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In a moment, he was there beside her. One shoulder pressed against his chest, and he wrapped an arm around the other. “So strong,” he murmured.
She shook her head in disagreement, a cynical laugh escaping before being choked by the burning in her throat. He pulled her into himself, and Kaylie let herself melt into the embrace for a moment, knowing it might be the last time Anthony was willing to share his strength and comfort with her.
She pulled back, creating space between them again. Her hands shook slightly as she ripped open the tea packets and poured hot water into the mugs.
“Paul Moreno is Lia’s father,” she finally admitted, not looking at Anthony. She kept her eyes on the steam rising from the sturdy clay mugs. She hadn’t told a single soul that piece of truth, with the exception of Drew.
Drew, who was likely dead. Or worse, being tortured for helping her. She pressed her eyes shut against the dark thoughts.
Anthony was silent for a moment. Kaylie felt like her heart was being tugged up the track of a roller coaster, tension cranking up second by second, as she waited for him to respond. Waited for him to judge her and push her away.
“He doesn’t deserve her.”
The words sent her over the cliff of the coaster, the rush of relief like a freefall. Her eyes flew to his and found them even darker than normal. The usual flecks of gold were absent. His jaw was tight and his brow was furrowed.
She looked back to the twin mugs of tea. “Let’s sit,” she suggested.
He took the mugs and led them to the family room.
Kaylie found she was getting used to Anthony’s relative silence. He was a man of few words. But every single word he spoke was meaningful. It was a refreshing change from the men in the Moreno family. All of them had been obsessed with exerting their power and demonstrating their importance by running their mouths, as though the more words they said, the more the family leadership would value them.
Even Paul himself had been infatuated with the sound of his own voice.
But Anthony said more with his stillness and silence than most men said with their mouths. He held himself with confidence and strength. He wasn’t trying to convince anyone of anything. He wasn’t even trying to convince her to tell him her secrets.
Which was why she was about to tell Anthony Olson everything.
Kaylie curled her feet under her legs and wrapped her hands around the comforting warmth of the mug.
She took a deep breath. “When I was eighteen, I aged out of foster care. I floated around a bit, trying to build a life without a clue what I was doing. I ended up homeless, out of a job, and clinging to any scrap of escape I could find. Which is how I ended up in one of Moreno’s clubs.”
She remembered the desperation she’d felt. It was foolish to spend her last thirty bucks on the cover charge and a couple drinks in the nightclub. But between a shower at the shelter and the sparkly top she’d found at the thrift store, she almost felt like a normal woman. Maybe even a college student, ignoring an upcoming test to let loose and party for the night.
And that was how Paul Moreno found her. They’d danced as strangers, then he’d led her from the crowded dance floor to the VIP area. His hand rested on the small of her back as he took her beyond the velvet rope.
In a moment, her world had shifted. Suddenly, people paid attention to her. When she was on Paul’s arm, she mattered. He paid for everything, and within a week, she was living in his mansion and the women’s shelter was a faint memory.
“I remember thinking that I was so lucky. That my prince charming had rescued me…” Kaylie glanced up at Anthony, a wry smile on her lips. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. Paul Moreno wasn’t a prince. He was the villain. He became more controlling. More… violent,” she admitted. “I walked right into the lion’s den, already pretty broken. But he destroyed what was left of me.”
Anthony’s eyes flashed with anger. “Tell me about Cecelia.”
Kaylie smiled reflexively at her daughter’s name. “She was… a surprise. I’d been with Paul for years, and I’d always been careful. From the beginning I knew that I couldn’t bring a baby into that world. And then I was pregnant.”
She shook her head. “For a while, I thought maybe I would tell him and we would be a real family. But one night…” Kaylie swallowed thickly. Images of nightmares flashed in her mind.
“It’s okay, fiamella. You don’t have to tell me.”
She brushed at the tears on her cheeks. “I made him angry. I don’t even remember how now. But I ran, and he pushed me down the stairs.” Anthony’s entire body went tense beside her, but Kaylie just stared at the mug in her hands. “I broke my wrist, but mostly, I was terrified for the baby.
“I decided I had to get away… There was someone—a friend. My old foster brother was Paul Moreno’s right-hand man. Paul had no idea of our history, Drew made sure of that. But he helped me escape. If Moreno gets too close, Drew tips me off and I move on. He called me today. Paul found out—” Her words cut off as a sob tore through her chest.
Anthony set the mug aside and pulled her onto his lap. She buried her face in his chest.
“I don’t even know if he’s still alive,” she forced out the words between cries. “It’s all my fault.”
“No. It’s not your fault.” Anthony ran his hands over her back as his soft murmurs of words she couldn’t make out soothed her emotions.
“I can’t let him find Lia,” she urged.
