Dauntless (The LockDown Series Book 2) (33 page)

“LEIGHTON,” Abbi shouts at me, completely disgusted with my behaviour. “Don’t you dare talk to her like that,” she warns me.

“Leigh, just leave it,” I hear Antonio say behind me and it causes me to laugh, a malevolent cackle.

“Don’t treat her like what? Like the dirty slut she is. The dirty fucking whore who came into our lives just to kill us, the person you call a friend and let look after our baby, the one who had Ant shot in the first place. I, for one, want her gone.” I grasp her arms, pulling her forcefully from the chair.

“Debbie?” Abbi asks quietly and sadly. I feel so bad for her, and I hope this isn’t going to send her off the deep end again.

“I’m sorry Abbi, so sorry,” Debbie tells her, shaking her head. Her face smothered in tears and it causes a slight happiness to penetrate me.

“Excuse me everyone whilst I throw the trash out, it’s starting to smell the place up.” If there is one thing people need to realise about me, it is I don’t fuck around. You do not mug me off, treat me or my family like shit and you DO NOT try to kill my friends.

As I drag her through the hallway, my fiancée stands by the lounge door watching on in heartbreak. I whisper into the conniving little bitch’s ear. “If you were not carrying a foetus in your stomach, then you would not be leaving through the door, I can assure you of that. You come near my family or me again and I will kill you. When you give birth to this baby, you will give it to Antonio and then you will disappear from here, or I will make you fucking disappear,” I warn her as I open my front door and sling the slut out of it and onto the pavement outside.

“Leighton, mate I’m sorry.” I hear Ant behind me again, tapping my shoulder and squeezing.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? How long have you known for?” I ask him. I feel so hurt right now.

“After what happened at yours, between the four of us, she confessed when we got home.”

“WHAT?” I ask angrily, furious at every fucker right now.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want to cause a problem.”

“Ant, the psycho nearly killed you. I nearly lost you for fuck sake,” I tell him, turning and clasping the back of his head. I lay my forehead to his and breathe out an agitated breath. “How do you think I felt when I saw you fucking bleeding and dying in my front drive? It fucking killed me mate, I can’t lose you, and let me assure you, if she comes near me, or my family again, if she even touches a fucking hair on your body, I will end her. And I will make it fucking hurt.” I grip his hair as I fight the tears of anger and betrayal away.

All I can see as I look to the foul heap of flesh on the driveway is my best friend, brother and lover, bleeding, choking on his own blood, dying in my fucking arms.

“You are better than her Antonio. Please do not go back there.” I beg him, squeezing onto his neck in desperation.

“I need to get her home safe and then I’ll be back. Okay?” I need him right now. The urge inside me to make sure he is okay, and safe, is so strong, I can’t contain it.

“I need you,” I tell him, as my forehead still lay pressed to his.

“I’ll be back, Leigh. Wait for me okay.” I breathe out, pressing my lips quickly to his and then step aside so he can walk through my door and to her.

If I thought I had ever knew pain and heartbreak, it doesn’t compare to the way I felt when I saw the man I cared for more than my own life, break down and cry the way he did when Antonio left with
her.
I feel as though I am in an alternative universe, where everything seems to be in slow motion.

First, my fiancé walks into the lounge, lifts Debbie from her seat and proceeds to tell us all what she has done. I physically feel my heart shatter into a hundred pieces, scattering like shrapnel through my body. I feel the agony and heartbreak as he does what he has to do, I wish I could take it all away for him, give him a smile.

“Baby, can I come in?” I ask him, as I tap on his office door.

“Yeah,” he sniffles quietly from behind the wood. He’s been locked away in there for an hour. I had seen the nearly full bottle of scotch he had taken from the cabinet and the last thing I need, is him drinking himself into oblivion.

The thing is with Leighton, he has an enormous heart, so much love to give but you do not, ever, throw back that love and generosity in his face. “God, baby,” I say as I push open his heavy door and see him sitting at his desk, with a quarter bottle of scotch left. His eyes are puffy, red and sore, his hands cut from an obvious run in with a brick wall of sorts.

“Why?” he asks sadly and I can’t stop the tears falling from my cheeks. I walk to his desk, sit on the edge and then pull him to me, the wheels of his chair drawing him closer.

“I don’t know, baby, I couldn’t tell you. All I know is, I am here for you, I am with you. She will not be coming anywhere near any of us again, and when Antonio walks back in this house, he isn’t going anywhere. I will not let her weasel her way into his head again and have him crawling back there. I love you and you have done the right thing,” I tell him, stroking his head and kissing it lightly.

“She’s pregnant,” he says quietly and I can’t help the shock gasp that sounds from me. “We don’t know who the father is,” he continues.

My heart can't take it today, first finding out that the child Leighton and I share, our beautiful girl,
and she wasn’t his first. He has shared that love and excitement with another before and it hurt me so deep I didn’t know how I would cope. It wasn’t ‘til after he explained what happened that I got it, that I saw clearly. I would have been the same way as him, running away and hiding from the world. On top of this pain, he now has another to bear. His best friend, the guy he deems to be his brother, having to go through this agony of losing somebody he loves. He has no way of separating completely away from Debbie now, she holds his child and that is something I know Antonio will not back away from, he will love that child, bring it up and protect it till the day he dies.

“Sounds about right. The bitch is obviously a manipulative whore,” I say angrily. I feel so bad for Antonio right now; he is really falling for the girl.

“I mean, Abbi, it could be mine.”

“No, no, NO!” I shout the last no, my heart suddenly breaking. “It can’t be yours.” I am crying now, tears of hurt streaming my face. “How could you? You promised me you have never done that. You fucking told me.” I break down, falling to my knees from atop the desk. I bury my face in my hands, my entire body racked with shakes.

“Angel, I would never do that, please believe me. It happened when you came home; none of us used protection that night. It was a stupid fucking mistake. I should never have trusted her.” He clenches his fists together in anger.

I relax suddenly, all at once remembering that night. I don't know how I could have ever thought he had betrayed me.

“Leighton, listen to me. This is not your fault, none of it is. We all got caught in the heat of the moment. None of us could have expected this. What we can do now, is protect our family, protect Antonio and make him feel welcome and loved and we can move on. Forget about her,” I encourage him, lifting his dropped head to stare in his green eyes.

“I can’t just forget she is pregnant with Ant’s or my child. She’ll have to be a part of our lives until we can test that child for DNA.”

“And if it’s yours, what are you going to do?” I ask him.

“Then I do the right thing. I take that child away from its deranged, dangerous mother and bring it up myself and love it the way I love Melissa and Joe.” He looks guilty, even admitting he will love the baby.

“Then I would be honoured to be your wife. You are such a strong man, and I know you can pull through this, but we need to be there for Antonio now, he must be broken. He loves that girl,” I inform Leighton and I know it is what needs to happen. We both love Ant with our entire hearts and I will not let him fall because of this.

“I know. It’s just such a fucked up situation. I’ve got my friends, my goddamn brother and sister and Joe out there, and here I am drinking myself half to death instead of being strong for everyone, being a father the way I should be.” He rubs his hands over his face clearing the fog.

“Everyone has gone home, it’s just Brandon and Georgia and they have put Joseph to bed as he was still asleep on the sofa. I’m sure they have gone to bed now, as well. We will sort them out tomorrow, tonight Ant needs us and I can see in your eyes, Leighton, that you need him.” I lean forward and kiss his lips gently, stroking my fingers under his eyes to collect the tears.

“I know,” he simply answers.

“Okay, so, we’re going to get up, take ourselves to bed and wait for Ant to join us. Okay?” He nods his head and stands up out of his chair. He takes a swig of his scotch and then empties the remainder of his glass in the sink.

“Let’s go.” He takes my hand and pulls me from the office and towards the grand staircase that leads to our room. I can feel the heat he exhumes and I know tonight is going to be rough, really fucking rough, but I know he needs it and I know, a hundred per cent, Ant is going to need it too.

“Just know, Abbi, tonight, it’s going to be hard, but I know you can handle it, sweetheart. All you need to remember is your safe word.”

We stop by our daughter’s room and his son’s room on the way to ours. He kisses both of their heads, whispering his love to them. I can see he is already being soothed and relaxed by their presence.

I wish I had known of his past, been able to help him get past the hurt he is holding. I know, soon, he will be my Leighton again. Strong, resilient and proud of himself, but right now his despair and the memories that are replaying for him, are eating away at his soul and ruining the Leighton I know.

Leighton and I have taken a bath together, calming some of the built up tension he possesses. Now we are lying in bed and cuddling. After thirty minutes of lying quiet and motionless, the bedroom door opens and in walks Ant. He has already removed almost every stitch of his clothing. All that remains is a tight, snug pair of boxers, concealing his monster cock.

“Ant,” Leighton says, sitting himself up and standing from the bed, “I’m sorry.” He walks fast over to his best friend. They stand face-to-face, chest to chest, just staring intensely at one another.

“Fuck.” I hear the Italian accent mingle in the air as I watch their lips smash together.

I gulp down a massive lump in my throat, clenching my thighs together hard. I’m not going to survive tonight. I know that for sure.

They consume each other before my eyes, their tongues mingling with one another whilst their hands grasp and cling to any part of each other’s bodies as they can. Leighton’s fingers twist in Antonio’s hair, pulling at it desperately as he kisses him. Ant’s hands stroke their hard cocks together as they both lay hard against their abdomens. Somewhere along the way, one of them had managed to remove Ant’s boxers, giving me a beautiful view of their dicks rubbing against the others.

“Wow,” I say aloud as I watch them, wanting to touch myself in all the right places over it.

Leighton pushes his friend to the wall, his back slamming hard into the plaster. My fiancé holds him there, bracing his body with his impressive arms. Ant’s eyes close, his eyelashes resting against his cheeks as he tosses his head back to the wall, Leighton’s lips beginning to trail down the entire surface of his neck. He doesn’t stop with his torment, caressing Ant’s physique, licking and sucking at his collarbone, chest, biting roughly at his nipples. I can't help the moan that is pulled from my tight throat as Leighton drops to his knees in front of Ant, his hands scoring the eight pack of abs present on his stomach. I tremble at the look Leighton receives from Ant; the wicked gleam in his intense brown eyes makes my own body quiver with a powerful need. I watch in adoration as Leighton leans in, taking Ant in his mouth.

“Jesus,” I sound again, my body’s tension and heat escalating to a dangerous level. “Baby, take him deep,” I instruct Leighton, knowing I am pushing it. I’m awarded a dangerous glance from Ant, then as Leighton’s head turns around I see the pure malicious arousal there.