Chapter Four
One Month Later
Vanessa hummed to herself in the kitchen as she beat the chocolate cake batter. She wanted chocolate cake with a dark, fudgy frosting. The very sound of it made her mouth water, and she craved chocolate. She also craved ice cream as well. Cake and ice cream.
She had the steaks marinating in a spice blend, and she intended them to go out onto the grill.
Diago didn’t have an outdoor grill a month ago, but when she suggested he get one for steaks, less than a week later, one was delivered.
At first, grilling was a lot harder than she thought it would be, but now she loved it. She struggled to want to cook any meat on the stove. Also, she was loving grilled vegetables.
Diago wasn’t complaining either.
For the past month, she had grown to enjoy Diago’s awkward company. At first, she didn’t have a clue what to say to him, and there were times she was sure she truly tested him.
Slowly, she had come to see that as long as she didn’t annoy him with stupid questions, he was easy to get along with. He was quiet and rarely talked.
He did not like to give her instructions. Within the confines of home and garden, she was free to do whatever she wanted, as long as she didn’t put her life at risk.
He had been upset with her when she cut and burned herself, but she’d not made a fuss, nor did she want him to. People who cooked, cleaned, and worked in the kitchen got cuts and burns, simple as that. Besides, she loved cooking for him. It was one of her favorite things to do.
Right now, she was enjoying baking a chocolate cake. Oh, she could also bake to her heart’s content. When she wasn’t in the kitchen, she was in the library, the movie room, the game room, or out in the garden, loving the beauty of her new home.
She was becoming addicted to her new freedom. She didn’t have to fake her happiness, or fear what was going to happen next. Diago came and went.
Often, he returned covered in blood, or there were a few occasions where he was injured, which was a shock to her. They were not life-threatening injuries but it still made her worry about him.
She had also helped assist him in stitching himself back together, which had been an experience she didn’t know she would need. She didn’t have much training in first aid. What she did know was limited.
With the cake batter beaten smooth, she poured it into the prepared cake tins, and placed them in the preheated oven. She dusted off her hands and blew out a breath. Next, frosting. She already had the butter at room temperature. Maureen had insisted the butter be at room temperature, otherwise you were too busy waiting around for it, or microwaving it. She started to beat the butter, to loosen it. As she did, she thought about Diago and Maureen.
She loved his company, and that was crazy. One of the most feared men in her world, and she enjoyed spending time with him. That had to be the craziest thing.
She’d already sieved the icing sugar, and the chocolate was melted.
Vanessa brought all the ingredients together, with a small splash of vanilla, and this time, she got the hand whisk onto the frosting. She hated gritty frosting, and Maureen had told her if she was going to put all that effort into a cake, the least she could do was beat the frosting until it was creamy and smooth. She gave it a try, and then it was time to take the cakes out of the oven.
Vanessa heard the door opening and closing, and she grabbed a towel, wiping the frosting off her hands. She made her way to see Diago carrying two wrapped items of clothing, like he’d gone to the dry cleaners.
He never took his blood-soaked clothing to the cleaners. She had watched him multiple times burn them. She had to wonder if he had shares in a clothing company or something.
“Diago,” she said. “You’re home.” She experienced the oddest sensation, wanting to go over and hug him, but she held herself back, keeping in control.
She held onto the towel, not liking the worry that rushed through her. Why did she suddenly want to hug Diago? Why was she happy to see him?
“Something smells good,” he said.
She couldn’t help but smile. “That is a chocolate cake. I’ve got to wait for it to cool, but then I can frost it.”
“Great, you can finish that and we’ll eat it tonight when we get back.”
“Get back?” Vanessa asked.
If they were getting back from somewhere, that meant they were leaving. She didn’t want to leave. She loved their routine of eating together—the conversation was stilted, but she loved that. There was no falseness between them.
“We’re going out tonight and I’ve already chosen an outfit for you.” He handed her one of the covered bags.
The thought of going out tonight didn’t appeal.
“Do you really need me to come with you?” Vanessa asked.
She hated parties. People looked at her with pity.
Diago sighed, and then glanced down at his watch. “Three, two, one.”
His doorbell rang, and Vanessa nearly jumped out of her skin, as he reached out to answer it. They never had guests or visitors. This was too new for her. She felt herself tense up and she had no idea why he seemed so relaxed.
The door opened, and the woman in front of him threw her arms up in the air and hugged him.
“Diago, I never thought you’d call.”
Vanessa had no idea what was happening now.
Diago hugged the other woman, and there seemed to be a fondness between the two. She stared in amazement, and what also startled her was a little … envy, mixed with what she felt was also a bit of jealousy, which made no sense to her. She had no reason to be jealous of anyone.
There was nothing happening between her and Diago. All he had done was taken her from her parents, and if it was even possible, given her a much better life than the one she had. Nothing special. Or strange.
Maybe a little strange.
“Who is the lucky young woman I get to play with?” the woman asked.
Diago allowed the woman to enter, which again was unusual. He valued his privacy, and they were secluded. He’d even mentioned an electric fence, not that she had tested it.
“Here,” he said, walking toward Vanessa.
“She’s so beautiful,” the woman said.
She couldn’t help but wonder if the woman was … mad. It had been a long time since she was called “beautiful.” Her mother stopped telling her she was beautiful after her kidnapping.
“Vanessa, I’d like you to meet Susan. Susan, this is Vanessa.”
There were so many questions.
Susan tutted. “I do not have time for silly introductions. You told me to get her ready for a party, and that is exactly what I am going to do. Come on, Vanessa. Let’s go and have some girl time.”
Vanessa didn’t have time to argue as she was pushed upstairs. She was able to steer Susan into her bedroom, but they didn’t stop there. Nope, without question, a bath was run, and she had no choice but to get naked in front of this woman and have her hair lathered.
Susan was a talker.
“You have beautiful hair, sweet girl,” she said.
“How do you and Diago know each other?” she asked.
They seemed quite friendly with one another.
Susan chuckled. “Diago and I go way back. He is a friend I value deeply, and he keeps an eye on me. Never turns his back on me.”
Vanessa couldn’t help but frown.
“I was so delighted when he said he had a woman he wanted me to help get ready. I just love my job.”
“You’re a beautician?”
“And hairstylist. My job is to enhance a woman’s beauty, and that is what I love to do. Like this hair, we’re going to give it volume and curl. Every man will be looking at you and drooling.”
She snorted.
“Any reason for that unladylike sound?” Susan asked.
“Yeah, no man has ever looked at me and drooled, trust me.”
“Then it’s time we show them all they’re missing,” Susan said.
She was out of the bathtub, and being dried. “Do you do this for all your clients?”
“Nope, you are a pretty special client, Vanessa,” Susan said. “When Diago calls at the last moment, I come running.”
“Here are your things,” Diago said, making her scream because she wasn’t wearing a towel. She wasn’t wearing anything, and he was there, seeing her completely naked.
“You’re a star,” Susan said.
Vanessa chanced a glance at Diago, to find him staring right back at her.
“Enjoy,” he said, winking.
What the hell was that?
****
Several hours later, Diago sensed Vanessa’s nerves, and he knew they were totally justified. He had gotten news of a party Isaac Norma was throwing. This time, it wasn’t in his house, but at a gala. He was throwing some kind of charity event, where people could spend money on a good cause, and get something back for their hard-earned money. They didn’t know that the charity was bullshit. Isaac was pocketing the money, and he’d been doing this whenever his funds were running low. He used a charity to take money from people.
The man had been hoping to lure someone in, using his daughter, but Diago had already put a stop to that.
Susan had already given him her opinion on the woman at his side. Of course, she adored Vanessa, and scolded him for not marrying her already. He liked Susan. She was a woman he’d saved many years ago. There were very few people he’d saved, but Susan had been taken from the street. Her husband at the time had rung up a huge debt and decided to use his wife as collateral. The plan had been to sell Susan to the highest bidder, and then that bidder would use her to make more money. Diago had been onto the trafficker, through another deal.
Susan hadn’t behaved when they brought her out. Even drugged up, she wouldn’t shut up and begged for someone to save her. She even asked for someone to kill her husband, and that was where he and Susan’s friendship started. She had money, the husband did not. In the event of her kidnapping or death, the husband would inherit the fortune—again, another reason to sell her to the highest bidder, to use her, and then kill her. They’d told Susan their plans and made an enemy out of her.
Diago had killed them all, from the husband, to the traffickers, to the buyers, and Susan had offered him her entire fortune. Instead, he’d asked for something else—friendship whenever he needed it.
He was a cold-hearted killer, with enemies far and wide, he knew the risks his life posed, and that one day he might need someone close, someone willing to be his friend. Susan had become that friend. One he’d never used, until Vanessa. It was an unusual friendship, but one he knew Susan valued. She hadn’t gotten close to anyone since that experience. Only he knew what she went through.
There was no press when they arrived at the venue, and Diago couldn’t help but smile. Tonight was going to be fun.
“Do I have to come with you?” Vanessa asked, glancing down at her body.
Diago was very much aware of the garments her parents made her wear, drab things that hung off her shoulders, with no real shape. He’d not gone for a tent to hide her under.
The dress he chose enhanced her large tits, slightly smaller waist, hips, and ass. Not to mention her thighs. The slit in the skirt of the dress teased the thigh, and he was finding it hard to concentrate around her. She was driving him to distraction, which was not a bad place to be. But tonight, he had to stay focused.
“Yes,” Diago said.
He climbed out of his car and handed the keys to the valet as he rounded for Vanessa’s door, stopping any man that would do this honor for him.
Susan had worked a dream. He had told her not to hide the scar, so she’d brought all of Vanessa’s blonde tresses, curled down one shoulder. She looked stunning. There was a pin at the nape of her neck holding her hair in place.
Vanessa wore minimal makeup, again, to enhance her beauty, not to hide who she was. Diago didn’t need that scar hidden. He found her beautiful with it. There was no reason for her to hide any part of herself from him.
With the door open, he held out his hand for her to take, and she did hesitate, but he waited patiently. Seven years, she’d been forced to dress a certain way, to hide who she was, to be ashamed of who she was. Not anymore. Diago loved making a statement; at least right now, with Vanessa, he did.
In the back of his mind, he flashed to that moment he walked into the damp, mold-infested basement where they were holding her. He didn’t know if Vanessa was aware that he’d been the one to save her. The blood loss and infection had made her delirious as he stepped into the room. She’d been mumbling incoherent words, stumbling over them at the same time. When he released her, she’d nearly toppled over onto the cement floor, but he’d caught her in his arms.
He’d never cared about anyone in his life, not even Susan. He respected her desire to live, admired her courage to still fight, but it hadn’t mattered to him if she lived or died.
With Vanessa collapsed in his arms, nearly at death’s door, he had felt something. Her blonde hair had been covered in dirt and blood. The stench of her was enough to make people faint, but he hadn’t cared. What had mattered to him in that moment, was getting her to live. He didn’t want to see that young woman die.
Slowly, over the last seven years, he had watched the men and her family crush her. She’d lost her smile, that sparkle that made her unique. He hated it.
But he’d waited. Bided his time. And now, they were not going to take her from him. Vanessa belonged to him, and they were going to realize the error of their ways.
She climbed out of the car, and even in the heels she didn’t reach eye level with him. He held his arm out, and she took it gratefully. Susan had already warned him she was a little unsteady on heels, so he held her tightly, and together they walked into the gala.
“Do you know the charity your father controls?” Diago asked.
“No, I just know it is important and he doesn’t want anyone to ask too many questions. Not a lot of people help to manage it, because he doesn’t want them taking from the fund. Why?”
Diago smiled. “Your father’s charity is his own.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There is no charity. Your father uses it as a cover to take the funds for himself. I’m sure you’re aware of your own father’s elaborate lifestyle?” he asked.
Vanessa stopped moving, and he paused, allowing her to get her bearings. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. Your father has been struggling for cash flow for many years, and that is not about to change. He spends more than he makes, and has for many, many, many years.”
She opened her mouth and closed it.
“You know, I knew my father wasn’t a good man, but I had no idea the lengths he would go for his own means. That is … I … wow,” she said. “And he gets away with it?”
“He uses the money to pay off those that would ask too many questions.”
They entered the main hall and as Diago expected, all the attention turned toward him. There were many in attendance who were aware of who he was and what he did. Many feared him. Those that didn’t, simply didn’t know who he was, but once they were aware, they tended to steer clear of him, which was exactly the way he liked it.
Just as he knew they would, men were looking at Vanessa, curious about her. They didn’t see a frightened, damaged woman anymore. No, they saw a woman they wanted and were never going to get. They had their chance, and they would never get another one.
Diago wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to his side. The moment her father spotted them, he saw the man go visibly pale, which was exactly what he wanted. Isaac Norma was about to suffer for his sins.
He had learned some hard realities about this man, and Diago’s mission was to make the man wish he’d never been born.