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“Judging by the size of this manor, I believe you,” I mutter, then give Kellan a frown. “You don’t have to go out in this blizzard again, do you?”
“I live here,” Kellan says.
That has me stumbling for a reply. “What?”
“We all live here. Luke, me, Fallon. The west wing is ours. The rest of the place is dedicated to our security business.”
“Hold on, I thought you were the sheriff of Lincoln County.”
“I am. But I’m also a partner in Wolfhound Security, which is Luke’s company.”
“Ourcompany,” Luke corrects him with a half-smile before he looks at me again. “When we came back from the service, I had enough money saved to invest in this property. It was being auctioned after the bank repossessed it from a defaulting former owner. Kellan and Fallon pitched in with money of their own, and we decided to invest in a private security business. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office pays for our services once in a while, but the bulk of our clients are corporate giants from both the states and overseas. I’ll give you a tour of the place tomorrow, though my point is you’re safe here, Avery. You’re safe and taken care of until you’re able to get back on your feet.”
“Our honor demands it,” Kellan says, never taking his eyes off me.
I feel tiny, sinking into this chair, unable to say anything. They’re being genuine, and I have to accept that there are still good people in this world. Decent people who are willing to help me without wanting anything in return. It just so happens that these guys are also hot as a midday in August, and my body is responding in ways I’d forgotten it could to the presence of a man.
A couple of hours go by as we talk about my situation and how I got to this point. I figured that if I’m to be protected, they need to know more about Daniel and our relationship. Both Luke and Kellan listen quietly as I tell them about my troubled adolescence, both making sure my glass is never empty. I’ll give the whiskey credit—it has loosened up plenty inside of me, and not just my tongue.
“After Dad died, my mom remarried soon after. I’m sure they already knew each other, ” I pause to take another sip. “Point is, after that, things went downhill quickly. My mother stopped listening to me, paying attention to me. It was all about Greg and his big plans, his feelings. That we should be thankful for Greg, that we’d be poor and miserable without him. It didn’t matter that he had a drinking habit or that he liked coming into my room without being invited.”
“Did Greg ever touch you?” Kellan asks, his voice low and his eyes as dark as the night outside.
It has stopped snowing, but there is no moon in sight. Only a black sky over a sea of sparkling white. It’s eerily beautiful and comforting to admire from the warmth of this armchair. “No. He never had a chance. I was about seventeen when he first tried anything,” I reply. “But whenever he came into my room, I made sure to ask him loudly what he wanted so my mom could hear. She was crazy jealous, even of her own daughter. Like I would actually try and steal her new husband away. I have no idea what made her change so drastically, but I reckon Dad’s death sort of broke her beyond repair.”
“And you said you moved out of the house as soon as you turned eighteen?” Luke confirms.
“Yes. I met Daniel through a friend. He was an instant charmer. He was quick to woo me, to make plans, to plant ideas of a future together.” I sigh deeply. “I was scared and desperate to get away from Greg. Mom wasn’t really there anymore, physically or mentally, and she’d started drinking as well. I had to get out of there, and Daniel made me believe that I would be safer with him.”
“What happened after you moved in with Daniel?” Kellan asks.
“Oh, it was good for a while. He love bombed me in all the right ways. Made sure I was hooked. He even helped pay for design school. Once I got my degree, I was eager to get my career going, to pay him back for what I’d thought was kindness, love, and much needed support. But then I got pregnant with Miley, and Daniel insisted that I become a stay-at-home mom, that I could do interior design once Miley got bigger.”
“I’m guessing you became pregnant the second time around just as you were preparing to focus on your design career again,” Kellan concludes, slowly shaking his head.
“Bingo.”
“Was he abusive the whole time?” Luke asks.
“No, not right away. Well, not physically anyway. I know now that abuse comes in many forms. Whenever I resisted him, whenever I went against his word, he’d find ways to punish or to sabotage me. I was raising Miley and Annie on my own. We couldn’t get a babysitter because Daniel wouldn’t pay for one. I didn’t have any friends because he wouldn’t let me.”
“Why would you need friends when you had Daniel?” Kellan exhales sharply.
“Precisely. But like you said earlier tonight, none of that matters anymore. I managed to get away from him. And I found myself in the company of good people tonight. So, here’s to you, Kellan. Here’s to you, Luke. And here’s to Fallon, too. I just hope he can do something about that old car of mine.” The three of us clink our glasses together before taking another sip of whiskey.
Luke checks his watch, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Well, I’m off to get some shuteye. Early start in the morning. Avery, please, we mean it when we say stay as long as you’d like. There’s no rush. You’ve got the time and space and resources here to do anything. Just make sure you allow yourself to rest.”
“Thank you, Luke.”
He gives Kellan one last nod, then slowly gets up and walks out. I listen to the sound of his receding footsteps, registering the slight difference in his rhythm. There’s definitely something off with his right leg, though I dare not ask what. Given that they were in the Navy together and based on the few details that Kellan let slip during our earlier conversation, I can only assume that Luke is living with a service-related injury that left him with that subtle limp.
Silence falls over the room for a short while as my gaze wanders around.
An entire wall is covered with bookshelves—all precious or first editions, judging solely by the intricate engravings on the spines and the high-quality leather binding. There are plenty of sculptural bookends sprinkled in between, likely collected from their overseas travels. I see East Asian motifs, African totems, and Polynesian patterns here and there, along with various vintage weapons mounted in glass cases.
“It’s been a long day,” Kellan says, pulling me out of my brief reverie. “You must be exhausted.”
“I am, but that catnap I had on the way here pulled the dial back a bit,” I giggle, noticing that my glass is empty. “You’re right, though. I should get some sleep. I’ll get out of your hair.”
