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“What’s happened?” she asked.
“I got a call from your ex’s lawyer,” Savage said. “He’s asking to see you.”
“Asking to see me, for what?” she asked. “Why would his lawyer reach out to you? How did he even know to contact you?” A million more questions ran through her head, but she shut up to let Savage answer some of them.
“Well, we have the same last name, so I’m thinking that might be how your ex’s lawyer found me.” She sometimes forgot that Savage was her cousin’s last name too, and not his first name. It wouldn’t take much to hunt Savage down if they knew her father’s name. Joe knew her father’s name and he’d stop at nothing to find her and Sadie.
“Hey, Savage,” Thorne said. “I’m here with Rose. Why do you think he got his lawyer involved?”
“I’m guessing that he wanted to keep things on the up and up. If he’s trying to get custody of Sadie, he can’t just show up at our place and demand to see Rose. He’s going through the proper channels, and I bet that has everything to do with wanting to look good in case he has to make a court appearance.” Shit, that was the last thing she needed—for Joe to come off as a “Good guy” in court. She’d lose her daughter and that would destroy her.
“He can’t take my daughter,” Rose breathed. “It will kill me.”
“We’re not going to let him take Sadie, Rose. You have my word,” Thorne said. He pulled her into his arms, and she wanted to feel the comfort he was giving her, but she couldn’t. They didn’t know Joe like she did. He wouldn’t give up coming for her and Sadie. He wouldn’t rest until he destroyed her for leaving him.
“Thorn’s right,” Savage agreed. “We won’t let him touch you or Sadie ever again.”
“I appreciate that, guys,” she said. “But I don’t know how you’ll be able to stop him. Maybe if I meet with him, we can come to some understanding.” She knew that it would be a losing battle she’d be fighting, but that might be the only way.
“No fucking way,” Thorne shouted. “There’s no fucking way that I’m going to let you meet with that asshole.”
“You don’t get to forbid me to see someone, Thorne. I have my own mind and can make it up for myself,” Rose spat.
Thorne cleared his throat, “I think we’ll need to call you back, man,” he said. Rose knew that he was going to give her a fight and didn’t want her cousin listening in while he did it. That was just fine with her. It didn’t matter who was listening in, she wasn’t going to let any man tell her what to do—not ever again. Being with Thorne had given her the courage to stand up for herself—even if it was her ex that she’d be taking a stand against.
“Okay, call me back once you two make up your minds about what you want to do,” Savage ordered. “Although, I have a feeling that I already know what you’re going to decide.” He ended the call and Rose wondered what he meant by that.
Thorne took her phone from her hand and tossed it onto the bed. “We need to talk,” he insisted.
“About?” she asked, already knowing exactly what they needed to talk about.
“Don’t be cute, Rose,” Thorne grumbled.
“Well, I’m not sure how else to be,” she teased.
“You can’t be serious about going to meet with your ex,” he insisted.
“But I am serious about going to see him. I really need to fix this mess that I’m in so that we can go home. I won’t let Joe rule what I can and can’t do in my life anymore. Being with you has given me the courage that I need to face him,” she said. “I think that it’s time for me to press charges against him and stand my ground. I have photos on my phone, and I think that it’s time for me to share them.” She had never shown anyone those photos—she couldn’t because every time she looked at them, they made her feel sick. She was ashamed of every black eye that she allowed Joe to give her, and it was time to take a stand. Waiting around for Savage to find something on her ex wasn’t working for them. She was sure that he was involved in some illegal shit, but she just couldn’t wait for Savage to uncover it any longer.
“Are you sure that you want to do that, honey? You have nothing to prove to me or anyone else,” Thorne said.
“I know that, but I need to prove to myself that I’m strong enough to stand up to Joe. I can’t keep running. You have a life to get back to and so do Sadie and I,” she said. Thorne hadn’t made her any promises, and she didn’t ask him for any. She knew that what they had going on was probably just sex to him but the thought of going back to her life wasn’t something that she was looking forward to. Life in the safehouse with Sadie and Thorne had become something that she could see herself wanting even after she was safe from Joe. But she couldn’t ask Thorne for more—could she?
“What does that mean?” Thorne spat.
“It means that you’ve already given up more than you probably thought you would have to. When Savage asked you to help me out, you probably thought that it was going to be for a few days, maybe a week or so—not months. I’m sure that you have things to get back to,” she said. “What about your job?”
“Nope,” Thorne said. “I had a ton of time off with the CIA. Plus, I only take jobs that I want to take. I don’t have to ever work again if I don’t want to because I’ve been well compensated for my so-called skills,” he said. She knew what Thorne did for a living. He went in to help people that no one else could help. He was skilled at killing—that’s what he had told her when she first asked him about what he did for a living.
“Well, I’m sure that you miss your friends and want to get back to Huntsville,” she insisted.
“I’m not sure what you’re doing here, honey, but I’m just fine where I am. What’s up with you, Rose?” he asked.
She sighed, rethinking even bringing it up. “I guess I’m just worried that when this is over, you’ll go back to your life, and I’ll go back to mine.” She felt like an idiot for saying what she was thinking out loud. She sounded like one too.
“I guess I haven’t given you much to go one about what we’re doing here, honey,” he breathed. Thorne pulled her against his body, and she thought that her heart might beat out of her chest.
“What are you doing?” she asked. Every time he touched her it was the same. He made her ache with need. She’d never tell Thorne this, but she’d do whatever he wanted when he touched her the way that he was.
