Chapter 8

8

DELANEY

I leave the city early on Saturday, heading down to my grandmother's retirement facility in a small town half an hour away. I'm looking forward to seeing her and my brother, who's promised me that he's also on the way down. Happiness fills me like it always does when I get to be with my family. I work so hard to provide for them that it feels like I don't get to see them nearly as much as I want to.

I'm driving down alone, without Damien, for the first time all week. I feel a little like I'm missing a limb without him by my side. I've become so attached to him in such a short space of time.

He had a business meeting he couldn't miss but promised me that next time, he'd come with me. I want my family to meet him, want to introduce the people I love more than anything in the world to each other. Because there's no doubt in my mind or my heart that I love Damien. We haven't said the words to each other yet, but with every touch, every kiss, every time I call him Daddy—I know. I'm his, his to love and keep and care for. And he's mine in return.

I'm grinning about that the whole drive, the smile still on my lips as I pull up to the Acrewood Retirement Facility. I made sure to pick out the best place I could find for my grandmother, and this place truly is wonderful. She has a great life here, more of a social life than I do, and I know she's safe and has access to the care she needs. The work I have to do to pay for it is worth it, a hundred times over.

I send off a quick text message to Damien when the car's parked, butterflies flapping in my stomach when I see the last message he sent telling me to be a good girl for Daddy . I promised him I'd keep in touch, and I intend to hold up to every promise I'll ever make to him.

I slip my phone into my pocket as I step out of the car, heading towards the entrance.

I don't get more than two steps away from my car before someone grabs me.

Strong, thick arms wrap around me, a palm slapping over my mouth and cutting my scream off halfway. Fear and adrenaline rush through me all at once, my instincts kicking in as the person tries to drag me away.

I flail, kicking and elbowing and fighting like hell to get out of my attacker's hold.

"We warned him," a low, gruff male voice grunts in my ear. My mind spins, confusion swarming me.

Warned who? About what? Why the hell is this man trying to kidnap me?

I can't ask any of these questions because of the hand slapped over my face. I bare my teeth, biting down hard into the callused flesh. The man swears, his grip loosening for a second. I take advantage of it, redoubling my efforts to get away. For a brief second, hope blooms through me as I manage to take a step away from him.

That hope is crushed a second later when his body wraps around mine again, his grip tighter than before, crushing the air out of me. Panic winds around me just as tightly as his arms, tears stinging my eyes and tracking down my face, wetting the cuffs of his shirt. My feet skid on the concrete as the man yanks me backward.

Suddenly, someone tackles us from the side. I gasp as I stumble, the arms wrapped around me releasing a little as the new person sends a punch into the man's nose. The crunch of cartilage is loud in my ear. I send my elbow backward into his stomach as the other person lands another hit, and finally, his arms drop. I rush forward, panting heavily and dizzy with adrenaline.

I spin back just in time to see my brother rush towards us, and I realize with a punch of shock that it's Damien beating the man, Damien, who has him on the ground with his fist, hitting the man over and over.

My brother reaches them, grabbing the other man's hands and pinning him to the floor while he kneels over him to trap his legs, too. The second he's completely restrained, Damien jumps up and rushes straight for me. I collapse into his arms, clinging to him as I burrow my face into his chest.

He wraps his arms around me, and I notice out of the corner of my eye the way his knuckles are scraped and bruised from hitting the man. I shiver, realizing just how much danger I was in, but feeling utterly safe now that Damien has me.

"The cops are on their way!" my brother, Gavin, calls out, and I take a shaky breath.

"Thank you," I whisper, then clear my throat and repeat, louder this time, "Thank you, both of you. I don't … I tried to fight, but he was just so much stronger, so much bigger than me and…"

"Sshh, pretty girl, it's okay. You're okay. I'm here now," Damien says, stroking my hair and keeping me close.

The next few minutes are a blur of trying to breathe and stop shaking, my eyes flicking back and forth from the man on the ground, knocked out with a last punch from my brother and the men who protected me. It doesn't take long for the cops to arrive, blue lights flashing as they pull up.

As two cops handcuff my bleary, bleeding attacker, one of them approaches me. He's tall and wearing a sympathetic expression, a notepad in his hands. Damien leads me over to sit on the low wall nearby, sticking beside me as the cop starts asking questions.

"Do you know who the man is or why he would attack you?" the cop asks, and I shake my head. Beside me, Damien stiffens and begins to talk.

"I do," he growls, voice rough, his hands shaking with unreleased anger. "That's Adrian Findlay."

The cop's brow raises. "You know him?"

Damien nods, and I look up at him, surprised. "We work in the same industry. He considers us rivals. Recently … fuck, recently he's been calling and texting and emailing constantly, not leaving me alone."

"Why's that?" the cop prods.

"He wants a building I own, and I won't sell it to him. Really, he hates the fact I'm more successful than him," Damien explains. His hand is still in mine, and I squeeze, trying to silently show him that I'm here, I'm okay.

"Did he make any direct threats against you or Miss Graeme in any correspondence?"

"No … wait, shit!" Damien curses. "The last call, he told me I'd regret it if I didn't give him what he wanted. I thought it was just an empty threat, him showing his true colors. I never imagined Delaney was in danger."

I lean into him as he wraps his arm around me, kissing my forehead, looking anguished at the fact his rival has tried to hurt me. It's not his fault; I'd never blame him for it. Adrian Findlay is clearly unstable and insane to go to this length over what seems like such a petty business disagreement.

The cop asks a few more questions, says he'll contact us if needed, and then they haul Adrian Findlay away in handcuffs.

"You're safe, pretty girl," Damien repeats as we watch the police pull away. "Nothing will ever hurt you again. I'm so sorry, baby. So sorry."

I shake my head. "It's not your fault, Damien," I say, reassuring him. "He's the one who shoulders all the blame, not you." Something occurs to me at that moment, and I crane my head to look up at him. "How did you get here in time?"

Anger flashes in Damien's eyes again, but I know it's aimed at Adrian, not me. "His business partner called my office this morning, actually," he says gruffly. "Said he was worried about Adrian, that he'd never seen him like this. He'd gone off the rails, trashed his office, and sworn something about making me pay before storming out. He was worried Adrian was going to hurt someone to get to me, and so obviously, my first concern was you."

My heart melts a little at how fast he came to me, how much he'd needed to check on me and make sure I was okay. And thank God he had. I don't want to think about what could have happened to me if Damien hadn't shown up at that moment, what Adrain could have done.

Before we can talk about anything else in detail, my brother comes over to us, looking me over as though he needs to check I'm okay too.

"This isn't how I wanted you to meet," I say with a huff of laughter, looking between Damien and Gavin. "Damien, meet my brother, Gavin. Gav, this is Damien."

They shake hands, giving each other a nod. "Good to meet you," Damien says.

"You, too. Good to know my sister has someone willing to stick up for her and protect her," Gavin says, approval in his words.

"I'd do anything for her," Damien agrees, and I go all gooey inside. Sure, the circumstances are far from ideal, but it makes me so happy to know Gavin approves of Damien.

Over Gavin's shoulder, I see someone coming out of the retirement home, confusion on their face. From the name tag and uniform she's wearing, it's obvious she's a member of staff.

I wave at her and push to my feet. "Come on, let's go explain to Gamma what's just happened," I say to my brother and Damien.

"She's gonna love him for protecting you like that," Gavin says with a chuckle. "Hell, she's gonna be mad she didn't get to see it."

I shove his arm playfully, and Damien slips his hand into mine as the three of us walk across the parking lot to where my grandmother lives.

Predictably, she loves Damien, too.