Tempted & Taken (Men of Haven #4)(25)
Darya sipped her vodka and nodded.
Gabe cocked her head. “So, what’s the JJ stand for?”
As fast and easy as Darya had settled in with the group, an icy wave of discomfort settled over her. It wasn’t the first time she’d been asked the question, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last, but every time she had to answer it drove a jagged spike through her heart. Reminded her of the woman she’d left behind and the risk she navigated every day parading herself as someone else.
One by one, she met the gazes of those around her. Every one of them stared back at her. Patient. Invested. Kind, but watchful. For fifteen minutes, she’d happily sat at their table and sensed only goodness. An open love for one another, as well as honor and protectiveness. Aside from the time she’d spent with JJ, she’d only felt the same sense of belonging with Yefim. A man who’d taken her in, taught her how to navigate the real world and saved her at high risk to himself.
Twice before, she’d trusted her instincts, and now they said to leap once more. To believe and take a chance at building something good while she could. JJ might not be beside her physically, but she could feel her steady presence as sure as a comforting hand pressed between her shoulder blades.
Live enough for both of us.
Yes, this was right. She felt it clear to her bones. “The truth is, my name isn’t JJ. Or Jeannie.” She met Knox’s steady gaze and swallowed. “My real name is Darya Volkova.”
Chapter Nine
Darya Volkova. Knox must have silently rolled the name around in his head at least twenty times since she’d dropped the truth on him and his family an hour ago, and every time it fit a little better. Way better than JJ or Jeannie, neither of which had sat well with him. She’d been white as a sheet for the first thirty seconds after she’d shared. A reasonable response considering the tension that had whipped around the table and the seven laser-focused men staring her down.
“I haven’t harmed anyone,” she’d said and quickly looked to Knox for support. “My past is behind me, but I wanted you to know the truth. To give you some token that any chance you give me is valued.”
Silence crackled and snapped, amplified by the white noise of reality around them, but eventually Jace had shifted his focus to Knox and lifted a questioning brow. A non-verbal You got this? that Knox had promptly answered with a nearly undetectable dip of his chin. No matter how much his family had taken it in stride and acted like it was NBFD, it was a big fucking deal. One he’d dig into as soon as he got reconnected to his sources. That was unless she opted to pony up the details when he took her home.
The lady working the vendor stand delivered two platefuls of barbecue ribs and pulled pork, dragging him back to the present. He slid a twenty across the counter. That was another thing he’d learned about the cute little skip tracer now known as Darya. Where some women picked at their food in an attempt to watch their weight or look delicate, Darya openly savored what she liked—and she liked barbecue and vodka. In abundance.
Turning from the counter, he stepped forward and nearly ran into Seth.
Rather than step aside, Seth glanced back at Knox’s table then jerked his head in that direction. “You got a minute before you head back?”
He did, but he wished he didn’t. The last few hours had been some of the most relaxed he’d been outside of Haven in months, so spending time juggling whatever had put a calculated look in Seth’s eyes didn’t give him a whole lot of warm and fuzzy. Still, Seth worked for Otter, and Otter was a key factor in keeping dangerous drugs out of Jace and Axel’s clubs. Key factor meaning he got exclusivity in peddling all the weed he wanted at Crossroads, so long as he didn’t get caught doing it and kept all the other heavy players out in the process.
Knox shrugged and motioned to a side table set up with napkins and condiments. “Sure. You talk. I’ll load up.”
He’d barely set his plates down before Seth kicked in. “Didn’t realize you’d taken an old lady.”
Pausing with his hand midway to the napkin dispenser, Knox frowned back at the guy. “Come again?”
“Your friend. JJ, right?”
Knox blinked. Then did it again. Frankly, he was surprised his body managed that much considering the pleasant surge vibrating through him at the thought of Darya being his. Except she wasn’t. His place was to teach her and look out for her. Nothing more and nothing less.
He shifted his attention to the napkins and shook his head. “Nah, she’s a friend.”
“No shit?” With eyebrows hiked high enough they gave his hairline a run for their money, Seth glanced at the brotherhood’s table and locked his sights on Darya. “Man, you’re out of your mind not grabbin’ on to that.”
A sentiment his thoughts had echoed at least fifty times since he’d woken her up a few days ago, but it didn’t change reality. “She’s long-term material. I’m more the multiple-choice type.”
Seth grinned huge. “Still not up for an old lady, huh?”
“Nope. Not in the cards.”
Seth nodded, shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and slid his attention back to Darya. “What about the rest of your crew? She tight with any of them?”
Oh, hell no. Knox straightened to full height and pushed his shoulders back, a whole lot of unexpected fury whipping a firestorm in his gut. He knew that hungry look. Had cast it on a slew of women himself. And while Darya might not be his, he’d be go-to-hell if a player like Seth got his hands on her. “JJ’s a free agent, but if you’re anglin’ to get laid, pick someone else. She’s better than that.”