Chapter Six Delphine

I know I complain quite a bit about how Hex and his brothers involve themselves in every aspect of my life, but right now, I'm extremely grateful to them. If Zip hadn't spent so much time teaching me how to drive a speedboat and how to make my way through the complexities of the bayou, I wouldn't be gliding up to the Demon Dawg dock.

Levi helps us out of the boat after tying us off. He falls in step with me as I lead the way to the clubhouse.

"When we get inside, let me do the talking," I tell Levi. "They won't trust you right away. I'll explain how I know you, but they'll want to know how you came to be employed by Maxim. So talk quickly. I need to know the truth."

"Mr. Zoloth hired me two weeks ago. I didn't know who he was. I thought he was just a businessman who needed some muscle. If I'd had known he was going to kidnap you, I wouldn't have taken the job. I swear it."

"I believe you, but how did you break us free?"

"Mr. Zoloth gave me the plan," Levi says.

I stop walking and stare at him with my mouth open. "What do you mean, he came up with the plan? Maxim told you how to help us escape from him? That makes little sense."

"Not Maxim. Vladimir. He gave me the instructions. Told me to incapacitate the other guard. He also gave me the keys to both speedboats and suggested I disable the second the boat."

I ponder his story as we enter the backdoor of the clubhouse. The first person I see is Nora. She's topping off Abra's mug. When she looks up and sees me, the hot coffee splashes over Abra's hand. He cusses at her until he sees her staring at me. Turning, he lets out a yell that has the entire clubhouse converging on us.

The noise brings Hex and Cleo out of the back rooms. Hex rushes over and lifts me into his arms before swinging me around. He plants a kiss on my cheek before releasing me and giving the same attention to his sisters. Cleo gives me a tight hug before standing next to me with her arm around my waist as we watch Hex with his sisters. That's when I feel the air shift and my skin tingle. I know without looking that Dixie has entered the room. I turn to see him just as he wraps his arms around me and lifts me into the air. He swings me around just like Hex did. Only when he lowers me, he cups my face with his hands while kissing me senseless.

"Stop eating her face!" Hex bellows, which gives me the giggles.

Dixie leans back far enough to send Hex a glare. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I snuggle into his embrace. Waking up in the hands of Maxim, I worried that I'd never feel Dixie's arms around me again. I have no plans to move from this position soon. However, when I see Abra grab Levi's collar and hoist him up into the air, I have to break away from Dixie and defend the man who rescued my daughters and me.

"Abra, put him down," I order. He lowers Levi back to the ground, but doesn't release his hold on him. "Levi saved our lives. We owe him gratitude and our protection."

Sasha and Shayna step forward and pry Levi free of Abra's hold. Shayna gives Abra a glare while they lead Levi away. She pulls him into the seat next to her.

"Abra, let him be for a few minutes. Let's hear what happened and then we'll decide what to do with him," Hex orders.

"How about some food?" Nora offers. "I made a batch of dirty rice along with stuffed peppers and hushpuppies."

We all take seats around the able as Nora and two of the Kutte Bunnies bring out our meal. Dixie pulls me close and keeps one hand on my thigh, as if he's afraid I'll disappear again. When I'm halfway through the meal, Hex asks for someone to bring him up to speed.

I explain how Maxim's men ambushed us at my apartment and injected us with a drug to knock us out. They already know about the phone call, so I skip to the part where we tried to escape using the toothbrushes until Levi entered the room and lead us to the speedboat.

"So that's what the toothbrushes were doing on the floor," Dixie says with a chuckle.

"Why did you help them escape?" Hex asks Levi. "Aren't you working for Maxim?"

"Delphine saved my sister's life. I had to help her and her daughters. When Mr. Zoloth offered me a job, I didn't know who he was. I thought he was just a Russian doing business in the US and needed some local muscle. Mr. Zoloth assigned me to guard the repair shop, but didn't tell me they were holding prisoners there. I swear it."

"Then how did you end up rescuing them if you didn't know they were there?" Dixie asks.

"He told me. Vladimir Zoloth. Maxim's son. You know you look a lot like him," Levi says to Hex. "Except for the eyes. You have black eyes, Vladimir's are an ice blue."

"I've heard that before," Hex says wryly, glancing at Cleo, who grins at him. "So Vladimir told you that Maxim was holding Delphine and my sisters hostage?"

Levi nods. "He told me I needed to help them escape. I thought it was a test and said no, but that's when he told me who Maxim was holding hostage. As soon as I heard your name, I agreed to help. He told me to overpower the other guard before releasing you from the room and taking you down to the speedboat. I didn't even question the plan. I just did what he said. It wasn't until we were in the speedboat that I realized I didn't know how to drive one or where to take them. I thought Vladimir was going to meet us at the boat, but he didn't. Luckily, Delphine took over."

"What happened to Vladimir?" Dixie asks Hex. "I didn't see him, did you?"

Hex shakes his head.

"So, what happens now?" Levi asks. "I can't go back to Maxim's. He'll kill me. Besides, I don't want to work for him."

"You can prospect with us," Dixie offers, and I send him a grateful smile. "We'll work your ass off for at least a year, but you can earn your patch and join the club as a member."

Levi's eyes widen with surprise, but he's nodding in agreement before Dixie ends his spiel. "I'll do whatever you ask," he promises.

"Good enough," Dixie says, pushing his plate away before standing up. He pulls me up with him and moves toward the stairs.

"Wait, where are we sleeping tonight?" Shayna asks.

"You have rooms here in the clubhouse. Delphine furnished them and stocked it full of your clothes and crap," I hear Hex explain. I chuckle as we go up the stairs.

"What?" Dixie asks me.

"Hex is pretending that I forced him to create rooms for his sisters. He can't admit that he asked me to furnish them in case the girls wanted to come for a visit."

"He's proud of what he built here," Dixie says, opening the door to his room.

"As he should be," I add, when he draws me inside and closes the door. "You should all be proud of what you've built."

Dixie pulls me into his arms. Cradling the back of my head with one hand, he crushes my body into his with the other. He holds me tight as he takes several deep breaths. I can feel the slight tremors emanating from his hard body, or maybe those tremors are coming from me.

"I've never been so fucking scared in my entire life," he mutters without breaking his hold. "Knowing that asshole had you was bad enough, but not finding you when I searched the building where we thought he held you…Fuck, woman. I felt like I failed you."

"You didn't fail me, Dix," I comfort him. "Although, I admit being scared that I'd never see you again. Maxim's an asshole. I wouldn't put it past him to destroy my happiness. He's been trying to destroy me for years."

"Want to talk about it?" Dixie asks, pulling back far enough to look at me.

"No, not tonight. I think Hex and the girls need to hear everything. I haven't been completely honest with any of you."

"You wanted to protect your kids. I get that," Dixie assures me. I smile in thanks, because he's right.

"Everything I've done was to protect them, but I never stopped to ask myself if protecting them from the truth was the right thing to do. They're all older now and need to know. They're adults. I should start treating them as such."

"In the meantime, I'm going to treat you like an adult and do many adult things to your sexy body," Dixie says with a mischievous grin.

"Not going to get an argument from me," I grin back. "But first I need a shower."