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That was so cute. He used to sneak into his brothers’ rooms to cuddle?
“Assholes,” Butch snapped, getting to his feet. “I haven’t done that since I was a kid.” He moved around the table.
Raid and Tanner got up quickly. Tanner let out a whoop, grinning excitedly. She froze, staring at them all in shock.
“No fighting inside,” Alec said in a firm voice. “You know the rules. Butch, get back to your girl. She’s looking at you all like you’re insane.”
“They are insane,” she said.
“We know, darlin’,” Tanner replied. “That’s what makes us a Malone. And you never fuck with a Malone.”
“And since you’re a Malone now,” Beau added.
“You want to tell us who we’re killing tonight?”
She was? Wait. What?
“Who hit you, darlin’? And where can we find him?” Tanner asked darkly.
She gaped at him, then around at the others. Finally, she glanced up at Butch.
“Don’t know for sure, but it could have been Chandler Devout,” Butch said.
“Oh, good,” Beau said. “I’ve always thought that guy deserved a smack in the face.”
“Beau,” Maddox groaned.
“What? He’s just too perfect to be real. It has to all be fake.”
“It is,” she whispered, shocked that he could see through Chandler’s pretense. “In front of other people, he’s this fine, upstanding citizen. The mayor. A family man. But behind closed doors, he’s . . .” She broke off with a shudder.
“Abusive?” Clem whispered.
“Not physically. Emotionally, yes. But he’s never hit me.”
“Then who the hell did hit you?” Butch demanded.
If anyone would believe her, it might just be the people sitting at this table. She turned to Butch. “I tried to tell someone once. About the abuse.” She reached up to gently touch her cheek.
“This wasn’t the first time?” Maddox asked in an icy voice.
“No. I told a teacher at school. She just laughed at me. Then the principal called Chandler, and he lectured me for three hours as I kneeled on the ground in his greeting room. And then he grounded me for a month for lying. I never told anyone again. No one would have believed me.”
“Who, baby?” Butch asked in such a tender voice that tears entered her eyes. “We’ll believe you.”
“It’s Emily. She’s been doing it since she was young. My mom always said it was a phase. As she got older, though, things got worse. I’d get better grades, so she’d cut my hair off in the middle of the night. A boy smiled at me, so she pinned me down and held a lit candle to my shoulder. I know that I should fight back, stop her. But I just . . . I couldn’t. I’ve never been able to fight back.”
Shame rode her as she got to her feet and quickly left the room. She could feel him behind her, but she didn’t stop until she reached their bedroom. Then he drew her up into his arms and carried her to the bed. He sat with her nestled on his lap and just held her while she cried.
“That’s it, baby. Let it all out. Shh. Shh. It’s okay. You’re okay. I have you.”
“I just . . . I don’t . . . no one has ever believed me before. Not Mom, not Chandler, not that teacher.”
“We believe you.”
“I’m . . . I’m pathetic.”
“You are not pathetic.” He drew her back, giving her a little shake. “You are amazing. Beautiful. Talented. Smart. And I won’t hear anything differently about my girl. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good.”
“What are you going to do?” she whispered.
“Got to admit, this is a tricky one. Will you tell Jake?”
“I don’t know what that would achieve. Even if Jake believed me, the sheriff of Devotion won’t. He’s firmly in Chandler’s pocket. And there’s no proof.”
“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll work out a way to make her suffer. From now on, though, I don’t want you going anywhere on your own, okay?”
“She’s not that much of a danger to me. And she won’t come here.”
He grumbled but nodded. “Just tell me if she contacts you. Or Chandler or your mom. And promise to go nowhere near them without me.”
“I promise.”
“Come on, you’ve had a big day. Let’s get you into bed.” He lifted her off his lap, then stood and drew the covers back.
“I just got out of bed. And I need to go help with the dishes.” She strode toward the door, only to have him wrap his arm around her waist to stop her.
“No.”
“No?”
“You heard me. No.”
“Butch Malone, you can’t boss me around all the time!”
“I can’t? Hmm, I don’t think I agreed to that.”
She glared up at him as he grinned unrepentantly. “I might be feeling especially protective and possessive at the moment. Perhaps that might ease up. With time.”
Perhaps? She wasn’t sure about the sound of that.
“But you don’t need to go anywhere but to bed. It’s all under control.”
