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She sets her champagne on the nightstand and stares at the carpet. “My mom’s boyfriend,” she murmurs.
“What did he do?”
Opal hastily wipes away the tears tracking down her fair cheeks. She shakes her head, refusing to answer.
Fuck!I immediately assume the worst. A thousand theories course through my mind. I’m sick to my stomach, speculating on which is the right one.
“Give me a name, Gorgeous. Tell me who it is, and I’ll end him.”
Opal shakes her head harder, sobbing now. “I—I—I can’t.”
No longer caring about crossing boundaries, I throw my arm around her, rocking us as I soothe her. “I got you. No one can get to you without first going through me. I’m sorry I upset you.”
“I can’t say,” she repeats like a broken record.
My nostrils flare, angry because I’m helpless in helping her. “Tell me this, Opal. Do I need to get you out of here tonight, or can it wait ‘till morning?”
Opal sniffles, relaxing in my embrace. Her sobs turn into hiccups as she tries to catch her breath. “H—He doesn’t know where I am. At least, I don’t think he does. He’s come close to finding me in the past, but I’ve managed to get away before he could reach me.”
Rage courses through my nerves, fire hot and full of fight. This man, whoever he is, is hunting this precious woman.
“How long has this been going on?”
“Since I ran away from home at seventeen,” she whispers.
My arm constricts around her, holding her closer to my body. This horror started when she was a child, and it’s not over.
“We’ll leave tomorrow after a good night’s sleep and a solid meal,” I state, feeling how thin she is. The woman could use some meat on her bones. “Are you hungry?”
She shakes her head against my shoulder.
Sighing, I reach for the comforter, pulling back the sheets. I go to tuck her in, but she turns to stone in my arms.
“What’s wrong?”
She looks up at me with horror in her light-blue eyes. “What are you doing?”
I blink, not understanding. “I was going to cover you up. You’ve dealt with a lot tonight. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
Opal clings to my shoulders, squeezing her eyes tight. “Don’t tuck me in.”
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop myself. “Does it have to do withhim?”
Her answer is a shudder. No more needs to be said.
Whatever the fucker did to her, it involved bedtime. My blood spikes, forcing the veins in my arms to the surface of my skin.
I’ll kill him. Whoever the hell he is, he’s a man on borrowed time. When I find out who he is—because I always find the answers I’m looking for—I’ll be paying him a visit.
Begrudgingly, I gently release her from my embrace, backing toward the chair in the corner. “You climb in. I’ll sleep in this chair here.”
Opal blinks away tears. “You’re not sleeping in the bed?”
Don’t tempt me, baby.“I’m not joining you in any bed unless I’m invited.”
“It’s big enough. We can share,” she offers. “Here.” She builds a wall of pillows down the center of the bed. Satisfied, she nods at her handy work.
She can’t be serious. If we share a bed, a fucking wall of bricks couldn’t stop me from busting through to get to her.
