“Not even a tear for your momma? Stupid whores don’t care about their mothers. But you loved your stepdaddy, didn’t you, girl?” He pulled hard on my hair again.
“Let me go,” I managed to say through the terror gripping me.
He laughed. “Took a long time to find you, girl. I ain’t leaving you now. Did you tell him I had you first? That this body was mine first? That you walked around with those tight clothes on, taunting me, inviting me to touch you?”
My stomach rolled over, and I bent forward, feeling the sickness start to overtake me.
He pulled my head back with another jerk of my hair. “You’re gonna walk out of here with me, and I won’t tell him any of your dirty secrets,” he said close to my ear. His breath smelled rank, like sour milk.
I reached up to cover my mouth, afraid I was going to throw up all over the groceries in front of me. I couldn’t scream while fighting to keep the contents of my stomach from coming up. Closing my eyes tightly, I prayed that if there was a God and he cared at all, he’d save me. I hadn’t been prepared for this.
Maybe there was a God, because, suddenly, I felt Marco let go of my hair. I jerked around and saw Captain with a look of fury on his face as his hand clamped around Marco’s arm. Now that I could see Marco, he looked significantly older.
“You walk out of here and don’t look back, and I’ll let you live,” Captain said in a quiet, hard voice.
Marco tried to jerk his arm free. “You want to get arrested for assault?” His voice was high-pitched.
Captain didn’t look fazed. He continued looking at Marco like he was the lowest form of creature on earth. “You scream, and you won’t see another sunrise. Try me, old man. Fucking. Try. Me.”
I believed him. There was no smirk. No smile. The expression on his face was that of a man with no soul. He was cold, and he was making sure Marco saw that, too.
I backed away.
“You go on and get your groceries, Reese,” Captain said. “I’ll walk this worthless shit outside. He won’t be back. I can promise you that,” he said without taking his eyes off Marco.
Then he began walking with his hand still gripping Marco’s arm.
I stood and watched until they walked out the front door. Then I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Mase. I was about to shatter, and I wasn’t sure I could make it to the door before I did.
Mase
I broke every speed limit imaginable by the time I got to the ranch. Momma had gone back to get her as soon as Reese called to tell me what had happened. I had kept her on the phone while texting my mother to get to the store immediately. All Reese had been able to say was that her stepfather had been there.
And that River Kipling had been there and forced him outside.
She was terrified, and I wanted to get my hands around her and hold her. If I had thought for a second that sick, pathetic excuse for a human would come to find her, I’d never let her out of my sight.
My head kept jumping to the worst-case scenario. What if River hadn’t shown up? Fear consumed me. I couldn’t think about that. I hated River, but I owed him one now.
My momma’s truck pulled into the ranch just before I did, and I stayed right on her tail until she parked. Then I jumped out and ran for Reese. The moment I opened the door to Reese’s side of the truck, she launched herself at me and began sobbing while holding me in a death grip.
My momma didn’t know the details, but I knew that after seeing the reaction from Reese, she could guess easily enough. I looked at her over Reese’s head. “I’m taking her to the house,” I told her. She’d have to wait for an explanation.
Momma nodded and headed to her house, leaving us alone.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” I said, feeling helpless as I held her against me.
She only sobbed harder. If I’d been there, I’d have killed the man. I wanted to see him dead. He’d marked her life, and he had come back to reopen old wounds. The sick bastard.
Glancing up, I saw another truck headed our way. I recognized it as River Kipling’s. As much as I didn’t like him, I understood his need to come by and check on Reese. He’d seen it. He had saved her. And I would have to find a way to accept him.
He stopped his truck, and Reese jumped in my arms at the sound of his door opening and slamming shut. She was spooked. I had to get her home so she’d feel safe.
“Is she going to be OK?” River asked, keeping his distance.
I would do everything in my power to make sure she was. She’d overcome this terror before. She could again. “I’ll make sure of it,” I replied, knowing I had to say more. He deserved it. “Thank you. For what you did.”
He didn’t even acknowledge my words. His eyes were on Reese’s back, his jaw clenched. “I heard him. I was in the next aisle over, and I heard him. Did he . . . was he responsible for putting her through hell?”
I only nodded.
River nodded back, then turned and returned to his truck. Without a word, he drove off.
I picked Reese up in my arms and took her to my truck. She needed to be home.
I sat with my back against the headboard and Reese in my arms. Her head was against my chest, and her breathing had slowed. She was asleep and had been for more than an hour, but I hadn’t moved her.
If it took weeks, hell, if it took months, we would sit here like this. I’d hold her as long as she needed. I wanted her feeling safe again. I wouldn’t let fear own her. I’d love to erase it from her memory so she’d never feel like this again.
Once she was calm and rested, I was calling the police. She needed a restraining order. I was also putting more security around the ranch. I would need to talk to Piper about making sure she was never left alone at the stables. Better yet, I was teaching her to shoot. She was going to have a gun.
There was a knock on my door, and my mother’s voice called out my name softly. I couldn’t answer, for fear of waking Reese. Momma walked to the open door and saw me there with her. Her eyes were full of worry.
“Who was he?” she asked in a whisper.
“Her stepfather,” I replied.
Mother shut her eyes tightly. “Oh, God, no,” she said, and her eyes filled with tears.
“Yeah,” was all I said to confirm what she was thinking.
Momma covered her mouth to muffle a sob. “Oh, Mase, did you know?”
I nodded. “She told me before we ever . . .” Momma knew what I meant without me having to say it.
“You just stay here and take care of her. I’ll bring food. Dad will take care of the stables,” Momma said.