CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Friday Evening
Daphne cleaned off the counters and then checked the table to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She wanted the evening to be perfect because not only did she want to show off her cooking skills, but she wanted to let him know how she felt.
She’d been running his words over in her mind on a continuous loop and finally felt like they were real. They were not words she’d heard very often in her life and to have someone like Bryce say them to her so early in the relationship was almost unbelievable.
But, knowing he was an honest and honorable man gave her no choice but to accept his declaration at face value.
So that’s what she’d spent the day doing…accepting that he loved her and the only thing she could do was open her heart and pray he knew what to do with it.
What other choice was there?
Playing it cool and safe?
Didn’t seem worth it because he seemed to be all in, and if she didn’t do the same thing, then she’d probably regret it for the rest of her life. After all, who wanted to say they led a safe life at the end of their days?
No one, that’s who.
She checked the wall clock and noticed she had another twenty minutes before he’d be back from the base. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she saw that her hair was looking a little flat. “Might as well curl it,” she said to the mirror. After all, didn’t the man of your heart deserve the best version?
She unlocked the front door and then walked back to her bathroom, turning her curling iron on. While she waited for it to heat, she turned on the Alexa that sat on the shelf and requested the playlist she’d been building. So far, she had over two dozen songs that she considered the soundtrack to her and Bryce’s relationship.
As the sound of Russel Dickerson’s voice singing MGNO filled the bathroom, she thought of the night he’d taken her dancing. He was a great dancer and she couldn’t believe a man of his size moved as well as he had. Which turned out to be true on the dance floor and in the bedroom. Not only was he a gifted lover, but an enthusiastic one and that had made her natural shyness all but disappear.
Lifting the curling iron, she twirled a piece of hair around it and thought about what they’d been doing with each other and felt her stomach dip in excitement. The physical pleasure of being with him was unlike anything she ever imagined possible, but it paled in comparison to the emotional connection they created.
The next song came on and she turned it up, singing along. She swung her hips and belted out the verses to Man in the Mirror.
This was going to be a great night and she couldn’t wait for Bryce to see the new dress she wore.
“No message could’ve been any clearer…” she sang out as the bedroom door crashed against the wall. “What the heck?”
“You can’t fucking hide from me,” Don spat out as he stood in the bedroom.
The curling iron slipped out of her hand and clattered against the marble counter. The only other sound in the room was Don’s erratic breathing and the sound of his arms moving against his leather kutte.
“Don, I’m not…”
“Shut the fuck up; no one denies me. Your stupid MMA fuckboy thought he had something to do with us and we both know that’s not happening.” He advanced slowly and grinned. “You’re not getting away.”
Her mind swirled as panic rose higher and higher, choking off her air supply. Another large, angry aggressive male from the past filled her vision as she was thrown back to the hot, dark room in Columbia. The fetid smell was almost the same and she wondered fleetingly why sweat and anger smelled the same no matter what country you were in.
As he advanced, she put her hands up and tried to pull her mind out of the past and remember some small piece of self-defense. She’d been practicing it on and off for years and now in the moment she needed it most, nothing came to mind. “I’m sure we can figure this…”
“No, Selah, you’re not saying no to me.”
Switched.
Once again, a man couldn’t tell the difference.
Only this time, it might prove fatal.
His big hairy arm slid a knife out his pocket and she watched as he flicked it open. The bathroom light bounced off the shiny surface and she was once again tumbled back as she remembered the man who had attacked her. He’d run it over her neck slowly as his alcohol-soaked breath feathered across her face as he described what he was going to do to her.
Her vision blurred as she fought to stay in the present.
“Don’t pass out, girl, because I want you to remember the lesson I’m about to give you. He twirled the knife in his hand and then pressed the point of it into her stomach.
Sucking in a breath, she moved back and tried to shake her head. In what felt like slow motion, she saw his other hand raise above his head and come flying toward her face. The crack of his hand against her cheek was sharp as her head flew to the side as she absorbed the slap.
A loud ringing filled her ears as she tasted metal. “Stop…”
“It’s your fault; now I have to show you,” he spat out as he slid the knife through the front of her dress.
The sharp, deadly point of the knife scraped along her skin and she watched with horror. A dull pain throbbed in her head as she fought for breath.
When would he plunge it into her skin?
Feeling the corner of her vision darken again, she swayed and felt the knife slide into her skin. “I can’t…”
As her mind shut down and she felt herself being pulled into darkness, she swore she heard Bryce’s voice as her legs gave way and she crumpled to the ground, the knife slicing slowing across her skin.
***
Why was Daphne’s door open?
Walking through, he adjusted the bouquet of flowers in his hand.
Striding through the apartment, he walked into the bedroom and saw a man run a knife down her body as she crumpled to the ground.
The thousands of hours he’d spent both practicing and utilizing lethal takedown moves kicked in, and he closed the space between him and the assailant as he ran at him, leaped into the air, and landed on the man’s back as he squeezed an arm around his neck.
The knife hit the floor and he took him to the ground. He momentarily thought of exerting enough pressure to kill him, but held back at the last minute and merely put him to sleep.
He kicked the knife away, ran his hands down the assailant’s body, and took the gun that was tucked into the back of his jeans and then rolled him over.
“Don,” he said quietly. As he moved to Daphne, he pulled out his phone and dialed 911 and choked back emotions that he couldn’t begin to name. Lifting her limp body into his arms, he checked her pulse and felt its thready beat. He grabbed a washcloth off the sink and applied pressure to her abdomen, where a fair amount of blood was pooling.
When the operator came on, he relayed the pertinent facts and then pulled her into his arms as he called her name.
“I’m here and you’re safe.” Running his hand across her body, he tried to determine if there was anything he needed to take care of before the paramedics arrived. Seeing her red cheek, he choked down the anger rising in his chest.
Not something he could focus on.
If he did, then he’d end the man’s life in less than thirty seconds.
Tempting.
After all, that would be justice for what he’d done to Daphne.
Kissing her cheek, he kept the pressure up against her wound and tried to focus on her and not the anger boiling in his gut.
She was all that mattered.
Pulling a towel down off the rack, he covered her exposed body and ground his teeth as he gently dabbed at the trail of blood that started just below her bra and went all the way down to her thigh.
How in the hell was she going to survive a second attack?
Cursing, he bent down and pressed small kisses to her face and promised her over and over that not only would they find a way, but that he would keep her safe from here on out.
The sound of footsteps and then he heard a policeman announce his presence. “In here,” he called out.
Turning Daphne in his arms so she wouldn’t be exposed, he watched two officers walk into the bedroom. Relaying the facts as he knew them as quickly as he could, he handed them Don’s gun and then pointed to the knife that had skidded into the bedroom.
“ETA on paramedics?” he asked the officer who was cuffing an unconscious Don. “She’s got a fair amount of bleeding and I’m applying pressure, but we need to get her in now.”
“They should be right behind us.”
The sound of heavy boots filled the hall and he saw two EMTs enter. The police officer moved Don’s body out of the way and the paramedics moved into the bathroom.
“There was a knife run down her body; she’s got a fair amount of bleeding on her abdomen.”
“Let’s see what we’ve got,” the taller paramedic said as he rolled Daphne out of Bryce’s arms.
He watched them as they evaluated her wounds, packed the one that was bleeding, and ran an IV. “Which hospital are we going to?”
“Sharp Memorial.”
“Copy that.” He watched as they loaded Daphne on the stretcher and then followed her out of the bedroom. As he walked behind the paramedics, he caught sight of the table where they ate their meals and noticed that she had flowers and candles set out.
Cursing silently, he stuffed down his anger and frustration and focused on getting Daphne taken care of.
Anything outside wasn’t worthy of his attention.
***
Leaning against the wall outside Daphne’s room, Bryce checked his phone and noticed that Trevor had responded to his text and confirmed he was going to go over to Daphne’s and make sure things were taken care of.
The police were probably done collecting evidence, and he didn’t want her place unsecured. He heard his name, looked up, and saw Selah striding down the hall. As far as he was concerned, this horrific event was something she put in motion.
Was it logical?
Maybe not, but he felt in his gut that she had brought this to Daphne’s door. No good was ever going to come of getting involved with a guy from an MC that was involved in drugs and guns.
If that’s what she wanted to do with her life, then that was her choice, but to bring that trash around Daphne was inexcusable.
A fact he would be making clear very soon.
“How is she?” Selah asked.
“Physically, she will recover, but what this will cost her emotionally is yet to be determined.”
Her hand rested on the door and he shook his head. “Leave her be; she just got out of surgery and the nurses are getting her settled.”
“Surgery? You didn’t say that in your text.”
He ignored her comment and shook his head. “Your friend, Don, likes knives and ran his from one end of your sister’s body to the other.”
Her hand slid away from the door and she leaned against the wall. “I need to see her.”
“Come back tomorrow.”
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do; she’s my damn sister.”
“Maybe you could’ve remembered that before you brought the psycho around. Might have been a good idea to keep the trash away from the one good person in your life.”
Watching the color drain from her face, he felt a second of remorse before he shoved it down. Someone had to tell her straight, and it looked like it was going to be him. “This will never happen again and know that I will do everything in my power to make sure your choices will not impact Daphne a second time.”
“What the hell, Bryce? You think that knowing her for a couple of months gives you the right to dictate the relationship my sister and I have?”
“The only thing I’m dictating is ensuring Daphne’s safety. You can live your life however the hell you want and skate all the edges you can find. But you will not bring the low-lifes around Daphne. It ends here. This is the second time that she’s paid the price for your choices, and it will never happen again.”
He watched her hand shake as she shoved her hair over her shoulder and tipped her chin up in defiance. He was being hard on her and he didn’t give a good goddamn. Clearly, no one had ever told her like it was and, as far as he could tell, it was past due. “That woman in there is the love of my life and I will defend her and protect her with every breath in my body, so know I’m not blowing smoke.”
“Big bad SEAL giving orders. What bullshit,” she spat out as she crossed her arms. “Your brother wouldn’t leave well enough alone, and maybe him getting in Don’s face had something to do with what happened.”
“Are you seriously blaming Bruce for what happened tonight?”
“He should’ve stayed out of my business.”
He leaned forward and looked straight into her eyes. “Don’t cross me because there is nothing that I’m not willing to do to protect her. The fact that you have yet to take responsibility for your part in this tells me that your sister isn’t safe with you around.”
“Fuck you, Bryce. You don’t know anything and don’t have a say in my life.” Selah spun on her heels, stomped down the hall, and disappeared around the corner.
“Try me,” he mumbled. Leaning against the wall again, he let out a long breath and knew he’d said more than he should.
Daphne was probably going to be pissed at the hard line he took, but it was something he could live with. What he couldn’t live with was Selah’s dangerous choices and the assholes she kept company with.
None of that was going to touch Daphne ever again.
Not as long as he was alive.