“They told me it could go easy or they could do it the hard way. Even if I’d gone along with it, I knew they’d have hurt me as they did. He hated it when I didn’t cry or scream.”
I walk to the spot where they dragged me.
“I’m surprised some of my skin isn’t still there.”
“Jesus,” Carter mutters.
“It was there,” I point. “I don’t know if it was minutes or hours, but it felt like an eternity in hell. I was grateful when I lost consciousness. I don’t know what happened after that. I don’t want to know. Ever.”
I look to Carter. “How long do you suppose it was?”
He shakes his head. “I’m not sure. A long time, Tera. A long damn time.”
I nod. My knees begin to shake when I see a spray paint can up against the side of an adjacent building.
You’re safe. They’re not here. It’s in the past. You’ve overcome. You win.
I blink, and I snap back to reality. Cage stands next to me.
“I didn’t know you then,” he begins, “but you were married to Xander and he was family. That made you family.”
I don’t know what to say, where he’s going, so I just remain quiet.
“I made sure those seven individuals would never hurt you again, Tera. The family protects its own,” he tells me.
“What do you mean by that?”
“They’ve been removed from this world. They don’t deserve to be here. Not after what they did to you. Not when I know they’d do it again given the chance. They went to prison, and their sentence was delivered the first week behind bars.”
“The sentence the ‘family’ gave them?” I ask.
He nods slightly, and only once. “The one I gave them.” Now he looks at me, removing his sunglasses. “No one will ever hurt you again, Tera.”
The way he says it, so self-assured. There’s no room for doubt.
I burst into tears. Tears of gratitude. Tears of relief. I throw my arms around Cage, and he holds me close while I purge the last of my grief—grief for all they took from me, grief for innocence lost.
Ipaint and paint and paint. I can’t stop. The scene in my mind’s eye is so vivid and vibrant. I only pause when Xander force feeds me a sandwich while I continue to paint, holding it up to my mouth for bites. He insists I drink milk as well. Apparently, he and Dad have had a “conversation.” I think that scares me a little.
“Wow,” Shea breathes out when she enters the studio Xander set up for me. Two of the walls are nothing but windows. The ceiling has a large skylight. I fell in love the minute I saw it.
I keep painting while Shea reads a book in the chair in the corner. People come and go. I don’t stop. Not until it’s finished. I add my initials in the corner, TRM, and only then do I step back and assess my work. It’s like nothing I’ve ever painted before. It’s bright colors. It’s happiness.
“That’s incredible,” Sera mutters behind me.
I wipe my hands on my paint cloth and set my brushes in the jar of cleaning solution.
I take a sip of the apple juice Xander left for me. I really need to pee. I’ve been holding it forever.
Lucy stands next to me. “You’re so talented.”
I don’t say anything. I don’t do well with compliments.
“You realize your paintings are scattered all throughout the house, right?” Lucy asks.
I nod. “I saw that. I see more and more as I explore this gigantic mansion. I asked Kennedy about them. He said to ask Jesse.”
“Did you?”
