Chapter Two
Dwayne followed the doctor out of the room, and it was hard to decide if he wanted to kill him or let him live, just because of Charity’s reaction, which made no sense to him. He didn’t even know her, and yet he wanted to take that kind of pain away. He’d seen the way Charity had flinched at every single touch of this man’s hands. She’d not wanted the doctor there, and if it hadn’t been for her injuries, Dwayne wouldn’t have allowed it to continue.
“She has bruising to her ribs, which will make it uncomfortable for her to walk. A possible concussion, so she needs waking up every two hours just to be safe. Quite a few bruises, and I would also recommend a psych evaluation on her.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Mr. Carson, she’s been through a traumatic experience, and that’s not going to go away easily. The next couple of months are going to be hard.”
“Do you have anything else to add?”
“The rape kit. I need to collect one.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Look, you’re being unreasonable.”
“She’s still a virgin, Doc. I don’t see her wanting you to play that way, not after the fear she’s been through. I got to her in time before they did anything or before she slipped through the cracks. You’ve done what you needed to do, now you can leave.”
He saw the doctor out and slammed the door closed. It wouldn’t be long before Beast and Caleb knew and they’d be wanting to talk to him again. He was getting used to their special talks. For the most part it was where he sat and listened to the two of them tell him he shouldn’t do stuff, and then in the next breath congratulate him on a job well done.
The Nightmare.
It’s what people called him now.
Not Beast’s nephew.
Or Caleb’s nephew.
He was his own man and without even his real name.
Dwayne hadn’t gone out of his way to earn that name. It had started some time ago, actually. Back when he was eighteen and pissed off with Beast for dating one of the girls he’d brought home. Hope hadn’t even been datable as far as he was concerned. She’d been too weird.
His anger had gotten the better of him one night as he walked the streets. He’d been trying to clear his head when he’d heard the feminine cry.
It had been subtle but the pain evident.
“Listen here, whore. You’re going to suck my dick. Take it deep into your fucking throat until you gag!”
His curiosity had been piqued. He’d moved down the alleyway, the streetlight casting enough of a glow to see the two people fighting.
The woman couldn’t have been any older than twenty, if that. The man, someone much older, was disgusting, and Dwayne had snapped.
In the back of his mind, he recalled all the vile things his own father used to throw at him. The way he’d treated his mother, and yes, he’d seen the way his father treated her. When he’d wanted to run to his room, his father had made him watch as he raped her. He’d never told another living soul the things he’d witnessed.
When Beast came to tell him he was living with him, his mother had been long dead. She’d died during one of his dad’s “training sessions” when he said she needed to learn her lesson, his massive hands around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Dwayne had witnessed her death, and it hadn’t been the only one either. Over the years, his father had killed several young women, whores, and others.
There had been no stopping him once he got on the warpath.
Again, he didn’t say anything.
Watching this woman’s abuse though, it was like being back in their home, his mother begging for her husband to stop, crying out, screaming for help.
He’d just stood there, a young kid who didn’t know what to do.
She’d told him to run.
His father had said that if he ran, he’d put the strap to him.
He hated that strap.
It hurt so much that it was like fire dancing on his back.
So, he stayed.
That time wasn’t the first or last time.
To make his son a man, to make him invincible, he was going to make sure he knew what he was dealing with.
At eighteen, watching a man force a woman who was crying and begging for him to let her go, Dwayne had withdrawn the blade he’d kept in his pocket. Moving toward the man, he didn’t make a noise. It was like his heart didn’t even beat as everything moved in slow motion. Nothing mattered, no one cared, and as he jammed that blade into the fucker’s neck, hearing him gurgle, something came over him.
Something profound.
He was so fucking happy watching the blood drip out of the man’s neck from the mark he made. He’d done it again. As the woman ran away, he’d watched the man die, and in doing so, he found his purpose in life.
Dumping the body had been easy. The piece of shit was wanted, as he later found, but that didn’t matter.
Every single week on a Friday night, he’d walk the streets, ridding the world of the vermin that walked. Rapists, murderers, child abusers, the works. There was a kid at school, Arnold, he’d gone to him, asking him to find them for him. Every single person who didn’t deserve to live on the streets. Some of them had been granted parole because of the people they knew high up.
He’d started to crave the violence, the danger. Training became a way of life, studying a thing of the past. Waking up at four in the morning, running, training, spending his day getting stronger, harder, faster, meaner.
He had no doubt that Caleb and Beast were aware of what they called him, but that didn’t matter.
Dwayne had learned the valuable art of not giving a fuck.
“Are you okay?” Charity asked.
He turned to see her in the doorway. The shirt she wore was way too big, but on her it looked really cute.
“Yes. How are you feeling?”
“Sore.”
“I think it’s time for you to get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll take you to your family.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
He moved toward the spare bedroom. Pulling back the bedcovers, he turned the nightlight on and patted the bed.
“In you go.”
She climbed into the bed, and he tucked the blanket around her.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Just across the hall. Get some sleep, Charity. You’re going to be fine.”
Leaving her bedroom door partially open, he made his way to his room. He left his door wide open just in case. He had several sensors around the apartment so if anyone tried to break in once he set them, he’d be alerted. Checking his stash of guns and knives, he put the ones he’d used today back in place. Tomorrow, when Charity was back with her family, he’d clean them.
Removing his clothes, he took a quick shower, changed into a pair of boxer briefs, and climbed into bed. He had weapons all around his room in case of intrusion. Picking up the reading book from the shelf, he began to read where he left off.
Now, this was a rare pleasure for him. He wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone else in the world, but he happened to love reading romance books. It helped him to relax after a long day, and the sex was kind of cool to read as well.
He was settling down for a really kinky bit when the first scream erupted.
Dwayne slid his bookmark into place and put the book on the cabinet beside his lamp. Listening for another scream, he was out of bed the moment he heard it and making his way across the hall just as yet another ear-piercing scream released.
Charity was up in bed, holding the bedding to her, looking panicked.
“They have me,” she said.
“They don’t have you. It’s a bad dream. No one is getting past me.” He stepped up to her, cupped her face, and forced her to stare into his eyes. “Look at me, Charity. You’re safe.”
“I’m safe.”
“Yes, you’re safe with me. I’m not going to let anyone or anything hurt you.”
“You’re not going to let anyone hurt me.”
He smiled. At least she was repeating everything he said, which had to be a good sign. He was going to see it as such.
“Get some sleep, Charity. It was just a bad dream.”
“Wait. Please.”
He’d already turned toward the door and paused to look at her.
“Please, stay with me.”
He looked at the bed.
“Not for sex. Just to … I don’t feel safe.”
“I’m just going to get something,” he said.
Grabbing his gun from the other room, and his alarm, he made his way back into her room. She was lying down, watching the door.
He placed everything within reach on the cabinet beside the bed and climbed beneath the covers.
Dwayne tensed up as her arms came around him, holding him like a fucking teddy bear. When the fuck did that happen?
He didn’t want to push her off, and slowly, as the minutes passed, he felt her fall asleep. Great, just fucking great. He was a pillow now.
****
Charity didn’t want to leave Dwayne, but she knew he had other things to do than take care of her. Her parents were waiting, and as she sat in his car, she should be running toward them.
“Your family is good, just so you know.”
“Good?”
“Yes. They’re not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” She tucked some of her hair behind her ear. It was back to being blonde now after all the dirt had been washed out.
“What’s wrong, Charity?” he asked. “They’re waiting for you, and you’re sitting here.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she hated that as well.
Being weak wasn’t her. Far from it.
“What if it happens again?”
“Being taken?”
“Yes. I don’t … next time they may not wait to, erm…”
“Rape you?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to be watching.”
She turned to look at him, not liking that sudden jolt in her body. “You are?”
“Yes. You won’t notice I’m there, but I’m going to keep an eye on things.”
“I’ll notice.”
He smiled. “Men who are expecting me don’t notice I’ve arrived until it’s too late.”
“I’m not like most men.”
“No, you don’t have a cock or balls.”
She chuckled. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Get out of the car and go over to them.”
“No, I know about that. I mean about the rest. What do I do? I can’t … everything makes no sense to me anymore.”
She stared at her lap, not really sure what to say or what to do. Prolonging their time together was important to her.
“You forget about it. It didn’t happen.”
“But it did.”
“Then you’ve got to learn to ignore it. No one is going to hurt you because I’m going to make sure of it. Your parents got me involved, and they paid me handsomely for the privilege. You’re a strong woman, Charity. You can’t let them win.”
“What if they already have?”
“Not possible. You’re alive. You’re sitting here about to be reunited with your family. No one else can win. Only you can let that happen. Be strong and fight it.”
She nodded her head and released a breath, opening the door of the car at the same time. “Thank you, Dwayne, for everything. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it. I hope I won’t be seeing you again, Charity.”
She giggled and climbed out of the car. “I can’t believe I just did that. I’m weird. Bye, Dwayne.”
He watched her go. She looked so nervous, and he waited to see the reunion. Her parents rushed forward to embrace her, holding her close. There were tears exactly like he expected. Of course there would be.
Charity was a nice girl.
She deserved to go home to a nice, warm bed and to be safe. Her father nodded toward him, and he saw how grateful the man was. Dwayne acknowledged him, and only when the small family was in the car driving away did he leave.
Only he didn’t go back home. Instead, he drove back to Beast’s place. The home he’d known after his father had died. This was now the home Beast shared with Hope and their five children.
He never thought he’d see the day that Beast allowed himself to have children. There had been many a night that Beast seemed completely clueless about what to do with Dwayne himself. Caleb, not so much. He recalled many times offering to kill him, but that was later in life when he turned eighteen and upwards.
Dwayne smiled, recalling the fond memories. Caleb wouldn’t shoot him. For all of their faults they were a family, and in a way, he’d come to step in for his father.
Caleb and Beast were the only family he had.
Climbing out of the car, he didn’t bother going inside but instead walked toward the garden. Hope wasn’t much of a gardener, but she liked to make things pretty. The roses were all out in bloom, and as he made his way toward the small swing that was in the garden, he sat down and admired the view. It was the only element of his life that he considered beautiful.
He didn’t own a house, preferring the confines of an apartment. With the work he had to do, he wasn’t interested in having his home shot up, and he didn’t trust guards.
As far as he was concerned, guards could be paid better and their loyalty was down to a cost. He would never allow himself to depend on guards.
“I thought I saw you arrive,” Hope said, coming toward him.
She’d been his tutor for a short time in high school, and now it was kind of weird to think of her as his aunt. They were the same age.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I came to see you. You looked troubled.”
“Where’s Beast? He’s not coming to yell at me about something.”
“Why do you make it sound like a good thing that he’ll yell at you?”
“Because I’m not doing my job properly if he’s not got a good reason.”
She sighed. “Beast told me about your latest job. The girl.”
“Don’t worry, Hope. She’s home. Safe and sound.”
“I’m not an idiot, Dwayne. I know what you’re called. I hear the guards whispering your name. The reputation that you have, it’s scary.”
“Again, nothing to worry about.”
Her arms were folded, and she looked the part of the scolding mom.
“What happened to the kid in high school?” she asked.
“You mean the jock that wouldn’t give you the time of day until he needed it?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m talking about the fun guy that just took life and laughed as he did.”
“That kid grew up. You can’t expect me to live in the past forever, Hope. We all change, and I did as well.”
****
Three months later
Everything was different.
Charity wasn’t the most popular girl in school, but she was well-liked. She was known for helping out, being there, and offering support to everyone. After coming home, it had been hard to just settle back into a routine. Her parents had made her go to a doctor then to a therapist for her to talk about her ordeal.
She didn’t talk about it, no matter how many questions the woman asked.
The only person she wanted to remember from it all was Dwayne. He’d come out of nowhere, risked his life, and saved her.
No one seemed to get that, and when she asked her parents about him, they wouldn’t allow her to even call him, which was just so infuriating. She wanted to know that he was okay. That he felt safe, that he was happy.
How messed up was that?
He’d probably forgotten her.
Moved on to some other damsel and here she was worried about him.
It confused her.
Moving down the long hall, she stopped at her locker, grabbing a few books. Everything seemed mechanical now. She went about school, moving from one class to another, and she felt … withdrawn from it all. Nothing made any sense to her. Not the classes, not her friends, or even her teachers.
Everything no longer mattered. Her life could have been over if it hadn’t been for Dwayne. She’d have been sold to the highest bidder, her life filled with rape and misery. The men who’d taken her had taunted her by what would have happened. First, they suggested she’d have to go on a diet. The man who took her would want her to look her best, and being fat was not allowed.
She didn’t care about that as she was happy with who she was.
Diets were not her thing, and if she wanted to eat fried chicken, then she would. Or even some salad; no one was ever going to hold her to anything anymore. She was done playing that game.
With her books in her bag for studying over the weekend, she walked outside. Several of her peers were lurking in the parking lot in small groups, laughing and joking, making plans.
In the three months that she’d been back, she’d made every single excuse not to go out. As she walked toward her car, she heard several of the girls whispering.
“Who do you think he is?”
“What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t care who he is. I’d totally fuck him right now, and he doesn’t even have to buy me dinner.”
“You’re such a slut.”
Curious as to who they were talking about, she spotted Dwayne leaning against his car. His arms were folded, and he looked ready for business.
She couldn’t help but smile, especially as she saw the smirk on his face. Should she go to him? Hold back? Wait?
Three months was a long time to wait, so without doubting herself, she made her way over toward him.
“You know, it’s kind of creepy for an older guy to be standing outside of a school, watching it.”
He smiled. “I wasn’t watching the school or the women coming out of it.”
“What were you doing?”
“Waiting for one to see that she was okay.”
Her heart pounded. Did this mean he cared?
They’d been together for one whole evening, and the next day he took her back to her parents.
“Couldn’t you have gotten in touch with her parents?”
“I don’t like talking to anyone but the person I’m interested in.”
“And are you interested?” she asked. Wait. Was this flirting? She didn’t know and felt so out of her depth with the whole conversation. Not that this could be deemed a conversation. Not really.
“How have you been?”
She took a deep breath. “Fine. I think.”
“Only fine?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Want to go and get some dinner and talk?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even hesitate. What was the point in doing that when she would love to spend some time with him? “I can follow you.”
“Sure.”
She wished he’d offered to take her in his car, but a girl couldn’t have everything.
Rushing back to her car, she didn’t look toward the other girls as she knew they’d be curious, and right now, she didn’t want to deal with any of that.
Climbing into her car, she pulled out of the parking lot and followed him. All the questions could wait until she got back to school Monday. Until then, this was her own time.
“Just be cool, Charity. Don’t make this weird or anything. Just be cool and act normal. That’s all you’ve got to do.”
She tapped her steering wheel, following him out toward a small Italian restaurant, which surprised her. She expected a diner or café, but she was happy with this. She parked her car. The Italian restaurant didn’t have valet parking, and that was fine with her.
Dwayne was already near her car as she got out.
“I take it you like Italian?”
“Who doesn’t?”
She saw the smile on his lips, and when he held out his hand, she took it. Whenever she was with him, she always felt safe, warm, together. He made her feel this way, and it had been three months since she’d felt anything close to safe.
Her parents tried, but they weren’t there when she was walking safely down the street, only in the next second to be taken. Her life had become so predictable that the men knew when to take her.
The last three months, she’d done everything different. No routine to her life, and that felt crazy to her. She never went to the same café twice in the same week, or even on the same day. She was always changing her life around so that no one could ever get the best of her again.
She had also started self-defense classes, and so far, they were not helping.
Dwayne got them a seat somewhere in the back that offered them a great deal of privacy.
“Did you call ahead to get a table?” she asked. The restaurant was busy, and she was surprised they’d gotten a table.
“There’s always one reserved for my uncles and me.”
“So you have a family.”
“I never said I didn’t.”
She licked her lips and glanced around the luxurious restaurant. Her parents were wealthy and often loved to flaunt it to their friends.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not angry. I have a family. Two uncles. They have families themselves.”
“You don’t.”
“No.”
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Thirty-four. Does that creep you out? To be out to dinner with a man old enough to be your father.”
She chuckled. “You’re not old enough to be my father. If that was the case you had me at sixteen. My dad is nearly fifty years old.”
“Math has never been my strong point.”
“No, I don’t find you creepy at all, Dwayne. I like you.” Her cheeks heated, and she quickly looked down at the table. It was hard enough to admit that she liked him in her head, let alone to his face.
Biting her lip, she grabbed the menu, but before she could withdraw her hand, Dwayne had a hold of her wrist.
For several seconds he simply held her, doing nothing else. It was like their world stood still and they were the only two there, waiting.
Slowly, his fingers slid down to take her hand.
“I like you, too, Charity.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re hard-working and that you’re strong.”
“You always said that,” she said.
“Because I mean it. You’re a strong woman.”
“Why were you here?”
“Believe it or not, I don’t live too far from here, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Not by asking your parents. They don’t see the truth.”
“What truth?” she asked.
“That you don’t want to go to someone to talk about your damn feelings. Or that you couldn’t give a shit right now about going to the mall. Three months ago, you were taken by men who were going to put you up for auction. Sell you to the man who paid the highest amount for your virginity. What would happen to you after that, you don’t know. I don’t know, but I’ve got a pretty good idea that it wouldn’t be flowers or romance. They’d have used you. Fucked you until you were nothing but dead meat to them. That’s what animals like that do. For a short time that was your reality, and you don’t need to be constantly reminded of it by talking about your fucking feelings.”
He was so right it was scary.