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“She can kick my ass in a heartbeat,” Pierce said, chuckling.
“She has certainly kicked mine before,” Vaughn added.
I loved these guys for injecting some humor when Giselle needed it.
“I can teach you a few tricks if you’d like,” Sutton suggested.
“Yes! I would love that. If I could feel as though I even had a chance at protecting myself after I’m out of this ...” Giselle grew quiet. “I guess I should stop getting ahead of myself and tell you the rest.”
“I’m ready when you are.” Sutton rubbed Giselle’s arm, offering her support.
“Again, I thought that I was free of Donovan, but he and Ander just shared me. My body has never been my own. Now, though, I was raped by both of them at the same time. Soon after they started that, Donovan forced me to marry Ander, and the men continued with their abuse. Even though I’d had a brief reprieve from Donovan, when he joined me in France, I contemplated escape almost every day. After a few years of marriage, I started researching and planning my suicide.”
Giselle finally glanced up at me, our eyes connecting. “That was the night you saved me.”
It was all falling into place now. I’d been right about Donovan hurting her, but I had no idea her ex was part of the equation.
“Since I failed, my father forced Ander to file for a divorce, but he was still completely in the dark about what Ander and Donovan were doing to me. I wanted to say something in the hospital, but Donovan stuck to me like glue. He even convinced my father to allow me to live with him, so that he could watch over me. Both my parents agreed.”
“So, you were right back with Donovan,” Pierce said.
Giselle looked at him, her chin trembling. “Yeah, but it was so much worse than I could have imagined.”
“What do you mean?” Pierce asked, leaning forward slightly.
Giselle looked at me, then to the floor. She spoke so softly that I didn’t catch what she’d said, but Sutton must have because her nostrils flared.
“Giselle, I need you to reiterate what you just said, but loud enough so everyone can hear.” Sutton’s voice trailed off. “Wait. Would you like to talk to only me about this part?”
Giselle shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think I can repeat any of this again, so if the guys have questions, I need to do it all at once.”
Giselle squared her shoulders and tipped her chin up. “Donovan.” She inhaled deeply. “Donovan sells me to clients with sick fetishes. He makes millions off me in a single evening.”
My fists curled as white-hot fury swirled beneath my skin, possessing me. “The burn on your back,” I said through gritted teeth. “That’s what you meant that Donovan hadn’t done it, but he was just as responsible.”
Tears streamed down her beautiful face, and I desperately wanted to kiss her pain away. But it wasn’t an option right now. I had to remain impartial in front of the team no matter how I felt. Slamming the door closed on my heart, I plowed forward.
“Yeah. His name is Ashkov Butrick. He’s Russian mafia and a sick …” Giselle’s hand flew to her chest, choking on her sobs. “He burned me, then cut me with the same knife. He used my blood to ...”
Her words punched me so hard in the gut I lost my breath.Jesus fucking Christ.That’s what I saved her for.
Sutton dropped her notebook on the floor and pulled a crying Giselle into her arms. “Guys, I’ll handle the rest of this. Please leave.”
That was my cue. I had to get the fuck out of there before I exploded.
I massaged the back of my neck and stared at my shoes as I hurried through the living room and out the front door, choking on the words I’d spoken to her earlier—that I didn’t regret saving her life.
31
Giselle
Snotting all over Sutton, I finally pulled myself together. “I’m so sorry.”
Sutton grabbed a tissue from her handbag. “Giselle, don’t you ever apologize for crying. I have no idea how you kept it together this long.”
I took the Kleenex and wiped the moisture from my cheeks and eyelashes. It was then that I realized Zayne had left with Pierce and Vaughn. I had refused to look at him as I explained what Ashkov had done to me. My heart couldn’t handle watching his expression change from anger to disgust—disgust with me.
“I told the guys that we needed this time together, woman to woman. I’ll take care of their questions afterward. Right now, it’s you and me. You’re safe, and I know Zayne. He’s not taking this well. None of us are, but he’ll be on point protecting you. Zayne has a burning passion inside him to protect abused women.”
