Page 11 of Niall

“So, you became one of them.”

“Yes. Until Finn stepped in and made a deal with them. I left and came here.” I met her understanding gaze. “I was finally able to stand on my own two feet. Grow up and feel as if I mattered. Finn gave me purpose. This life gave me purpose.”

She nodded, lifting her spoon and pressing it to my mouth. I had to smile over her reversing our roles, and I let her slip the spoon between my lips, wondering if it tasted so good because her mouth had been on it.

“What about you?” I asked. “You grew up on a lake, I think?”

She pursed her lips. “My parents owned a campground. It was busy most of the year. Even in the winter, there were tasks to be done. We were always busy between school and chores. I didn’t have time for much else but those two things.”

“Did you like it?”

She shrugged. “It was all I knew when I was young. But I was invisible. I was never Anna. I was Joe and Elsie’s daughter. The girl behind the counter at check-in. Or the one helping you get water. Bill’s sister. Never Anna.”

“Bill? I didn’t know you had a brother. He must be worried sick,” I said, reaching for my phone.

She shook her head. “He died when I was thirteen. He drowned rescuing someone in the lake.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, reaching for her hand.

“After that, I was still invisible, except now, I was the sister of the dead boy. I hated it when I was referred to that way.” She pushed away her bowl, half eaten, the spoon still holding a mouthful. “I thought after my parents died and I could leave, I’d come here and find out who Anna was. Find my own life. Be seen for once.” Her hands started to tremble.

“I didn’t think I’d be seen the way I was. And once they took me, I realized I would be invisible the rest of my life. I never regretted a decision more.”

“No.” I shook my head, taking both her hands in mine. “You’re not invisible. Not to me. I see you. I see the sweet, funny, smart woman you are. Think of how you helped Una. She thinks the world of you. You will get through this, Anna. You’ll find your place, and you are going to shine. I know it.”

Our gazes locked, and I hated the doubt I could see in hers. The fear that still lingered. I wanted it all erased. I wanted to talk to her more. Get her to laugh. To see how beautiful she was when she relaxed. I wanted her to smile.

And most of all, I wanted her to smile at me.

“I see you,” I repeated. “And I like what I see. You are not invisible to me, Anna. You never could be.”

Then because I was an idiot, I bent forward and kissed her.

It was just a soft press of our lips, but as I sat back, I felt as if I had just been branded.

Anna lifted her hand to her mouth, touching her lips against the soft pads.

And she smiled.

CHAPTER FOUR

ANNA

Subtle shadows played on the ceiling as I lay in Niall’s bed, the mattress conforming to my body in luxury and the comforter warm.

I was safe. I knew that, yet I couldn’t relax. Lifting my head, I could see the sofa where Niall slept, a silent guard between me and the door. So close, and yet, still too far away.

I didn’t understand my draw to him. Why his presence made me feel so safe.

I shut my eyes, reliving the past few weeks.

The moment I’d walked past a dark alley and had been grabbed. I had fought hard, but they were stronger, and in moments, I was tied up and thrown in a trunk. A needle pierced my arm, and when I woke up, I was chained in a dark, damp place, disoriented and terrified.

I lost track of time, unsure of the hour, the day, or anything. I heard noises from somewhere down a corridor I couldn’t see. Smelled chemicals that made me feel unwell. I caught murmurs of conversations of other women, but when I tried to call out to them, I was punished, so I knew not to do that.

And there was the man. Young, slim, evil-looking. Always smiling with an expression that made my blood run cold. When he was close enough, I could see the disconnect in his eyes. They were icy and lifeless. He taunted and touched. Pinched and hit. He liked to kick me. Keep me down on the ground. He whispered of the pain and humiliation I would endure.

How I would belong to him. Serve him.