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She laughed, surprised by how much his fury pleased her. “It’s okay. I’m away from him, and we’re going to make sure it stays like that.” Her words didn’t ease his expression at all, so she cupped his face. His soft beard tickled her palms. “I’m all right, Tee. Nothing has changed.”
He turned his cheek into her caress, his breath warm as it skated across her skin. His lips pressed into her palm and his shoulder shuddered as he exhaled.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to track him down and do to him what he did to you?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, Tee. I want to think about him as little as possible. I’d prefer not to let him taint my fresh start any more than he already has, so let’s not go there.”
“I could,” he said, as if he needed her to know that. “I’d make him pay.”
A cold shiver ran up her spine. “No. Stay here with me. Violence isn’t the answer to violence.”
Tione seemed to disagree, but he didn’t say so. Instead, he disconnected from her, collected Pixie and deposited her in Megan’s lap. The dog huffed, but Megan petted her until she calmed and settled into a ball.
“I’m surprised Officer Elliot is taking me seriously.”
“It’s just ‘Elliot,’” he corrected her. “His last name is Tanner. Of course he’s taking it seriously. The asshole beat the crap out of you, and that’s a serious crime.”
She gnawed on her lip, torn between relief and worry. “I’m afraid nothing will come of it,” she confessed. “What if Elliot’s boss tells him to back off? Charles Senior has his fingers in a lot of pies.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Elliot is like a bulldog when he gets something between his teeth. Trust me, he won’t let it go.”
She wasn’t sure she had as much faith in the man as Tione did, but arguing the point wouldn’t get her anywhere, so she turned her mind to another concern she’d been pondering. “I know I need to call my mum, but I don’t want to.”
“Why is that?”
“I feel terrible about everything. Her wedding is soon and she’s in planning mode. She’s so excited, and I don’t want to put a damper on that.”
Tione sat cross-legged on the floor and Zee sprawled over his lap. “Answer me something. Your mum, brother, and sister are all in Auckland, yeah?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How is it that none of them noticed what was happening with you?”
“It’s not their fault,” she snapped, quick to defend them. “I hid it well, and none of them ever saw anything to hint about what was going on. Besides, I’ve hardly seen them lately. Charles always found something to get in the way of our visits.”
“There must have been signs.” He leapt to his feet, displacing Zee, who fled to the corner and moped. “For God’s sake, you must have had bruises or something else to clue them in. They should have been looking out for you.”
Hugging Pixie close to her chest, she ignored the little dog’s growl. She knew he was trying to help, but this felt like yet another attack. “Quit it, okay? All your pacing is putting me on edge.”
He stopped instantly, as she’d known he would. “Arohamai.Sorry.” He glanced down at his hands, like he didn’t know what to do with them, and settled for cramming them into his pockets. “You should tell your mum, and I’m not just saying that because you need her help.”
“Okaaay.” She drew the word out. “Why, then? Other than the obvious.”
“Because she’ll be more upset if she finds out down the road and thinks you hid it from her.”
She frowned. He had a point. Her mother would be hurt if she thought one of her daughters had needed help and not come to her.
“Fine.” She combed her fingers through Pixie’s fur. “I’ll call her tomorrow. I think I’ve reached my limit for today.”
17
When Megan wokeon her second Monday at Sanctuary, she felt lighter. The sun streamed weakly through a gap in her curtains, and she smiled. She’d told people about Charles, and she’d survived. They hadn’t turned away from her. In fact, thanks to them, she was proactively reclaiming her life. Surely that was worth celebrating.
She showered, changed into a pair of jeans and a navy blouse, dabbed pink lip gloss over her split lip, which had nearly healed, and walked through the dining hall—where a young couple were flirting over coffee—to the kitchen. Tione had beaten her there and was standing over the stove, scrambling eggs. When he turned to greet her, she bounced onto the balls of her feet and kissed him on the cheek. His eyes widened, but before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her face on his chest.
“Thank you for yesterday,” she said.
He tentatively hugged her back, his hands pressing into the curve of her lower spine. “You’re welcome.”
