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Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. “Only after I knew I couldn’t protect her anymore, after the thought of staying there was worse than the hell they swore awaited us on the outside. After Paul—”
A protective fury like she’d never known glinted in Aaron’s usually soft brown eyes. Her breath stuttered.
“What did he do?” Contrary to his hard assessing gaze, Aaron’s voice was even and gentle, but no less deadly. She’d never seen this side of him. A frisson of fear sparked in her belly. But he would never hurt her.
“Dani—David at the time, tried on my dress. Paul came in looking for another one of the wives and found him. Luckily, I was nearby, and heard Dani’s screams.”
Anger and vehemence radiated off Aaron in waves strong enough to rattle her to her core, much like when she found Paul with his fist cocked ready to deliver a blow to her child with his other hand clamped around Dani’s neck. But Aaron’s fury was different. His was protective—a righteous anger.
“I ran in screaming at him to stop. Women were not supposed to raise their voice, or go against a man, especially her husband. But something that day snapped in me.”
“Your mama bear came out.”
“I told him I asked David to put the dress on so I could mend it. That way . . .”
“That way what?” Aaron’s voice had cooled a few degrees, as if he knew where this was going.
“That way he’d punish me instead.”
Aaron sat, his body vibrating with barely contained chaos. He leaned against the wall and pulled her into his lap, facing her. “I need to hold you and look at you, so I know you’re okay and in my arms. I want to know, if you’re willing to tell me. But I won’t lie. I want to murder the piece of shit that hurt you and Dani.”
She gripped the back of his neck. “You can’t. He’s untouchable. The Livingston clan has people in government and the police force. They have their own banks, and complete control.”
“No one is untouchable.”
“Aaron, would you seriously take a life?” She searched his face.
“If it meant protecting you, absolutely.” He hadn’t even blinked.
Mixed feelings of anxiety and awe swirled through her. This man would keep her safe no matter what.
“Don’t mistake me for the white knight, sunshine. Not when it comes to people I love.”
Her eyes widened. He loved her?
“I knew it would scare you, that’s why I waited to tell you.”
She was utterly speechless.
His thumb brushed against her cheek. “What are you thinking?”
“I . . . I didn’t think anyone could love me, and here you come knocking down all my walls.”
He smiled, joy diffusing some of the dark emotions in his gaze. “Look at you. How could I not fall for you?” He kissed her, soft and sweet, stirring up feelings in her that both scared her and gave her life.
“You can’t go after him. Please promise me you won’t do anything to jeopardize your safety.” Or our future.
“I won’t seek revenge. But if he tries to come after you or Dani, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” His deep voice made the butterflies in her belly flutter and hot arousal stir in her core.
“Okay. Thank you.”
“How did you get away?”
She looked down at his bare chest. “That same evening, I snuck into the room where they made the boys sleep. I woke Dani and we snuck out in the middle of the night. I took the money my sister had left for me in the tree. I hadn’t told anyone, but she’d left a note for me. Told me to use it to escape with David. So, I bought us a bus fare to the farthest place and kept going. I’d read about the ocean in one of my textbooks, and I’d always wondered what it was like. So, we came to Shattered Cove. We stopped at the hospital—”
Aaron’s grip tightened around her again. She met his eyes.
“Is that what was in the file Belle has with your name on it?”
