12. Dexter
Chapter twelve
Dexter
I 'm utterly fixated on Hazel as she slides her jeans down her long, toned legs. When I came out of the bathroom, I was starving and was also going to suggest getting some food, but when I saw her, I became hungry for something else.
Watching her makes my cock so fucking hard and I can’t wait to use my tongue and lick every inch of her skin. If my ribs weren’t bruised and broken, I would lift her up, fucking her against the wall. I know I’m supposed to be pissed at her, but I can’t seem to muster any anger.
Even after all these years, I can’t resist her. It’s like a magnet pulling me toward her.
Her phone buzzes on the table and draws my attention from her sexy as sin body. “I’ve got it.”
She steps toward it in a hurry. “No, Dexter, it’s okay.”
But I beat her to it and what I see makes rage boil under my skin.
Unknown: I told you to stay away from Dexter, sweetheart. Now he’s going to pay for you not listening.
My blood is pumping. Who the fuck is texting Hazel that threat? How long has this been going on? And why didn’t she tell me?
I look over at Hazel not hiding my feelings at all. Because I’m fucking furious at her and whoever this son of a bitch is.
“Hazel, who is threatening you?” I demand. My voice is so low and menacing I don't even recognize it myself.
Her eyes avert from mine and go straight to the ground. She clasps her hands and wrings them together. “Hazel, look at me.”
Her eyes snap up to mine. I grab her chin tight. She tries to pull away from me, but I don’t let her. “Tell me who is texting you.”
“I…I don’t know,” she stutters out.
I keep my eyes on her and hers start to well up with tears and spill over her lash line, streaking down her cheeks. “I’m so so…sorry,” she says in a hushed whisper.
“Why are you sorry, Hazel?” I lash out. Why the hell didn't she tell me that someone had been threatening her. Is this why she left?
She doesn’t answer me, instead pulling away and this time I let her. “I need to go.”
Those words cut me deep, but I don’t show it. I can’t let her know that she could possibly break me again. I’m not letting her leave. Deep down I have a feeling that if I let her go, she'll run. I can’t let that happen.
This ends here. “No. You are not leaving,” I command her.
Her body stiffens. “What?” she asks in disbelief.
“I said you’re not leaving. Sit down. Now.”
She moves to the couch and sits but she’s not comfortable. Her body is ridged with tension as she chews on the sides of her fingers. A sign that she’s nervous.
This time I try a little bit softer. I sit on the other side of the couch. “Sugar Lips, tell me what’s going on?”
She drops her hands and puts them in her lap, then eyes me from the side. “Honestly, I don’t know who sends me those texts. I’ve gotten a few of them over the years, but since I’ve moved back, they have been more and more frequent."
I take in a sharp breath. “Wait…over the years? How long has this been going on?”
“For five years," she murmurs.
I jump up. “For five years? You need to tell me exactly what is going on, right now.”
I pace back and forth in the middle of the living room twisting my fingers into my hair, but Hazel doesn’t say anything. So, I decide a different approach is needed.
“When was the first time you got a threatening text?”
She hesitates. Opening her mouth and closing it, but not saying anything. I don't push any harder, I just keep my eyes on her, hoping that they are pleading with her to tell me the truth.
“The night I left was the first time I got one,” Hazel says reluctantly.
Shit.
“Is that why you left?” I ask with a pain in my voice that even I can hear.
Her eyes soften. “Yes. I couldn’t stay and let someone hurt you.”
I should've known she wouldn't have left me behind for no reason. I start to think back to five years ago around that fight. Who would’ve sent her threatening text back then? I hadn’t been fighting for long. Back then I didn’t really have any enemies so no one comes to mind on who would want to threaten me or Hazel.
“What exactly did the first text say?” I ask trying to put all the pieces together.
“I don’t have it anymore.”
“Did you erase them?”
She nods. "Honestly, I just wanted it to all go away. I erased it. Blocked the number. I did that every time. But somehow the bastard always seems to get a new number to send me. I've even changed my number and moved a few times."
I nod, trying to hear what she is saying. I knew she had changed her number because I had to ask Ricky to get it from Ashley to give it to me.
“Do you have any of the texts?”
She opens up her phone and hands it to me. “Here, you can read what I have.”
I read through her texts, and see she’s gotten a few of them since she’s moved back. Then something catches my attention. I go back and read them again. The word sweetheart is used in almost every text, and there is only one person I know that would use it in this way.
I grit my teeth. It better not be that son of a bitch. If it is, we are done. I hand Hazel back her phone and walk to my room to grab a shirt, along with my keys and wallet.
When I come back out of my room, Hazel stands up with a worried look on her face. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to talk to someone. I’ll call when I’m done,” I tell her in a curt voice.
“Is it dangerous?” Her lower lip is firmly between her teeth.
“I’ll be fine. It's not any more dangerous than any other time in my life I got to see my dad."
"Dexter, what about your ribs?"
"I'm not going to fight anyone. I just need to talk with him," I say in frustration as I leave my apartment and head toward the warehouse.
I pull up ten minutes later and thankfully see my dad's car. There's another one that I don't recognize but I don’t think much of it, because I need answers. Now.
I hop out of my truck, slamming the door shut behind me. I stomp into the warehouse yelling, “Dad.”
He doesn’t answer. Looking around the main fight room I don’t find anyone, so I march straight for his office. I fling open the door, and it hits the wall. “Did you do it?”
My dad turns to look at me with a furious look on his face. “Dexter,” he growls.
I ignore his warning and push forward. “Are you the one who has been sending Hazel threatening texts?”
As I ask, his eyes dart toward the other two people in the room. I look at who is sitting in the chairs across from his desk. I find a woman with long brunette hair and next to her is a man with dark blonde hair. They are both staring at me, taking everything in. “Dexter, this is Zeev and Blanche. They are the leaders of The Wolves.”
He emphasizes the last part, most likely trying to get me to back down, but I don’t care. I look back at him, my fists clenched at my sides. “I don’t give a shit who is here. I need to know if you are the one who sent Hazel threatening texts?”
My dad stands up from his chair and I take him in, really take him in. Life has not been kind to him and it shows. When he was younger, he was a good-looking man. He's tall but where I've built my body into a weapon, he has let himself go over the years. His belly spills out over his pants, the skin on his face looks like it could be leather and it looks as if his hair has fallen out in some places.
“It doesn’t matter if I sent her threatening text or not. She is a fucking distraction. I’ve told you since you became friends with her that she’s not worth your time.” His outburst would shock others, but I'm used to it.
“Let me show you a fucking distraction.” I launch toward him, grabbing the back of his head and then smacking it against the desk.
“Aah…motherfucker." He straightens and his hand goes to his nose with blood running down his face.
“Now, tell me father, did you send messages to Hazel?” I say the words in a low grit against his ear.
Gripping his nose, he tries to staunch the bleeding. “Yes, I did.”
I release him, pushing him back. “We are done. Don't ever contact me again.”
“What about the fights?” He has the audacity to ask me.
“There are no fights. Did you not understand me? I said I’m done,” I demand in a dangerous tone. I don't care what he says, I'll never do anything again for this man. I should've cut ties a long time ago.
I turn to walk out of his office. “You can’t leave. You owe The Wolves.” His words catch me at the threshold of the door.
That’s when I see movement from the corner of my eye and I look over. The couple who my dad introduced me to are standing and both of them have an unreadable look.
“You were fighting for The Wolves?” The man who I think is named Zeev speaks first.
“Yes. My dad here said I had to fight for them to help pay his debts. If I didn’t, you would kill our whole family.”
Zeev looks over at my dad with a raised eyebrow. “You told him I would kill your whole family? And don't lie to me."
My dad's face pales and he drop his eyes to the ground. “Yes.”
Zeev steps forward and my father steps back, and in a dangerously low voice, he asks, “Why?”
My dad's voice trembles when he answers. “I needed to get Dexter to fight for us. He’s a great fighter. He makes The Wolves a ton of money.”
“Well, Juan, now all you’ve done is piss me off. I don’t force people who don’t owe me. Your family doesn’t owe me. You are the one who owes me." To punctuate his point, he stabs his finger in my dad's chest. "You are the one who works for The Wolves. Not him. As he said, he is done.”
“B…But sir.”
“No.” He cuts my dad off.
Zeev’s wife stands up, getting all of our attention. “Juan, I’m disappointed in you. Don’t disappoint me again,” she says in an icy tone.
With that, they both leave and my father is left standing there, shaking and speechless. I turn on my heel to leave as well. “Dexter, please don’t do this.” The ‘please’ and pleading tone stops me in my tracks.
“You did this. I don’t ever want to see you again. You kept her away from me for too long,” I say in a whispered tone.
I don’t look back at him, I just keep moving forward. It’s time for me to go get my girl. I will never be apart from her again.