Chapter 48: I vow

"Yo, where we going?" Dino looked around, making sure that this was not a trap. For all he knew, Wyatt's men were probably near waiting for his blood. "Hey man, I'm talking to you!" They were outside now, using a different entrance from the one Dino'd used, drinking in the fresh air. This did not look good to Dino. Feeling a sudden need to protect him and an even stronger need to protect Meera, Dino reached up to Brad's speed, forcing him to stop. "Swear if this is a setup, I will fuc-"

"Does Meera know that you love her?"

Yeah, that was one way of getting Dino to shut up. He looked at Wyatt as if he'd just seen a ghost. What the hell was it to him? "What do you care?" Dino opted for the best hurtful line he could find. Now it was Wyatt's turn to look at him in the same manner. "Nothing actually. It means nothing to me. It's your life and it's your problem."

Good. As long as he understood that. So why on earth did he find the need to ask Dino that question. A line formed between his brows, he had no idea where this was going. "Wyatt look, if you think for a second that I'm gonna leave Meera behind with you...then you fucking crazy."

Wyatt's eyes narrowed back at him, his expression transforming from hate to realization. "Listen to me Dino cause you only gonna hear this from me once." Did he have to even hear it, Dino didn't want to listen to this bullshit. "Meera is an innocent girt Dino. Don't get her involved in your rough life. She doesn't deserve it."

Dino stiffened, definitely not expecting that. Why was Wyatt lecturing him about love when he didn't even own a damn emotion in the first place. "I don't need your pathetic advice Wyatt. I think I know how to take care of myself...and Meera, for that matter. What happened to her would never happen again. I was in a loop, one of Black's men got my boy's girl. I was played. I would've never left the apartment in any other circumstance." And now Dino would never leave Meera's sight for anything, not even if it involved Randal's life.

"Yeah I don't care about your story Dino. I care about Meera's life. You think that you capable of taking care of her, of everything...everyone. But you not." Wyatt's tone was harsh, cruel and deadly serious. Something about the way his eyes darkened made Dino keep quiet. Wyatt was not joking. "Because I've been there Dino. I was you."

"Excuse me?"

"You need to know what you getting yourself and Meera into. I was just like you, I was there too. I also fell in love Dino. And she was just like Meera-beautiful, smart, attitude, innocent." Dino knew, without him mentioning, that he was talking about the mother of his child. Sounded pretty much like a heartbroken story. The chick probably left him for someone richer, civilized. And knowing Wyatt, he probably used the baby against her. That woman was nothing like Meera, Dino realized.

"Where she now?"

Hurt replaced the cruelty in his face, and Dino swore he saw tears in Wyatt's eyes. For a second, the man looked crushed. When he finally spoke, his voice was meaningless as if nothing mattered anymore. "She's in heaven...angel..."

Treat it lightly, Dino told himself, hide your fear. "What you mean...she's..." "Dead? Yeah."

The words shouldn't have stung but it did. He hated Wyatt, he knew shit about any 'angel,' now realizing why Wyatt took offence earlier when he'd used that term on him. Any sort of hurt Wyatt experienced supposed to feel good. Wyatt not supposed to have happiness, right?

"Don't involve Meera in it Dino." It sounded like he was pleading.

Dino set his jaw, putting on a straight face. "What happened to her Wyatt?" As much as he didn't want to every damn detail, the man needed a shoulder to cry on. Someone who could relate to what he had felt for that girl. He had all of his emotions bottling up inside of him for years, he needed to let it out. And because Dino experienced about a third of Wyatt's devastation when he'd lost Meera, he knew he couldn't just brush off the only real advice he'd probably ever get.

"We fell in love. Happy, young, taking on the world. I loved Angel, loved seeing her smile and would do anything just to see her happy." Dino could definitely transmit to that. "We met four years back. Her father disapproved so she left home. We started a new life together." Wyatt looked beyond Dino, beyond the house. Far, far into space.

"She changed me. Made me leave all of my bad habits. I got off the street, stopped dealing and ofcourse, in order to start clean, I had to hand myself over."

"You did time?" Dino recalled Leo mentioning something about Wyatt serving time. "Yeah. Was gonna be there for ten years but they agreed to lower it to two if I sold out other dealers."

Dino closed his eyes, putting the pieces together. Wyatt had to be smarter than that. "Don't tell me you-" "I did. I wasn't gonna stay in there for ten years, I wanted to be with Angel and I wanted it fast. I just wanted to do my time, get out of jail and start a clean life with her. I started the car business when I got out. Things were going good. We were happy, I was happy-so happy.

"Then Angela fell pregnant and I started building a house for us...not this place." His jaw clenched. "She was about seven months when I started receiving calls, death threats about Angel. I knew it was the same men I ratted out but I taught I could handle it myself. I let the cops in on it and they agreed on providing extra security for us. One mistake I made...I did not tell Angela."

Dino wasn't ready to hear this. Not yet.

"Tara was about two months when it happened. I was working late at the garage. Angel calls, says these men are after her. Tara was still at the house and Angel had lead them in a different direction. She asked me to get to Tara first. It was her or Tara." Tears were falling down Wyatt's face now. "I chose Angel but I was too late."

"They are in jail but I know they coming for Tara next. That's why I built this house and the security. And this time, I am prepared and none of them are coming out alive."

Dino had no words. He just stood there, a million things racing through his mind. "Dean, your past will always come back to haunt you. You and I both know that this clean life doesn't mean our enemies disappear with our bad habits."

"Then what are you asking me to do Wyatt?"

"I can't tell you what to do, it's your choice. But if you decide to stay with Meera, make sure you tell her everything-every fucking detail, even if it means nothing. Tell her. But I say, leave her while you can. You almost lost her once, you never know how lucky you'd be the next time."

"I will never lose Meera ever." It was a vow Dino took. He would protect Meera, no matter what.

"That was exactly what I taught about Angel..."

#vow #hurt #pain