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What he had failed on was taking into account the wise old saying he hadn’t learned with Ariel’s death but was now gospel to him. When making plans … “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”

While he had taken Ivan into account, he hadn’t put Gabriel in the mix. The mistake had cost Aanya her life. One Desmond wouldn’t rest until he found the revenge he had sought against Ivan and Gabriel.

Gabriel was sitting in prison, and Desmond was going to make sure he stayed there. For the last part of his revenge, he had to use Soleil, which hadn’t bothered his conscience in the least. That part of the plan had been instigated two days before and set in motion the part he needed Haley to play.

That was the hit to his nearly nonexistent conscience. He hadn’t expected to begin liking the woman, nor the attraction that was undermining the determination that had factored into his life since Aanya’s death.

Backtracking to find another course would put him in the crosshairs, and the stack of his cards he had carefully crafted would come crashing down on him. Too many lives in Queens City would be upended if they lost his protection. He refused to let Queens City sink back into the cesspool it had once been. Not even for Haley, who would run screaming if she found herself involved with the real man behind the mask he had been wearing. If he fell in love with her, he wouldn’t be able to wear the mask all the time.

Love had a way of unmasking the ugliness hidden from sight, exposing the monster walking freely among them.

Twenty-Three

“You’re a piece of shit, Desmond!” Haley heard the loud shout coming from inside the home she had taken great effort in finding last night.

Indecisive, she let her hand hang in mid-air instead of pushing the doorbell.

“I’m not fucking leaving. You brought me here; you can take me back!”

Wincing at the female screech, Haley decided to come back later… much later. As in never.

This had been such a bad idea. She hated confrontations. On a scale of one to ten, it was placed at twenty.

The sound of the front door being jerked open had her staring, open-mouthed, at the woman standing on the other side.

“Who the fuck are you?”

The stunning woman’s fury didn’t affect her looks. She was one of the most beautiful women whom Haley had ever seen. She was at least six feet tall, and her heaving breasts were braless underneath the pale pink baby doll nightgown showing a glowing golden skin that had her feeling plain and washed out.

“Um… nobody,” Haley managed to stutter out, taking a step back from the door. “Wrong address.”

The woman narrowed her eyes to slits. “Who are you looking for?”

“No one. My Uber driver must have gone to the wrong house.” Haley took another step back, nearly tripping on the low step she had forgotten was there.

Her gaping mouth widened farther when she saw the man who came to the door, dressed only in a pair of light gray sweatpants. She had never seen Desmond in anything but expensive suits and ties.

Nearly choking on her own tongue, she managed to snap her mouth closed without maiming the delicate tissue.

“What are you doing here?”

God, just let me magically disappear. Haley had never been so embarrassed in her entire life, and that was saying a lot.

“Oh … I was … never mind. I should have called. Excuse the interruption.”

Haley frantically pulled out her cell phone to call for a driver to get her the hell out of Dodge.

“Come inside before you pass out. Janine was just leaving.”

“Fuck you, Desmond! I’m not going anywhere. This is my home!”

God, please … Haley pleaded again at Desmond’s expression.

“This is my home. You have been a guest. My plane is on standby to fly you home, Janine. Keep going with this temper tantrum, and you’ll be flying back on a commercial flight.”

At his threat, the woman seemed as if she was trying to get control of her fury.

“How can you do me this way? I love you. We can work out our problems.” Flinging herself into Desmond’s arms, Janine began pressing kisses along Desmond’s hard jawline. “Don’t make me leave … I was a bad girl … so bad …” Her heaving breasts were now flush against Desmond’s bare chest as she rubbed against him like a cat begging to be petted.

Trying not to gag at the plaintive sounds Desmond’s girlfriend was making, Haley requested a car. Blushing when she saw Desmond watching her reaction instead of the woman pleading for his attention in his arms, Haley gave him an unsympathetic look.

“Cancel the car, Haley. Come inside.” Pushing the woman away, Desmond reached out, snagging her arm to pull her between him and the woman who was now the one standing with her mouth open at Desmond’s cold behavior.