Page 21 of His Reluctant Savior

“Are you afraid?”

“Yes… and no.”

He nodsthoughtfully. “Explain.”

“I’ve been afraid my entire life. That doesn’t just go away, but now that he’s dead, I can die with my head held high. I don’t want to die, but death doesn’t scare me.”

His hands fold on his lap, and long fingers curl around each other. He wears a simple gold wedding band, which seems strange to me, considering how powerful he is. My eyes are so focused on it, for some reason.

He follows my line of vision down to his ring and twirls it around his finger. “Do you know why I wear such a simple thing, Sid?”

I shake my head.

“It’s to remind me of my roots—where I came from. I wasn’t always rich and powerful. I had to claw my way to the top after suffering, much like you. Though I wasn’t raped, I was frequently hurt and beaten down into submission. I, too, took back my control. But that control can easily be snuffed out in a second. Look at what you did to your uncle. Everything in life is temporary. This ring, and my marriage to my wife, is a reminder of simpler times, yet a place I never want to go back to.”

Why is he telling me all this?

I don’t get a chance to respond when the man in front of me nods, but it’s not directed at me. Suddenly, my head is yanked back by my hair with a knife pressed to my throat. My heart races, and I struggle to breathe as my pathetic life flashes before my eyes. I only have one good memory, as short as it is.

With a deep breath, I close my eyes as calmness washes over me, ready for the knife to do its job. I think back on my first, last, and only real kiss. I refuse to beg for my life, knowing what I got myself into by killing my uncle.

“Let him go,” he orders after a minute that feels like an eternity.

Just as quickly, the knife is removed, and the man behind me lets go of my hair.

“Trauma can either make you or break you. Sometimes, life throws you into chaos, and how we adapt can change the very fiber of our being, mentally and emotionally. You’ve chosen not to shatter, Sid. You’ve chosen to be defiant in the face of death. Now, I offer you another choice.”

I don’t say a word out of curiosity and a strange sense of respect.

“You can choose to stay with me. I will train you and offer you a life of money and power. But in doing so, you sacrifice your freedom. You will forever be bound to me. I will treat you like the son I never had if that is your desire. In return, not only will you be strong, powerful, and rich, but this family will protect you with their lives. I expect absolute obedience.”

I know what my other choice is. He doesn’t have to tell me, but he does, anyway.

“If you choose not to come into the fold, now that you know me and have seen me, you will die. Choose, Sid.”

I don’t even hesitate. “I choose you.”

“That’s why I’ve chosen to help you and Owen. I’m a completely different man, thanks to one night and a violent kiss. But it wasn’t so much a kiss as your reaction to me afterward.”

Dalton paced around the living room, running a hand through his dark hair, wrecking it in his stress, and scoffed. “Oh, well, I’m pleased I encouraged yousomuch that you ended up in some cartel. That’s…uplifting.” His tone was frustrated and oozing with sarcasm. Then he sighed and sat down on the couch. “But hell, at least you weren’t being abused anymore… I hope.”

He quickly stood and paced again, the agitation dripping off him. The Boy Scout who cared about everyone, even me, when I’d been at my lowest, and today, when I was at my highest. I was a criminal and a killer, and he still cared. It was strangely touching and why I’d always been drawn to Dalton.

“Fuck, if I’d only known or… or… reached out to you more. Iknewsomething was wrong with you, but instead of digging deeper, I dug in my heels.”

I sat with my arm draped over the back of the couch, sipping my bourbon, watching him get so frustrated over something completely out of his control.

“And what would you have done?”

He stopped, looked at me, and tossed his hands in the air. “I don’t know! Called the police? Got you out of there.”

“My uncle was part of a crime syndicate. They would’ve killed you. I’m glad you didn’t get involved.”

Dalton huffed an irritated sigh. “Still… So, back to your story. I’m assuming you still work for them?”

“I do not. I worked for them for fourteen years. But… one thing you can’t be, at least in that particular family, is gay.”

“They let you go, let you live after they found out?”

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