My words stuck in my throat as I looked down at Delilah. Her eyes were red and puffy, her shoulder was obviously injured, she had a red mark on her forehead, and her fucking heel was broken. She was looking down at her lap, and I could see her shaking from here. What the hell happened to her when she left here?
My jaw tightened as I felt anger building up inside me. Rex had called and said she ran out of the apartment building and sped off. They had followed her back here but had no idea what happened inside the apartment.
If someone had put their filthy hands on her, I’d make sure they’d disappear without a trace. I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms, but I needed to know what happened. I stalked over to my desk, leaned against it, and folded my arms. My eyes never left Delilah, who sat quietly on the sofa.
When I spoke, it almost came out like a growl. “Ms. Malone, what happened? Did someone hurt you at your apartment?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her silence was beginning to frustrate me.
“Ms. Malone, look at me,” I demanded.
She opened her eyes, and her head snapped in my direction.
My eyes narrowed. “Tell me what happened.”
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
“Dammit, Delilah!” I roared.
She flinched, her eyes widened with fear. I immediately regretted startling her more than she already was shaken and forced myself to calm down.
I softened my voice as I continued, “Stop being so stubborn. Tell me what happened. I know you’re not fine.”
“I-I fell down the stairs at my apartment. It was an accident.”
She bit her lower lip nervously and refused to look at me. I knew she was holding back something; her tell was unmistakable. Whether we were arguing or a client snapped at her and she wanted to say something, she’d bite her lip in an attempt to stop the words from spilling over.
I needed to get Delilah to a doctor to check her shoulder and head. I didn’t have time for her to wait until she was good and ready to tell me what the fuck happened. I knew I had to pull the truth from her by any means necessary.
I took Delilah’s handbag and the elbow of her good arm, steered her towards the door and unlocked it. Once she was outside my office, I handed back her belongings. She looked confused and terrified, but I had to remind myself that this was for her own good.
“Since you’re fine and your tumble down the stairs was an accident, I suggest you go to the ER and get your shoulder checked so you can report to work on Monday morning. I have a lot of work to get done. See yourself out, and rest assured if I see you on my premises, I’ll have one of the guards escort you out. Good night, Ms. Malone.”
“No! You can’t throw me out! I have nowhere else to go! They’ll find me and drag me back! Please, don’t let them drag me back,” she shrieked, her eyes darting around wildly in a full-blown panic attack as she grabbed the front of my shirt.
They? Them?
Warning signals went off in my head.
God! I hated myself for doing this to her, but it needed to be done.
“Tell me everything that happened,” I bit out.
Slowly, she removed her hands from the front of my shirt as she attempted to straighten up. But her response never came. Her eyes rolled back, and her body went limp.
Shit!
“Delilah!”
I caught her just in time and cradled her against me before she hit the ground.
I quickly tapped her cheeks as my chest tightened.
“Delilah! Delilah!” I shouted, but her eyes remained closed.
With my heart hammering in my chest, I carried her back to the sofa and placed a pillow under her head for support.
You went too far, Seb. Fuck!
I pulled a chair close, sat beside her and held her hand.
The next fifteen minutes passed in agonizing silence as I stared at her. Then, finally, her eyelids fluttered open, and I sighed with relief.
“Delilah, how do you feel?” I asked, my voice laced with worry.
“W-what happened?” she asked weakly as she struggled to sit up.
“Delilah, don’t sit up. You just fainted. You need to relax.”
“Please, I need to sit up,” she pleaded.
Not wanting to argue with her, I helped her into a sitting position and sat next to her.
“Better?”
She nodded slowly.
“Delilah,” I said softly, “Please tell me what happened at your apartment.”
She swallowed hard.
“Someone trashed my apartment.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “I didn’t know if they were still around, so I ran. And when I was running down the stairs to get to my car, the heel of my shoe broke. I tumbled down the stairs, hitting my head and my shoulder.”
Frustration and anger seeped through my voice as I spoke. “Do you know who could have done this?”
She nodded.
“Dean owes someone money,” she croaked out, her eyes filling with tears.
My breath hitched and my pulse quickened as I waited for her to explain.
“About ten months ago, Dean had a customer named Elliot, who was looking for rare luxury vehicles. Dean thought he hit the jackpot when another car dealership owner approached him, promising to help him acquire the cars. Dean took half of the payment from Elliot upfront, and together with some of his money, he paid the other guy for the cars.
"But when the cars arrived and Dean had them checked, he found out they had stolen parts and forged documents.” She paused, as a new wave of tears rolled down her cheeks. “Dean had no choice but to refund Elliot, but he still owed him five million dollars. And he needed money fast.”
“Do you know who the other car dealership guy is? Or the lawyer who checked his documents?” My jaw tightened.
Delilah shook her head and sobbed while trying to get the words out. “But Elliot suggested that Dean work for him to pay off the debt by smuggling drugs inside his cars that he would be importing for his business.”
“And he did it, didn’t he?” I asked, not liking the direction the story was headed.
Delilah nodded.
Fuck!
“At first, Dean refused, but after about a month and no closer to getting Elliot his money, he decided to do it. From there, he evolved from smuggling to selling, and eventually, he began using it.”
“Where is Dean now?” I asked through gritted teeth.
“Six months ago, I used all my savings and had him admitted to a high-end facility rehab to get the help he needs. He’s supposed to get out in three months.” Delilah closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the sofa.
That’s why Vega couldn’t trace him. He was locked away, and the facility most likely didn’t have computers or cameras inside or around it to protect their clients.
Finally, her gaze met mine. The fiery woman that I had grown accustomed to was nowhere to be found. Sitting in front of me now was a woman who looked defeated.
“Do you know anything about Elliot?”
She shrugged. “I know what he looks like, but his last name or which area he’s from? I have no idea.”
“So with Dean locked away in rehab, Elliot sent his boys after you to get his money.” Disgust was evident in my voice.
She nodded.
“Does Dean know they’re after you?”
The sadness in her eyes were unmistakable. “No, and if he knew what I did to help him, he’d never talk to me again.”
I stiffened. I was going to beat Dean’s ass as soon as he stepped out of that rehab. What kind of man left his younger sister in harm's way while he hid from the problems he created? He had to have known that if they couldn’t find him they’d go after her. And why the hell didn’t he reach out to anyone for help? Why didn’t he reach out to me? The thought of it all made me feel sick.
“What did you do to help him?” I asked quietly.
She was crying again, and this time I pulled her into my arms. Her body trembled against mine as she clung to me.
When her sobbing subsided, she spoke. “When I had Dean admitted to rehab, I was working at a fashion magazine, and I loved it. Then about a week after, a guy came into my office stating that Dean owed his boss, Elliot, a lot of money, and since they couldn’t find him, I’d have to pay him off.”
She paused as if she were gathering her thoughts. I didn’t rush her. I let the silence draw out until she spoke again.
“He said my petty little job wasn’t going to pay them back fast enough.
“For a week, he and one of his friends lingered outside the office of the magazine, harassing the other employees and me. They told me they could help me raise the money faster if I came to work for them. If I didn’t, they’d spread lies about Dean all over social media claiming he was deep into drugs and human trafficking, and nobody would ever want me or Dean to work for them again.”
She sniffled. “I resigned from my job...a-and went to work for them.”
The more Delilah told me, the angrier I became. Dean fucked up big time.
“What did you do for them?” My voice was barely audible.
Her voice was strained as she spoke. “They gave me an account to put the money in every week. They told me that they had rich clients.”
She stopped and fiddled with her hands. I placed my hands over hers.
“What did you do for them?” I repeated.
I had to strain my ears to hear her next words.
“Clients who would pay me big money if I…” Delilah’s voice broke.
“If you what?”
She was crying again. “If I gave them hand jobs, plus stripped and danced for them and their VIP Clients.”
FUCK!
Delilah was shaking beneath me again, and I gently rubbed her arms. The thought of another man’s hands on Delilah made me sick to my stomach.
“Did they rape you?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“No.”
I sighed with relief.
“We wore laced panties and bras, but the touching was never really sensual. Maybe a slap on the ass or a quick feel of my breasts, but it didn’t go any further than that. The men who wanted hand jobs were taken to a private room. Men who demanded more or tried to force us to do other things were thrown out immediately.”
That information didn’t stop me from being pissed.
“Do you still work for them?”
I knew the answer was no, because I had been following her, but I needed her to tell me herself.
“No. Three months ago, I escaped,” she sighed heavily, “They wanted me to lure other women into it. But I couldn’t do it. The other girls and I were stashed in a hotel, but one night the police raided the place, and I was able to escape. And I’ve been hiding ever since because I couldn’t afford to make the loan payments.”
“Delilah, even after you paid that debt, they weren’t going to let you free. Things may have actually gotten worse if you stayed.”
She sniffled, her shoulders slumped. “I know. But now they’ve found me, and I have nowhere to go.”
As the tears began to fall, I pulled Delilah against me. Dean didn’t only fuck up his life; he also fucked up Delilah’s.
“I think you should tell Dean that they’re after you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. He’ll try to leave rehab, and I want him to finish the program. I’m afraid if he doesn’t, he’ll relapse. He’s the only family I have. I don’t want to lose him.”
The words were coming out of my mouth before I realized it. “I’ll pay the debt. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t let you do that.”
“I can and I will. These thugs will keep coming after you, especially if the other girls know you escaped. They’d think they had a chance, too, and it wouldn’t go down well with the men keeping them captive. So I’ll pay the debt, protect you, and keep your secret, if you marry me.”
I heard her gasp, and her eyes widened.
“Marry you?”
“Yes, and you’ll never have to worry about them again. So what will it be, Ms. Malone?”