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I let out an anguished sigh. Ghost releases me, and I stride back to my girl, wrapping her in my arms. Charli holds on tight as I sit and guide her onto my lap and wait for her sobbing to stop.
“I’m so sorry,” she says.
“You got nothing to be sorry about,” I tell her, kissing her temple. She’s exhausted. “I don’t want you going home tonight. You’ll stay here, in my room. Okay?” She nods against my chest. “Good, baby. It’s going to be okay. I promise,” I murmur.
Eventually, I carry Charlotte upstairs and lay her on my bed. I stay with her until she falls asleep, then I take off her shoes and cover her with a blanket. I owe my brothers an apology and an explanation, not that they’d need one, but it’s time they knew. When Charlotte wakes up, she’ll hear it too. She needs to know why I reacted the way I did.
Watching her sleep is calming. The steady rise and fall of her chest, the little puffs of breath, her face relaxed… It’s peaceful. I can’t understand it. I’ve never been able to fathom why a man would feel the need to assault a child. I rack my brain, wondering what possesses men like Paul Venti to destroy the innocence of his own flesh and blood.
Rape is a violent act, yet I’ve heard that some men, after having assaulted their victim, talk about it like it was an act of love and affection. It’s about power and control.
I walk back downstairs to find the guys still waiting for me. Demon is the first one to pipe up. “How’s she doing?”
“Asleep. Calm,” I say, then add, “for now.”
Roscoe then asks, “And you?”
I shake my head, running a hand through my hair to the back of my neck. “This brought back a lot of memories. Memories I never wanted to rise to the surface, but here we are, full circle.”
They seem perplexed, all but Guard. He loops an arm around my shoulders. “You don’t have to say anything. No matter what, we’re on your side. And Charlotte’s.”
“It’s time,” I tell him. I begin walking back and forth, trying to find a way to start. “When Guard found me, I was ready to let go and leave this world. I’d lost my only friend, and the world just kept getting harder, angrier, and I didn’t think I could take any more. I went to the cemetery that day. It was pouring rain.” I turn to Guard. “You remember that?”
“Yeah, vividly,” he answers.
“I was lying on her grave. Dirty, cold. I thought I could just close my eyes and die there that night. It would all be over, and I could see her again. Maybe.” I smirk. That wouldn’t happen. An angel lives in heaven, and after what I did, I was definitely going to hell. “He fucking picked me up, out of the mud, and got me back here. One day turned to two, then three, and here I am.”
Priest walks up to me. “Jesus, brother, what happened to you?”
“I grew up in foster care. Never knew my parents. I was a sick kid with lots of health issues, and nobody wants to adopt a kid that’s gonna cost them. I went to one shitty place after another until I got to this place that made the rest seem like an amusement park. The only good that came out of that house was Teresa. I was fourteen. She was only ten. She was sweet and gentle. She was so good and pure. She did what she was told, never caused a problem. She had blonde curls and baby-blue eyes. You’d expect little birds to be eating out of the palm of her hand.” I recall her smile and her cute, innocent face.
“What happened?” Priest urges.
“One night, I heard her yell out. I leapt out of bed and ran to her room and found the man who was supposed to be taking care of us on top of her. I jumped on his back, and he threw me against the wall. He grabbed me by the neck and started choking me. I was about to black out when he stopped. He told me not to interfere. He actually said, ‘Everyone has to pay their way. Girls pay with the cunt between their legs.’ Then he said he had other plans for me.”
A slew of curses are uttered around the room.
“I knew we had to get out of there. The next day, I was planning on sneaking out of the house and taking Teresa with me. I had no idea where we’d go, but if we stayed, we were both done for. When I got home from school that day, I found the cops at the house. The wife of the bastard held me back and told me Teresa fell and hit her head. When I saw Fred’s face, I knew he killed her. When no one was watching, he sneered at me, pointing, letting me know I was next. I took off that night. They took Teresa away and buried her in that cemetery. I vowed then that I was going to make sure they paid for what they did.”
“You killed them,” Ghost finishes for me.
“Yeah. I thought I’d be able to move on once I knew they paid for what they did. I found his gun and waited for him. He begged for his life. I didn’t care. His wife, Pam, knew what he did and helped him hide, and before I pulled the trigger, I made her tell me how many kids they’d done this to.” I pause. “Twelve. Twelve kids before us. Most ran away after he raped them, but she admitted that two more died at the hands of her husband and she did nothing about it. They told the authorities the kids had run off. The system is so fucked that they took these idiots at their word.” I scan the room. “I’m not sorry about what I did. I just wish I’d done it before they took Teresa from me.”
“You were eighteen when you got to the Pride. Where the fuck were you for those four years?” Orion asks.
“Living on the streets. That’s where I found even more monsters. I scrounged for food, but I’d lost all hope. Or I thought I did. That’s when Guard came along, and here I am.” I shrug.
“I’m sorry, brother. I wish I knew you then. I would have helped you get rid of those pieces of shit,” Hammer says.
“Truth is, I almost lost it tonight. I’m not sure if I can keep my shit together. This is Charli. She’s mine. What her father did to her…” I can’t finish the sentence. Bile rises to my throat.
“Lean on us,” Ghost answers.
“Charli—”
“She’s ours too. She’ll lean on us and the Lady Pride,” Guard replies. “Sucks to say this, but our women have lived through some rough times. They’ll rally and support Charli. She’s not alone.”
Priest steps up, dropping a hand on my shoulder. “I’m all in.” One by one, they each say something similar. Eventually, I climb back up to the bedroom, where I take my place next to my girl, enveloping her in my arms. From this moment on, no one touches my woman.
