Page 55 of Allegiance

Ironically, he wanted her to call him. Dakota would have helped her. He would have owned what happened and done the right thing.

That was who he was.

Oh, he knew who she reached out to.

Mamba.

At that realization, he got angry.

“What did you expect?” Ethan asked. “You told her to go, Dakota. You pretty much told her that you wanted nothing to do with her. She was good enough to fuck, but not good enough to love.”

That made him angrier.

It riled him up.

As he sat there, he clenched his fists.

Ethan saw it.

“Oh, I wish you would. Nothing would make me happier than to knock you on your ass. If you did get a hit in, Raphael and Saint would beat you until you bled. Make my fucking day, Mr. Rakin. Please. I’d love to let some of my own pent-up rage out on a man I can barely stand.”

Dakota breathed through the rage.

He knew that attacking Ethan would start a war. Not only with the two Marines, but with Elizabeth.

She held a few things sacred.

The men she loved and her children.

Ethan continued, wanting to get this done so they could leave.

“Anyway, she found out, she reached out for help, and she’s decided not to end the baby’s life. She’s decided that too many times, people get thrown away. Her, Violet, and so many others—kinda like you did to her. So, she’s going to make a difference and be a good mom, and she’ll have help since the baby daddy doesn’t give a shit.”

That wasn’t true.

“I care,” he said. “I would have been there for her. She didn’t want me either.”

Ethan laughed.

“You’re an idiot. You blame the world for your life, and now, you blame a woman you threw away for not calling you when she found out you screwed up.”

Dakota said nothing.

“Oh, sit there in silence, Mr. Rakin. I might be wrong. You do have a great propensity to care. Yeah, no doubt. You care a lot about yourself. You care a lot about your loss. Your feelings. Your ability to walk away and leave your family alone to clean up. You care about your heart but not that of others. You’re a coward and you never face the truth.”

He sat there.

Each word was a hit to his soul.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

“Do you know why Elizabeth didn’t say yes when you proposed?” he asked.

He said nothing.

Why?

Because he knew he was going to tell him. Ethan would love to get a shot in at any chance. There was no doubt there.

---