Ben (The Sherwood)

“A shame to cover any part of that body,” she teased me.

I tugged her to me and gazed down at her. “Really?”

She nodded.

I grinned at her. “What are you doing in her

e?”

“I just wanted to be held in your arms,” she responded. The huskiness of her voice told me there was more to her visit.

I brushed my lips across hers. “What else baby?” I asked. I knew there was more.

“Heath has started a war with Ron. He can’t possibly understand the depth of destruction he will go to get even and to get Lilah and think nothing of hurting whoever stands in his way,” she said.

I nodded and held her close. “I think he does,” I tried reassuring Disa. My brother wasn’t stupid. He knew what Ron Parson was capable of.

“Has he found out anything about his connection to my aunt?” She asked.

“I haven’t asked him.” I had taken the stance that the less I knew the better off my little family was.

She peeked up at me. Her shirt was damp from my body. I grinned at her again. She rolled her eyes at me. “I’m going to have to change my shirt.”

“Was it worth it?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” she declared and laid her head against my chest. “Ben are you afraid?”

Terrified. My brother was leading us into a battle I wasn’t prepared for. He might have killed people in the name of war, but I had not. I kissed Disa’s head. “Of course, I’m afraid. I don’t want anything to happen to you or Asia. My other family members either but I have to trust Heath.”

She glanced up at me. “So, you think this was a good idea for him to retaliate?” She asked.

Not in the least little bit. “I trust Heath.” I tap danced around my answer to her.

“Liar,” she said. She pulled away. “Get dressed. Dinner will be ready soon. I need to change my shirt.”

I tugged her back and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I won’t let anything happen to you or Asia,” I told her.

Disa nodded then started for the bathroom door. I tugged her back again. I wrapped my arms around her. “Believe in me?”

“Oh, I do but what I’m concerned about is that you won’t be able to protect us from the fallout of your brother’s craziness. He loves this,” she declared.

She wasn’t far off on that assessment.

**

What I discovered at my dining room table surrounded by my family was that Matt was trying hard to ignore Lilah while she focused on Justin.

Jace or Jacey was an explosives expert in the military in Heath’s platoon. She now worked for herself making great money imploding buildings. She was as damn scary as he was as she talked about blowing up old buildings.

I took Disa’s hand in mine. I looked up, towards the heavens and I thanked Jesus, God, Mary and the Holy Ghost for giving me a normal woman with no baggage. She couldn’t help it if she had a stalker who I think had given up on her. He just wanted Lilah back.

I glanced at Lilah who was deep in conversation with Justin. I didn’t see the video that Matt had. I had heard her voice though. Anyone hearing what I had heard would assume she was enjoying what was happening to her.

Anyone seeing her scarred body as my woman had would know the truth. She was terrified of Ron Parson. She was doing what she needed to do to get by and get out alive.

I felt sorry for her. She was broken. You could see it in her eyes. They were empty and dull until they lit up when she was around my nephew Justin. He touched something inside her that was frozen and afraid. She let him in when she kept the rest of us out.

Merci sat on the other side of Disa. She kept looking at the door. I assumed looking for Seth who was already at the pub. He had been spending a lot of time at Matt’s with him and Justin. He went from there to the pub everyday by four p.m. when he didn’t have to be at Mom’s to watch over them.