How West Was Won (Haven, Texas 7)

“I did anything that was asked of me, to be rewarded with time with Lana. And then he decided to give her to one of his enforcers.”

“What?” She asked. “Her own father gave her away? Gave her to somebody like she was chattel?”

“Exactly.” His face showed no expression, but she could see the pain living in his eyes. She couldn’t even imagine how a father could do that to his own daughter.

Much like how a brother can abuse his sister?

Okay, so maybe she knew a bit about fucked up family relations.

“What did she do? What did you do?”

“I lost it,” he told her. “I was so mad that I went after her father. Took three of his bodyguards to pin me down. He said he would ignore my attack on him that time, due to the extenuating circumstances, but if it ever happened again, I was a dead man and that I better understand that he owned me.”

“He said those words exactly? Extenuating circumstances?”

“Those words exactly.”

God, she couldn’t even imagine his pain. He’d gotten involved in all of that for her and her father just gave her to someone else. “And Lana?”

“I couldn’t get to her. Her new husband, his enforcer, had her safely tucked away in his house. He was a complete and utter prick. An asshole who beat her, raped her, and, ultimately, killed her.”

She gasped. “What?”

“He was sick in the head. She was his reward for years of service to the family. He didn’t see her as a person. He saw her as a thing. And he went too far. I doubt he meant to kill her. Even he couldn’t have been that stupid to know that Marceras would let him get away with killing his daughter.”

“Did Marceras know what he was like when he gave Lana to him?”

“Yes,” he said in a really quiet voice that prickled along her spine. “He knew.”

“Alec talked me into waiting. He told me he was working on something. I didn’t really want to listen, though. I was working on my own plan to get her back when I heard she’d been murdered by that bastard.”

“Oh, God,” she whispered. He must have lost it. To know that Lana had been beaten, raped, and murdered. “Then what happened?”

“I went searching for the bastard who killed her. I was going to take him down. And I had no intention of coming out of it alive. Alec and the others were searching desperately for me; they had no idea where I was, they just knew I’d lost the plot. Unfortunately, Marceras killed that bastard before I could get to him.”

She let out a sigh of relief. Not that the man that killed Lana didn’t deserve to have West seek revenge on him, but because she didn’t want that on his soul.

“He was already dead by the time I found him, so I couldn’t get payback for Lana from him. But there was one other person at fault. One other person just as guilty for her death.”

She stared at him with wide eyes. “You went after Marceras again?”

How was he still alive? She couldn’t imagine one could go after someone like that and come out unscathed.

“This time I was smarter about it. He kept a mistress, and I knew where she lived. I took out his bodyguards who were outside, snuck my way inside, and took out the guards in there. He didn’t even see me coming. I slit his throat while he lay there in that bed. I didn’t touch the woman he was with. It was dark enough she didn’t see me. After I left, I walked around in a kind of stupor for a while. Didn’t really know where I was or what I was doing. I’m just lucky Alec found me when he did. Well, I didn’t feel lucky at the time. I just really wanted to die, to be with Lana.”

She winced. She couldn’t even guess his pain. “Oh, West. I’m so sorry.”

“Are you horrified? That I killed him?”

She thought maybe she should be. But Marceras hadn’t been a good man. “He cut off Beau’s finger. He forced Alec to work for him. Forced you to do the same. Would have done the same to Jaret next, I guess.”

He nodded. “He was already making moves on him.”

“He used you. Used Lana. Gave her away, like she was something he owned. And he gave her to someone who didn’t take care of her. Gave her away, when he knew how you felt about her. So, no, I don’t think I’m horrified. I think I would have done the same.”

To her surprise he smiled at her.

“You don’t think I’m capable of killing someone?”