Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Delaney
“It was just a phase. When you cheated, I was so mad, and I knew you would hate it if I chose him. It felt like the perfect form of payback,” I say, the words tasting like ash on my tongue.
Nothing about being with Tank felt like payback. What Tank and I have is real and true, but I can’t tell Blaine that.
I need to bide my time because if there is one thing I know, it’s that my man won’t let anything stand in his way of getting to me. Not if he can help it.
Please, Tank, hurry.
“What about what you two did?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, heart racing.
“I watched you, you know. I saw what you two did in your room.”
“The tape,” I rasp.
He nods. “That was me.”
“Why? Why would you post something like that? I would understand if you did it because you wanted to shame me, but I don’t understand why you did it when you still want to be with me. Why would you want others to see me like that?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“I did it to remind you of your place. To remind you of who’s in charge. You might be able to push him around and call the shots, but not with me. I’m the head of our household, and you needed to be reminded that I’m the one who holds the cards.”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, and before I can say anything, he speaks again.
“What you two did, you know it’s not natural, right?
I support you wanting to work and make your own money and whatnot, but that’s where it ends.
A man is the one who’s supposed to lead his home.
The one who says when and how things happen.
Not the woman. Now, I let you have your fun, let you work it out of your system, but that’s over now. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” I say automatically, quietly.
I knew he had a sexist streak, but I never knew how deep it ran. Over time he’s made little comments here and there, but he’s never outright said anything as bad as this.
And to think, he’s the one who slept with his female boss to try and get a promotion, only to quit.
The audacity.
I want to shout. To scream at him that he’s a fucking fool.
To tell him that I always had to fake it with him.
That never, not one time, did he ever put my needs and desires ahead of his.
That sex with him was boring, and I never once wanted it to last longer than the five, maybe ten minutes, that it would take for him to get off.
I wish I could tell him that a woman lying flat on her back with nothing else to do does nothing, and it’s not fun or pleasant.
But I bite my tongue.
I need to keep him calm, not rile him up.
I never thought he would be capable of hurting me, let alone abducting me, but clearly I was wrong. I underestimated him when I shouldn’t have.
Buy yourself time. Tank knows you’re gone.
“So you said we are leaving, starting over somewhere else. Did you really quit your job for me?” I ask.
“I quit. They tried to call me in for insubordination. Said that my performance was lacking.” He scoffs. “They said that I was fired, but I quit before they could. I won’t have that on my record. Not when I didn’t do anything wrong.”
I want to laugh. I really do. They finally realized how big of a piece of shit he is.
Maybe they caught wind of the police investigation I have going on against him. That would make sense. It would look bad if a paralegal were being investigated for stalking.
“Smart. Do you have a place in mind?” I ask, nodding as if it makes sense.
“I figured we can move west. I have an interview in Las Vegas, and I think the firm would be a good fit. Besides, they aren’t as judgmental out there as they are here. Once everything falls into place work wise, we can start working toward our future.”
Our future. The hypothetical marriage and babies.
Just the thought of being married to him or having his children makes me sick.
“You sound like you have a list made. Like you have it all figured out,” I murmur.
He looks at me as if I’m crazy. “Of course I do. We need to do things in order. We can’t deviate from the order. I love you, but you know that reputation and appearances mean a lot to me.”
“Of course.”
He walks over to me, and I force myself to hold still.
“You know, as much as I love your natural hair, I was thinking that maybe it’s time for a change,” he says as he touches my hair.
“What did you have in mind?” I ask, heart racing.
His eyes light up. “I was thinking blonde. Maybe get some extensions so it looks longer and fuller. I also was thinking lip filler would make your lips really pop where your top lip is smaller than the bottom.”
The way he’s talking makes it sound like he wants me to look like a doll. Like he wants to shape me into his preferred model of a bride. Doesn’t he know that’s not how that works? Has he really gone this far off the deep end that he’s forgotten that I have autonomy over myself?
“Maybe you could finally get that boob job. I know you are self-conscious over your chest,” he says, eyebrows raised.
“Maybe,” I lie.
I don’t have any issues with my chest and haven’t since high school.
This is insane. He doesn’t want me to be, well, me.
The sound of motorcycles catches my attention, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Not this time, at least.
Is it him? Is it Tank?
“See, Delaney, I knew you could be agreeable. It’s so much easier if you just do as I want,” he says, petting my hair.
“Of course.” I smile weakly. “I just want to make you happy.”
Please let Tank be here. Let this be over.
Blaine cups both sides of my face and moves to pull me in for a kiss. Only before his lips can touch mine, the door bursts open, and everything becomes pure chaos.
Tank
I kick the door open with such force that it ricochets back at me, and I have to stop it from slamming in my face.
The scene before me has me seeing red.
He has my girl backed up against the bed, shoulders bare, clutching a blanket to cover herself. Fear is written all over her face.
Not only did he take her against her will, but he also stripped her, cornered her, and is now about to force himself onto her?
Hell no.
“What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to be here!” Blaine rants.
He grabs ahold of her hair and pulls, making her cry out.
“Tank!” my girl cries out.
There is pain there, but also relief. She is happy to see me.
“Baby, are you okay?” I ask.
She chokes out a sob. “I’ve been better.”
He shakes her. “Stop. Stop talking to him, Delaney! You will submit to me! How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Let Delaney go,” Acid demands from behind me.
“Tell him you don’t want him, Delaney. Tell him you choose me.” He pulls her hair harder, making her wince.
“Back away,” Gunner demands.
I can’t tell you who else is in the room because everything around me goes fuzzy as I keep my eyes locked on the dipshit in front of me.
Dead.
He’s a dead man standing.
Without giving it a second thought, I rush him. I step onto the bed and launch myself at him, I grab ahold of him, taking him to the ground. His head snaps hard against the floor. I sit up and straddle him. I grab ahold of his collar and shake him.
“Did you touch her?” I demand.
He makes a moaning sound but doesn’t respond.
I shake him again. “Did you touch my girl?”
“S-she’s not yours,” he gasps.
“Bullshit. Now answer me. Did you rape her?”
Blaine smiles and blood covers his teeth. He must have bit his tongue or cheek when we went down.
What a little bitch. I haven’t even hit him yet, and he’s already bleeding.
“Tank,” I hear one of my brothers warn behind me, but I don’t stop.
“Answer me!” I hiss.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He smirks.
His smirk sends me over the edge, and I just begin hitting him.
I punch him once in the nose, the crunch echoing through the hotel room, before hitting him again in the same spot for good measure.
His head snaps to the side, but I just follow.
Faintly I hear someone crying behind me, but I don’t stop.
Reaching forward, I grab a hold of his hair to hold his head and punch him again and again.
I’ll give him credit, he manages to buck me off him once, but I quickly roll, putting me on top once again.
“Not today, motherfucker,” I hiss.
“Stop it! Let me go. She’s mine! She loves me. ME! Not you,” he snarls.
Something about the desperation to believe what he’s saying makes me laugh, pausing my assault.
“Trust me, I get it. I’d be fucking desperate if she wasn’t mine, just like you, but guess what?
” I lean down in his face. “Delaney isn’t yours.
You fucked up and let her go. You lost her when you cheated like a little bitch.
Then she met me and realized she never had been yours.
She’s mine. I’m the one who makes her happy.
I’m the one who lets her shine. I’m the one who can make her come and will be the one she commits to.
You were nothing but a footnote who refused to go away. ”
I’ll give him credit, he manages to hit me in the ribs, making me grunt.
“Lies. All lies! You don’t deserve her.”
“That’s something we can agree on.”
He swings his arm, hitting me in the nose, making my head snap back. I grab ahold of it and slam it down on the side of his wrist, making him cry out in pain.
Good, I hope I fucking shattered it.
“Now where were we?” I ask, right before I hit him again.
The entire time I hit him, he scratches at my arms, trying to buck me off of him, but there’s no moving me. Before he can pass out, I hit him in the ribs, over and over again. The need to inflict as much pain as possible is overwhelming.
He needs to pay.
Blaine Collins fucked with the wrong man. He hurt the wrong woman, and he has to pay.
I feel his ribs on his left side give way and start pounding on the right before moving back to his face.
“Tank, stop!” someone demands.
Hands try to pull me off of Blaine, but I shake them off.
Death.
He needs to die.
He can’t live. I won’t let him.
Today’s the day Blaine meets his maker, and I’ll make sure of it.
“Knock it off, man. You’ll kill him!” one of the guys hiss.
“Control yourself, Tank, before you go too far,” another one demands as they reach for me.
I dodge my brothers’ grasps while still hitting the dumbass beneath me.
Don’t they understand? He hurt what’s mine. He wanted to violate her in the worst possible way. No one who commits those acts deserves to breathe the same air as anyone, let alone a woman. If they were in my position, I wouldn’t make them stop.
No, I would do everything in my power to make sure they got to perform the ultimate form of justice.
“Warren, that’s enough. Stop now!” Delaney demands, her voice cuts through the fog, like an angel coming out of the clouds.
Blinking, I look over at her standing next to Smoke, his bare chest under his cut as she wears his T-shirt, covering her completely. It’s not her state of undress that draws me in. It’s the fear in her face.
She holds out her hand to me. “Come here, now.”
Without having to be told twice, I stand, walking toward her. As soon as I’m close enough, she breaks away from Smoke and throws herself into my arms.
“I’m so sorry, Laney. I let you down. I’m so sorry,” I murmur against her hair.
Glancing over my shoulder, I stare at Blaine’s lifeless body lying in the middle of the floor.
What have I done?