The Handsome Devil

Chapter 24 - The walls are cracking

After several minutes, Max finally managed to restore his breathing and set forth to look for the girl. He was sure she couldn't get far, as all the access points to the house were locked and guarded by his men.

To say he was fuming would be an understatement. Under normal circumstances, he would kill anyone who dared to punch him the way she did. Yet, he found himself more deranged over her audacity to decline him what's rightfully his. Her refusal to give in to him.

She got his attention since the moment he first saw her. He knew he had to get her, even though he wasn't ready to admit himself why, and he could hardly believe his luck when the Brixton guys brought her to him.

Offering her to be their gang whore was an asshole move, even he could see that. But what was he supposed to do? Go all soft in front of them and pretend he's taking her in out of generosity? He's Maximón, for christs sake. He doesn't do charity. However, considering her response, he might have been better off by swallowing his pride and doing exactly that.

The knowledge she got out of his grasp was tearing him from the inside, so the second time they've met, he promised himself to not let her go. Ever.

He tried to tell himself it was just so he can get a revenge on her for the disrespect she showed him. Yet, every time she opened her smart mouth and made him loose control and hurt her, he found himself drowning in guilt. A feeling he thought he lost a long time ago.

Then he came up with the idea to make her join them. That way he could make sure she'll stay by his side,  and he could stop tormenting her without appearing weak in front of his men.

He was well aware she was hiding an immense beauty under the dirt, bruises, and wounds. Nonetheless, he couldn't have predicted its extent.

Once she cleaned up and started to heal, he knew he's doomed. That's why he came up with the bet. He convinced himself that seeing her in the arms of another man will help him to get over her. Yet, deep inside, he knew it was just an excuse so that he could try to get her for himself without raising questions from the Bulldogs.

In a sense, it pleased him greatly when she refused Mateo's and Dylan's advances, and not just his own. However, what he didn't count with was the painful stinging when he saw her tiny arms wrap around Andrew and look at him lovingly, even if it was all fake.

If it wasn't for Andrew who barged in the bedroom swearing she was just messing with him and that nothing happened, he would have strangled her. It was then that he realised he would rather see her dead than letting her be with someone else.

The bet was cancelled the same night. Of course he didn't tell them the real reason, claiming it's causing too much drama instead. No one had a clue except Andrew, who was warned not to even think about his precious little angel.

And then there was Dylan. He's been his right hand since they ended up in the same foster home and knew him too well. At times, Max wished he could just shoot the motherfucker and move on, but it was out of question. Out of all Bulldogs, he was the only irreplaceable one.

He knew it was bad what he did to the girl on her first mission. Up to this day, he wasn't able to come up with satisfactory excuse as to why he did it, except that he's a cruel psychopathic monster without a pinch of empathy in his body. But when Dylan dared to throw it in his face, he went livid.

Why did he even care? Over the years, he has watched him do much worse without batting an eye. Yet, when it comes to Deya, he suddenly goes all crazy.

It all started to make sense when the fucker dared to kiss her. However, the worst about the whole thing was the fact that she let him do it, while all his own attempts were rejected. Dylan swore it was all just a part of mission, but he knew better. Even he could feel the chemistry between them.