Dominated: The Enforcers 2 (The Enforcers Series) (8 page)

And yet for some reason still baffling to her, Drake had locked onto her and claimed her within seconds of them meeting face-to-face for the first time. She shook her head. These things simply didn’t happen to a girl
like her from a podunk town in Mississippi. She was clumsy, awkward, shy and extremely conservative, which was why she’d only recently lost her virginity to a man who was all wrong for her. And naïve. God, she had to be the most gullible, naïve woman on the planet. So what on earth did Drake see in her?

“Evangeline, what’s wrong?” Drake asked sharply.

She flushed guiltily at being caught out lost in her thoughts. No way in hell she was going to tell Drake what she’d been thinking, even if she did have the propensity to blurt out the truth no matter how embarrassing it might be. For the first time she was going to lie to him, and she’d promised never to lie to him. But it would only anger him and ruin what had been a perfect morning. She justified her lie by telling herself it wasn’t a damaging lie. She wasn’t betraying him or withholding the truth about something that truly mattered. But even acknowledging that didn’t make her feel any better. She hated lying. Hated it.

“I was just trying to think of what to cook for dinner tonight,” she said lightly.

He studied her for a moment and more heat scorched her cheeks because he didn’t swallow her lame excuse in the least. But to her surprise, he didn’t call her on it, nor did he push her for answers.

“Let’s go take a shower together and then we’ll go get lunch. After, I’ll take you on that carriage ride.”

She sighed in contentment. “That sounds like a perfect day.”

“Are you ever planning to allow Evangeline out of the apartment?” Maddox asked dryly.

Drake glanced up sharply, and a perusal of his men netted the same question in their eyes that Maddox had voiced. The question came out of nowhere and had nothing to do with the business matters they were discussing. For that matter, his personal affairs weren’t open for discussion. Apparently he needed to make that clear.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Drake demanded. “I fail to see how my relationship with Evangeline is any of your business.”

His tone was icy and his features glacial as he stared his men down. There was disapproval in their eyes and it pissed him the fuck off. He was tempted to beat the fuck out of each and every one of them. He’d be damned if they were going to pass judgment on his relationship with Evangeline. Fuck that.

“Oh, I don’t know. Let’s see. She hasn’t so much as set foot out of your apartment since you brought her back there. Hell, no one has so much as seen her. You were going to make her your queen and go public with her, but she’s more scarce now than she ever was before.”

Drake’s eyes narrowed at the implied criticism in Maddox’s voice. As though Drake were purposely keeping her under wraps.

“She is free to come and go as she likes,” Drake said in an icy voice. “She’s aware of the necessity of higher security, and she accepts that. I’ve offered to have some of you accompany her wherever she’d like to go, but so far she’s refused, preferring to stay in.”

“Hell, she’s probably embarrassed,” Justice said in disgust. “She has no way of knowing what or how much we know, though she likely suspects we were privy to every single detail of what went down that night. It’s understandable why she wouldn’t be eager to face judgment from others.”

“Who the hell says she would be judged?” Silas demanded in a pissed-off tone.

Justice shot him a look of impatience. “Evangeline has pride. In spades. I’m not saying any of us would judge her. She did
nothing
wrong.” He shot a pointed look in Drake’s direction that had Drake baring his teeth. “But
she
doesn’t know what we think or know or what side of the picture we line up on. It’s likely she’s avoiding all of us. I don’t blame her. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the exact same thing in her shoes. By her way of thinking, she’s been shamed enough.”

“Fuck that,” Maddox growled. “The hell I’ll let her believe that shit.”

Silas held up his hand to silence Maddox. “I’ll sort Evangeline out.”

Drake slashed a look in his man’s direction. “Oh, you will?”

Silas met his stare without backing down. “Yeah, I will. I’ll let her know that whatever fucked-up shit she has going on in her head is just that. Shit. We had an agreement before for a once-a-week takeout date. So I’ll get takeout and bring it over to your place tomorrow and I’ll set her straight then. No way in hell is she going to hide away in shame for something she was innocent in.”

Drake held on to his temper by a thread. Only because he knew Silas
would cut his own throat rather than ever betray someone he considered a brother—his only family—was he able to control his anger at the condemnation in Silas’s voice. Hell, it wasn’t as if Drake didn’t harbor enough self-blame without it being served up to him at every turn by the men loyal to him.

Even as the initial rage threatened to erupt, it abated just as quickly. He was grateful for Silas’s fierce defense of and regard for Evangeline. Drake knew of no other recipients of either from Silas save those currently gathered in Drake’s office. And going public with Evangeline instilled paralyzing fear in Drake—not an emotion he was accustomed to at all. But with his relationship becoming very public, he needed unconditional loyalty to Evangeline from every single one of his men, because he would be relying on them as well as himself to keep her safe at all times.

And Justice was likely correct in his conclusion. Drake cursed the fact that he hadn’t even considered that Evangeline would be mortified to face his men, but now that Justice had suggested it, it certainly seemed highly probable. That night had been degrading and mortifying for Evangeline. Of course she wouldn’t want to be around people who knew every single detail.

He was also dead on about Evangeline having fierce pride. It was one of the things Drake admired most about her.

“Silas is right,” Drake conceded. “The air needs to be cleared and Evangeline needs to be put at ease. I won’t have her uncomfortable with the people I trust her life with.”

He paused and leveled a steely look at each of his men in turn.

“However, once Silas has set the matter to rights, under no circumstances is that night ever to be brought up in Evangeline’s presence. Unless she brings the subject up, it is to be forgotten, and even should she broach the topic, you will say nothing that upsets or embarrasses her in any way. I damn near destroyed her in my attempt to keep her off
the Luconis’ radar, and I will not have anything said or done that brings her further pain.”

Maddox made a sound of disgust. “What kind of bastards do you take us for? Evangeline is a sweet woman. Far too innocent and sympathetic for her own good. Hurting her would be like kicking a goddamn puppy. Only a complete piece-of-shit dickhead would seek to humiliate or shit on her.”

“I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page,” Drake said calmly. “I’m not letting her go, which means she’s going to be a regular part of our daily lives. The sooner Silas smooths things over with her and makes her feel at ease with all of you again, the sooner the memory of that night will fade.”

“I’ll take care of it tomorrow,” Silas reaffirmed.

Drake nodded his consent. “See that you do. Maddox, perhaps you should take Evangeline out the following day. Have her make a grocery list and shop for the items she needs. She enjoys cooking and she likes to feel that she’s contributing in some way and that she has value. I won’t take that from her. Bring Justice with you. She needs to grow accustomed to being around you all again without any residual awkwardness.”

“She can cook for me any time she wants,” Justice said, his tone hopeful. “Maybe if I’m a really good boy, I can finagle a dinner invitation from her.”

Drake rolled his eyes as the others chimed in with their appreciation of her culinary skills and their desire to be included for dinner. He wasn’t a stupid man. His men appreciated more than just her cooking skills. If Drake wasn’t careful and he fucked up with Evangeline again, more than one of his men would move in without hesitation and treat her like royalty, spoiling her shamelessly. Then he’d have to beat all their asses.

Drake sat back in his chair and singled Silas out. “I need as many eyes on the street as possible. With the leaks about my relationship with
Evangeline steadily going out, I want everyone’s ear to the ground and I want to know of any possible threat to her
before
it has a chance to be carried out.”

“I’m already on it,” Silas said, unruffled by Drake’s intensity. “I have eyes and ears everywhere. If someone is planning a move, I’ll know about it. As long as Evangeline isn’t left alone and especially not wandering around the city by herself, she’ll be safe.”

Drake scowled. “She won’t be wandering around the city without several men on her. She goes nowhere without protection, and guards will be posted at the apartment when she’s there alone during the day.”

“You realize the most expedient way to give credence to the rumors of your serious attachment to Evangeline would be to show up to a society function with her on your arm,” Hartley mused. “You’ve never brought a woman to any of the events you’ve attended. The few times you choose to attend a function, you’re always a lone wolf and very unapproachable. I imagine that alone would cause quite a stir. Add in the planted seeds of a serious relationship with Evangeline and you’ll have the entire city buzzing.”

Drake stiffened, his jaw clenched tight to the point of pain. He didn’t like the idea of using Evangeline or of trotting her out like a show pony just to get his point across.
Fuck.
But Hartley also made a solid point. If he wanted it spread far and wide that Evangeline was his pampered, cherished queen and that anyone fucking with her would die a very painful death, then he had to offer concrete evidence and not just talk. Actions had to back up the words.

Which meant an evening in polite company, rubbing elbows with people he despised or who despised him, people who wanted his backing and financial support in their latest schemes or simply people whom he found tedious and fake. None of the scenarios were appealing. And exposing Evangeline to a veritable viper’s nest left an acid taste in his mouth. She didn’t deserve to be mocked and bullied, and she damn sure
didn’t deserve to be tormented and persecuted because of her lack of social status.

He liked and
respected
that she was fresh and unspoiled by greed and ambition. She was as genuine as they came, someone a month ago he would have never believed existed, or rather only existed in the realm of too good to be true. He’d become jaded and cynical at a very young age—he’d had no choice. But Evangeline was a breath of fresh air. Nothing like he’d ever encountered before. She made him believe that there was actual goodness in the world, however limited in quantity.

She was as he’d dubbed her, an . . . angel. Good to her bones and incapable of deception and betrayal. Jesus. He was starting to sound like an infatuated, starry-eyed prepubescent kid without a fucking clue about how the real world worked.

It was Evangeline who didn’t have a firm grasp on humanity and its devious nature, and it was his duty to shield her from those who would think nothing of tearing her apart and taking advantage of her inherent goodness.

He inwardly grimaced. It sounded like he was criticizing Evangeline. Like she had a flaw and was too stupid to live, when nothing could be further from the truth. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a grasp on reality. She had firsthand experience courtesy of her first lover and now Drake, the man who’d vowed never to hurt her. She was just extremely sweet and chose to see the good in people and not the bad until she had no other choice. Her heart was too tender, and that was where she needed someone to protect her from those who would take advantage of her generous spirit.

“Some of you will go with us,” Drake ordered. “It’s not optional. I’m not throwing her to the wolves, and you and I both know they’d take her apart and enjoy doing it. She will be surrounded by me and a group of you the entire time and no one, and I mean no one, will get through you to her and fill her head full of shit or make her feel like she doesn’t belong or I’ll have your balls.”

“It’s the bitches you’ll have to be on the lookout for. Much more so than any men,” Maddox stated in a matter-of-fact tone. “As soon as the women whom you’ve tossed or outright rejected see her on your arm, when no woman is
ever
on your arm, the claws are going to come out and they’ll try to tear her to shreds.”

The others nodded solemnly in agreement.

“Which is why you will all form an impenetrable barrier around her and head off anyone who attempts to get to her,” Drake said emphatically.

Zander groaned. “Jesus. Does this mean I have to wear a damn monkey suit?”

Thane snickered. “If the rest of us have to suffer, then so do you.”

“This is no joking matter,” Drake said, his expression stony. “Evangeline is to be protected at all costs. I will not have her abused or humiliated ever again. If anyone gets by you, then you answer to me. Are we clear?”

“Evangeline is ours, boss,” Justice spoke up. “She’s yours, yeah, but by proxy, that makes her ours too. The only way someone will get to her through me is if I’m dead.”

As Drake studied his men’s expressions, he realized that Justice spoke the truth. Evangeline did in fact belong to them all. She was one of them, which meant each of them would protect her like they did one another.

Drake nodded his acknowledgment and acceptance of his men’s vow to put themselves between Evangeline and harm’s way. Some of the tension that had knotted his insides ever since he’d decided to go public with Evangeline eased, and he relaxed for the first time since Evangeline left him.

His men—his brothers—were solid. The best of the best. He trusted them with his life and now he was trusting them with Evangeline’s, and he knew Justice wasn’t just saying meaningless words. He and all of his men would put themselves in front of Evangeline. They’d die for her just
as they’d die for him. That kind of loyalty couldn’t be bought. It was earned and in turn reciprocated because he’d go to the wall for any one of them and they damn well knew it.

“I’ll go through my invitations,” he conceded. “There’s always a pile of them on my desk. I’ll choose one that garners me and Evangeline the most exposure and then I’ll put on a show that can’t possibly be mistaken. After that night, there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind that Evangeline belongs to me and is under my absolute protection.”

Silas stared piercingly at Drake as if peeling back the layers and leaving Drake a wide-open book.

“And is that all it is? A show?” he asked in a somber voice.

Drake’s features became icy and he stared coolly back at Silas, matching his enforcer’s intensity.

“She is mine and that is all you need to know. What is between me and Evangeline is strictly that. Between us and not open for discussion or analysis.”

Silas’s lips tightened but he didn’t press the issue. Maddox didn’t seem any more pleased with Drake’s response than Silas had been, but like Silas, he left it alone.

“Now, if that’s all we have to discuss, I’m calling it a day,” Drake announced. “I’m staying home and not going to the club tonight, so I’ll need you, Zander and Hartley to cover, Maddox. If there are any problems, call. Evangeline and I plan to stay in tonight, but I can always bring her with me if something needs my attention.”