Dante's Way (11 page)

“I like your fire. I mean you would give me more of a fight than my other girls. I know you’re tired of living out here with the other dirty lowlife street people. Why don’t you let me help you?”

Reaching out, Ike ran his finger down the side of her neck then fingered one of her braids. “I can see with a little assist from me you would be a knock out. All you need is some soap, water and someone to take care of your everyday needs.”

“Don’t touch me you bastard,” Amara snapped, slapping his hand away. “Your touch makes my skin crawl and stomach turn. I would rather sleep in a trash can than have anything to do with the likes of you.”

“You little bitch,” Ike growled, wrapping his hand round her wrist. “Do you know who you’re turning down? Girls beg me to make them a part of my escort service. Do you actually think you’re too good for me? I wouldn’t be so damn stuck up. Aren’t you the one eating out of the trash cans? I dine very well every night and sometimes I even allow Theresa to join me.”

Lowering his voice, Ike raked his eyes over her body making her skin crawl. “Just be nice to me and I promise to show you a good time. It’s not as bad as you think. You’ll get used to it after the third or fourth time.”

Her stomach clenched tight at the thought of how Ike would bring her into his ‘business.’ Most of the girls he had working for him couldn’t see past his classically handsome face with his dark blond hair, clear light blue eyes and tailor made suits.

In spite of that, she clearly saw the wolf hiding inside sheep’s clothing and she wasn’t about to freely give her soul and the last of her willpower to someone like him.

No matter how hard things were going for her right now she still had the pride and values her parents raised her with until their deaths. Ike wasn’t about to take all of those precious things away from her.

“I said no,” Amara yelled, struggling against Ike’s iron grip on her arm.

Ike smiled at her, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “God, I love the fight in you. Just thinking about breaking your spirit is making my cock hard.”

Jerking her body to him, he held her against his body pushing his erection against her stomach. Amara could barely keep from throwing up as his aftershave burned her nose.

“Let go of me,” she hollered again, hoping someone would help her.

“No,” Ike smirked, staring down into her upturned face. “I like you like this. A little scared, but still willing to stand up and fight with me.”

“I think you should listen to the girl and take your hands off of her. If you can’t, I’ll be more than happy to help you out.”

Amara froze at the sound of the deep, rich masculine voice behind her as it broke into her argument with Ike. His words were as cool and clear as a bucket of ice water; she knew who the owner of it was without even turning around. She wouldn’t ever forget it as long as she lived...it was
Dante!

Chapter Fourteen

“Did you hear what I said?” Dante demanded again behind her. “I believe my words were crystal clear.”

Amara wanted to turn around and look at the man who had been haunting her thoughts for the past week, but she couldn’t because Ike’s hand still had an iron grip on her arm. She tried not to flinch as his nails dug into her tender skin.

Dante still scared her, but she knew Ike was a lot worst. All she had to do was get away from this situation and she was done. She couldn’t let Dante get his hands on her either but first things first. She had to get rid of one problem before she could start on another one. Slowly, Ike let go of her arm and stepped to the side putting some space between their bodies.

Not missing a beat, Amara quickly took a step away and spun around. Her eyes widened at the sight of Dante out in the daylight. She thought he was gorgeous that night, when she got a glimpse of him during their altercation, but she was wrong.

Everything about him was perfect! Dante towered over Ike by a full eight inches. His well-muscled body enhanced his stance emphasizing how the jeans molded to his hard thighs and the slimness of his hips.

She couldn’t get over the powerful set of his shoulders. Everything about him screamed with a commanding air of self-confidence that Ike would never have in this lifetime or ever, in her opinion.

“Dante Braden, I didn’t know you were friends with the little rag-a-muffin,” Ike taunted, glancing over at her. “How did the two of you become friends?”

“We aren’t friends.” She jumped in before Dante could answer. She didn’t want Ike knowing any more about her life than he should. If he found out about the incident at Dante’s club he would a find way to use it against her.

Dante’s captivating gray-green eyes swung over at her making her breath hitch in her throat as her heart pounded away in her chest. She wanted to say something to him, but all she could do was stand there and stare at him like a girl with her first crush.

“No, we aren’t friends,” he said, slowly glancing away from her over to Ike. “However, I don’t take kindly to a man using his power over a woman. Ike, I know what you do with the girls you help get off the streets. I just think you need to leave the kid alone.”

Amara’s stomach completely dropped to the bottom of her shoes as Ike sneered at Dante. He knew how old she was, but she couldn’t let him tell her secrets. She had to stop Ike before he opened his mouth against her.

“Dante, why are you constantly playing the storybook hero,” Ike snickered. “Why don’t you leave things alone that aren’t any of your damn business? You might have given some of my former sluts a job, but you didn’t get anything over on me. I was done with those used up tramps. However, I’m always looking for a new attraction and I think Amara will be perfect once she gets one of my makeovers.”

“The hell I will get anything from you,” Amara yelled. “I can’t stand you. Furthermore, Mr. Braden you stay away from me too. I know you aren’t helping me out of the goodness of your heart.”

Pivoting, Amara hurried away from the two men hoping and praying neither one of them decided to follow after her. Why in the hell did Ike have to even bring up her name with Dante standing right there? She was in the clear because he never knew her identity, but now he had something to go on.

Amara exhaled a long sigh of relief. She was almost away from the beach and halfway into the parking lot. She had gotten away from Dante and Ike without either one of them following her. But her happiness was short-lived when a hand wrapped around the back of her arm stopping her in her tracks.

“Amara, wait. Don’t run off again,” Dante said, spinning her back around to face him. “I still want to talk to you.”

“No,” she said, jerking her arm away then moving back. “I already felt your contempt for me that night at your bar. I apologized for stealing your food. What else do you want from me?”

At this point after dealing with Ike, she was beyond being intimidated by Dante. If he was going to do something then she wished he would just get it over with.

“Calm down, hell cat, and listen to me. I’m not mad about the food anymore. I shouldn’t have overacted the way I did.” Dante’s apology shocked her and sent up more red flags in her head.

Amara had quickly learned on the streets that the fewer people she trusted the better off she would be and she didn’t trust Dante as far as she could throw him. Something was going on. All she had to do was find out what it was because men like Dante Braden didn’t just admit to blame for no reason.

Chapter Fifteen

Standing back, Dante looked at Amara watching how she got all tense when he got too close to her personal space. He didn’t know anything about the young girl in front of him, but not even the dirty clothes and half-done Pippi Longstocking braids couldn’t take away from her natural beauty.

Her skin complexion was smooth and silky like melted chocolate over a hot fudge sundae; there was both a delicacy and strength in her face. The suggestion of curves beneath her baggy clothes is probably what caught Ike’s attention, something Amara didn’t need.

“Amara, I know you don’t know me that well, but I want to help you. I know of a very good place you can go and they will help you until you get out of this—”

“Out of what,” Amara demanded, interrupting him. “I’m fine. I can handle things on my own. I’ve been doing it for this long. Besides, how do I know you aren’t like Ike? You’re a stranger to me and how about we keep it that away, Mr. Braden?”

Dante didn’t have a chance to tell her anything else before Amara turned and walked away from him and he let her go. If anyone needed his assistance, it was Amara. She might not know it, but the night when she came to him searching for food she had gained his protection. Now, all he had to do was gain her trust and then the rest should be easy.

He took one last look at Amara’s retreating figure before going back towards his motorcycle. Stopping half way there, he frowned when he spotted someone standing there waiting for him.

“Theresa, what are you doing here?” he asked, coming upon her. “I didn’t see you with Ike earlier.”

Dante had known Theresa for a while because he had dated her older sister for three years. When Los Angeles became too much for Candace, she decided to pack up and move back home to Idaho. Yet, Theresa had fallen in love with the fast pace of the city and stayed despite her sister’s protests.

Sadly, Candace was right and within a matter of months Theresa ended up on the streets, easy prey for Ike. After he found what his ex-girlfriend’s baby sister was doing to earn money, he had worked hard to get her away, but the lure of Ike and the lifestyle was way too
alluring
.

Glancing down, Theresa kicked at a rock with the toe of her high heel and then looked back up at him through her fake eyelashes.

“Hi, Dante,” she said, softly shoving her hands into the front pockets of her jeans.

“How are you doing?” he asked, noting how thin Theresa looked since the last time he saw her. “Do you need any money?”

“No, I’m good,” she finally answered looking at him. “I wanted to talk to you, but I had to wait until Ike was gone. He hasn’t been in a good mood lately. I didn’t want to upset him any further by talking to you while he was around.”

“What’s going on?” Dante questioned. “Do you need my help? You know that I’m here for you.”

“It’s too late for me to leave Ike. I’ve been with him for too long. He wouldn’t ever let me leave the escort business, but you need to help Amara. Ike wants her bad. However, she wouldn’t be able to handle doing this day after day.”

Shock flew through him; Dante was momentarily speechless. He didn’t have a clue she knew Amara. How in the hell had their paths crossed?

“Tell me how you know Amara?” he asked, wanting to find out more about her.

“I met her on the streets about two weeks before I started working for Ike. I know she comes off as tough but Amara is scared. She hates living the way she does,” Theresa continued. “If Ike sees any kind of weakness in you he will use it to his advantage. I know you tried to get me away numerous times and I turned you down, but don’t let her do the same.”

“Do you even know how I first met Amara? All I have to say was it didn’t end well and now she doesn’t trust me.” He wanted to do as Theresa asked, but he couldn’t make Amara accept anything from him.

“I know all about the incident. She told me about it, but that doesn’t matter. You have friends in the community who can get through to her. Please do this. I never had a lot of girlfriends, but Amara is my closet friend besides Liam.”

“I don’t know,” he hedged.

“You’re a great guy. I remember you with my sister. She shouldn’t have just up and left you like she did. I thought it was so wrong. Can’t you overlook what Amara did? She wouldn’t have done it unless she was starving for food. Will you do this for me?” Theresa begged, oblivious to his thoughts.

Theresa was wrong about her sister walking out on him. She just got homesick and went back home, nothing more to it. It wasn’t like she went out for a gallon of milk and didn’t come back.

From the few short times that he had been in Amara’s presence, he learned that she was very strong willed. He didn’t think she would even let Theresa help her, but he was willing to give it a try. He was mature enough not to take a young girl’s temper tantrum to heart.

“I’m not making any promises, but I will try to see what I can do for her. However, I have to find Amara first and that might take a while.”

“Do what you have to do. Just please don’t let her end up like me,” she pleaded again with him. “I’m so glad I got to see you.”

Coming up to him, Theresa gave him a hug and then stepped away. She looked at him like she wanted to tell him something more, but she decided to leave it alone.

“Are you okay?” Dante asked, cupping her face looking past the heavily applied make-up. He still saw a scared young woman who wanted a way out but didn’t know how to ask for it.

Touching his hand, she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Do you ever take a moment for yourself instead of always wearing that invisible superhero cape of yours? As I told you before, you just need to forget about me and my problems. Amara is still untouched by Ike’s poison. She’s the one who needs your help.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you for doing this. You’re going to be saving her life whether Amara knows it or not.”

Theresa slowly moved his hand away from her face and gave him a small smile before walking away and eventually blending in with the crowd walking around on the beach.

Something about the tone of Theresa’s voice made his determination rise even more to the surface. He had been calling the shots for way too many years to take a back seat now.

He believed the way he was doing things was the right and only way. So, Amara better watch out because she was in his sights and he never stopped something until he was completely finished.

Getting on his bike, Dante started it and pulled away from the curb with his mind already on different ways he was going to change his tactics about dealing with Amara’s stubborn streak.