Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 170(@200wpm)___ 136(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Damion stopped, grabbed his glass of wine, and took a sip.
Vicki looked at his hand, and it didn’t shake, didn’t quiver.
“I got up from that park bench, and I don’t know, I just snapped. I walked into his garden, went up to his front door. He believed he was invincible and everyone was going to stay in line, that he didn’t even have any guards. I walked into his home, and I went to his bedroom. He had tied a belt around the girl’s neck and was choking her so he could rape her. She already had blood coming from her nose, and he had scratches. He’d broken her arm. He said he didn’t like them willing. I had packed a knife, and I walked right up to him, grabbed his dick, and sliced it off. Next, I stabbed him in the stomach, then sliced his neck. I killed him, and the room was covered in blood.”
He took another sip of wine.
“I saved that girl. Removed the belt from around her neck, got some clothes to put on her, and since the screaming stopped, some of the families came to see. I walked out of that house with the girl, holding my knife. I looked at all of them, and told them straight that Old County was about to change. If they had a problem, they could take me on. I held the same knife I had just used to slice up Mitchell. Then, I took that girl home.”
“Is that girl ... I mean, did she get out?”
“No, and you met her,” Damion said.
“Who?”
“Delphine was that girl.”
This shocked her. “What?”
“Yep, from that night on, Delphine was never the same. Neither were her parents. They didn’t willingly give her to be used by Mitchell. She was stolen from them, and they were held at gunpoint. When I arrived at their home, the leader of the family who had taken her was there, and that was when the first deal was made. The first law was simple: All civilians are off limits. The only exception to that is if a civilian wishes to join one of their families. That is the only time I will look the other way.”
“And that is how you took control?” Vicki asked.
“Yes.”
“Does it bother you that someone else might do that?”
“If they think they can, they can try. You see, the thing about being in control, is not allowing it to go to your head. I have not done this. I take nothing as my own. I do the deals that benefit the town. I pay myself a modest wage and make sure the town thrives. That is all I do. I never benefit from it myself.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“You know the motto—once in Old County, you’re staying in Old County. I was here, I can’t leave, I was not going to be a family leader. I don’t take well to orders. I like making them, and ensuring they are ... abided by. I have the job I need, and so far, the town of Old County is running smoothly. Better than it ever has. It is why the school has been able to run and function the way it does. Businesses are thriving. Life is good.”
She couldn’t deny it. Although she thought about her mother and Frank. “It’s not easy for everyone, though.”
“They make their choices, Vicki. There is nothing you can do about that. All you can do is try to be there when they need it most.”
She couldn’t help but feel awful. “I guess I was never a good enough daughter, or a good enough ... adult figure for both of them.”
“Stop,” Damion said. “You’re an amazing woman. I have watched you, and you have fought your mother’s reputation. The locals will not allow you to be hurt. You have worked your way into their hearts, and trust me, Old County is a lot of things, and it’s not loving.”
Vicki couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s true.”
“You did that, not anyone else.”
“Thank you,” Vicki said.
“You can only ever do so much, and unless you start to suffocate them and not let them out of the house, which is abuse, you’re doing the best you can, and they are not even your kids.”
Chapter Three
“Annette is still in Thames’s territory. No sign of her leaving anytime soon. They had a shipment of new product and I’m guessing they are using it on her,” Delphine said.
Damion sat back in his office chair, and he held a stress ball within his grip. Last night had been incredible. Vicki had been amazing company, but he knew she was stressed about her mother and also about Frank. There was nothing he could do with either, as both were playing dangerous games on their own terms. All he could do was offer to clean up the mess when it was over. If he interfered, he broke his own rules, and he wasn’t doing that shit.