“Memories of being struck when I was a child,” she whispered.
“Who hit you?” I rolled on to my side and guided her to face me. “Who hurt you?”
“My father.”
“You never told me that.” I glided my fingers through her hair. “You said when he started hitting Chance, you both fled.”
“I think I blocked it.”
I couldn’t bear the thought of her being physically abused. Her childhood had been rough, but I thought it was Chance she had been protecting.
“When I recall the abuse, it’s Chance who I see getting smacked and thrown around.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t always remember it being me, but when Bello hit me and I fell to the ground something inside me broke free and I could actually feel the back of my father’s hand.”
This night just kept getting worse. I made a mental note to look her father up and pay him a visit. Someone needed to knock him around. I may not have been able to go after Bello right now, but nothing was stopping me from going after Sable’s deadbeat dad.
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” she said. “It’s too much for me right now.”
“I can respect that, but there is something I want to say.” I twirled her hair around my fingers because it soothed me. “I’m sorry that your father hurt you.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“What Bello did tonight was my fault.” Why didn’t I do a better job of shielding her from Medina? “You didn’t deserve to be treated that way by either your dad or Bello. Your feelings are valid, and if it helps you to block them, I won’t press you, but you have to know that I’m always going to be here for you. We can talk about it whenever you need to.”
“I appreciate that, but right now, I don’t feel like I need to.” She rested her palm on my cheek. “You're the most amazing man I’ve ever met. I know you think you failed me today, but you didn’t.”
“We’re going to have to disagree on that one.” I would never forgive myself for leaving her open for an attack. “But moving forward, I will never allow anyone to come at you again.”
“There’s something else you need to know, but I don’t want you to freak out. It isn’t anything I’m worried about because I know you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn’t happen.”
“What doesn’t happen?”
“Getting your father to take a meeting wasn’t the only message Bello had for you.”
“Sable, I have to know all the threats so I can prepare myself for what has to be done.” This conversation began to set off warning bells in my head. “Even if you’re not worried or you don’t think something is a threat, I still need to know.”
“Bello said that if you and I were no longer together, and if I’m not under your protection, Medina would take the opportunity to…” She shook her head. “We are together and I am under your protection, plus I have Ax, so this would never happen.”
“Medina would take the opportunity to do what?” My instincts already led me to the answer, but I needed to hear her say it. “What did he threaten you with?”
“Trafficking me.”
Fuck no.
TEN
Sable
Being backwith Milo should have been more comforting, but he was too keyed up to sleep the past couple of nights. He held me but neither of us settled down or slept that much.
I didn’t know how to calm him. His quiet fury that I had come to expect was no longer contained. The beast within him had been unleashed. Whatever internal struggle he fought had come to the exterior, no longer able to hide. I feared he would never be the same.
What does that mean for us?
As we strolled down the main staircase, Milo clasped my hand in his.
“You’re distracted,” he said when we got to the bottom of the stairs. “What’s on your mind?”
“It isn’t a bad thing.” I hoped he would see my news as a positive situation for me. “I think it might be good for me.”
