Page 151 of Hunter's Revenge
From the moment I found out what happened to him to set him on this course, I’ve been curious and eager for more details. Of course, I got the gist of what happened, but I care about him enough to want the whole story.
I’ve also realized there was more than just that event that hurt him.Broke him.
I’m broken, too, so I spotted the signs practically straightaway.
I want to know what created the monster.
“What truths hurt you more than the lies, Malik?”
His eyes darken dangerously, but the sensuality that’s always there whenever he looks at me is still present.
He looks away, and I wonder if that’s his way of ending the conversation.
Then he looks back at me, and in the still moonlight, I notice that the guard he usually keeps up isn’t there anymore.
The openness I’m witnessing reminds me of a child. He has that lost little boy look. It’s so different than the man, and the beast.
“I’m not sure where to begin. I don’t know what hurt me more.”
“Maybe just start.”
He sighs and presses a fist into the seat. “My mother helped kill my father and my uncle. That hurt like nothing else.”
My mouth drops. “Oh my God.”
“She was in league with Viktor, my older brother. She wanted him to take over the Volkova empire. To do that, she needed my father out of the way. She plotted with people who wanted my uncle gone, too. Everything blew up, and I lost them all within a matter of days.” He pauses for a moment then continues. “I will never forgive my mother for what she did, no matter her reasons. She took away two men who meant everything to me. Losing my father and uncle pushed me over the edge. I was barely hanging on anyway because I blamed myself for my old Navy captain’s death.”
“How can you blame yourself? That sounded like it was an attack.”
“It was, but the cartel and whoever the fuck they aligned with were after me. Not him. He got caught in the crossfire trying to save me. To them, he was expendable, worth nothing.” His shoulders sag. “I grew up with him and his son, Brian, who was like a brother to me. When Brian died the year before, I promised myself I’d take care of his father. Then when his father was killed died, I promised Brian I’d do what he couldn’t and avenge his father’s death. All that time I was held captive, revenge was the only thing I wanted to live for. This is where I’m at.”
I understand him better now, and my heart grips when I think of what he must have gone through.
“Did you get justice?” What I’m really asking is if taking me was worth it.
He pulls in a deep breath, keeping his eyes fixed to mine, then he shakes his head slowly in reflection.
“I’m not sure if I ever will. That part of me that had to go through it all is still dead inside, and so are they. But…”—he lifts my chin toward him—“maybe I got something else I didn’t deserve. Something valuable, something precious, something good.”
Me.He means me.
I’ve never considered myself valuable, precious, or good before. To hear him say such things about me lifts my soul.
As I look at him, I know I’d say similar things about him. He saved me. He’s been good to me, and he’s been the only man I’ve ever loved.
Love.
I might never have been in love before, but I know in my heart that I love him without question and without end.
“Maybe I got that, too.”
He covers my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “No, Gwen. You ended up with a very bad, broken man who’s just a shell of the person he used to be.”
“Because something happened to you.”
“I was born bad. It was encoded in my DNA to be bad, but the things that happened to me created the heartless monster.”
I place my hand over his heart and savor the rapid beat. “You’re not a monster. I can feel the real you inside alive with every beat of your heart. It’s just like mine.”