Page 109 of Between Desire and Denial
“Well, if it’s serious, I probably should. Dimitri’s reasonable.”
“He’s not. Not when it comes to you.” He shook his head and his eyes seemed to glaze over with darkness. “I wouldn’t be either with the girl I loved.”
I wanted to argue there was no way he loved me. Not yet. It was all too soon, but I felt the weight of my feelings for him inevery one of my blood cells. I knew my heart was being won over by him. He’d made me feel like he’d never look away from me.
It’s what I wanted. What I needed in that moment, and he’d given it to me. No one could be immune to that.
“You look like you’re not sure, Olive. He tells you right?” He lifted a brow before he continued. “He’d better be telling you, because it’s obvious he does. Anyway, the text.”
“What?” I asked as I stepped out onto the porch with him now while he held his phone up for me to see. A text from an unknown number read
Unknown: Suspicions confirmed. He’s got the kid working with him.
“Who’s the kid, Jameson?” I said but my blood ran cold because it couldn’t be. I told myself over and over there was no way, but my gut was already turning with the answer.
“Knox is in on that deal with the Irish, Olive Bee. He has to be.”
That’s when the mower cut in the backyard. Other than the birds chirping, it was silent now. As silent as it seemed my world was, it screeched to a halt with Jameson’s statement. “No.” I shook my head. “No. No. No.”
Dimitri’s footsteps were loud and hurried before the front door swung open from behind me. “What the hell is going on?”
I wanted to tell Dimitri all about the Diamond Syndicate, but I needed him to have the correct picture, not one of my brother involved in drugs and trafficking. I stuttered over my words, “Jameson just stopped by to talk over the board meeting and… um… the office space, Dimitri.”
Dimitri wasn’t dumb. He must have heard the tremor of emotion in my voice, because he came to stand beside me and look me in the eye before he stepped in front of me. “Whateverthe hell is happening, it’s done now. We’re done here.” He stood with his arms crossed and his feet wide, like a wall there to protect me. “Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, don’t breathe the same air as her.”
“Are we done though?” Jameson met his stance head-on. “Because you know as well as I do there is shit going on in this community.” Jameson’s tone was hard, but his words were damning for Dimitri.
“Wait.” I peered around my barrier of a man. “What does he know?”
“Dimitri should be getting a text from Bane or Dom about the Diamond Syndicate soon. He knows about them. And he’s about to know that your father, my father, and Earl have all been involved in deals with drug trafficking with the Irish.” He took a breath while all the air seemed to leave my lungs. I couldn’t breathe, not with what he was telling me. “But it’s harder now because of Knox—”
“Stop.” Dimitri’s voice boomed out through the town. “Don’t say another damn word.”
Jameson looked at me with fear finally in his eyes. “We have to talk, Olive. There are things you’ll need to make decisions about. Dimitri, you know—”
Dimitri cut him off. “Don’t involve her by saying more. What the hell are you thinking?” And then he looked back at me, fire in his green eyes. “Honeybee, you knew? You should have told me.” I felt the way his body shook, the way his muscles were coiled and ready to carry me the hell out of there.
“Shouldn’t you have told her too?” Jameson countered.
My glance ping-ponged between them, and suddenly I felt a fear whoosh through me at those words. If he knew, could he be in danger? Why hadn’t he told me? The fury of that question came next. “Andyouknew?” My tone was accusatory.
He shook his head. “Damn it. I’ve been trying to protect you,” he said, and I didn’t know whether to lean into the anger or the fear of what this meant or the pitter-patter of my heart that he cared enough to try to protect me.
“You can’t protect her from her birthright,” Jameson continued. “I need to talk with her.”
“I’d rather drop dead than allow that. She’s not safe with you.”
“Like you can’t watch her every move around here anyway.” Jameson tsked, and Dimitri glared at him.
“You’re right. I can and I will,” Dimitri responded immediately, no remorse in his growl.
“Those security cameras aren’t approved on the streets yet,” Jameson pointed out. “It’s illegal to have them on.”
“You think I give a fuck?” Dimitri was admitting to committing a crime, and I didn’t know whether to be flattered it was for me or concerned. “Let me be clear, I don’t live by morals, Jameson. I don’t live for my life anymore, quite frankly. I’m living to protect hers. I couldn’t care less about a damn law. Take me to jail. I’ll live there happily as long as I know she is good. Theonlylife I’m trying to save here is the love of mine. Don’t get it twisted.”
I gasped at his declaration and whispered out his name. He glanced back at me for just a second and his brows knitted together as he murmured softly, “Honeybee.” It was just a nickname, but I felt the love in it, the unwavering support.
Then, he looked back at Jameson and snarled, “I’ll break every law and every bone in your body if I think for a second she’s unsafe.”
