from Pain to Pleasure (Gainesville Book 1) (22 page)

She decided to trust him for once. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK. I get why, but promise me you won’t have an abortion behind my back. Please.” He hated that he thought she might. If Brian frightened her enough, she could, though.

She sniffled. “I won’t. I promise.”

He pulled her off the table and set her on her feet. “So we can go home?”

She just nodded and laid her head on his chest, overwhelmed again.

* * *

Just before Alex opened Danielle’s dorm door, her phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, slowly, and then answered, “Hi, Brian.” She tried to sound cheery, although she was still shaken up.

“I miss you, Dani.” He couldn’t sleep because he had heard nothing about her whereabouts for days. “Can you use Marie’s computer so I can see you? Please?” He had lost control of her life and wasn’t sure how to deal with that. That day at work, he could think of nothing but going home.

Alex entered the room first, waved at Marie, and then pointed to Danielle’s phone. Marie nodded and listened to her talk. He sat on Danielle’s bed and did the same.

Danielle tried to find an excuse not to go on camera with Brian. “She’s doing her homework now.”

“Tell her it’ll only be a few minutes. Please.” Desperation started to well up. Brian felt like he lost his mind.

She looked to Marie, afraid not to ask. “Can I use your laptop to talk to Brian?”

Alex quickly stood and headed for the door. He didn’t leave, just stood against it.

“It’s fine.” Marie frowned, but only because she couldn’t stand Brian. She got up and set her computer on a desk. “Don’t move the screen. Logan has to replace it for me.”

Brian heard the limitation and scowled. He wanted to see all around the room. Jeff had told him that Marie and Alex were together, but he didn’t trust Alex at all. He saw Danielle’s username light up and started a video call.

Alex folded his arms over his chest and peeked at Brian. He looked like a wreck.
Serves him right!
Alex was glad he was nuts about the loss of control. He just hoped he didn’t do something off the wall, like quit his job.

Danielle hid her shaky hands in her lap. “How was work today?”

“OK.” He looked at her more closely. “What happened to your hair? Go get it done tomorrow. You look like a witch.”

She turned to Alex while a single tear fell. “I will. My hairdresser was busy this week.”

“Oh. All right.” Brian didn’t care how his words made her feel. All he wanted was to make her do things his way. “Are you alone, now?”

Danielle glanced at Marie. “No.”

Brian groaned. He wanted her to strip for him. The girls he had met there were too aggressive. He liked to be the dominant one. One woman at the office was a bit docile and liked it really rough. He had fucked her over her desk a few times, but he missed how Danielle tightened up because she hated it.

Alex put his hands in his jacket pockets. His fingers wrapped around the bottle in the right one. He pulled it out, and then tossed the prenatal vitamins onto Danielle’s bed.

Marie tried to read the label from her bed, but couldn’t. She walked over and picked up the bottle. Unfortunately, she didn’t see the horrified expression on Alex’s face.

He didn’t think she would notice. He shook his head and waved at her, to try to get her to put it down. “No!” he mouthed.

Shocked, Marie got closer to him. “You knocked her up?” she softly, yet angrily questioned him. “How the fuck did that happen?”

“Shut up,” Alex quietly urged her. “He’ll hear you.” He quickly backed out of the room and pulled her with him. When the door closed, he answered her. “I didn’t mean to. She’s like, at six weeks, they said.”

Marie glared at him and gritted her teeth. “He’s gonna
kill
her if he finds out. For real!” Her breath came faster as her anger grew. “He’s fucking crazy. Did she tell you the other day Diego was here because she didn’t answer the phone? I heard her crying from the hallway. He was on top of her, and her face had marks like he hit her. She thinks I didn’t see anything, but she was naked, and I swore he had a condom on.” She took in a shaky breath, frightened for her friend. “I think he fucked her! Who
does
something like that?”

“I’ll take care of it.” Alex hoped he really could. Even threats didn’t seem to keep Jeff or Diego away while he wasn’t around.
If Diego raped her, he’s dead
.

“What did you do today?” Brian tried to will his stiff cock to soften, but it didn’t. He reached into his pajama pants and stroked it while he concentrated on Danielle’s quivering lip.

She was terrified he might see she was pregnant somehow. “Went to class and um… uh, I…” She started to panic, unable to speak. “I…”

“You OK?” Brian saw more than fear in her eyes. “You’ve done something. Haven’t you?” He waited, but got no response, so he shouted, “What the fuck did you do?”

Alex yanked the door open, and then relaxed. He couldn’t come through the screen and hurt her. “Do something,” he told Marie.

Marie saw Danielle’s frozen expression. “Danielle,” she called to her. “Are you feeling dizzy again?”

Danielle turned to her, a look of confusion on her face.

“You need to get back in bed.” Marie felt her forehead in full view of Brian. “Hey, Brian.” She faked sincerity. “She’s got a fever. The flu hit her really hard.” Marie brushed Danielle’s hair back. “The doctor said she has to stay in bed as much as possible.”

Brian’s face fell. “Oh. I didn’t know.”

“She’s been sleeping a lot, which is good,” Marie added. “But staying in this room all the time is probably boring.”

Brian looked up at the ceiling. “I’ll let you sleep then, Dani. Feel better.” Disappointed, he closed his laptop. He had to find a way to get a handle on the situation again.

Danielle burst into tears as soon as the window went dark. She laid her head on the desk.
How are we going to hide this?

Alex knelt next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry.” She turned and fell against him. He sat back on his heels and held her close. “I’ll find a way to deal with him. I will. And I’ll take care of his friends. I don’t want them hurting you anymore.”

“Diego attacked me.” She sobbed louder, unable to give him any details. She knew if he heard it all, Diego was a dead man. Her body shuddered as she recalled the scene. It had been so painful. “I tried to fight him. He pin—ned me do—own…” With a loud sob, she clung to him.

He caressed her hair. “It’s OK, babe. It’s not your fault. He’s gonna pay for it, and he won’t tell Brian.” When her body was still, he looked up at Marie. “Stay with her. Me and Gary have something to take care of.” He got up and put Danielle in bed. “You need to rest.” He kissed her forehead. “Close your eyes and relax, babe.”

Marie set the bottle on Danielle’s dresser and watched Alex leave the room. “You OK?”

“No,” Danielle admitted. “I’m terrified.”

“I see that.” Marie sighed. “Looks like you guys are keeping the baby. How are you going to tell Brian?”

Danielle took in a shaky breath. “I don’t know.” She fought the urge to cry again. “He’s gonna kill me. Alex doesn’t understand.”

“I know.” Marie touched her cheek and wiped away a tear. “I tried to explain it to him. If Brian finds out, he’ll know his plan failed.” She lay down and hugged her. “We’ll figure this out. Try to sleep. Please.”

Alex walked into his room with fury in his eyes. “Go next door and protect the girls!” he yelled to Logan.

“What happened?” Logan watched him search the room for something. He stood up. “I’ll help you. What’re you looking for?”

Alex opened another drawer. “My knife… I might need it. I just hope he don’t have a gun.”

“Who?” Logan’s eyes opened wide.

“Diego fucking attacked her again. I’m gonna kill him.”

Logan grabbed Alex’s arm. “He’s not worth it.”

“I can’t let him touch her again. It’s too dangerous.”

Even more confused, Logan asked again, “What happened?” He saw tears in Alex’s eyes. “Tell me.” He pulled Alex away from the closet. “What is it?”

“I got her pregnant.” Alex took a deep breath. “She’ll lose the baby if any of them…” Then he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Logan didn’t say anything; he just hugged Alex as he cried. Then when Alex was calm, they walked to the girls’ room. “Who should I be worried about?” Logan asked just before he opened the door.

“Diego crossed the line for the last time.” Alex glanced in the room, too focused to hear the question. Danielle was obviously asleep, so he whispered, “Brian’s brother’s next.”

Logan opened his mouth to warn him of the risks, but Alex shook his head.

“I have to do this. She’s my responsibility now.” Alex nodded at Marie, and then headed down the hall. “Gary!” he shouted as he knocked on his door. “Gary, it’s time!”

Gary opened the door. “I don’t know how you held off so long.” He grabbed his jacket and put it on. “Who’s first?”

Down the hall, Marie looked up at Logan still in the doorway. “Hey,” she softly called to him. “Where’s he going? He wouldn’t tell me.”

“You need plausible deniability,” Logan explained as he watched Gary and Alex head to the stairs. He closed the door, and then sat on Danielle’s bed, near Marie’s feet. “He has shit to do.”

Marie stroked Danielle’s hair. “She cried herself to sleep.”

“It’s gonna be OK.” He ran a hand over her arm. “Alex’s gonna take care of it.”

* * *

Gary parked behind the hardware store. He looked over at Alex. “You sure you wanna do it here?” The Screwballs bowling alley was right next door.

“It’s perfect.” Alex had watched him a few nights from the back parking lot. “He always takes out the trash at 8:00. Alone.”

They sat there and just watched, silently. They wore clothes Alex had purchased with cash days before. There was a clear view of the back door. He had planned the payback for weeks. 8:00 came and went with no Diego. Then, at almost nine, he dragged several bags outside. Gary and Alex got out of the car quietly. They carried no weapons; their faces were hidden behind ski masks and hoods.

“What the fuck?” Diego yelled just as he fell against the dumpster. He looked up at two large shapes in the dark. “I don’t got no money.”

Alex growled and changed his voice a bit. “Don’t want your fucking money.” He swung and connected with Diego’s temple. “I don’t like stalkers.” He waited for Diego to stand up straight again then surprised him with a punch to the other side of his head. “Keep the fuck away from her!”

Diego’s vision blurred. He shook it off and backed up a few steps. “You mean that slut? Brian’s chick? She’s a good lay. Why the fuck do you care?” Then he lunged at Alex and landed a blow on his cheek.

“You’re a fucking bully!” Gary could not believe the anger Diego’s words caused within him. He lashed out and hit Diego in the chest. He knew pieces of what Diego had done to Danielle in the past, but to hear he fucked her was too much.

Alex smiled as Diego gasped on the ground. “Stay the hell away, and you’ll live.”

“Fuck off!” Diego felt he was able to handle anything, which is why Brian trusted him.

With fury in his eyes, Alex jumped on Diego. He mindlessly punched and bellowed. Gary stood back and let Alex get his anger out. He was sure he could end it if need be.

Alex felt better with every strike. He grunted and growled as Diego cried out. A few times, a random fist came at him, but Alex blocked them. He wouldn’t let Diego get in one more lick. The urge to end Diego grew with every second. Every time Diego scared Danielle came to mind. Alex couldn’t stop.

“He got the message,” Gary urged Alex as he pulled on Alex’s jacket. “Time to go.”

Alex let Diego go, who groaned. “Tell anyone, and you’ll be sorry. Touch her again, and you’re dead.” He stood and smirked at the bloody and broken body at his feet.

* * *

On Marie’s bed, Logan sighed. “He’s taking a long time.” He was bored. Marie hadn’t left Danielle’s side the entire time.

“Shh. Let her sleep.” Marie glared at him. “We’ll fuck later.”

Minutes later, Alex knocked on their door. Logan answered and let him in. “She’s been sleeping since you left.” He walked back to the bed and sat down.

Marie looked at Alex’s face as she got to her feet. There was a cut on his cheek. “Who hit you?”

“That dickhead Diego got me with his ring,” Alex growled. “But he won’t be harassing Danielle again.”

Marie furrowed her eyebrows. “What did you do?”

“It’s better you don’t know. He has no idea it was me.” An evil grin spread over his face. “Only one more to take care of.”

He recalled how good it felt to beat the hell out of Diego. It made him feel like he finally did something for Danielle. He and Gary had burned the clothes they wore and dumped them in a canal, far from the scene. Having a lawyer for a mother helped sometimes.

“Hey, babe.” Alex ran the back of a finger down Danielle’s cheek. “How d’ you feel?”

Danielle slowly opened her eyes when she sensed a hand on her back.

Alex smiled and kissed her lips. “You doing OK?”

Her eyelids fluttered. “Yeah.” She reached up and touched his cheek. “Did you go to practice?”

“Um, no.” He debated whether or not to tell her the truth. “I got punched.”

She sat up quick, and then grabbed Alex to steady herself. Fast movements seemed to make her dizzy. “Who hit you?”

He looked away. “Maybe I shouldn’t say.”

“You got in a fight?”

“Kinda.” Alex could still hear Diego begging him to stop. “I won, at least.”

She gave him a half-smile. “I love you.” The words had left her mouth automatically. She closed her eyes for a few seconds. That was not how she planned to tell him.
Do I love him?
It was impossible to deny at that point. She met his gaze again. “I really do love you, Alex.”

He leaned down and kissed her lips. “Thank you for finally saying it.” He felt her love every time she was near.

The morning before Thanksgiving, Danielle woke up before her alarm went off. Alex was asleep next to her. They had spent the past night in his bed. She tried to delay getting out of bed, so her stomach wouldn’t lurch, but her bladder didn’t cooperate. She carefully moved Alex’s arm and sighed. Her mornings were long and painful. Within seconds, she had no choice but to get up.