Chapter 22
BLADE
Shit. That wasn’t how I intended the conversation to go. Delilah has backed away, understandably I guess, but she’s nervous. That’s obvious.
When she met the whores, she shrank into herself.
I’m guessing she felt inferior—wrongly, in my mind.
Delilah stands meters taller than those girls because she is the most incredible woman I have ever met and when they told her she could pick and mix, I fought hard not to grip her arm and march her right here to my room and lock her away.
It shocked me. I don’t catch feelings; I forbid it. No good will come from lusting after one woman, and I respect her too much to try.
I am not a catch. Not even close, and yet in a different world perhaps, Delilah is exactly the woman I would pursue until she gave in. I want her so badly, but I also want to warn her away from me.
She deserves a fresh start, a better start than the one she has been dealt.
I remind myself that she is Aspen Costello.
A rich kid who led a life of comfort and respectability until she had the misfortune to marry Gideon Fox.
Even the mere thought of that man causes the dagger to twist in my heart, and if there is one man I ache to kill in this world, it’s him.
We head toward Flash’s house, and I resist gripping Delilah’s hand. It was so easy back at the cabin. As natural as breathing. Yet here, back home, I’m maintaining my distance because Delilah will have a choice to make real soon, and it most certainly won’t be me.
“I can’t wait to see Imogen and Cassie again.”
Her sweet voice pushes aside my concerns, and I almost smile.
“They are cool kids.”
“They’re not kids anymore, Blade.”
Delilah nudges me and chuckles softly. “I’m certain Drake doesn’t think of Imogen as a kid.”
She glances my way with a slight hesitation and then whispers, “What does Flash think about that?”
I shrug. “I haven’t asked him.”
Her soft chuckle almost makes me smile.
“Honestly, Blade. You can give an opinion, you know.”
I’m spared from answering as we arrive at the door, and as I thump my fist on it, I note Delilah wringing her hands with nerves.
“You’ll be okay, darlin’.”
I wink and her nervous smile tears at my heart because she has zero confidence.
I want to take her in my arms to reassure her, kiss her soft lips, and tell her how amazing she is.
To wrap her in my arms, to keep the world away and protect her, love her, hold her.
But I can do none of those things because she deserves better than me, and I won’t add to her misery by declaring my feelings for her, for her sake, not mine.
The door swings open and Imogen squeals when she sees Delilah and I roll my eyes. Why the hell do women do that? Men never do. A thump on the back or a fist bump is acceptable, but this is way over the top, yet it still draws a smile from my surly lips.
“Delilah! Oh my God, you made it! I can’t believe you’re here.”
She grasps Delilah’s hand and pulls her in after her, leaving me to watch them go.
Delilah turns, and the longing in her eyes as they connect with mine causes my heart to race and I nod my encouragement and step back, allowing her this time, hoping it helps her heal.
With a sigh, I head toward the bar, fully intending to catch up with my brother and sink a few beers while he grunts at my conversation. Fuck my life. It’s no wonder I don’t talk much, yet with Delilah there is so much I want to say but lack the skills to voice my thoughts.
As I head inside the main compound, I notice Brewer approaching, and he nods. “Blade. Good to see you back, soldier.”
“Good to be back.”
He nods toward his office, the one beside Ryder’s. “I have some information.”
I follow him, eager for any intelligence on Delilah’s situation, and as I settle on the couch in his office, he nods toward the small fridge they all have as standard.
“Beer?”
“Thanks.”
He tosses me a can and then sits at his desk and taps into his computer.
“Word is that the Costello’s believe their daughter is still in Harmony Straits, the sanatorium Gideon Fox sent her to. However–”
He peers across his desk with a stern expression. “The woman he checked in there is another woman entirely. We don’t have her identity yet, but by all accounts, she’s still there.”
“Why haven’t her parents visited?”
I hate how they didn’t check in on her and Brewer huffs, “Who fucking knows? These rich pricks never fail to live up to my low expectations of them. Mind you, Gideon is a slippery snake and made sure she had a no-visitor policy attached. Apparently, she is not up to receiving visitors for the foreseeable future.”
“How long has she supposedly been there?”
I’m interested because it will give me a timeline on her misery because I’m almost certain that was when she was sent to live with Angela fucking Constable.
“Eighteen months.”
“Fuck!”
My hands ball into fists as I imagine eighteen months of misery for Delilah, and Brewer leans back, a slight shake to his head.
“We guess Aspen was delivered to Angela at the same time the other woman entered Harmony Straits.”
“She’s lost her memory. What could have caused that?”
He shrugs.
“Drugs, probably. Since you’ve met her, are any of her memories returning?”
“Slowly.”
He nods. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she gets them back soon as the drugs in her system fade.”
“Angela injected her every night, apparently.”
“Makes sense.”
Brewer slams his fist on the desk.
“I fucking hate this shit.”
We all do. It’s why we are so good at what we do. Saving broken angels is the most satisfying part of our job and yet imagining Delilah as one of them cuts me to the bone.
“So, I’m guessing Gideon knows his caged bird has flown through the bars. I wonder what his next move will be?”
Brewer voices my thoughts, and I nod. “We should check on the girl in the sanatorium. She could be in danger.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
He sighs. “It’s difficult to call this. If Aspen shows up with her memory intact, he could use it to his advantage. Say she escaped from the sanatorium and is mentally unstable, making up stories in her head. He would send her back there, and my guess is she wouldn’t make it out alive.”
“Then we find him first.”
Brewer nods. “Ryder’s working on that.”
“What if her parents were tipped off that the woman in that place isn’t their daughter?”
Brewer growls, “Miles Costello is heading for the White House, and this scandal could wreck his chances. He will do nothing to endanger his campaign; even though it’s his daughter we’re talking about.
Gideon will have a file on Miles as thick as the bible I’m guessing, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Miles already knows. ”
“Then we’ll make certain his campaign fails.”
“As good as done.”
Brewer laughs softly. “His road to the great house is strewn with potholes, and it will be a miracle if he doesn’t trip on one and knock himself out. Dragging his wife down with him.”
“So, she’s involved.”
“By all accounts, Nicole Costello is a bitch and the power behind the campaign. Word is, she also had a fling with Gideon before she arranged his relationship with her daughter. That woman is cold, calculating, and devious, so I wouldn’t be shocked if locking Aspen up wasn’t her idea in the first place. ”
“Are they still seeing each other?”
“I wouldn’t put it past either of them.”
Brewer grins. “As it happens, we have a man tailing her, and if she meets Gideon, we will have a few incriminating photographs of our own to taunt them with.”
He chugs down the rest of his beer and tosses the empty can in the trash.
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s good.”
“That’s all we care about.”
He stands, which is my cue to leave, and as I drop the empty beer into the trash, he slaps me on the back. “Good job, soldier. I’ll keep you informed.”
I say nothing, and as I head toward the bar, images of the downfall of three people entertain me as I walk.