“I only had to complete basic details at the registration today. And I haven’t provided any photographic ID yet.” They wanted it, but I’m always cagey about handing over my ID, so I lied and said I’d forgotten it. I’d no intention of going through with this, and I was only attending to prove I could push myself out of my comfort zone and to support Kelly because I know she’d get a major kick out of it if cast.
“He knows me as Selena Smith, not Selena Douglas, so it’s unlikely he’s aware I’m here.” I’m confident in my assessment because if he knew I was living in Boston, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I’d be locked in some basement. Chained naked to the floor. Starving and drugged up with more scars covering my body and layered over my heart.
Although, now he’s in Boston, it’s only a matter of time before he finds me. The shoot I did for Miranda Fanning’s new line will soon be splashed all over billboards. Yes, I’m older, and my hair is no longer dark, but I imagine my image is imprinted in his brain the same way his is in mine. He paid good money to buy me from Master Allen and Freddie, and I escaped the day after he claimed ownership of me.
It wasn’t enough time to recoup his investment.
A monster like him would never forget the girl who played him for a fool and got away with her life.
A monster like him has been planning his revenge for the last seven years.
And I’m guessing he’s only too eager to start exacting payback.
6
Keanu
“How is she?” Sandrine Douglas asks me the second I open the front door.
I step aside, gesturing for her to come in. Dragging my hands through my hair, I exhale heavily. “She’s doing okay now, but she wasn’t in a good place when she arrived.”
“Where is she?” Sandrine’s concerned pale blue eyes flit around the room.
“In the bathroom. Come sit.” I jerk my head toward the couch, and she follows me, sitting down on my right. I set my elbows on my knees, resting my head in my hands.
Now that I know the truth behind her panic attack, I am fucking terrified for Selena. My initial instinct was to whisk her out of the country in the dead of night and go someplace no one would ever find us. To hide her away until that sick bastard is locked up behind bars. But removing her from the safety net of her home, her mom, and her friends isn’t the right thing to do either.
“What has happened?” Sandrine asks, and I lift my head up, staring into the troubled face of a woman I admire greatly. If Sandrine hadn’t presided over Selena’s case when she escaped the hell she’d been existing in for three years, I doubt she’d be where she is today.
Sandrine moved mountains to adopt her when it was discovered her family was dead. Murdered by the bastard who kidnapped her and her friend Juanita, when they were only ten. Although that case is still technically an open murder investigation, all the evidence points to that truth.
Sandrine saw something in Selena and made it her mission to adopt the frightened, fragile, broken little girl with the deep scar tissue. I’m so grateful she did. Not just because it brought her to Boston and led her to me, but because she has done so much to help bring her back to life.
Most people seeking to adopt want a cute baby. Not a troubled thirteen-year-old girl who had endured more horrors than any kid should have to live through. If Sandrine hadn’t adopted Selena, she most likely would have ended up in a home or the foster care system, and neither scenario would have worked out well.
Sandrine stares impatiently at me, waiting for me to elaborate.
“It’s not good, but Sel should probably be the one to explain.” Or she should at least be given the option of deciding who tells her mom.
“Mom.” Selena steps into the room, and Sandrine hops up, walking toward her with urgency.
She stops in front of her daughter, examining every inch of her, from head to toe, assuring herself that she’s unharmed. Slowly, she opens her arms, and Selena steps into her hug. Her eyes find mine across the room, and she holds my gaze as she accepts her mom’s comfort. My hands itch with a longing to touch her, to hold her, but I’m well versed in controlling my wants and needs around her. I’m used to letting Selena set the pace.
Selena shucks out of her mom’s hold, walking to the couch and sitting down beside me. Her hand instantly reaches for mine, and I thread my fingers in hers, casually draping my arm around her shoulders. When she lays her head on my shoulder, it feels like I’ve died and gone to heaven.
Sandrine’s delicate smile is a surprise. We’ve always had a good relationship, but Selena and I have been broken up for almost two years. I’d expected shock or maybe distrust, but she seems pleased her daughter has turned to me. We share a silent communication, and I nod, confirming she can trust my motives. Trust that I’ll take care of her daughter.
“Are you okay?” Sandrine asks, clasping her hands in her lap.
Selena lifts her head, turning to face her mom. “I don’t know,” she honestly admits, and it’s like someone has driven a dagger straight through my heart.
“Do you feel up to explaining?” she inquires, smoothing a stray strand of hair back off her face. I notice there are more grays threaded throughout her dark hair, but otherwise, she looks exactly the same.
Selena snuggles in closer, and I tighten my arm around her shoulders a little more, careful not to exert too much strength. Selena needs and deserves a gentle touch. Always.
I hold her close as she tells her mother what she told me a short while ago. I watch the same devastating emotions flit across Sandrine’s face as I’d felt hearing the news. I know Selena needs time to process, but I’ve already decided I’m talking to Keven tomorrow. I trust him to keep it between us. Not to run straight to his bosses. And I need his advice on how best to keep the love of my life safe. There is nothing I won’t do to keep her protected. Which is why I already sent a message to my brother asking him to locate a team of bodyguards for me. I didn’t give him any intel except that it was for Selena and her mom and I needed them urgently.
Dad has a company he uses periodically whenever we need to step up security. Our family attracts a fair amount of media attention and the odd nutjob or two. While most of us don’t have full-time bodyguards—except for Kaden’s pregnant wife and their daughter and Kev’s fiancée Cheryl, where it’s necessitated because of recent run-ins with powerful figures in the criminal underworld—there are occasions where it’s warranted. I know Keven is using a different company now, a company focused solely on celebrities and high-profile clients, and if he’s deemed them suitable to protect Cheryl, then that’s who I want watching over Selena and Sandrine.
