Chapter Two
Of all the things to fucking find, Damian didn’t expect to find his woman. The moment he had looked at this stranger, he had known. Everything else had faded away, and all that he could see was her. It was exactly like his brothers had described and so much more. He was so fucking angry right now that as he pulled her along, he was shoving people out of his way.
He’d come to Ivan’s pathetic town with the intention of having a fight to the death. That was what he wanted, to go out fighting, but fate or whoever was in charge up there had changed his path, and now he was heading outside, taking this woman with him.
“Can you slow down please? I really needed to talk to Ivan. I don’t know who you are.”
The moment they were clear of the nightclub, he shoved her against the wall. “Is Ivan your pimp?”
“What? No?”
“He said that you belonged to him.” Damian had seen the pain in her eyes, the disgust on her face. The last thing this woman felt for Ivan was love or even respect. She hated him, and she was also afraid of him. “You’re the mother of his kid.”
“Yes, I am. I don’t know who you are, but I’m not important to Ivan. I just … I needed his help to just to tell everyone to back off.”
Damian frowned. He wasn’t as drunk as he’d pretended to be. Since telling his father to fuck off three nights ago, he’d been drinking morning, noon, and night. However, this morning when he woke up he’d not wanted to go to the bottle. Instead, he’d taken a shower, had a shave, freshened up, gotten some food, and then decided to come to Ivan’s. Now he was freaked the fuck out, and he’d actually used the Denton name to remind Ivan of who he was messing with.
The Denton name carried far and wide, getting him out of a few scrapes over the years. His father had always made sure that he could live up to the threat.
Damian didn’t like the thought of another man touching his woman, and this was his. “What’s your name?”
She shook her head.
“Look, I’m not going to harm you, okay? I’m not going to hurt you, or force you to do anything. My name is Damian Denton.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?”
“Usually everyone does.”
She frowned. “I don’t know you.”
“You were hanging out with Ivan.”
“Not willingly.”
“Ugh! Fine, just know that it’s a name that commands respect. I won’t hurt you, and I will take care of you. You’ve got a kid, right?”
“Yes.”
Something was going on between this woman and Ivan, and he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it. She clearly wasn’t in love with the guy. He’d seen the emotions dancing across her face while dealing with the bastard.
“Where is he?”
“I, erm, I paid a neighbor to watch him.”
“What did you want to go and see Ivan for?”
She frowned. “He’s made sure that no one will hire me. I want a job, and I want to take care of my son.”
He noticed she said, “my son” and not “our son”, meaning Ivan.
“I’ve got a daughter myself. So fucking cute.” He pulled out his wallet, and stared at the picture of Betty and Martha. The pain was still there. When it came to Betty he was so filled up with guilt. She had witnessed his brothers’ love with their wives, and she’d known there was no chance of her ever getting that from him.
This woman in front of him, she was his without a doubt in the world.
“What’s her name?” the woman asked.
“Martha.”
“Is that your wife?”
“No. She was my girl’s mommy.”
“Was?”
“She’s dead. Killed herself.”
“Oh my, I’m so sorry.”
He nodded. “What I’m trying to tell you is that I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve got a kid, and for the most part I’m a good guy. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
She licked her plump lips, and he saw her take a breath, her shoulders lifting as she stood tall. “I’m Mia Banks.” She smiled. “I really need to go back in there.”
Gritting his teeth, he glared at the door that she had come from, and sighed. “You don’t need to. Do you even like the bastard?”
“No, I hate Ivan. I’m doing this for my son. I want to earn a living, and I’m struggling.” She pointed at her tits. “I need money to buy formula, and to live, and he’s taking everything away from me.”
He saw the stress building up inside her, the tears threatening to spill.
“I can take care of you.”
“I don’t know you, and I don’t … I don’t go off with strange men, okay?”
Damian couldn’t let her leave. Taking hold of her hand, he started to move down the street. “Take me to your apartment and we’ll talk there.”
“Wait, this is crazy, and insane. You don’t know me, and you can’t help me.”
“I’ve got more money than I will ever need. Believe me I can help you more than you can help me. I promise you. I give you my vow that I will never hurt you. You’re safe with me.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Do you believe it?”
She sighed. “I think so.”
“Then trust me, and believe that you’re going to be okay.” She had no idea that he wouldn’t ever be able to hurt her. All he wanted to do was help her. He saw her reaction to Ivan, and knew something wasn’t quite right, but he also knew she wouldn’t trust him not right now. Time that was all he needed. “All I want to do is help.”
“No one ever want to help me.”
“I’m not a monster, okay? Let’s go and get Reese, and leave.”
“Why leave?” she asked.
“Because I’ve got a feeling if Ivan wants you, he’ll come and find you, and I want to have a chat with you in privacy.”
“Oh, okay.” She nodded, and then he started to follow her as they made their way across a dark street. They passed through a playground to find a bunch of kids shooting up, and he didn’t like it. The entire town was like a poison that Ivan had personally created. The Dentons had come up against him before, years ago, and it had ended with Ivan knowing that he didn’t step on their shit.
Damian had one hand on his gun just in case, and when they got to a rundown apartment block, he felt rage.
“Ivan lets you live in this shit.”
“The less I have to do with Ivan the better.” She ran up three flights of stairs, and moved down a long corridor. The stench of piss was overwhelming, and the filth was caked into the floor. Fucking disgusting.
It had been a long time since Damian had been sickened by a place of actual living. He’d spent so much time around luxury that he didn’t even know what real trouble or hard living was.
Mia knocked on the door and waited. Seconds passed and finally the door opened, revealing an elderly lady.
“Mia.” On her hip was a baby boy.
“Hey, Mary. I’m here to take him.”
“Is everything okay?” Mary asked.
“Everything is fine. Honestly, couldn’t be better.” Mia reached out, holding Reese close to her body, and taking the bag that was by the door. She kissed Mary’s cheek. “Talk to you soon.”
With that, they were already heading out. Damian didn’t have a car, but for him, he didn’t need one. Once they were settled in a late-night diner, he was going to put a call through to his brother to come and pick him up.
This was not how he intended his fucking night to go. He wanted to go out in violence as it was the only world he’d ever known. His family were tired of him moping around, feeling sorry for himself. He didn’t care what they thought, only what he’d known.
No matter what anyone said, he had killed Betty. This curse, being able to know which woman was yours, had killed her because no matter how much he stared at her, his feelings hadn’t changed.
The instant he had stared at Mia, he’d known. Everything had faded away, and all that remained was her, with her beautiful blonde hair, which cascaded all around her in ringlets, shocking blue eyes that held an ocean of pain, and also something fierce. She was a fighter.
****
Mia didn’t know how tonight was going to end. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. Deep in her heart she had hoped that Ivan would just help her out without any nonsense. There was going to be no way that would happen. He wanted something from her, and the only way to get something from him was to give him what he wanted.
Enter Damian Denton. She knew nothing of the man who now sat opposite her in a diner. Now they were able to sit, and she could look at him properly, she saw the suit. Crisp white shirt, expensive jacket and pants. He didn’t wear a tie, and a couple of buttons at his neck were undone. His hair was a little unkempt, the length just to his neck. He looked like a badass, and for some reason, she got the sense that he would rather shoot his own arm off than hurt her.
She held Reese in her arms, and he had gone to sleep. Her stomach growled, and Damian kept on staring at her.
“Food will be here any minute.”
“Thank you.”
She looked down at her sleeping son, and sighed. Tonight was an epic failure.
“So why won’t Ivan let you have a job?” Damian asked.
“He likes to be in control. I’m running out of money that I’d been able to save up, only now with the stress and everything, I need to take care of my son.”
“I also notice that you keep calling him ‘your son’, and not ‘our son’, or even ‘Ivan’s son’.”
She stared at the man opposite, and something just told her that he didn’t deal in bullshit but truths. “Ivan believes that he has a right to Reese when he doesn’t.”
“He was there when you conceived him unless you’re lying about his paternity.”
Mia gritted her teeth. Of course the woman had to be lying about paternity. Women were just a bunch of lying, cheating whores who could be used and dumped. Her anger was what made her say the next thing. “Ivan raped me. Yes, he was there at Reese’s conception, and even as I screamed and begged that he stop, he didn’t.”
Damian went pale, and he glanced at her, and then at Reese. “He knocked you up.”
“Yes, and in his sick twisted mind, we did it because we both wanted it. I’ve never been able to stand Ivan, and he can’t stand the fact that I don’t want him.” She watched as Damian ran a hand down his face. “Some women may get off on telling the father the wrong paternity or whatever the fuck it is she says, but I’m not one of them. I’d give anything to change Reese’s father so I never had to look at Ivan’s face again.”
“Why were you there?” Damian asked.
“Haven’t you been listening? Ivan controls everything around here. I have to live some way, and I don’t want to be at his mercy. I don’t think you have a clue what it means to have your life in someone else’s hands.”
“Why didn’t you go to the cops?”
Mia burst out laughing, shaking her head, and glancing around to see a couple of the customers looking at her. “You’re so funny.”
“I’m not laughing.”
“Wow, you really don’t get it, do you? Ivan controls the cops here. He’s got them eating out of his pocket. I’ve got no one. No one would believe me. I bet he had people lining up to say that I was begging for it or something. So no, I didn’t go to the cops. I dealt with it, and I moved on.”
The waitress came back with their milkshakes and burgers. Picking up a fry, she placed it in her mouth, and rocked Reese in the seat, which fit into most cars. She had picked it up on the way out of Mary’s place. Reese was inside it, and she rocked him to make sure he stayed asleep.
Sleep wouldn’t be easy for her tonight.
“I want you to come back with me,” Damian said.
“You’re crazy.”
He held his hands up. Two fingers were covered in ketchup, which for some reason she found to be utterly cute, and didn’t get it. “Hear me out. I can’t promise you anything here, and I saw that shithole you call a home. I can offer you a better life. A job, isn’t that what you want?”
Her shoulders dropped. All she wanted was the chance to earn a living.
She looked at him, his expensive suit, the gold watch that she had seen on his wrist. Everything about him screamed money. “How will you offer me a job? I’m not a whore.”
Damian started to laugh. “You’re funny.”
“You know Ivan, and he knew you. Does that mean you’re … business partners?”
“Hell no. That asshole is nowhere near our league. Your work will be safe, and I was wondering, how do you feel about taking care of my girl?”
“Your daughter?”
“Yeah, I need someone to help me during the day. My mom is happy taking care of her, but I’d like to find something permanent. With your son and my girl, they could be friends, you know. He’d have someone with him, and I’d pay you. It would be a total live-in position. Also, you’ll get to know my crazy ass family, and they are crazy.”
She found herself smiling.
“Do you have any family?”
Mia shook her head. “Mom died three years ago of cancer, and I never knew my dad, so no love lost. Mom did the best she could with me. I don’t have any siblings either. You?”
“I have too many to count, and what is so strange is more are appearing. It’s like I can’t stop them from turning up.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had a stepbrother come out of the woodwork over six months ago. Actually, forget that, he’s a half-brother. Daddy got a bit frisky before he met my mother. It hasn’t gone down well.”
“Wow,” she said.
“Yeah. So I’ve got a half-brother that could be the head of the Denton family, and my oldest brother, Jacob, has always been the head of it.”
“Are you allowed to tell me these things?”
“I figured the more you knew about me the happier you would be.”
“That is really sweet.” She picked up the burger, and took a large bite. It was heaven, totally bad for her, and yet it was perfect. She had been used to eating packets of noodles that she could heat up in the microwave, so this was heaven, and she liked that.
“Has it been that long since you had good food?” he asked.
“It feels like it has been a lifetime. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to worry you with all my troubles. I usually keep them all to myself.”
“I don’t mind. A problem shared is a problem halved and all that.”
“So how do you know Ivan?” she asked. “If you’re not business partners, what are you?” The last thing she wanted to be discussing were her own problems with Ivan, and everything that had gone on in the past. She wanted to move on, and just be a good mother to Reese.
“Let’s just say we swim in the same kind of ocean, only he’s a whale, and we’re sharks,” Damian said.
“Oh.”
“Not scary sharks, just, you know, bigger, faster, deadlier.”
“Why were you there tonight if you’re bigger and badder than everyone else?”
She stared into his dark brown eyes, and saw the flash of pain in the depths. “I wanted something, and now I can see how stupid it was.”
“What did you want?”
Damian didn’t say a word, and silence fell between them. She licked her dry lips, and wondered what was going through his head. Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and sounds came out, only it wasn’t coming from him.
She turned to see another man, slightly older than Damian, and scarier. “Budge up,” the man said. There was also another man.
“Why the fuck did you bring him here?” Damian asked, clearly unhappy with the second.
“This is her?” the man who had sat down asked.
Mia moved her son onto the table, and shuffled along giving the other man some room.
“Answer my question, why are you with him?”
“Come on, Damian, you love me really,” the second man said.
“Gabriel, I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about how to end you. I can’t fucking stand you, so nah, I don’t love you at all.”
Mia looked from all three men seeing that they all had to be related.
“Mia, I’m sorry for this intrusion. This here is my oldest brother, Jacob. I was just telling you about him.” She smiled at him. “Then you’ve got my half-brother, Gabriel Colton, which I can’t for the life of me think why he’d be here.”
“Consider me reinforcements. Your dad—”
“Our dad,” Damian said. “The cheating bastard that he is.”
“Cheated before he even met your mother. It’s not cheating.”
“So your mother is just a whore!” Damian growled the words, and Mia gasped as Gabriel had Damian’s head down on the table with a gun pointed at it.
“I dare you to say something else about my mother!”
“I swear if you don’t move that gun from our brother’s head, I will shoot you in the cock, Gabriel, and I’ve come to see how much you love using it.” Jacob turned to her. “Sorry. Family business.”
“It’s fine.” She thought her life was crazy. There was no way her life was as crazy as these two guys who seemed intent on killing each other.