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“Shh, I know.” She pressed her forehead to mine. I sensed it was to keep me from exploding. “The more he lost, the more we fought. I wanted out, but I didn’t have any money to leave.”
“I wish you had called me.”
“I hated you, Abe.”
“And now? Now that you know the truth?”
“I don’t hate you. But the things I went through are seared into my memory, tattooed on my skin, so I never forget what I’d been through.”
“We can replace them with new memories.”
“I’d like that.” She dropped a kiss on my lips. “There’s more I need to tell you.”
“What?”
She inhaled a deep breath and laced her fingers with mine. My stomach tightened.
“I discovered Stein was cheating on me. I didn’t really care since I wanted out. Not long after, he’d finally hit it big. The timing was perfect, but he refused to pay me back what he’d taken from me.”
“And you fought about it?” I swear, I would fuckin’ kill Stein for touching my woman.
“Yes. He beat me, worse than he’d ever done. Afterward, he went on a drinking spree, partying it up with his bitch. I bided my time until he crashed. I had everything ready to go.”
“What did you do, baby?”
“I stole his money, took Nova, and fled Missouri. We traveled around for a while, not staying more than a few days in one spot. I had homeschooled Nova and totally sucked at it. Eventually, I moved us to Minnesota. I figured being close to your cousin’s club might put you in my path again.”
“I can’t believe it took a year before I discovered you.”
“Yeah, me either.”
“So, how much did you take from your ex?”
“Twenty thousand.” She winced. “About four times the amount he’d taken from me.”
“Fuck baby.”
“Go big or go home is my motto.” She lifted her shoulders. “I’d do anything for Nova. I needed to make sure she could sleep in a bed at night and eat three meals a day.”
Damn, I respected her grit and determination.
“And you think your ex is okay with you taking his money?” As if I didn’t know the answer to my question. No man would be okay with a woman stealing from him. Although Stein sounded like a douchebag to be taking from Karma when she had a kid to support.
“I’ve kept a low profile, because I’m sure he wants his money back.”
“Yeah, you think?”
“Well, he hasn’t found me yet. If he ever does, I hate to think what he might do. I don’t have his money anymore.”
“He won’t do shit. I’ll make sure of it.”
She tilted her head. “That’s sweet, but I don’t need you cleaning up my mess.”
“Hey, it’s my mess too.” I dragged my hand down her soft cheek.
“We should get cleaned up.”
“If I ever come face to face with Stein, he’s a dead man for hurting you.” I imagined her beautiful face, black and blue. No man should ever strike a woman, especially my woman.
