Relinquished (20 page)

I swallowed hard, unable to comprehend everything these guys were doing for me. At a loss for words, I focused on the detailed embroidery on a beautiful purple sleeveless shirt.
This brand new shirt is really mine?

Pointing to the dark wooden armoire, he added, “There’s more in the dresser. Hope you don’t mind, but I already have some of my things in there.  This is where I stay when I’m too tired to drive home.”

When a few tears ran down my cheeks, Holden rushed to say, “I don’t have to stay in here with you, Jules.  I can sleep on the couch.”

I shook my head and wiped my tears away. “It’s not that, it’s just…these are the first new clothes I’ve ever had.” It was embarrassing to admit, but what was the point in holding back from him now?

“Come here.” He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled me onto his lap.

“All my clothes have either been hand-me-downs or from thrift stores, and even those didn’t stay with me long,” I explained quietly. “When you’re in a home with other girls, they tend to rip you off.”

“That time’s over,” he said gently. “Call me selfish, but
I
need to do this for you, Jules.” He searched my eyes, adding, “I have the means to give you whatever you want, please accept that part of me. It’s one of the ways I can show you how I feel.” Sweeping my hair over my shoulder, he sat there.

In my heart, I knew he wasn’t keeping a tally but he couldn’t just keep giving me stuff.  There was no way I could ever repay him.

I stared at his pleading expression for a moment, trying to put myself in his shoes. Was I being ungrateful? One thing was for sure, we both were going to have to learn how to compromise and meet somewhere in the middle.

Nodding, I gave in
this time
and stood up to explore more. Everything about the room was beautiful, including the attached bathroom and the huge bathtub, begging to be used. “I still feel grimy.” I pulled a handful of hair up to my nose and snorted as I attempted to sniff through my swollen nostrils.  “My hair smells like burnt coal.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. “Do you want to be left alone?”

I shook my head since that was the last thing I wanted.

“Okay.” He grinned cautiously and went over to start the water.

A giddy, childlike excitement swirled inside of my belly when I noticed the bubble bath on the rim of the tub. “Can I have bubbles, please? They were a treat for me when I was a kid.”

He chuckled. “Jules, you can have anything if it keeps that smile on your beautiful face.” He kissed me softly on the cheek before he reached over and poured the soapy liquid in the running water. My nose was still swollen, but even I could smell the vanilla as it filled the air. That soothing aroma always reminded me of the old books in the library. The only thing missing was the slight lemony scent mixed in.

“Give me a call once you’re settled in the bath.” He lifted my chin with his index finger and kissed my lips affectionately before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

My appreciation for him grew even more as he showed respect for me.  He didn’t assume I wanted him to take a bath with me just because I said I didn’t want to be alone. A few days ago I might’ve been ready to relax in the tub with him, but not today.

With everything going on around me, I should’ve been scared shitless. I’d be lying if I said I was completely at ease, but knowing I had support and wasn’t disposable to Holden made all the difference in the world.

I sat on the edge of the tub, smiling as I popped a few of the tiny bubbles that had formed on the surface. That old saying, ‘attitude is everything’, whirled around in my mind.  I’d already tried hard not to play the victim, but now I was beginning to realize I should’ve been more focused on what I wanted and not so fixated on what I was running away from. 

I was tired of just existing. It was time for me to finally fight and claim the life and future I wanted for myself. And for the first time, I had hope because I didn’t have to do it alone.  

“
Dammit
, Dante! I specifically told you to keep your distance.  You weren’t supposed to make contact.” My father emphasized each word with a bite.  “You have no idea what kind of hell you’ve unleashed. She was attacked because
you
didn’t listen,
don’t you get it?  Fuuuuck!”

I gritted my teeth for the umpteenth time. “No, I don’t get it,
Dad
.  You haven’t explained a fucking thing. What the hell was I supposed to do? I couldn’t stand by anymore. 
You
trained me to help, not fucking let life beat the shit out of her. Besides, do I really need to remind you that
you’re
the one who brought her into my life in the first place?”

“This isn’t the time to throw shit in my face,” he growled. “And there are reasons why I told you to keep your distance.” The outrage in his voice reminded me of the few times I’d witnessed him reacting to someone who’d disrespected one of the girls in our care.

“Yeah, well, you sure haven't shared them with me, so I did what I thought was best.”

“What you thought was best has put the
three
of you in the crosshairs.  You and Holden are as much at risk as she is now.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whose crosshairs? Those pieces of shit, Sam? Travis? Those douchebags can only take on defenseless girls. I’m not worried about them.”

He took a quiet but deep breath. He was known for those when he was both angry and worried. “You should’ve just done as I said.  You don’t need all the answers, you just needed to trust me and follow my instructions.”

I let out a silent groan. “Dad, you aren’t making any sense. Can we just discuss this without the dramatics?” After all, he was the one that dropped this shit in my lap in the first place.

“I’m not overreacting here, son,” he replied gravely. “But I can’t tell you anything else. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can trace my disposable phone. Listen, you have got to protect her, but you also need to make sure Holden knows what’s going on.  You’re all in danger now.” His acute tone had me questioning how deep this really went.

“I’ll talk to Holden, but I’m sure he isn’t going to let her out of his sight. They’re pretty much inseparable now. And I’m not going to try to keep them apart anymore.”

“They’re together?” I don’t know why he sounded so surprised.  Holden had always fallen for girls like Jules. Girls he thought needed rescuing. The difference this time, however, is, I don’t see Jules taking advantage of him the way his previous girlfriends had.

“Pretty much.”

“Well, damn.” He paused a moment as though he was trying to digest what I’d just said. “That’s
very
unexpected but shouldn’t affect anything, for now at least. Does he know that I asked you to watch her?”

“Not yet. I figured you can take care of the details when we see you next month.” He created that shit storm, so he could clean it up himself.

“Maybe we should call the fundraiser off this year.”

Fuck.

Holden knocked on my home office door before poking his head in.

I motioned for him to take a seat across from me. “No, people have already made travel plans, and we need the donations.” I knew if we didn’t have a steady stream of contributions coming in, the government would become suspicious as to how we were functioning without incoming money.  “No way. We aren’t calling anything off. We’ll be careful and put all reservations under fake names, but we’re all going.”

He knew I was right, and besides the safety issues that could be easily covered, he didn’t have a legitimate reason to back out. “I’ll only agree if you have security with you, and do not bring her along. Leave her at home with some of the guys, just keep her as far away from me as possible.”

I loved my father, but what a fucking bastard. “Fine,” I ground out.

“I’m serious, Dante. I’m not heartless, son, I’m trying to be wise here.”

“I said fine. We’ll see you at the fundraiser.” I ended the call and slammed the phone down on my desk. “Asshole.”

“What did he say?” Holden asked casually, not even fazed by Dad’s and my argument. My dad and I were just too damn alike. We’d been fighting more than anything else lately. It’d only gotten worse since Jules entered the picture.

“Same shit he always does.” I looked at the door, then asked, “Where’s Jules?”

“Living room, on my laptop. Probably watching that travel show. She’s so cute with that show.” The corner of his mouth lifted. He couldn’t hide his happiness when it came to her.

I leaned back in my reclining chair, carefully contemplating what I should say. “When do you plan on starting her training?”

“As soon as she’s up to it.”

I shook my head. “You need to get her in the gym right away, tomorrow even.”

He frowned at me. “She just got out of the hospital.”

True, but we didn’t have time to waste. “She needs to build up her strength and learn how to defend herself.  You can start slow, show her some moves. Teach her how to kick a motherfucker’s ass.”

He leaned back in his chair, placing his feet up on the edge of my desk. “I’m not rushing her. She can’t even breathe without pain.  There’s no way she’ll be able to learn any moves. Don’t worry about her, she’s not leaving my side. I’ll take care of her.”

Annoyed, I glared at the bottom of his shoes against the rim of my desk. “I’ve got some shit to tell you, but you need to listen to all of it before you freak out.” After that phone call with Dad, I can’t risk Holden going too easy on Jules.  I guess I was going to have to tell him everything I’d wanted our father to.

He sat up straighter, leaning his elbows on the armrest. “Okay.”

I sighed before starting. “I didn’t just investigate Jules recently.  I’ve had an eye on her since we first saw her.”

Holden gripped the arms of the chair and began to rise.  With a look of dominance, he spat out, “Don’t even think—”

I held up my hands. “Don’t jump all over me yet. Hear me out.”

“Keep talking,” he said, sitting back but still glaring at me with more than a hint of jealousy.

“Dad mentioned that he needed me to help him out with something for months before he offered me the job.  He said there was a girl in serious trouble that needed protection, but she couldn’t know she was on anyone’s radar.”

Giving me a knowing look, he almost seemed relieved. “She felt it sometimes and chalked it up to paranoia.  But after she told me about the guys she raced with, I thought for sure it was one of them.”

“I turned him down at first. He pushed, almost seemed desperate.  Said he couldn’t trust anyone else to do it. I’ll admit that curiosity got the better of me, so you and I ended up in the bar that first night.  I had to see her, figure out why she was under surveillance for her own good, yet she couldn’t know about it. Then
you
saw her…”

His face tightened, and his lips pressed together. “Why didn’t you tell me about it back then?”

Nonchalantly, I explained, “Because Dad didn’t want anyone else to know, and I was still trying to figure out if I even wanted to take the case.  I couldn’t let you pursue a girl that had something dangerous around the corner, but of course you fell for her.” Stupid lovesick shit that he’s always been. “I did my best to keep an eye on her without either of you knowing, but when you started seeing her more often, I had to separate you.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Is that when you sent that whore to my hotel room in San Francisco?”

I cringed a little, still ashamed of that one. “Yeah, I should’ve known you wouldn’t go for it. She was way too easy for your taste.”

He stood and threw his hands in the air. “What if I had, though? Jules and I weren't even together then. How would that have kept us apart?”

“Let’s just say that I know you two have had feelings for each other for a while, regardless if you acted on them or not. I had a plan for Jules to find out about it before you came back to town.”

The sound of him slapping his palms down on my desk filled the room. “You’re such an asshole. Is that why you gave her the membership? So you could talk to her without me?”

“Part of the reason,” I admitted. “I had to make sure nothing happened to you.” I sat back, twirling my phone around on the desk. “Anyway, Dad connected me to Carr, who filled in details like Jules’ upbringing and shitty past.  Let’s face it, her life hasn’t been full of rainbows, but I’m not going to be the one who fills in the blanks for you.  I’ll tell you what you need to know so our safety is secure. The rest is up to her to share.”

I wasn’t sure if that was appreciation on my brother’s face because I was respecting Jules’ privacy, or if he was irked that I might know specifics about her that he didn’t.  Either way, I had no plans to tell him about things that even she didn’t know about yet.

He pushed away from my desk and sat back down. “Let’s go back to that girl in San Francisco.  I distinctly remember turning her down, then she said I still had to pay her. Since the easiest way to get rid of her was to give her some money, I turned to get my wallet, and that’s the last thing I remember until the next morning.”

“What are you talking about?  She was a friend of Andrea’s looking for a good time, not a call girl. I wouldn’t send a hooker to your room, Holden.” Well, now I know why he thought I was such an asshole, but who the hell was the girl? I’d only talked to Andrea about it.

“Yeah, well, I woke up on the floor with a throbbing headache and a ripped shirt. I assumed I’d fallen and knocked a glass off the bar because my arm was bleeding. The rest of my clothes were still on, so I thought maybe she knocked me out to rob me but all my cash was still in my wallet.”

I leaned forward and couldn’t believe what had happened. “Fuck, why didn’t you tell me before?”

“We’ve been a little preoccupied since I got back.” Shrugging, he’d made a good point.

“It could mean nothing, but I don’t like it. We aren’t taking any chances. Dad still hasn’t told me everything, but he made it clear since all of us are involved, we need to be on alert.  The three of us will have at least one guy close by at all times.” I shoved my finger out at him to make my point.  “No exceptions. And when Marcus is on, he sticks to Jules.”

“Agreed, but she’ll be next to me, too.” Tilting his head to the side, he questioned, “Did you see all this coming?”

I sighed. “No.  I was so busy trying to keep you guys apart that I missed the fact that someone else was tracking her at the same time.” To say I felt guilty about it was putting it mildly. “This situation is more serious than I originally thought. We need to keep our eyes open.”