He stands, pulling me up to stand. “You ever been on a bike before?”
I shake my head no.
He smiles. “You are in for a real treat.”
We drove around the outskirts of the city for thirty minutes. I could have taken her to my special place at any time, but Iwanted to give her time to collect her thoughts and enjoy the ride.
At least, I think she was enjoying the ride when she was screaming out and laughing. As I pull up to the small beach right off the Gulf in Perdido Key, I turn off the bike. I help her off, smiling when her legs are jelly.
“Did you enjoy it?” I ask.
She nods. “Did you go fast just to make me hold you tighter?”
I laugh. “No, but I will next time. I’m glad you liked it. I want you to be the only woman to ever be on it, other than maybe Emily when she is of age.”
She widens her eyes. “Emily would love it, but she is way too young.”
I laugh. “I know. I was thinking maybe thirteen. We will see. Come on. Let’s go chat. The wind will swallow up all the words so no one can hear us.”
She takes my hand as I lead her down onto the sand before sitting down. She sits next to me. The water is calmer today, with only small waves. It’s later in the day, so most people have already left, especially with how chilly it’s gotten.
Looking over, I smile when I still see my leather jacket on Jane. I like seeing her in my clothes.
This isn’t the time for the fantasies that come with that, though. No, now is the time to figure out how to keep her safe.
“When you are ready,” I tell her.
She doesn’t speak for several minutes. When she finally does, anger fills me.
“I met Evan when I was fourteen. He was eighteen. I was a freshman, and he was a senior. I didn’t know anything about dating. My father forbade me from it. He said I was to marry someone from an affluent family so he wouldn’t be stuck caring for me all my life. Looking back, I think he was a lot like Evan. It’s probably why they got along.”
“So he let Evan date you?” I prompt.
She shakes her head. “Not at first. I wasn’t interested in Evan, really. He would hit on me, but he was older and part of the cool crowd. I thought he was playing a joke on me. So when he showed up at my house and asked my father to date me, I was shocked. My father said no because he was too old and to find someone his own age. Evan didn’t stop, though. He would still flirt and talk to me, and I guess I started falling for him. He was nice at first. He would buy me nice things and send presents to my parents. Finally, he asked my father if they could sit down together, man to man.”
“He convinced him.”
She nods. “I don’t know what he said, but when they walked out of that room, my father told me I was now dating Evan and that I would be faithful to him. It was like I didn’t get a choice, but Evan was good to me at first. Made me feel special. He didn’t hit me until much later.”
“What happened then?” I prompt, reaching over to rub my thumb against her palm.
She starts to tear up. “I graduated, and there he was, waiting to propose. We hadn’t had sex up to that point because I wanted to wait, and he waited for me. Looking back now, I think he knew that with one wrong move, my father could have him arrested if he did. I found out later that he had been sleeping with women at the college he went to.” She sounds so devoid as she says it. I hate it. “Anyway, we had sex the night of my eighteenth birthday. It wasn’t like I thought. He was rougher. He told me what to do, but I had nothing to compare it to, so I thought it was normal. We were married within six months and then pregnant within a year.”
“When did the abuse start?” I ask.
“He had hit me twice before Tanner was born. He always said I caused him to be so angry. It was my fault. I couldn’t figureout what I had done, but I didn’t leave him. When I confided in my mom about it, she told me that I should be the perfect wife, and then I wouldn’t get hit, that men like Evan need women who obey. So I did. After Tanner was born, though, I paid too much attention to him. The beatings started coming more frequently. There wasn’t always a reason. At least not that I can think of now, but he would always pick a fight and make it my fault. Dinner was cold. Dinner was too hot. His drink wasn’t made right. I folded his shirt wrong. I embarrassed him in front of his friends. You name it, and he said it. I wanted to leave, but then I found out he had thrown my birth control away. Every time I would try to get more, he would stop me. Then I was pregnant with Emily. That’s when I realized what he was doing.”
“He was trapping you,” I tell her.
“He was.” She leans her head against my shoulder, the tears starting to fall heavily. “I can’t regret them. They are the joy of my life, but after Emily was born, all rules went out the window. I suffered abuse almost every night. I didn’t leave until the night he hit Tanner. I distracted Evan and took another beating. Then once he was tired of using his fists, he took his anger out on me in other ways, but after, when I went to check on Tanner, he begged me to leave, so I did.”
“I’m glad you did. Now you are safe.” I kiss her head. “What does Evan do for work?”
She snorts. “He works for his parents’ tech company. It’s why I knew he would find me. He has the tech part down, but he also has money and connections. He has a best friend who is a detective. Total slimeball. I guarantee he was looking for me.”
“He can’t hurt you. Not with me here. Anything else that might help?” I ask.
“He won’t come for the physical fight. Not with you. He is a coward and only hurts those he knows he can overpower. He is going to attack the club. Make me seem unfit and maybe eveninsane. He will use the power of attorney he has over me to drag me and the kids back, and then he will set his sights on ruining you for helping me.”
