“He’s abusive. He did fucking cut her hair. It was after church where he’s a pastor, by the way. He saw her playing with her hair during the sermon. He pulled her into his office after most everyone left and cut it off.”
“Jesus,” Darian spat. “What the fuck is wrong with him?”
Patrick tossed the file onto Darian’s desk. “He’s always been like that from what I’ve found out. She’s been told her mother died in an accident, but the mother tried to run with Eve one night, and he caught her. He took Eve and told the woman if she ever came back, he’d kill them both.”
“Where is she now?”
“She’s been in the next town over. She keeps trying to see her daughter, but she knows not to get close. That’s why the bastard took her out of school. He found out Eve’s mother was getting the school involved and was watching her daughter from a distance. She’s been saving up to take him to court, but from what the detective said, she didn’t hold out much hope since she worked two jobs, and he was a well-known pastor. Now, since she’s an adult, she’s tried to get to her but hasn’t been successful yet. The father keeps her under lock and key all the time.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Darian asked.
“I want to get her out of there. The bastard leaves the house on Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoon for a few hours. He goes to see a ‘lady friend.’”
“We might think about getting pictures of that. We might be able to use them later on.”
Patrick nodded. “Already on it.”
Darian sat back. “We can’t just go to the house and kidnap her.”
“I was thinking of taking the girls with me. She knows them, and I think they might be able to talk her into coming with us.”
“I agree. When do you want to do this?”
Patrick rubbed the back of his head. “Today is Saturday, I was thinking of Tuesday.”
“The sooner, the better,” Darian agreed.
“It will give me time to get a room set up for her. Would you mind having the girls come over and give me some ideas?”
“Not at all. I’ll call Gage, but we can stop over tonight.”
“Good.”
“Do you think she might be more comfortable at my place or Gage’s with one of the girls?”
“I thought about that, but that would be the first place her father would look.”
Darian nodded in agreement. “He won’t give up without one hell of a fight.”
“I know,” Patrick said and then grinned. “I can’t wait. I want to destroy that man’s world.”
“One look at that sweet woman, and I agree with you. He’s made her whole life hell. It’s time she’s happy and away from him.”
“Go over the file and see if you have any ideas. I’m going to get the room next to mine cleaned out and painted light pink.”
Darian grinned. “You can’t go wrong with that color. Every girl I know seems to like pink.”
Several hours later, Patrick opened the door to Gage and Darian and their girls. His breath whooshed out when both girls ran to him and squeezed the air from his lungs. He chuckled when they chanted, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“I’m glad this makes you happy, girls. Are you ready to help me make some decisions?”
“Yes,” they yelled.
Patrick showed them the room he was getting ready for Eve.
“I love the color,” Brylee said. “How did you get it to shimmer like that?”
Patrick shrugged. “It was the paint I picked.”