AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gave them both an ashamed look.
“I’m glad you took the money, Mama. You deserved it.”
“I told them we’d left because he’d gotten violent. I had some bruises, and the place was a mess so they believed me. The woman who checked us into the motel also vouched for me. I think they knew there was something more, but they could see my bruises, and they knew who Pete was. And Jake had contacts at the police station, which also helped our case. We went to stay with Jake and Elsie for a while, but I knew we couldn’t stay.”
“Do you think that’s why I hate guns?” Cat asked. “When I held that gun on Emiliano, I had this weird sense of déjà vu.”
“What?” Mama said sharply. “You held a gun on Emiliano?”
“Yes. He shot Alejandro and was going to grab me, so I took Alejandro’s gun and I shot him. I killed him.”
“Good,” her mother said.
Cat stared at her in shock.
“He was an evil man, Mija. He deserved to die. When he discovered that you existed . . . he lost it. He said he saw you during your trip to Mexico. That you looked so much like me that he just knew. But he still wanted to know for sure. I tried so hard not to tell him about you, but he . . . he hurt me, badly, and I had to.”
Oh God, she was going to be sick. “Mama, I don’t blame you. It wasn’t your fault. You should have told him straight away to stop him from hurting you. So, you . . . you were in Mexico with him?”
Cat had actually seen her? That upset her too, knowing that Mama had been so close.
“Yes, he’d started to trust me more. But after that trip, I was locked away. He’d been bad before, but after it, he was a man possessed. I just hoped that you had someone to protect you.”
“I’m sorry he hurt you, Mama.”
“The thing is, he thought he loved me. He could still be kind while being a sociopath. It was so confusing.”
“He found you when we were with Jake and Elsie? After we left the Cult?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Well, actually, one of his associates saw me and followed me home. When he knocked on the door, I knew I had to go with him. It was the best way to protect you. If I’d tried to fight, Emiliano would’ve sent his men to get me. They could have found out about you. His associate let me write notes and leave them for you and Jake and Elsie. Luckily, he didn’t ask any questions about who I was writing letters to. Then I left with him to go back to Emiliano. I’m sure he got paid well for returning me to my owner,” she said bitterly.
“Oh, Mama,” Cat said, her heart breaking. “I wish you would have called for help or fought back. I would have helped you. I’d rather have gone with you.”
“No, Mija. He would have used you, hurt you. I spent so many years protecting you. I couldn’t let him touch you.”
She hugged her mother again, holding back a sob.
“I’m so glad your monster is dead, Mama. Now, you can come home with me. Let me take care of you.”
“Mija, I love you so much.”
“I love you too. Don’t worry. From now on, I promise that life will be good.”
EPILOGUE
“I’m so glad you guys are here,” Cat said to Immy and Maeve as they sat in her playroom in the Southampton mansion.
They’d been back from Mexico for a few weeks now. After their meeting with Pablo, they’d stayed with Dante for a few days while a doctor had assessed Mama. All of her physical injuries had healed, but it was going to take her mind and emotions far longer to recover. She was frail and stressed and still unsure around Alejandro and his men.
Although, strangely, she and Bernie had hit it off.
Cat didn’t know what to think about that.
Now, all her friends were here for the weekend while she threw a party for her Mama. Her friends had arrived late last night and she was buzzing with happiness. They’d had a huge dinner with everyone talking and laughing.
It made her so happy to have them all under one roof. Maeve was practically glowing. Gray was taking good care of her. And Immy often got this dreamy look on her face when she stared at Tobias, something Jenner didn’t seem to like much.
All the guys were now in Alejandro’s office, discussing the wannabe-Deity, while Mama was napping. Jake and Elsie were coming tomorrow for the party. She was going to try and get Jake and Elsie’s help to convince her mama to talk to someone about what she’d gone through.
Stubby had called this morning to let them know he had a lead on the wannabe-Deity. A man had been caught hanging around where the Camp used to be. A man who had a warrant for his arrest and a Sentinel tattoo on his back. He wasn’t saying anything, but Stubby was confident that, given enough time they’d get him to talk.
