I didn’t overanalyze his words, knowing he meant them in a different context than I wanted. If I ever needed help, he would be there. All I ever had to do was call him, and he’d be by my side. He would be my friend for the rest of time, a protector that I never asked for. He was the only friend I had in the world—and he would always be my friend. “You know what I mean…” My hands started at his stomach and slowly glided up his chest. His pectoral muscles felt like a statue, so hard and smooth. “Tell me, Conway. Tell me why you’re afraid.”
He stared at me in intense silence. Time stretched on endlessly, and it didn’t seem like he would say anything at all. His eyes gave nothing away, just his stern demeanor. He could stare for minutes without blinking, and his eyes never watered to protect the dry surface of his eyes. He wasn’t bothered by the eye contact either.
Nothing knocked this man off-balance.
I kept waiting, kept hoping. He knew everything about me, every secret that I kept from the rest of the world. I trusted this man in a way I’d never trusted anyone before. I’d shared every piece of me with him.
I wanted some of him in return. “Conway.”
He pulled his hands out of his pockets and grabbed my wrists. He held them gently as he stared down at me, the intensity in his gaze slowly softening. Then he pulled my hands away from my chest, lowering them back to my sides. He pulled his touch away entirely and crossed his arms over his chest. “I used to have an aunt. She died before I was born, before my parents got married.”
Sadness overwhelmed me instantly. I knew he’d lost someone, judging by his mother’s tone. But I suspected the way she died was worse than the death itself.
“She was taken by a ruthless arms dealer. Apparently, he had bad blood with my family. He tortured her and raped her…and my father and uncle did everything they could to get her back. They finally settled on a deal, an exchange of twenty million dollars. But the man, his name was Bones, didn’t uphold his end of the deal. When my aunt was returned to my father, Bones shot her in the back of the head.”
I covered my mouth to quiet my gasp.
“And kept the money. My father watched the light leave her eyes. He watched her fall to the concrete, and before her head hit the ground, she was dead. My father said he would never forget that moment for as long as he lived. It still visits him in his nightmares.”
“Conway, I’m so sorry.”
He wore the same expression as he did before, his look cold and guarded. “Her name was Vanessa.”
I made the connection immediately. “They named your sister after her…”
He nodded. “My dad and uncle have never gotten over it…even though it’s been thirty years. They’re protective of my mother and aunt, hardly letting them out of their sights. And with Vanessa, it’s even worse. She’s so damn beautiful and so stubborn. She worries me. And now that I have you, I can’t let anything happen to you. Seeing you stripped naked while some psychopath tried to buy you… I can’t even think about it anymore.” He lowered his gaze. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you. And my mom… She’s a beautiful woman. Age hasn’t broken her the way it has most people. If someone wants to attack my father or me, she’s a prime target. So, yes, I’m extremely protective, overbearing, and paranoid. Don’t expect me to change, because I never will.”
I thought back to the woman he rescued from the Underground. He bought her and then handed her off to Carter so she could be returned to her family. Now it all made sense. “That’s why you save those women? That’s why you were at the Underground.”
“Partially,” he said. “I can’t lie and say it’s a totally selfless act. The Skull Kings purposely steal women from powerful men. They’re commissioned by their enemies. Then those families come to us and pay us to get their daughters back. It’s expensive, but Carter and I aren’t going to risk our necks for free. Then we bid on them and return them to their families. It’s an easy way to make money—and it helps people at the same time.”
The fact that he made a profit off it didn’t make me think less of him. He was still doing a noble thing. He could easily buy a woman to torture himself. Or he could capture women by the dozens and sell them on the black market. He didn’t do that either. “I think you’re brave. If they caught you…”
“I’m only brave for the money.”