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Her father narrowed his eyes. Fucker didn't like being told what to do, did he? Too bad. This was my domain right here.
Finally, his lips twitched as if amused. When his gaze shifted to Eva, I wanted to pluck his eyeballs from his head for even daring to look at her.
"I'll go," he murmured. "For now." Then he turned on his heel.
Reese stood in his path. Realizing he needed by her to get out, she leapt out of his way with a gasp and darted toward us, tripping over spilled shoes in her haste. Mason let go of me to snatch her up and pull her against him. Free of Lowe's restraining hands, I wrapped both my arms around Eva, kissing her hair and breathing in her scent.
As soon as we heard the front door close at his departure, she wiggled out of my arms, and took off down the hall toward our bedroom. When the babies quieted a few seconds later, I finally couldn't contain my aggression a second longer.
I reared back my arm and punched the refrigerator. Twice. The burst of pain that came as I split my knuckles open actually felt good and relieving.
"Oh my God," Reese moaned, pulling away from Mason to pace in a tight circle. She buried her fingers in her hair as she tried to grasp what had just happened. "That was . . . oh my God. Her own father . . . Uncle Shaw was . . . he was trying to . . . "
When she looked to Mason and me as if seeking help, I looked away and gritted my teeth.
"You knew," she realized, staring at me hard. Her mouth fell open. "You . . . but . . . " She shook her head. "When did he . . . how long . . . why did she never tell me?"
"Sweet Pea," Mason started, sympathy ruling his tone.
But Reese held up her hand, warding him off as she stared at me. "Pick?"
"What?" I snapped back, scowling at her. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to say I'm wrong," she cried. "Tell me I did not see my uncle just try to rape my cousin. Oh my God. My cousin. My best friend. My—" Tears filled her eyes. "Holy shit, that wasn't the first time either, was it? Holy . . . oh . . . God. I think I'm going to be sick." She cradled her stomach as her tears fell harder. "How could you know that and not say anything? He came to our apartment, looking for her. He came to me and I . . . I told him where she was. I never would've done that if I'd . . . if . . . Mason." Turning to her man, she hurried to him.
He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hair and murmuring, "It's okay, baby. It's okay."
Pushing back enough to gape at him, she squawked, "Okay? How is this okay? He . . . he . . . to Eva."
Mason didn't have an answer, so he just pulled her against him tighter and forced her to bury her face against his chest.
As I watched her knuckles go white from how tightly she clutched his shirt, I tried to reassure her. "I didn't know," I said. "Not who, anyway. Not until just now."
She sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "But you knew someone had . . . ?" When she couldn't finish the question, I nodded. Confusion clouded her expression. "Why would she tell you and not me?"
"She didn't tell me. I figured it out."
"Oh, great." Reese threw her hands into the air with disgust, almost taking Mason's eye out in the process. "So I was just too stupid to realize it myself?"
Spinning away from us, she raced from the room.
"Reese," I growled. "Don't—" When she didn't listen to me, I shot Mason a glower. "Will you stop her? Tink doesn't need a big inquisition right now."
He cursed under his breath but hurried after his girlfriend.
Alone in the kitchen, I took a moment to clear my head. I bent at the waist and blew out a long, hard breath. But raised voices—okay, fine, just Reese's voice—coming from the bedroom compelled me to head that way.
"Does Aunt Mads know?" Reese was demanding as I paused at the doorway and watched Eva sitting on the bed, her arms full of both Skylar and Julian as she rocked them comfortingly back and forth. They clutched onto her for dear life, but I noticed she was clutching onto them just as much. It made my guts tighten, knowing I hadn't been here to save them from this scare. Then my jealousy spiked because she was seeking comfort from them, not me.
Damn it. Why hadn't I taken off work a few minutes early?
"We should tell her," Reese was encouraging, bobbing her head vigorously. "We'll call her right now."
She pulled out her phone before Eva murmured, "Ree Ree, stop. She knows."
"What?" Reese yelled.
"Shh. Don't raise your voice. The babies are still spooked." She glanced accusingly at me before turning back to her cousin. "What're you doing here anyway?"
