Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“We’ll fix this,” I say softly. “You’re not alone, not anymore.”
The strong woman who sits beside me deserves all the help and protection we can offer her. If that means bringing her sister to Twin Springs, then so be it. Family is family. Something in me shifts. I know that Taylor is meant to be here with us. I know she’s worth fighting for, and we all have to act now, or we’ll lose her forever. I make my way to my room to make the call that will set us all on a path with no turning back. But first I need to call Mitch.
When Jesse and Maverick arrive, I sit at the table with a cup of coffee steaming before me.
“Sit,” I order, resting my arms on the table. They take their seats, eying me carefully, and their expressions only get more severe as I relay what Taylor told me.
“We need to help her,” I say finally. “We need to bring Molly here.”
“Of course.” Jesse runs a hand over his beard, and sighs sadly. “This is a mess.”
“I thought I had it bad as a kid.” Maverick lowers his head and shakes it. “I had this feeling about Taylor… I shouldn’t have ignored it.”
“We didn't know,” Jesse says.
I want to tell him that we should have done more due diligence before bidding on her at the auction. We should have at least found out who was getting the money. We would have known if Jesse hadn’t been so quick and decisive.
“We leave in five minutes,” Jesse says darkly. His jaw is set, and his palms are pressed onto the table. “Tell Taylor to get ready. This ends tonight.”
As I approach Taylor’s door, I’m fueled by adrenaline and cortisol, and my heart is a hammer beating in my chest. Taylor has changed into a different outfit, and when I tell her that we’re leaving immediately, she collapses into my arms. This time, her sobs are tears of relief and not panic. I sense her trust in us has a strong enough foundation that no matter the effect of Jesse’s intentions for her, she can look past anything to be there for her sister.
She’s wrong to think that issues and setbacks will make us want her less. If anything, her reliance on us, her vulnerabilities, and her love for her sister only make us all more determined for her to stay. And her honesty —I can’t scratch that itch now.
A truck approaches from outside. Mitch is here.
Taylor grabs her phone and boots, and we jog down the stairs, finding Jesse and Maverick ready to leave.
“Thank you for coming,” I tell Mitch as we meet in the doorway.
“It’s nothing.” Mitch’s watery eyes land on Taylor, and he gently touches her on the upper arm. “Everything will be okay,” he says. “And I’ll hold the fort until you’re all back safe and sound.”
All the problems between us melt away in the face of outside danger.
“Thanks, Mitch,” Jesse says. “This means a lot.”
17
MAVERICK
FACING THE PAST
Clint is driving, and I’m grateful. My hands are shaking as Taylor’s words replay themselves over and over in my mind. The things she’s experienced at the hands of her father have torn me up. The things she’s witnessed… Well, I know the damage that violence in the home can do to a person, and Taylor’s been through so much more than me.
She’s sitting next to me in the back of the vehicle, staring out the window. Her hands are clasped together in her lap. Maybe she’s shaking, too, and doesn’t want me to see. I take her dainty hand in mine, bringing her knuckles to my lips. I press a long, gentle kiss there, wanting her to feel tenderness and care in the face of so much anxiety.
“We’ll get there,” Jesse says firmly. “Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”
He has so much confidence in his voice. That’s the thing with Jesse. In daily life, he believes he can will the things he wants into existence. He has an unshakable certainty that he can control the world around him. Apart from when his ex-wife took his son and moved halfway across the globe, he’s never felt a moment of turbulence in his life. He’s never felt powerless. Not like I have.
Taylor squeezes my hand, and I know his reassurances aren’t touching her. She has the same level of faith in the world that I do, which isn’t much.
In our world, bad guys have the power. The ones who will take what they want are the ones who get what they want, no matter how terrible their methods. Taylor escaped her father’s clutches when she no longer served a useful purpose to him. He discarded her, and she found her freedom.
Except she didn’t.
She went from one man who felt he owned her to three more who really did.