Page 74 of Hateful Union
I raise my head so that I’m looking at him. “I’m sorry, since when did the doctor tell me I was to spend all my time in bed?” I question him. These past two days have been exhausting. Mal’s finding it hard to leave me alone, hating to have me out of his sight for more than thirty seconds.
“Raylee—” His accent heavier whenever he’s annoyed or angry. “You’re recovering.”
“The doctors told you I’m fine, the baby’s fine. My face will heal. Mal, you’ve got to ease up.” My voice is brimming with emotion. If he continues with this overprotectiveness, he’s going to drive me insane.
“You’re not fucking fine,” he growls. “Your face is riddled with bruises, your nose is broken and you’re not fucking sleeping.”
That’s all true. Every time I close my eyes, all I see is the darkness, and the panic seeps in.
“I know, but you’ve got to ease up on me. I can’t lie in bed, I need some freedom.”
His eyes glow with worry. “You want to go somewhere, I’ll take you. You want something, I’ll get it.”
My heart melts at his words. “I love you,” I tell him, my throat closing. “I love you so much, Mal.”
He sighs, “I’ll ease up, but you do not leave this house without me.”
“I promise.” I pucker up my lips, wanting a kiss and knowing that if I rose to my feet to get one he’d lose his mind, again. He smiles, his eyes crinkling in the corners. God, I love this man. He leans down and kisses my lips softly.
“Be good,” I tell him with a smirk. His family is still here and while I’m glad, they can be a bit much. Holly is sweet, Makenna and Melissa are both badarses and I love that, but damn, they’re all so damn nosey.
He pulls away, shaking his head. “Yell if you need me,” he says and walks towards the kitchen, where his dad’s sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.
The past two days have been filled with revelation after revelation. My dad died while we were in that basement and while it hurts that I’ll never see him again, I can’t say that I’m not relieved. He’ll never hurt anyone again. But as soon as those thoughts enter my mind, guilt eats at me. He’s my father. I shouldn’t be glad that he’s dead.
Kiro’s rise to power was easy, he’s taken over from not only Dad, but also from Ashton. He’s clarified that things are about to change. No women will be made to be prostitutes against their wills and no one is going to be trafficked. That business was shut down. Kiro, Jake, Malcolm, Denis, Danny, Dante, and Romero, along with their men, made a statement. They took out everyone who was involved from the ground to the top. No one made it out alive.
Kiro and Malcolm came to a truce. Mal’s reassured that all of my brothers are clean; he's happy to do business with them. I know that he’s only doing that for me. I adore my brothers and want them in my life. Having Malcolm call a truce means the world to me and makes me love him even more.
I have not seen Mum since everything came out about Dad and Ashton. She feels guilty and we’re all mad at her. What she went through is beyond comprehensible, and I hate that they have held her in a life she never wanted to be in for such a long time. But she had the strength to go to the police. She should have told us, we would have helped her. Instead, we went through hell and then she vanished without a word.
The sofa dips beside me, and I turn to see Lissa sitting down beside me. “Are you doing okay?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah, I’m just glad to be out of the bed.”
She laughs, “Yeah, I bet. These men are intense, but they mean well.” I giggle. She can say that again. “This family is…” She lets her words drift off. “They can be too much, they’re in your face and in your business constantly. It’s hard being an outsider trying to fit in. But once you’re in, Ray-Ray, you’re in.”
“I’m not used to it. I’m not really that social. I love my brothers and they love me. I’m super close to Bentley. But this…” I shake my head. “It’s amazing to watch, but sometimes it’s chaotic.”
She laughs. “That is one way of putting it. I adore Holly and Makenna, but that family is so close, sometimes we need a breather. We’re lucky, our men, they’re all about us, they know when we’re uncomfortable and when we’ve had enough. Trust Mal, he’ll make sure you’re not overwhelmed.”
“Is everyone in your family a badarse?” Each of them has their strengths, they all appear as though they’d kill you without a second thought.
Melissa’s eyes crinkle before she throws her head back and laughs, her body shaking. “Yes. To answer that honestly, yes, they are. The men are protective of us, even though we don’t need them to be, and the women,” She grins widely. “We’ll happily slit your throat if you mess with us. Well Holly wouldn’t, but she could if she needed to. I’m sure you could too.”
I don’t think so. “I’m more of a lover than a fighter. I’ll do whatever I can without actually getting bloody. I have a mean streak a mile long and my temper flares quicker than you can say bitch. But killing someone is different.”
Her eyes soften. “I’m like you, and as Danny likes to repeatedly point out, I don’t like many people. But you’re not afraid of us, you look at us like we’re normal people, not monsters.”
My heart hurts for her. Malcolm told me a bit about her life before she married Danny. Her family are arsholes, her step-mum and sisters made it known that they didn’t want her in their family. She was alone, as her mum was a drug addict who let her partner rape Melissa. “You do what you have to do, Lis, that doesn’t make you a monster.”
“Just like you did,” she says softly. “Going to the cops even though you knew it could get you killed was a ballsy move.”
“A stupid move,” Makenna says as she comes to take a seat opposite us.
I’m not one hundred percent sure about the beautiful blonde, she’s dangerous. That’s clear to see. She radiates power and exudes sexuality. She’s the ultimate package. Not to mention she’s the Boss.
I raise a brow at her, the snide comment rubbing me the wrong way. “I’m sorry?” I ask, my tone less than pleasant.