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Fifteen.
Jamie raped her when she was barely more than a child.
I was going to fucking kill him.
I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to the top of her head, a wave of selfishness rocking over me. “Do you have to go?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sienna stayed.
I held her in my arms at one end of Trav’s table, my thighs split around her on the long table, one arm protectively wrapped around her chest, holding her against me. I offered to take her for a drive, or sleep in the cave but when Trav suggested we head back for a meal, she didn’t object. I’d drive her back home afterward, but for now, she was mine.
I let her sink into me, and though I knew she was still afraid, the exhaustion of everything that happened to her, her father, and my part in adding to it left her without tension. I rested my chin on top of her head, exchanging glances with Travis across the table.
His mouth set a hard line, but he nodded slightly, seeing the way she curled into me without fear. Our walk down the mountain had been quiet, but not filled with any sort of animosity. For all that I knew Trav was an arrogant ass, he also had his heart in the right place on this land with the people who trusted him.
I chased my food around my bowl, Cleaning past Sienna to catch the last dregs of the stew Eve made on a home baked roll. For once, she sat at the other end of the table with Natalie and Jude, but they talked quietly, and she rested her head on her hand, looking more tired than ever.
I frowned, but I didn't have the bandwidth to help her today, not with a little hot mess wild child in my arms. After a whileSienna slid off my lap and padded barefoot toward the other end of the table. She slid between Natalie and Eve, and the latter began to talk.
Sienna did what she did best. She listened.
Maybe something I needed to do a little bit more of too.
Knowing the girl had changed me in ways, I didn't think I could take back and I wasn’t sure I wanted to lift some of the weight off my heart. The absence of her warmth on my lap left me hollow, and I grabbed another roll from the basket in the middle of the table for something to do.
"Whatever you do, make it stick. If you don't, he'll be back again and again.”
I kept my eyes on my roll, unwilling to let the flicker of murder show in my eyes. "I won't."
Trav made a sound in the back of his throat, and I wasn't sure if it swung to the positive or not.
A hard hand clamped onto my shoulder. "Whatever bullshit they feed you, I've got your back. We all do.” Gage’s rough voice did the one thing I couldn’t achieve on my own. It gave me hope.
I twisted in my seat. Jude stood beside him, his arms folded. Will Kirk peered from around Jude’s barrel chest.
I shook my head. "It's gonna be messy as fuck.” I couldn’t see any other way around it.
I shared a quick glance at Travis. He said nothing, his jaw hard.
"We've got your back," Gage repeated. "And I've seen my fair share of messy. Hasn't killed me yet."
I nodded, grateful, and my gaze switched across to Will. "You’re too young."
He scowled at me, his eyes narrowing. The usual light in him darkened into something else, changing the younger man's disposition entirely. "If someone’s hurting your girl, then it's worthwhile.”
That was all he said before he held my stare and walked away.
"Fuck. He's gonna be a menace." I shook my head.
"You're an old fucking man." Trav stood with his arms folded across his chest. “Heart’s in the right place though. Like I said, make it work. Tie up all the loose ends. Jamie's father won't let this rest if you do, and he’s got the resources to change the course of your life."
Like end it.
The threat, the knowledge went unspoken.
I nodded into the remnants of my stew. Double B had more cash to splash than any ranch in northern Montana. Well, almost any. “The job will get done."
