“Oh, god. That’s awful.”
He takes a deep breath. “It started off with a few ‘visits’ from a couple of heavies. It was several years after he had taken over and made it very successful. They roughed him up, tried to make him sell the place. Of course, he didn’t want to give it up. And rightly so, he sacrificed years of his life and missed out on a lot, especially when Tara was a teenager. So, he told them where to stick it.”
I know I didn’t know Denham’s father, but from what he says, they were very much alike and it’s crystal clear how much he loved him. But the guilt on Denham’s part, I don’t understand why.
“I watched it all happening. It was a little each day. The worry tortured him. But he wouldn’t give in. There was always someone watching him, I saw it with my own eyes, but I relied on him to tell me when he needed me. Once, there was a package delivered to his office. He was out, so I signed for it.” He rakes a hand across his face and draws a long breath through his teeth. “You know, I watched the color drain from his face when he came back and saw that package on his desk. I don’t think it was the first one but it was definitely the last. He threw it into his safe without even opening it. Kind of, ignorance is bliss, you know? Then we thought they had given up.” He stops pacing the room to stare out of the window. His hands on his hips, staring into the sky like it could take him away from the hurt. I don’t speak. He needs this.
“There was three months where no one came around. No one watched him when he came and went. No one bothered him. We stupidly thought it was all over. We thought they had gotten the message and knew that they wouldn’t win.” I hear the tone of his voice change and it’s all I can do to keep my ass firmly planted on the bed and let him continue. But I know he needs this. I know he needs to let it all out and as much as I think it’s hurting him, it’s something he has to do to move forward. My silence allows him to continue.
“It wasn’t over, Ari. Not for us anyway. I came back from a night out to find his office light still on. It wasn’t unusual, as he worked so damn hard. When I walked into his office, my life changed forever.”
The tone on his voice changes on the last word and he chokes it out. I can’t sit here any longer and see him hurting so much. I get to my feet and cross the room in just a few strides. My arms find their way around his waist from behind, and I hold him tight.
“They killed him, Ari. He wouldn’t give them what they wanted so they took his life…they took my dad,” he chokes on a sob as it moves up through his chest, and I feel the pain of it against my fingertips. He turns in my arms, burying his head in my shoulder. I’m sure these aren’t the first tears he’s shed for his father, but after seeing how he has taken on the role as head of the family, it makes me wonder if he ever felt like he could show his family this side of how he feels. I wonder if he’s truly ever had the chance to let it all out and feel like he has someone to share all of this with.
“It wasn’t your fault,” I soothe, stroking his hair with one hand and holding him tight with the other. “There wasn’t anything you could have done to stop it.”
“You’re wrong,” he says, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. He starts to pace again. “I couldhave helped him. I knew, Ari. I saw it all unfolding but I was too wrapped up in my own life to take note of all the signs. In that package was a single bullet. It was a warning, and I should have known. I could have gotten us some security. Made sure he was safe at all times. Made sure we were all safe.”
“No, Denham.”
“Yes. Don’t make excuses for my selfishness. I should have done something about it before it was too late and I didn’t. So, you see…I can’t make the same mistake with you.” He cups my face with his hands, firmly but not forcefully. “I’m falling in love with you, Ari. And I don’t want something to happen to you like it did to my father, because I just couldn’t live with myself, if it did.”
I open my mouth to speak, and he presses his thumb across my lips. “If you don’t feel the same then you need to tell me.”
I shake my head from side to side to tell him that I couldn’t possibly say something that isn’t true.
“No, you don’t feel the same?” he questions, but when he sees me frown, he grins and removes his thumb.
“I do feel the same,” I whisper.
His body relaxes in relief, and mine does too, to think that there’s so much more out in the open now and at least when he’s trying to make sure I’m okay, then I know what’s driving him to be so protective.
“So, please let me do this for you. For us. There’s something going on, and whether it has to do with your past, or mine. I will never live with myself if something happens to you that I could have prevented.”
Oh god, it might be nothing to do with my past. It could be the same people that killed his father trying to settle a score or unpaid debt. He must see the panic in my eyes as I try to process everything.
“What is it, Ari?”
“Well, did they ever find the man or men who killed your father?”
“No. But, they won’t. Not now. There wasn’t enough evidence. No prints, no camera footage, no witnesses.”
“What if …”
“What? They come back?”
“Yes.”
“I have more security in this place now than I ever have had.” It’s his turn to comfort me now and he does it with such ease and confidence that makes me realize how hard it was to let it be the other way around. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe, I promise.”
I sigh. It’s not what I wanted to hear tonight, not only because it actually pains my heart to hear the sorrow and guilt in Denham’s voice. But, because it means that there could be yet another thing we could face in the future, should we have a future together. Another thing to look over my shoulder for.
Could I do without this? Yes, for sure.
Is it worth it?
For Denham King … Without a doubt.
