Page 41 of Her Noble Protector

“How’d you end up in foster care?”

He could have asked Kane to give him the lowdown. Maybe he should have. But he’d really wanted to hear it from her. He wanted to have her share with him, but hearing this kind of deep-down hurt, maybe he should have probed.

“I didn’t go in until I was sixteen,” she whispered.

“Isn’t that kind of late?” Shit, that was a stupid question. “I mean, what happened?”

Her lip twitched up. “Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was going into foster care at sixteen.”

Raiden was careful this time before saying anything. “Why is that, honey?”

“I was raised by my mom’s mom. It wasn’t good with her. It was better being away.”

“Lisa, that’s saying an awful lot in just three sentences.”

She bent forward in the chair, her hair hiding her face. “She didn’t like me much.”

“Did she hurt you?”

She bent forward even more.

“Sometimes. Not as much as I grew up.”

Fuck!

“So nobody intervened until you were sixteen?”

Her harsh laugh hit him in the gut.

“Nobody intervened, period. She kicked me out.”

She was killing him, but he had to know. There were too many puzzle pieces that were missing and he had to find them.

“Why, baby? Why would she kick you out? That makes no sense.”

“Sure it does. When the police drove me home that night and told her what happened, she called me trash. Called me a slut. Said I was asking for it. Threw my stuff out on the lawn. Said I was just like my mom.”

He looked at her sitting there hunched over, her long hair swinging down almost to the ground, her arms clasped around her middle, and somehow he was kneeling in front of her. He didn’t touch her. He was too afraid.

“Lisa, can you lift your head and look at me?”

She shook her head.

“Please, darlin’ I’m begging you.” He heard the hoarseness in his voice.

“I don’t want you to see me.”

“I’ve got to see your eyes. Please let me see your beautiful brown eyes.”

Slowly, as if her head weighed a thousand pounds, she raised her neck. Then her eyes met his.

“You’re special.”

She stared at him. Raiden didn’t even know if she was seeing him.

“Lisa Garcia, you’re special. You’re special and important to me.”

“There’s something wrong with me, Raiden.” Her voice sounded dead.