He rubs my thigh. “I believe you, angel. Are you saying the police think you’ve done something?”
“Yes.” I sniffle and cover my face. This is so hard. Why should he believe me?
He doesn’t say anything else. He just rubs my leg and the small of my back.
Finally, I inhale deeply and lift my face. “I don’t know where to begin.”
“Wherever you want, Little one. How about you go back to the beginning? You said you lived with twelve foster families. Why did you get moved around so much? I know for a fact it wasn’t because you were rebellious or a problem.” He lifts a brow.
How can he read me so well?
“Sometimes it just happened. The family had too many kids, or they moved, or they adopted and stopped being foster parents. Twice, I was placed with a couple who ended up getting a divorce. When I got a bit older, there were problems with boys.”
He stiffens. “What problems?”
“They thought I was pretty, so they became a nuisance to whoever I lived with.”
“Boys who lived with the families or kids at school?”
“Both, but usually other boys placed with families or their biological sons.”
“Jesus. Did they touch you inappropriately?”
I roll my eyes. “They tried. Sometimes they succeeded. I fucking retaliated when they did.”
Cannon laughs, shaking my entire body on his thighs. “Good girl.”
“Usually, I locked the door to my room unless I was sharing it with another girl. I always locked the bathroom. And I never brought attention to myself. I learned from a very young age to keep my head down, let my hair cover my face, and wear baggy clothes. When I was in high school, I weighed more than I do now. I had boobs, but I hid them.”
“You’re a fighter. I’m proud of you for your creativity. And I’m sorry so many people are fucking assholes.”
I giggle. It doesn’t even fit the mood of this conversation, but when he gets so protective and goes all…Daddy on me…
Holy shit. Suddenly, I sort of get the Daddy thing. Huh…
His brows furrow. “What are you thinking now? Your expression just changed. What’s that grin for?”
“You’re such a Daddy,” I say, my face heating.
He chuckles. “Well, that’s accurate. Indeed I am. My Daddy comes out strong when people fuck with my friends and family. Tell me who I need to beat up, and consider it done.”
My breath hitches. “You’re not actually going to go beat anyone up, are you?”
His brows rise into his hairline. That’s what he does when he’s serious. “Eloise, I’m not going to bother beating anyone up. Whoever put the fear in you that has you running is dead.”
I gasp, my heart beating wildly. In a way, I knew this was the case, but it’s fucking scary. I shouldn’t be surprised. His team ended Stark’s life yesterday. I have no doubt they cleaned up well enough that they could have driven me to the police station themselves if I’d requested it. No one would have been the wiser. They would have had a story. I’m sure they did have a story before they even stormed the house.
It’s becoming clearer and clearer to me that Black Blade Protection is an enterprise with capabilities that probably exceed even the government. I certainly wouldn’t want to be on their hit list. And honestly, at this point, I’m willing to put Gary Larkin on their hit list. I don’t give a fuck that he’s a cop. I doubt Cannon will either.
“His name is Gary Larkin, and he’s a police officer.”
Cannon barely flinches. His voice is calm when he says, “Tell me what he did, Little one.”
I stare at him, trembling as emotions overwhelm me. Cannon is going to believe me over Larkin. He already believes me, even though I told him the asshole is a cop.
I lick my lips. “You’re not surprised.”
“Not at all. At first, I thought you were avoiding the police because you thought they were looking for you. But after you told me you’ve never done anything wrong, I realized I’d had it wrong. You’re running from the police because they’re the ones who wronged you.”
