“Uhm… better,” I say quietly. When he walks closer, I back myself against the counter and drop my head.
“Alania,” Derek says softly. “Look at me.”
I look up at him, and he smiles. Adrian, Raul, Brent, and Cian are behind him at the door, just watching. “Alania, I promise I will never hurt you. I know why you fear me, but please give me a chance to prove that I only want the very best for you.”
“You stalked me,” I say.
“I… Well… Yeah, I guess I did,” Derek says. “But I feel like I had good intentions.”
“Thank you,” I say. “For not hurting me.”
“You’re welcome, Alania, but you don’t have to thank me,” he says. “Are you ready for tonight?”
“Uh… Yeah. I know the guys wouldn’t let me be there if I would be in danger,” I say.
“Are they good to you?” Derek asks.
“Yeah. They are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” I say.
“Look, Alania. I know you don’t know me, but I care about you. Like a little sister. It’s going to be strange to break the habit of looking after you from afar, but to know they treat you well is comforting,” he tells me.
“You don’t have to just disappear, ya know,” I say. “I kinda fucked the only brother I’ve ever known, so the spot is open.”
“Hey, I can still be your brother,” Brent laughs.
“Mmmm. No,” I laugh. “Derek, you’ve spent a long time watching over me. No one said you had to stop. If that brings you comfort, so be it. I’d much rather you not do it from so far away, though.”
“Why do you trust me?” he asks.
“Because you’ve had a million opportunities to rape me, and you’ve never taken one of them,” I say. “The second you got the chance, you took me straight to my partners. Predators and monsters don’t do that. They ruin and destroy everything in their path. You planted seeds like wildflowers, just to bring some color into my world… That's why I trust you.”
Derek looks like he is about to burst into tears, so I take the initiative to put my arms out for a hug. When he wraps me in a tight hug, it’s comforting and… right. Nothing about him scares me, even though he does resemble his father. Genetics doesn’t make you guilty. He and Brent are proof of that.
“Love you, kid. Please don’t ever jump in front of a bullet again. I’ll pay for every funeral I need to, but please don’t make me go to yours,” he pleads.
“I can’t promise you that, but I’ll try to be a shittier person and let people die next time,” I say. Everyone laughs at my sarcasm, and Derek pulls away to smile at me. “Time to end this madness?”
“Let’s do it,” I say with a smile.
Chapter Forty Two
Alania
I am sitting onthe couch in the jet, just waiting. Everyone is hiding, but I am next to Derek. He seems nervous, and I’m high as hell on pain medication right now. I didn’t want to take anything strong, but I was in so much pain when we left to come here that the only choice I had was to take it or stay home and make a new plan.
“Hey, Derek?” I say.
“Yes?” When he looks over at me, I stick my tongue out. He immediately grins, and I giggle. “You feeling better, I assume?”
“Oh yeah,” I say happily. “When is Daddy Dipshit going to be here?”
“Wait. What did you call him?” Derek asks with a laugh. “Daddy Dipshit?”
“Yeah. He’s a Dipshit, and he made me call him Daddy. Well, he is your Daddy. Big not likeDaddykinda Daddy, just… Daddy. Dad. Dada. Father. Ya know?”
“Girl, you need a nap,” he chuckles. “Any minute now. I told him we were taking off at ten. We will start the engines and go through everything. Worst case, we fly.”
“Just do a little loop in the sky and land again,” I shrug.
