pain exploded behind her ears, and suddenly she was in the dark. She didn’t know how much time had passed before she realized she was in the trunk of a car and that it was moving. She whimpered and started to attack the hood. It was so dark and so tight. Her heart raced as she kept slamming her hand to the hood.
“Let me out. Let me out. He’ll come for you if something happens to me. He’ll come and he’ll kill you. Dwayne! Dwayne!” She screamed his name, hoping that he’d come for her, that he’d save her.
She cried out as they moved over a bump in the road.
She curled up into a ball, and sobs tore from her throat as she realized that Dwayne was at a fitting for his tux. She covered her face with her hands.
“Please, Dwayne. Please, come for me.”
She didn’t know who this man was or why he’d taken her. She didn’t care either. Dwayne would come. She knew he would. There was no way he wouldn’t. He loved her, and if anything was to happen to her, he wouldn’t stop until his kind of justice had been served.
They were supposed to be checking flowers today.
Their wedding was only a couple of weeks away. Beast’s yard was already getting transformed so they could get married there.
Dwayne had told her how much he’d come to love Beast’s yard when his uncle first took him. For hours at a time, he’d lie on the grass staring up at the stars. The love in his words had made it clear to her that Beast’s yard was where they were going to start the rest of their life.
Closing her eyes, time passed, and throughout it all, she thought about Dwayne. She wanted to be with him more than anything. Her parents thought he was too old for her. To her, Dwayne was everything.
The car suddenly came to a stop.
She gasped, covering her mouth, finding it ridiculous that she was trying to be quiet. He already knew where she was. He’d taken her.
Where was the guard that was supposed to be on her?
She’d gotten too confident, believing she’d be safe with someone watching her.
The trunk of the car opened up.
“Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a nice ride?” he asked.
She didn’t recognize the man at all. She’d never seen him before in her life. He wasn’t there when she’d been taken last year, nor was he someone she’d seen since.
“Please, if you let me go, he won’t come for you.”
“You think I’m afraid of your man, huh? Please, he’s nothing. He thinks because he can bury bodies that makes him a tough guy? He doesn’t even know what real darkness is.” He pulled her out of the trunk of the car. “Now, let’s go and have a little party.”
She cried out as he pulled her across the wood. From the last time she was here with Dwayne, she recognized where they were going, and no matter what she did, he kept a firm hold on her.
Deep down, she knew Dwayne would come.
She only hoped that he didn’t take too long.
If I die tonight I hope you know how much I love you.
I’d have done anything for you.
I love you, Dwayne Carson.
She released a whimper as he pulled her along the edge of the lake, water splashing at her feet, and he dragged her deeper through the woods. She recognized the spot where Dwayne had said he’d buried someone.
This man didn’t stop there. Instead, he kept pulling her along until they came to a spot where all the grass and brambles were pulled back. He shoved her to the ground next to a shovel.
“Start to dig, whore.”
Her hands were shaking. “What? Why?”
He landed a blow to her stomach, ceasing all fight from her. She grabbed her stomach as he pulled her head back. “I said fucking dig.” He shoved her face against the mud, and she reached out, grabbing the shovel.
Even though she wanted to fight him, to kick him in the balls, to hurt him, she started to dig, feeling sick. Pain flooded her entire body, and she dug. Even though she wanted to fight him, she knew she was no match for him. Then she saw the gun in his hand and knew there was no chance of her getting out of this alive unless Dwayne got to her.
“You know, I’ve heard of a lot of people who make their victims dig their own grave. Apparently, it makes them a little fucked up in the head, you know what I’m saying?”
She didn’t respond.
What the hell was she supposed to say?
Hell, yeah, I know.
She pushed the shovel into the dirt and started to move the soil. She felt sick to her stomach, but she kept on doing it, wanting nothing more than to spit in his face and tell him to go fuck himself.
The man, she didn’t know his name, kept on rambling about how he was going to kill her, or maybe he’d toy with her a little first. She hated every single second of it. Time passed. She didn’t know how long she was there, only that the patch of dirt was getting bigger and deeper.
Her body ached, and sweat covered her flesh.
“I wonder who will find you first. The wolves, the cops, or your man.”
“Well, I can answer that one right now,” Dwayne said, startling the two of them. She turned to see him coming in the opposite direction from the one he’d showed her. He had something in his hand, which he tossed over to the man who’d taken her. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you about taking things that don’t belong to you?”
Charity stared at the man who once again was here to save her.
“This wasn’t about him.”
She glanced back to see the man kick the severed head that Dwayne had thrown at him. She was so not getting involved in this right now.
“No, you’re right, it wasn’t, but seeing as they didn’t put you to ground, I considered that a personal slight. So now your little gang is no more. Your leader is right there. You’re the only one left. You know who I am. You know what I’m capable of, and still you came after my woman, you sick piece of shit.” Dwayne raised his gun, and she covered her ears as there was gunfire.
Dropping to her knees, she watched as Dwayne approached, and suddenly he was on the man who’d taken her. Dwayne had a blade in his hand, and she didn’t know how he had it. Only that it had to have been on him to kill the man, stabbing him in the throat, before plunging the blade into his eye.
She covered her mouth, and as Dwayne released the blade, the man dropped to the ground.
Beast and Caleb suddenly came out of the shadows and Dwayne was in front of her. She didn’t care what she’d just witnessed. As he touched her face, tilting her head back, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him as close as she could.
“You came. You came. You came.”
“Of course I did. I wouldn’t ever not come for you, Charity. You’re mine, and I love you more than anything. I will always come.”
“How did you know?”
“The guard I had on your ass. This fucker shot him in the stomach, but he was able to show me who it was.”
“Will he be all right?”
“Of course. He’s in the hospital now, but he won’t be guarding you again. Someone got the jump on him, and there’s no way I’m risking your safety.” He stroked her cheek, and tears filled her eyes.
“I knew you’d come. I was so afraid you’d be too late.”
“No, never.” He kissed her lips, and she held onto him, not wanting to let him go. “I’ll never leave you, and if I don’t ever make it, Charity, I won’t be far behind you. I’ll avenge your death, and then I’ll be coming to be with you. That’s how I love you, baby. Nothing else in this world is worth loving. You are. You always will be.” He stroked her hair back. “Fuck, I don’t even want to think about how I nearly lost you.”
“Do you know who he was?”
“He was part of some gang. He was paying cops to look the other way, even had a different informant who was dumping evidence, which is why it was so hard to find him. The truth is, he wasn’t anyone to us. Just in his little gang. They were supposed to deal with him, but they didn’t.”
“Why do you think he came for me?”
“He was pissed that I made his leader pick between his own head, his club, or the guy dumping bodies. He didn’t do as I asked, so he took you. Clearly trying to send me a message. Well, now I took the leader, the gang, and that sick fucker. We don’t have to worry about them anymore.”
“Yeah, when The Nightmare gets onto something, he doesn’t ever let it go,” Caleb said.
“I will understand if you want to … pull out of the wedding,” Dwayne said.
She caught him rolling his eyes at his uncle, and she frowned. “Huh? What?”
“After what you just saw. I know it’s—”
She pressed her lips against his, silencing him with a single kiss. Taking hold of his shirt, she held him in a death grip. “Nothing is ever going to change the way I feel about you, Dwayne. I know more than anything that you have to do what you do. I love you, no one else, you. I want to marry you.”
“Then, let’s get this show on the road. I want to get home tonight, and we still have a job to do, so can you two, I don’t know, move this along?” Beast said.
Before she could stop him, Dwayne picked her up and carried her out of the woods. She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let him go.
“I will understand if you don’t want to.”
“Will you shut up, silly? I don’t care. I was waiting for you, Dwayne. I don’t care what you had to do. I know deep down you’re a good person that has to do bad things. I love you. I want you, and there’s no way you’re going to get rid of me that easily.”
“I don’t want to get rid of you, not ever. I’m going to cherish you always.”
And as he carried her to the car, Charity felt his love, his protection, his warmth, and there was no way she was ever going to let him go. Dwayne belonged to her, just as she did to him.