Read Online Damage (Havoc #2) by Stella Rhys - Free Book Online Page A

he watched Jesse walk in front of us through the Monarch.  Arms crossed, I wrapped my poncho cardigan tight over my cocktail uniform, my heels clicking neatly across the floor as he remained silent.  “In case you forgot, Abram, I was instructed by your handlers to keep all of this a secret and Rhode would have figured it out in a second if your security guys wound up beating Jesse to a pulp in the middle of our dining room.”  Through the corner of my eye, I peered up at Abram, whose eyes were still glued to Jesse as we made our way to Genevieve, the French restaurant on the thirty-fifth floor of the hotel.  I watched the thin grey fabric of his T-shirt rise and fall as his chest muscles flexed and un-flexed.
    “If you knew those were my men, Isla, you should’ve gone to them the second Jesse walked in the door.  Just because he didn’t kill Gavin doesn’t mean he’s never killed.  He’s dangerous.  He’s not someone you should ever want to be alone in a room with.”
    My gaze trailed up from his balled fist to the vein lining his forearm, which flexed against the sleeve of his white button down, rolled up just below his elbow.  “You’re dangerous too,” I pointed out, holding my ground when he turned his wolfish stare on me.  “You’ve killed men before.  But I know who you are inside – at least I think I do – which is why I trust myself to be alone in a room with you. I’ve tried –trust me, Abram, I have tried but I can’t seem to define you by the people you’ve hurt.  Because you don’t do it for fun. I know you.  There’s a story to explain you and everything that you do.”
    Abram stopped in his tracks.  For a moment, his gaze lingered on me, hot, intense but unreadable.  “Are you saying you know Jesse as well as you know me?”
    It was my turn for silence.  But I did a good job masking the sudden racing of my heartbeat.  “No,” I answered simply.  “But I know he’s not just some killing machine.  He’s a person.  With emotions and feelings and things at stake.  We’ve all lost somebody at this point, Abram – you, me, Jesse, Nate.  We’re all hurting and just trying to figure out how to move on, and for you guys, Stefan is the key to that, so just make this easier on all of your hearts and help each other.  You all want the same thing, you’re just letting your big man egos get in the way of working together.”  I held my breath when I was done, anticipating Abram’s reaction. I watched, my heartbeat in my throat as I waited for him to speak.  Outside the restaurant doors, the hostesses flat-out stared at us as he simply stood there before me, six feet and four inches of dauntingly rigid muscle.  But to my surprise, his stance relaxed just enough for me to notice and with a hand in my hair, he pulled my face up for a kiss.
    "I know you’re right but give me a second to cool off before I give you the proper credit you deserve for that speech,” he muttered, finally offering a little grin before pressing his soft lips to mine.  “Thank you for being here,” he murmured before we went inside.
    With an irritated call of his name, Abram got Jesse away from the flirty bartender and had him follow us to the table at which Nate already sat having dinner.  Only then did I realize how long I’d gone without sitting down and having a proper meal.  More than twenty-four hours.  At the sight of the feast Nate had ordered – scallops, pasta, charcuterie and steak frites – my stomach finally started to rumble.  But like a child, Nate eyed me defensively and pulled his plates closer.  And the cherry on top of it all: this dickhead who will never stop hating me .
    “We have a surprise guest,” Abram said as we sat down.
    Nate glared at Jesse while shoving a forkful of fettuccine into his mouth, clearly too hungry to make a fuss.  There was no time to anyway, with two waitresses suddenly rushing to the table, jostling for position till they were