His Secret Sin

“How did you know where to find me?” she asked.

“A friend.”

“A friend?”

“He saw you. He knew we’d been out together, and he told me what he saw. I came and got you.”

“I don’t understand. What was the loud bang?”

“It was nothing. It was being taken care of.”

There was a moment’s pause and he finished rinsing her hair.

“You have a friend?” she asked.

He smiled. “I do.”

“You’ve never mentioned having a friend before.”

“I do.”

“How many friends do you have?”

“I have one friend. It’s his place we’re in right now. He’s going to help me take care of you.” It was one of the safest places she could be. “Why were you in that part of the city?” he asked.

Belle only hesitated for a moment before she spilled her secrets. The meeting she had with Melanie, what the other woman said. All of it came out, and the fact he was still in the bath rather than dealing with the problem, just went to prove to Diego how much this woman meant to him.

“I … I feel like a fool. I knew we were having problems, you know. I just didn’t realize how bad they were. I thought she at least liked me, but she only wanted money.” She sniffled, and he held her close, kissing the top of her head.

“You’re safe now, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you again.” He stayed with her until the water turned cold.

Climbing out, he picked up a towel and helped her out of the water, drying her body. When he walked into the bedroom with Belle in his arms, he saw the clothes that had been left before him.

A pair of sweatpants and a shirt for him, boxer briefs and a large shirt for her. Richard had even put a name label on them.

Shaking his hand, he put her down on the floor, drying her body. He took care of her, wanting to protect her from all the bad shit in the world, so she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.

He dropped the towel, grabbing the boxers and instructing her to sit in them. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he noticed the bruises on her thighs. “You said they didn’t rape you.”

“They didn’t.”

“What are these bruises?”

“They … stamped on me.”

“You’re safe now.” He pulled up the shorts and next the shirt. Easing it over her head, he dropped the shirt, seeing how big it was in comparison to her curves. Tilting her head back, he sighed. “They hit you as well?”

“Yes.”

“Pieces of shit,” he said.

“I’m fine now.”

“You shouldn’t have to be fine.”

He pulled back the covers and helped her into bed. “I want you to rest.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?”

Diego did have every intention of leaving, but seeing the forlorn on her face, he quickly pulled on his clothes and climbed in behind her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pressed his nose against her hair, kissing her neck.

“I’ve got you. I will always have you. Go to sleep. Rest. I’ll always be here.”

Diego didn’t know how much time had passed until she fell asleep. When she did, he slowly eased out from the bed, giving her space. He stood for several minutes, watching her sleep.

Leaving the bedroom quietly, he found Richard eating out of a Chinese container and looking at something on his laptop.

“She okay?”

“She’s out for the count. I’ve got to head out. Will you watch her for me?”

“Will do.”

“Awesome.”

“I have guns under secured in the third door along the corridor. I might also want to inform you that a couple of those perps have been seen with Angelo.”

This made Diego stop.

“Come again?”

“My guy got a picture. I’ve been running it through recognition programs and ta-da, look what I found.” Richard spun the laptop, and sure enough, there were surveillance images of those men with Angelo.

“They’re on my turf. They had set up shop in my city,” he said.

“Angelo has gone quiet in the past couple of weeks. Nothing new to report. He’s going through all the same schedule and routine. He’s not standing out.”

“Then he knows we’re onto him and we’ve got to pull back. This isn’t enough to show The Boss. A meeting means nothing. There has to be more proof.”

“We’ve come this far.”

“I know, and now we’ve got to pull back. Otherwise we’re all fucked. Angelo is still a cousin, and I need concrete evidence.”

“Yeah, well, why don’t I just put a bullet in his head and save you all the trouble?”

“If it was as simple as that, you would have done it. You know there are consequences for this bullshit. We can’t ignore it, but we have to do this the right way. Are you good taking care of her until I get back?”

“She will be safe. She can’t see shit, can she?”