“We loved you,” she whispers.
Trey begins to struggle in earnest in my grip, his air supply running low. I tighten my grip and bare my teeth at her. “I don’t want to hear that word come out of your fuckin’ mouth. You don’t know the meaning of love. When you love someone, you protect them with your life. You put their safety before your own. When they hurt, you hurt with them. You do whatever it takes to make them happy.”
She stays quiet after that. There’s not a damn thing she can say. When Trey goes lax in my grip, I release him. He falls to his hands and knees before me, gasping for breath.
“Judge, take my mother and tie her hands together. We’re leaving.”
“What?” she squeaks. “Where are we going? We can’t—”
“Mom? Dad?” A small feminine voice calls from the hallway.
I whip around and see a little girl about ten-years-old standing just inside the living room. She’s wearing a blue nightgown that falls to her mid-thighs, her long blonde hair is pleated so the braids hang over her shoulders, and she has her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Her frightened eyes move to my mom, then down to Trey still on the floor, then up to me.
My throat tightens as I look the girl over. She looks like a female version of me when I was younger. I close my eyes and blow out a harsh breath. I silently gather every shred of control I have left and turn to the girl.
“Hey there, sweetie. What’s your name?” I keep my tone light and make sure my expression appears calm.
She keeps darting her eyes to my mom and Trey. Her bottom lip begins to wobble and her eyes turn glassy. The look breaks my fucking heart. I step in front of her, not too close to frighten her, but blocking her view of her parents, hoping with them out of sight, she’ll relax enough to talk.
“We won’t hurt you.” I gesture to Judge and me. Her eyes flash to Judge and they widen fractionally, like she just realized he was there. He offers her a kind smile. “My name’s JW, and my friend there is Judge.”
She tilts her head to the side and frowns. “Those are weird names.”
I smile and nod. “They are, but they’re not our real names. They’re just nicknames.”
“Oh.” She takes a step toward me. “What’re your real names?” she asks innocently.
I never give my real name to anyone; well, anyone except Eden that is, but I want this girl to trust me. I glance at Judge and he gives me a nod.
“I’m Liam and he’s Kayn.”
She licks her little pink lips and takes another step closer. “My name is Thea.”
I keep the smile on my face. “That’s a very pretty name. It’s nice to meet you, Thea.”
Feeling movement at my back, I subtly cast my eyes to Judge. He casually walks over to the couple behind me to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. I take a step closer to Thea, blocking more of her view of them in case Judge has to do something drastic.
“I know this is going to come as a shock to you, but I’m—”
“You’re my brother,” she finishes for me, her innocent eyes wide. Now it’s my turn to cock my head to the side.
“Yes, but how did you know?”
She twists her gown in her tight grip. “Because Mama said I had a brother named Liam and you sorta look like me.”
“You’re right. We do sorta look like each other.”
She gives me a tentative smile.
“Have you ever been to Texas, Thea?” She shakes her head. “How would you like to visit there?”
I move a step closer when I hear a gasp and a thump behind me.
“Will Mama and Daddy be there?” she asks in a trembling voice.
I turn her around gently by her shoulders so her back is to our mother and Trey and get to a knee.
“Do you want them there?”