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“Not very well, according to the texts and messages on my old phone. After the first few, I couldn’t look or listen to them anymore. They just kept piling up with no cell service. I shut my phone off and tried to forget about it.” Tears escaped and rolled down her cheeks.
I leaned over and gently brushed them away. She sniffed and gave me a tiny smile of thanks. When I pulled my hand back, she thread her fingers through mine. I held on tight, not ever wanting to let go.
“Was the nightmare about him?” Duke’s voice grew darker.
“Yes.” She gave a hiccupping sigh. “When we went to the club, I swear I saw and heard him there, but that was impossible. He doesn’t even know I’m at King’s Ranch. But my imagination went wild last night, and I dreamed of him chasing and catching me.”
“Why does he scare you? What did he do before you left him?” Duke’s jaw tightened. I had to hope he wasn’t imagining the same things I was. The bruises. My heart tore before I heard her answer.
“He was abusive,” Abbey choked out, and Duke’s growl echoed around the living room. No. Not Duke’s.Mine. I had to be careful not to crush her hand resting within my own. Anger built up inside me to a level I’d never experienced before. The bastard hit my woman.
Duke rubbed her thigh. Abbey set her hand on top of his.
“We were high school sweethearts. During school, he was sweet and flattering. But once we graduated and moved in together, things changed. He wasn’t happy I was going to classes and getting a degree. It got worse when we graduated. He wanted me to stay home all day and be there when he came home from his job, but that wasn’t me. Eventually, he forbid me from seeing people and going places.” Abbey’s head fell forward, and her voice grew thick.
“The first time he hit me was when I went to see a friend. He was upset, and he hit me.” Abbey wiped away the tears, and I hated we were making her relive these horrible moments.
“He apologized and treated me well for a month or so, then everything went back to the way it was before. Another slap for doing something he didn’t like, another apology. Eventually, he got smart and did other things. Pushed me into a chair so it jabbed my ribs, tripped me so I fell hard on my knees… The bruises were in places no one could see.”
“Those were the bruises I saw on your legs that first day?” Duke asked, his voice tight. I knew he was blaming himself just as much as I was, feeling the guilt that we hadn’t asked about them.
“Yes. I fought to see my mother again—planned a trip to see her for a week, and he got angry. If I had asked him before, he would have said no. So, I planned it without his permission and told him after. He didn’t like that there was nothing he could do about it except punish me. He knew my mother would be suspicious if I canceled.”
“Why didn’t you leave him before?” I asked, hoping she knew I wasn’t blaming her.
“I was too scared. I knew he would track me down if I ever left him. Every time I tried to go anywhere, he showed up and ruined everything. Eventually, my friends stopped inviting me out. Blake and Grace were the only ones who knew Jeff’s bad side. They don’t know everything, even though they’ve been with me since I was little. They saw how he was growing up and how he became more controlling.”
“I’m glad you have them on your side,” I said, grateful Abbey had them in her life.
“I was getting ready to leave him. I didn’t like what I’d become—a shell of a person. He wouldn’t let me think or do anything for myself. I was his puppet. I didn’t want that anymore. After seeing my mother, I wanted to ask Blake to come get me, but when I walked in on him, I was done. I wrote him a note and left.”
“I don’t think he’s going to let you go that easily.” I rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t want to scare her any further, but she had to be prepared. “A person like him isn’t going to walk away.”
“You said you’ve had your phone off for a while now?” Duke’s eyebrows knitted together.
“I haven’t turned it on since we got the new one. Why?” Abbey’s head tilted to the side as she swiped at her tears.
“Who have you told that you’re here?”
I had to wonder where Duke was going with these questions, but I knew his police brain was working every angle.
“Only my mother. I called her on the way home from town that day and gave her my new number.”
“Does your mother know how bad Jeff is?” Duke asked.
“I’ve kept her in the dark about it. I didn’t want her to worry or for her to get hurt. Jeff was unpredictable. I didn’t know if he would try something if she tried to help me.”
Duke turned his intense gaze toward me. He didn’t even have to say the words out loud. I already knew he was thinking about the message in the barn.
She’s mine. I want her back.
Oh fuck.
He thought Jeff was the culprit for the fire. “Dulcinée, do you think your mother would have given Jeff any information about where you were or your new number?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, if he called her…” She shrugged.
“I think you need to make sure. If she did, then we might have a problem.” Duke’s voice lowered an octave.
