Violent Ends

“I’m going to bed,” Tamsin said. “Try to get some rest.” She patted his shoulder and left the room.

Moving from his chair, he sat where Tamsin had been, looking into his brother’s sleeping face. Right now, he didn’t look troubled, but that was the drugs. There was no way Landon would ever be the same again.

“I love you, brother, and I wouldn’t wish this on you. I will fight for you though. Don’t do anything rash.”

He kissed his brother’s knuckles. He loved all of his brothers. They’d been together for so long. They were united as one. The Denton men. He couldn’t turn his back right now.

“She wants out, and I know if she asks me, I’ll give it to her. I hope I’m strong enough to do it.” Glancing over at the clock, he saw it was late.

He didn’t know what else to say to his brother, so he got up and left the room. Instead of going to his own room though, he walked to Emma’s.

Opening the door, he found her in bed, curled up. Removing his clothes, he felt so exhausted that he didn’t want to fight. She knew the truth, and now he needed to hold his woman, to make sure she was all right. He imagined his brothers felt the same way.

Completely naked, he crawled into bed.

The moment he lifted the blanket and slid in, Emma, of course, woke up. She gasped, and he caught her underneath him, hands beside her head.

“Don’t scream, it’s me,” he said.

“Gideon, what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m coming in here to sleep. Nothing else.”

“Are you crazy? You’re not sleeping here.”

“I need to hold you.”

“I’m not having sex with you.”

“This isn’t about the sex,” he said. One day he’d want to be balls deep inside her, but that wasn’t now. If she gave a merest hint of interest, he’d be ready within a matter of seconds. He’d not been with another woman since he knew Emma belonged to him. No woman would ever appeal again. The only release he got was from his trusty hand, and he knew his hand wouldn’t reveal his secrets. “After today, I just need to hold you. I need to know you’re alive and you’re here.”

He felt her relax. “You mean that?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

He moved off her. He banded an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him, snuggling up against her.

“I missed you,” he said.

“You’ve never held me.”

“I know, but I’ve thought about it enough times.” Breathing in her scent, for the first time in his life, he felt this calmness settle over him. “I knew it would feel like this.”

“Feel like what?”

“This. So peaceful, so right, so perfect.”

“I hate that I can’t feel this.”

“One day you will, I promise.” He kissed her neck. “You’ll fall in love with me.”

She chuckled. “You really do have an ego.”

“You’ll learn to love that too. You’ll love what I can do for you. What I feel for you. You’ll never want for anything. That I promise you.”

“I just want to be loved, Gideon. I don’t need anything else.”

“Then that’s already done. We should get married.”

She sighed. “Go to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

He wasn’t kidding. The sooner he could get his ring on her finger and his baby in her belly, the better.

Chapter Five

“Leave me the fuck alone!”

Emma jerked awake at the sound of the agony in the person who was begging. She turned toward the door where light filtered into her room. Everything came to her in an instant. Gideon’s confession, what had happened to Sarah, Landon’s girlfriend. All of it.

Pushing the sheet away from her, she padded toward the door. Gideon wasn’t in the room with her.

Biting her lip, she opened the door a little and saw what was going on. Gideon was holding Landon down. In fact, most of the Denton men were there, including Gabriel. They each held onto Landon, and in his hand was a knife. She saw the blood trailing down his wrist, but the cut didn’t look too deep. No blood had gotten to the floor. Across the hall she saw Tamsin standing in her doorway. The younger girl looked so pale.

“I just want to die. Let me die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Maddox said.

“You don’t know what it’s like. You don’t have to deal with knowing your woman’s not there anymore.”

Someone managed to pry the blade from his fingers, and as they did, Landon curled up in a ball and started to sob. She’d never seen anyone break down so fast. From all the times she’d seen Landon, he’d been like a cocky teenager.

Always sure of himself.

Always ready to fight whatever battle came his way.

“It’ll get better, son.”

Something shifted, and with the speed of what seemed like a panther, Landon was on his feet. In one swift move, he had his father up against the wall, his arm across his throat, holding him still.