Redemption (17 page)

I could see the desperation in her eyes. She wanted me to believe that he loved her as much as she did. “Hannah, you have to leave with me. I swear I’ll explain everything. I’ll take care of you like before. We’re waiting out in the Jeep for you. Just come home with me. I have a place—,”

“No!” she shouted, shaking her head. “I’m not going with you. I want to stay here. I feel safe here.”

“Safe?” I whispered, my heart hit my stomach. “I’m your
brother
. We were raised together, Hannah. I raised you.”

Her mouth opened, but she snapped it shut. I knew what she was going to say, because she’d said it before. That I was the reason our parents’ died. It was on her tongue, but she’s swallowed it.

She pressed her lips into a thin line. “And he’s my boyfriend. Just come downstairs and meet Denver—he’s really nice.”

I pushed through the pain in my chest. I could probably haul her out of the balcony but it was a two story drop if I did drop her. “Hannah—,”

Footsteps came from down the hallway. I watched as the shadow grew closer under the crack of the door. “Hannah,” I grasped her shoulders. “Do not tell Denver I was here. Do not say my name or say anything please.”

Hannah grew pale. “I won’t,” she whispered.

I pressed my forehead against hers and ran toward the window, escaping down the trellis as the door opened.

Chapter Twenty

Neveah

Kill me now …

Cooper pulled into the driveway and turned off his lights. Both hands clutched the steering wheel and judging by the grim look on his face, I knew I’d pissed him off at the movies.

He only tried to put his arm around me seven times and hold my hand twice before he got the hint.
This wasn’t happening.

“Well, this was fun,” I said, grabbing the door handle.

He grabbed my knee and squeezed. “Neveah,” he whispered. “You can’t be serious? You didn’t even give me a chance.”

“I told you I wasn’t interested. I gave you your date, now it’s over.”

His blue eyes darkened in anger. I didn’t care. My part of the deal was done. Shoving the door opened, I walked toward the porch. The lights were off inside which told me Dad had already passed out.

“Neveah wait,” Cooper said, shutting the door I’d opened. “Please, just listen to me.”

I sighed. “What is it?”

He dipped his head lower to mine. “Do you remember when I took your virginity?” he whispered, a smile on his face. “You were so nervous and beautiful.”

“Cooper,” I whispered, praying he would just
understand
. “That was a long time ago. I’m a different person now and so are you. You can get any girl you want.”

He touched my cheek. “But I want you.”

“Cooper, I’m not interested in dating you. I just got out of an engagement. I’m not ready—,”

“But you’ll let a fucking dirt bag finger you at a party?” he snapped. “What does he have that I don’t, Nev? Tell me that.”

Everything, he has everything!
“It’s not about him.”
Lie. Lie. Lie.
“It’s about me not being ready—,”

Cooper pressed his mouth against mine.
Oh God
. I shoved his shoulders, but he pulled me tighter. Panic built in my chest, making every breath feel like bricks in my lungs. “Cooper,” I yelled into his mouth.

“Neveah, just let it happen,” he panted, shoving me against the door. “Please, just let me kiss you.”

The desperation in his voice scared me. Bracing my arms against his shoulders, I prepared to knee him in the balls but he jerked back away from me.

Cooper’s eyes widened, and he fell to the ground, that’s when I saw Rage standing behind him. Dressed in black from head to toe, my panties dampened at the sight of his furious face. I wanted to say something—anything—but my mouth turned dry. “Get up,” he said, voice gravely.

Oh no.
Dante wobble over on his crutches.
Oh shit.
There was no way I could stop Rage without Dante’s help.

“Rage,” Dante warned.

Cooper scurried from the ground. “Who the fuck is Rage?” Cooper asked. “And who are you?”

Dante tapped Rage’s leg with the edge of his crutch. I couldn’t hear what Dante said to him but Rage’s fists clenched hard at his sides. “Listen you little prick,” Rage snapped. “If you touch her again I’ll pound your face into oblivion. She’s mine now.” He stepped forward. “And if you tell Coach anything, I’ll make sure you won’t walk again. Do you understand?”

Cooper’s face was unreadable. I didn’t know what he would do. A few seconds turned into a minute. “Did you hear me?” Rage whispered, stepping forward.

Cooper swallowed loudly and dropped his gaze to the ground. “Yes,” he said. “She’s not interested in me anyway.”

What the—

I’d never seen Cooper back down to anyone. He was athletic in high-school and definitely above average in the physique compartment. But he walked away. Something in the back of my head whispered that something wasn’t right.

When he disappeared in his truck, I finally looked over at Rage. My heart swelled at the sight of his face in the moonlight. That strong jaw clenched, and his wide chest heaving. “Thank you,” I whispered.

His jaw softened along with the corners of those dark gray eyes. With three big steps, he hauled me against him, crushing my hardened nipples into his chest. “I want to know everything that happened tonight. Every detail. So when he tells your dad, I can beat him even harder for the things he did to you. For touching this pretty mouth that’s mine.”

Despite the humid Texas wind, I shivered against him. “Okay,” I whispered, unsure if my voice was even my own. “I could have handled it.” I smiled.

Rage lifted a brow and brushed his thumb against my lip. “I know you can, Champ. It’s just better for me to fight than you. I’ll always fight for you.”

I believed him. His eyes weren’t the lying kind. Not now. Not about this.

Dante chuckled from behind Rage. “As sweet as this is, Lovebirds, we need to figure out what we’re going to do.”

“Do about what?” I asked, sidestepping Rage. “What happened tonight? Where is your sister?”

Rage sighed and palmed my shoulder, pulling me close. “Let’s go to my room, and I’ll tell you.”

***

“She didn’t believe you?” I whispered. “She thinks he loves her. She’s just following her heart.” I was sad to admit I’d done the same before—with Cooper. No matter what anyone ever said, I knew Cooper and I were going to get married. Until the day he cried for me to stay with him. When he wanted me to uproot my dream for his. 

Rage sneered down at me. “Well he doesn’t love her. He’s not capable of loving someone, Neveah. He’s a fucking heartless murderer.”

I bit my lip and leaned back when Dante gave me a reassuring wink. Dante tapped the floor. “Look. I’m not sure we’re going about this the right way.”

“What do you mean?” Rage asked.

Dante limped forward on one foot, catching himself on the wall. “I think we need to let her catch him in the act.”

Rage lifted a brow. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I do. I overhead Denver say that they had an uncooperative client that won’t pay.”

Rage stiffened. “I don’t want her to see that, D. It’d haunt her.”

Dante leaned against the post of his bed. “She needs to see what he is so there isn’t a chance of her running back.”

“What would happen?” I asked from the bed.

Dante gave me a look that explained it all. They’d beat him until he gave in or kill him. I couldn’t blame Rage for not wanting Hannah to see it. Hell, I wouldn’t want anyone to see that.

Rage screwed his eyes shut but shook his head. “No, no.”

“Okay,” Dante said. “That leaves her catching him dealing but he doesn’t
do
any dealings. That’s what we’re for, his minions.”

Rage palmed his face. “Then we’ll set him up,” Rage said. “We get him caught by the cops. We rat ‘em out. Then Hannah will know everything.”

Dante laughed. “Are you planning to save her anytime this year? That’ll take forever. This isn’t about repaying him for—,”

“It’s about taking his fucking ass down and ripping his life apart. He’s fucking my sister!”

I braced my hands against my thighs and watched as Rage squared off against Dante. “Why don’t you let me help,” I whispered, breaking their face-off.

“And how in the hell are you going to help?” Rage asked, turning to face me.

I swallowed. “Let
me
talk to her. They go out, right? They think Rage is dead. Denver doesn’t know who I am. I could spike her drink or something, so you guys could grab her.”

Rage gritted his teeth. “Absolutely not.”

“It’s a good idea, Rage. You know Denver goes to those trashy clubs all the time. They won’t hide anymore, and Denver has no idea who Neveah is.”

Rage let out a hysterical laugh before grabbing my jaw in his hand. “You’re not getting anywhere near him, Angel. End of discussion.”

“I’m stronger than you think I am,” I whispered against his mouth. “I can do it. I can help save your sister. Let me help.”

Rage closed his eyes and chuckled. “I’m not risking your life for anything. You’ve already saved my life, I don’t want to risk yours to save my sister. This is my mess, not yours.”

Dante cleared his throat. “Maybe we could wire her or something. Maybe send someone in with her? Another girl?”

Rage jerked upward. “Dante,” he snapped. “I’m not risking her life! What would I do if something happened to her?”

“Nothing will happen,” Dante said.

Rage shook his head. “I won’t risk it.” He shook his head. “We’ll think of something else.”

Dante let out a frustrated sigh. I stood. “It’s okay. We have a day or so to think about it.” I shot Dante a look. I could wear Rage down, show him I’m not some damsel in distress.

Rage palmed my shoulder and curled me into his side. “That’s a good idea. I need some time alone with Neveah.” The slow way my name rolled off his tongue forced my hair to stand on end.

Dante gave me a small smile that I knew meant
good luck
and decked out before Rage could say anything else to him.

“Neveah go sit on the bed.”

“What?” I pulled away from him.

He lowered his mouth to mine. “Go sit on the bed.”

Instead of arguing, because I didn’t trust the evil glint in his eyes, I went and sat on the center of the bed. He leaned against the wall across from me and watched me carefully. One hand tapped rhythmically against his leg and the other was tucked nicely into his front pocket.

“I want you to make me a promise,” he said.

“What’s the promise?”

One second he leaned against the wall and the next he was on his knees in front of me. “Do you understand how much I care about you? Do you understand the things they’d do to you?”

I stared down at his rugged face, my mind searching for an answer that made sense. An answer that explained to him how badly I cared for him. How I wanted to help him. “Rage,” I whispered, resting my palm against his cheek. “I only want to help.”

He nodded, searching my eyes for something he must have found. He smashed me against the bed, his mouth molding to mine.  I whimpered into his mouth at the eagerness of his hands yanking my jeans down my legs. “You care about me,” he said, sliding my panties to the side.

“I do,” I whispered, widening my legs for him. “Do you care about me?”

The smile on his face melted my heart. “Of course I do. That’s why I don’t want you to help with this. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you. I promised your father.”

I nodded, circling my finger along the curve of his shoulder. “You always promised you’d never have sex with me, too.”

Rage narrowed his eyes. “That’s different. You were too irresistible and used your female trickery to get me into bed.”

I snorted. “Okay, we’ll go with that one.”

I ran my fingers along his torso, finding something in his jeans pocket. “What is this?”

He dug into his pocket and brought out a leather glove. “My gloves—glove—where is the other one?” He searched his pockets and frowned. “I must have dropped it.”

“We can get you another pair,” I whispered.

After a few seconds, Rage tossed the glove to the floor and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I probably left it in Dante’s Jeep. Now, where were we?”

I nudged my hips forward.

The worry melted off of his shoulder as he pushed a finger inside of me. “I’m going to make all our problems go away, Champ. I want to take away all your yearning and pain. Let me make you feel good.”

My vision blurred as he curled his finger, pressing against my g-spot. I nodded, biting my tongue at the sensation of his body over mine. He didn’t know, but he’d already taken away all my pain, because all I needed was him.

Chapter Twenty-One

Neveah

Chase lifted his water bottle to his lips and chugged what remained, using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth clean. “So, you want to spar?”

I shook my head, looking over my shoulder at Dad and Rage in the ring. “No, I want to fight. All out. I want to show what I can do.”

Chase ran his fingers through his light brown hair and smiled at me. “You don’t have to prove a point to him, Nev. He likes you as is.”

I rolled my eyes. “This isn’t for anyone. It’s for me. I want to see what I can do.” It was definitely a lie. I wanted to show Rage that I could protect myself from a legit fighter so that he’d trust me to help with his sister. Our situation wouldn’t get better until we saved Hannah. And she needed some convincing.

“I don’t know—I mean, we fight but never full force. Your dad doesn’t like when I fight you.”

“I don’t care what my dad likes. I’m twenty-one years old, and I think for myself.”

Chase bent down to tie his shoe before blowing heavily. “What’s in it for me?”

“Really?” I asked. “Okay, I won’t tell my dad that you were the one that broke the window a few years back.”

He laughed. “No, I need something better than that, Nev. How about a back rub? Or help with my classes?”

“Chase,” I snapped. “This is serious. I’ll help you with your classes if you just do it.”

He held up his palms in surrender. “Okay, one fight. But if your dad gets pissed at me it’s going to be your fault.”

Smiling, I wrapped him into a hug. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Now?” he asked.

I nodded. “Get your ass in the ring.”

Chase sighed but followed me toward my dad. “Hey, we need the ring for a minute,” I said, nonchalantly. But I could tell by the annoyed look that Dad wasn’t having it.

He placed his hands on his hips. “Neveah, I’m practicing with Declan. Can you please go find something else to do?”

Aggravated, I matched his stance and didn’t budge. “No, I need to do something. You can practice on the mat.”

Dad cussed underneath his breath but gestured for Rage to meet him on the floor. I didn’t have to look to know Rage was staring at me, I felt it as I started to stretch. Once they were settled, I turned to Chase. “Do you want me to throw the match?” He winked.

“No, I want you to fight me like this is a match. Don’t hold back. It’s very important.”

Chase narrowed his gaze. “Is something wrong? You’re acting crazy. Since when do you want to fight this bad?”

I grabbed my gloves and slid them on. “Since now. Come on, let’s do this.”

Chase sighed but slipped his gloves on, pulling his arms behind his head to stretch. I tried not to pay attention to how quick his jabs were or how ripped he was shirtless. I could take him. I had to take him.

When we squared off, I bounded backwards, waiting for him to come to me. Dad and Rage were only several feet away on the mat, and when I stole a glance I caught Rage watching us over my Dad’s shoulder. He narrowed her eyes. I ignored him.

Chase bounded forward, his glove coming extremely close to my cheek. I sidestepped him, sending my best uppercut to his ribs. But this time he didn’t cry out or laugh, he slugged me in the shoulder.
Shit.

“You sure about this?” Chase whispered, his eyes never leaving my face, his fists still blocking. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Instead of answering, I slugged him in the jaw, a loud crack echoed around the gym. “What the hell—Neveah!” Dad shouted. “What are you doing?”

Chase grinned through a bloody mouth and popped me in cheek. It stung like a motherfucker. I’d been in plenty of fights, but Chase was a lot stronger than I expected. But I didn’t let the burn of the hit affect me.

“Neveah, stop right now!” Dad called out. “Chase you hit her again, and I’ll beat your ass!”

Chase frowned, but I hit him twice in the ribs. “Oh!” he shouted. “Sorry, Wes, I was promised free homework for this.”

I back stepped and ducked when he tossed a right hook my way.

“You two stop it right this second,” Dad said, grabbing the rope to pull himself upward.

Last chance.
With all my might, I swung my best two-punch combo causing Chase to stumble to the floor. Dad grabbed him before he could get up, all the while smiling up at me. “You’re a champ, Nev,” Chase said.

My body heated at the nickname, my eyes flickering to Rage who stood quietly by the ropes with narrowed eyes. “Neveah, we have another match soon, and Chase doesn’t have time to deal with this. Look at his mouth, it’s bleeding. And so are you. What in the hell were you two thinkin’?”

Chase looked at me for help. “I wanted to box,” I said. “Sue me.”

Dad clenched his jaw. “You need to take the day off. Why don’t you call Shelly and go to the mall.” He pulled out his wallet and thrust his master card toward me. “Go do something fun.”

Really?
“What am I, sixteen? Is bribing me with money really what you want to do?”

Chase spit blood onto the floor and smiled.

“No,
Neveah
,” Dad said. “I want you to stop showing out. You know your mother didn’t even want you to box at all. She’d kill me if she was here right now.”

Despite my attempt to look pissed off, tears whelmed in my eyes. “Well, she isn’t here, is she?”

Dad’s face softened, and he opened his mouth to say something but shut it. There wasn’t anything to say. She was gone. Grabbing my water bottle, I walked toward the double doors and sat down at the desk chair. Tears had started to stream down my face, and suddenly going to see Aunt Shelly sounded like a good idea.

I pulled out my cell.

Me:
You want to go to the movies or something?

I placed it on the desk and waited for a response. Lucy placed her head in my lap. and I rubbed the ridge between her eyes.

“Come here.”

I jerked upward, rolling back in my chair. Rage stood beside my desk, his face sincere and soft. “Get up.”

The waterworks went off when he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I pressed my cheek into his chest and soaked his skin. He never moved or spoke, just stroked my back with his fingers while I listened to the heavy beat of his heart.

After five minutes of tears, I pulled back. “Thank you.”

He nodded, stroking my lip with his thumb. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

That question made my insides tremble. Even though there was a chance it was a simple question for him, it felt nice for him to
want
to listen. I hadn’t experienced that feeling in a very long time. “No,” I whispered. “Thank you for offering.”

“You can always talk to me, Neveah.”

I nodded.

“Good, now you can explain why you were fighting Chase like that.”

“I wasn’t.”

Rage gripped my shoulders. “Why don’t we try the truth this time?”

I frowned. Frustrated, I glanced down at the floor. “I wanted to show you that I could help with your sister. That I can take care of myself.”

He studied my face, his fingers softened on the curve of my shoulders. “I know you can. There was never any question on it. You have to understand that I’m trying to get my sister back, and it’d be over my dead body that I’d let you near this son of a bitch. I can’t lose you too, Angel. I just can’t.”

The determined look on his face made me both flustered and awed. He’d do anything to keep me safe.
Me
. Who knew that I’d ever meet a man that’d make me feel so aggravated yet so loved and safe? There was a part of me that knew I wanted this from him, and I needed it. But I needed to make sure he wouldn’t falter, that he wouldn’t stop fighting. Because I was falling so desperately in love with him that I needed reassurance that he’d catch me.

“Rage, there is so much I want to say, but I want to show you by helping your sister. This is just as important to me as it is to you.”

The seconds ticked by slowly, only us staring at each other. Some look had taken over his face, and I wasn’t sure what exactly it was. The middle of his lip trembled, and my heart soared higher than it’d ever soared. “Baby,” he whispered. “You don’t have to risk your life to tell me what you need to tell me. The fact that you’d risk your life for me is proof that you love me. It’s proof you’re crazy out of your mind mad,” he whispered, a smile curving up his jaw. “And I fucking love you too.”

A single tear slipped down his cheek and disappeared into the scruff of his jaw. “Don’t say it unless you mean it,” I whispered.

He smiled. “I love you, Neveah. And you’re
just not
going to save my sister’s life,
I
am. But I want you to be in my bed tonight so I can show you how in love I am with you.”

“I’ll be there,” I whispered.

Rage kissed my forehead and then each of my eyelids. “Please, go take some time to yourself.”

I looked back at my blinking phone. “I texted Aunt Shelly. I think I will take my dad’s advice and go somewhere.”

He nodded, his eyes tracing my face like he’d never see me again. “Be safe and get back fast. I have plans for you tonight.”

“I’ll be back for dinner.”

He kiss me so tenderly, drawing out any passion I had left inside of me. When he pulled away my lips were tender and puffy. The smug look on his face darkened when I nipped his lip. “Hurry back.”

***

Aunt Shelly tugged me toward the Victoria’s Secret in the Dallas mall. “We need to get you sexier panties,” she said.

I snorted. “I have sexy panties.”

She narrowed her gaze and started sorting through the underwear. “You have boy shorts, and they aren’t considered that sexy anymore.” She sighed. “You need to keep up with the times, Neveah.”

I rolled my eyes, my thoughts drifting to Rage at the gym earlier. He’d said he loved me. Loved
me
. I wanted to tell Aunt Shelly but part of me wanted to keep it all to myself. I loved a man I hadn’t known but for a few weeks.
Is that possible?

“You want to go ice skating after this?” Aunt Shelly asked, shoving another thong into my hand. “I haven’t been in so long.”

I opened my mouth but it stuck in my throat. There she was. Chills skated along my skin, leaving a trail of ice behind. Hannah stood next to the lingerie, a light-haired man beside her. The smile on her face was the one in the picture. It was
her
.

“Hello?” Aunt Shelly said, waving underwear in front of my face. “Are you in there? You must be dreaming about that sexy man of yours back home.”

I bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. She didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable with him, but she had no idea who he was.
How can I get her alone?

“Neveah!”

I jumped. “What?”

Aunt Shelly narrowed her gaze. “I said, do you want to go ice skating before we go home?”

I nodded. “Sure.” I stole a glance as she disappeared into the fitting room. I grabbed the nearest bra. “I need to go try this on. I’ll be right back.”

Aunt Shelly shouted something my way but I’d already made it to the back. The
thump thump thump
of my heart hammered loudly in my ears. Denver stood near the entrance of the dressing room, his eyes scanned his phone, his posture relaxed.

Vomit pushed up my throat. The nonchalance in his demeanor made me angry. He thought Rage was dead and nothing showed that he gave a damn. Because he didn’t. When I stepped beside him, his eyes met mine. He was definitely handsome. Dark eyes and light hair. A swagger that came from new money, no doubt. “Hi,” he said, his voice like silk.

The southern charm was there, and I knew why Hannah was attracted to him. Most girls would be. My lip pulled into a sneer, and his chuckle felt like the softest of knives piercing my skin.

“Do you need to try that on?” a lady asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, can I have that room, please?” I pointed toward the one closest to Hannah.

The lady nodded and let me into the fitting room. Before the door shut, I stepped onto the seat and curled my fingers around the top of the wall. When the door clicked, I used everything I had to pull myself up to the top. Thank God I had some muscle. She stood in front of the mirror in her outfit.

This is going to be awkward.

“Oh my Go—,”

I grabbed her mouth. “Listen. My name is Neveah,” I whispered. “Don’t scream. Rage sent me.”

Her blue eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. When I removed my hand, she stepped back. “You know my brother?”

“Yes,” I said. “I found him near death in the woods. Your boyfriend out there tried to have him killed.”

“My fiancée would have never done that,” she snapped.

Fiancée?
My mouth dropped opened. “Are you serious? You’re going to marry that murderer?”

She clenched her fists. “You don’t know him.”

“No, but I know he’s a drug dealer and tried to have your brother killed. Your brother that risked his life to take care of you. Your brother that raised your ungrateful ass.”