Page 57 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Forty-Four

FAWN

“Here you go, Bex,” I said, putting the bunny back into its cage.

She was one of those large ones with floppy ears. I’d never pictured myself with a rabbit, but Bex had been the best patient and was oddly calming to hold. After locking the cage, I washed my hands and headed straight for Matt’s office before he could slip out and avoid me altogether.

Titus’s words had echoed through my head all night, and like it or not, he was right about threats being everywhere.

I’d been naive because he’d sheltered me from all the ugly, but I’d made up my mind to be with him.

That meant I could no longer look the other way and had to accept that things were not always going to be fun and easy.

Mending the tension between Matt and me might not fix what Titus had done, but it would keep things from getting worse around here.

Not that I expected much. After the scare Titus had given him, I doubted Matt would be eager for a heart-to-heart.

I still couldn’t believe Titus had broken into his condo and put a gun to his head. Jesus.

Matt was at his computer when I walked in—without knocking—and closed the door. I shook my head as he opened his mouth. The worried look in his eyes said he was about to kick me out, and I needed to say this first.

“Titus confessed to me what he did. I want you to know that I didn’t have a clue that he was going to do that to you.

I certainly didn’t send him, and just so you know, he only did it because he saw you hug me and kiss my cheek in the parking lot and got the wrong idea.

I’m not condoning what he did, and I told him off for treating you like that. ”

Stepping away from the door, I sat down and took it as a good sign that he hadn’t said anything yet. His eyes had lost the cold hostility.

“If you’ll hear me out, I’d like to tell you something that very few people know about me. It’s to show you that I trust you, value our friendship, and it may help you see why Titus is so protective.”

Matt sat back in his chair and tapped his pen on the desk.

“Alright, but before you do, I want to ask you something.”

“Okay.”

“After Titus visited me, I looked him up. There is nothing specific about him, but there are lots of rumors about his family being part of the mafia. Is that true?”

I stared at Matt, not saying yes or no. When the silence stretched, his eyes grew wide, and he blew out a long stream of air.

“Wow. Your silence says it all. How do you trust him?”

“Let me tell you my story.”

Matt set his pen down and crossed his arms.

“Okay, go ahead.”

“I didn’t grow up around here. I’m sure you’ve picked up on my accent.

My mother loved me, but my father died when I was quite young, and for a long time, it was just the two of us.

We were barely scraping by, and then one day she married my stepfather.

He had a great job with a home in a middle-class neighborhood.

For the first time, we always had food on the table, and I went to school without fear. ”

I shifted in my seat, not wanting to get into details, but I had to give Matt enough that he would appreciate what I was trying to convey. Looking down at my hands, I didn’t stop them from kneading together. It was an old habit that I thought I had broken, but some things were harder to let go.

“Things took a turn when my stepfather started gambling. I can’t say if he always had or if it was a new thing, but he got into debt over and over again.

At first, it wasn’t really a problem, at least not for me, but he and my mother fought all the time.

Just before my fourteenth birthday, things began to spiral.

” I cleared my throat but couldn’t sit still.

I stood up to pace the small room. “That was the first time he came to my room.” I looked at Matt and waited for him to catch on.

His mouth eventually dropped, and his arms uncrossed. “I’ll spare you the details.”

“Oh my god, Fawn…”

I held up my hand, stopping him. There it was, the look of pity that I hated so much.

“Don’t…please. Whatever you planned to say, don’t.

I just need you to understand the whole picture.

I’m not looking for sympathy.” When he didn’t try to interrupt me, I continued.

I needed to get this off my chest as quickly as possible before I chickened out.

“I was fourteen when he ran up a bunch of debt with some very shady people. He’d already sold everything we had of worth, other than the house and car, and that was when he dragged me to a shady motel room for the first time to be… used as payment.”

Saying it out loud had my heart racing out of control. The room felt stuffy as my body heated. Matt noticed me pulling at the top of my scrub and stood.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving the door open to let in some fresh air. The panic that was trying to surface began to subside. Matt walked back in with a bottle of water.

“Thank you,” I said as he handed it to me.

I cracked the lid and drank down a few large gulps. My dry throat instantly felt better.

Before closing the door, Matt let Winston and Sheba into the room. He sat on the edge of his desk, watching as both dogs nudged at me. I patted their sweet heads, and the touch of their soft fur calmed my mind.

“I thought they might help. Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I will be. Thanks, this isn’t easy to talk about.”

“I’m terrified to find out how Titus got involved,” he said, and I shook my head.

“It’s not what you’re thinking. I mean it is, but it’s not at the same time.

My stepfather got into trouble with the wrong man.

He’d somehow snuck into a high-stakes poker game and lost a lot of money.

The man running the game was on the hook to pay the winning player.

They came to collect and took me. I was sixteen.

I thought that was it. I was being sold off to a trafficking ring.

When I look back now…I felt so helpless, so used to my role that it sickens me. ”

My eyes stung, but I refused to cry. If I did, then I’d never get through this story.

“The man my stepfather owed was Titus’s father, Mr. Mikhailov, but it was Titus who came to collect.

Instead of cash, the men offered me.” Crossing my arms, I looked down at my sneakers and sucked in a deep breath to finish.

“Titus knew with one look what would happen to me if he didn’t accept me as payment.

He also knew what would happen if he handed me over to his father who is nothing like Titus.

So, he took me instead. He never touched me, and was kind and calm even when I didn’t deserve it.

I owe him my life, and along the way, I’ve fallen in love with him. ”

“So, Titus is the reason you canceled our date?”

“Yes, and I don’t care what it looks like, I know how I feel. No one understands the depth of compassion Titus has shown me, never expecting anything in return. He is a good person despite what he did, and I’m very sorry he went after you.”

Matt crossed his arms and sighed.

“Fawn, are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into? I mean, a mafia family is no joke. You will always be looking over your shoulder.”

Images of the dead girl that Dimitri had killed floated around inside my head, but I nodded, nonetheless.

“I do, and it’s a risk that I’m willing to take.”

“Can I ask another question?”

“Of course,” I said.

“Why did you agree to dinner at all?”

“Titus was forced into an arranged marriage with another family, and I needed to move on. When you asked me out, I was flattered. And yes, I was interested. But Titus was able to cancel the engagement without issues. He admitted how he felt about me, and that was it.”

“By issues…you mean starting a family feud, which probably means bad blood and people dying.” Matt shook his head. “You’re braver than I am. There is no way I would ever want to marry into that situation. Every day, wondering if he’ll be arrested or killed. That is far too much stress.”

“Do you think we can still be friends,” I asked, and Matt gave me a small smile.

“Yeah, as long as Titus promises not to pay me anymore late-night visits. You’re still the best and brightest student that has ever walked into my clinic, and I love teaching you.”

I held out my hand for him to shake and smiled as a weight lifted off my chest.

“To being friends.”

“Friends,” Matt said.

Sheba and Winston walked out the door when I opened it to leave, but Matt called my name. I looked back at him.

“For whatever it’s worth, I am sorry you had to live through that, and I’m happy Titus helped you.”

“Me too,” I said, and walked out to get my things.

Titus would be here soon to pick me up, and I needed some fresh air. Pulling out my phone, I saw a text from George. Even with Titus confirming that he was safe from Dimitri, worry spread throughout my body. Hitching my bag up onto my shoulder, I stepped outside with the dogs following.

G: What the hell is going on?

F: Hi to you, too. What do you mean?

G: I’m on the football team, and we have an away game, but the dean told me that I’m no longer allowed to leave the property. I’m a fucking prisoner here. I hate this place, but I hate you more for forcing me to be here.

F: I can’t explain what is going on in a text. I’ll make a point of visiting you soon, and we can talk this through. It’s time I told you everything.

G: Ugh! Fine, but know you’re ruining my life.

Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose. George was a whole issue that I really didn’t know how to fix. He resented me, that was clear. He never believed me, even though I’d never lied to him, and no matter what I did or said, it was the wrong thing.

Everything happened so fast.

I stood frozen as that shady old car I’d seen months ago came flying into the parking lot, the tires screeching as it stopped.

Three men wearing black ski masks jumped out and ran towards me.

My brain kicked into gear, and I turned for the back door as Sheba bolted toward the attackers.

A loud whimper caught my attention as Winston was kicked in the side and rolled away.

Sheba had clamped down on the arm of one of the men and had him on the ground, shaking him violently. He was screaming to get the dog off.

As soon as I saw the gun, I screamed and forgot about escaping. Dropping my bag, I sprinted as fast as I could to put myself between the weapon and Sheba. It was a horror movie, playing in slow motion as he fired.

A blood-curdling scream was torn from my throat as she yelped and fell to her side.

“No! No! No!”

Before I could reach her, an arm wrapped around my waist and hauled me back.

“Let me go! You bastards,” I roared and fought like I never had before.

It was no use. The asshole on the ground got up, while the other two dragged me toward the car. I kicked and scratched at any body part I could reach, trying to break their hold. My eyes were trained on Sheba, and Winston, who was sniffing her. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks.

I tossed a hard elbow back, and the man grunted. His grip loosened just enough that I wiggled free, but the man who had been bitten stepped in front of me and pulled up his mask. A fresh wave of terror rippled through my body, and I was paralyzed as I stared into Neil’s eyes.

“Hello, Peanut. My, you have grown up. You look so beautiful,” he said, and vomit rose in the back of my throat as he tried to touch my face.

I jerked my head away before he could lay a finger on me. Neil smirked.

“Get her in the car.”

The frozen spell was broken as I was dragged backward.

I began fighting and yelling again. I hadn’t expected the hard blow across the face, or for my head to hit the open car door, stunning me into silence.

A hand clamped firmly over my mouth as I was pulled into the bowels of their disgusting car that reeked of smoke and fast food.

With the door closed, I could see Sheba lying on the ground. My fight returned as I pounded my feet on the glass.

“Knock her the fuck out already,” Neil yelled.

The hand over my mouth moved to wrap around my throat. I clawed at the arm holding me, fighting to get away before everything went dark. All I hoped for was that Sheba would live.

A part of me always knew that Neil would come for me. The dream-like time with Titus gone in an instant. The other part of me…had hoped for something more.