Page 34 of Two Hearts' Accidental Heroes

“As nuts as it sounds, I believe you,” Jake admitted. “So, what’s next?”

“I’ll bring his girl into him tomorrow. It has to be Shanna. I’d drive over to Crystal Rock right now to meet her, but from what I gather, she doesn’t live at the place where I’m picking her up.”

“There’s one thing I’m worried about,” Jake admitted. “What if there’s a partner and he or she gets wind of Wes being on his death bed in the hospital? Somehow, someone got to Wade Armstrong in jail and poisoned him. I’m thinking that might have been another wakeup call for Montgomery, to lose his son.”

“Don’t forget, he might have another child out there somewhere. I’m thinking that he was the one who got Shanna pregnant,” Rick observed.

“Of course, that’s it. That’s got to be how they’re keeping her in line,” Jake muttered.

“I guess I’m going to find out tomorrow.”

“I’m going to send some extra men to the hospital there in Rice Lake to keep an eye on Montgomery tonight.”

“Good,” Rick said, disconnecting.

Chapter Nineteen

As Shanna stood there, peeking through the living room window at the driveway, she realized she was shaking. She was scared to death that she might be forced to trade one form of captivity for another.

Finally, she saw a truck pull into the driveway, and inhaling an unsteady breath, she stood ready near the door.

When the doorbell rang, she unlocked and opened the door.

She couldn’t believe her eyes as she stood there, stunned.

“Shanna,” Rick whispered hoarsely. “I was afraid I’d never see you again.”

When his arms opened wide, she couldn’t help herself. She ran right into them, letting him engulf her in his warmth.

* * *

“Wes isn’t in very good shape, Shanna. He says he wants to make amends for the past,” Rick said to her, as she sat on the passenger seat of his truck during the journey to Rice Lake.

“I think I’ve been sensing that for a very long time,” she admitted softly.

“Will you explain to me what happened to you as a child?” Rick asked. “Please? I won’t record what you tell me.”

“Yes,” she finally answered. “I need to get everything out in the open. I’m hoping that Wes really means it about making amends. But I’m going to make it quick. Every time I even think about everything that’s happened during these last ten years, I get sick to my stomach.”

“It started with your father, didn’t it?” Rick asked.

She nodded, closing her eyes. “He raped me when I was very young. It happened over and over again. I never knew that it wasn’t normal until he decided to pawn me off on other men, including Wade Armstrong, which Wes doesn’t need to know about by the way. I guess I’d gotten to the age where he wasn’t interested in me anymore. I always wished I was Anya. For some reason, he left her alone.”

Giving her a side glance, Rick nodded. “I’ve heard that’s how it happens sometimes. It could be something as simple as the color of your hair that might have drawn him in.”

Shanna nodded, tears filling her eyes. “The first time, Wes was awful. He couldn’t keep his hands off me. But some of it, I think, had to do with what my dad was saying about me. I kept trying to get away from him after Dad drove me to Rice Lake that afternoon before you saw me at Dragonfly Pointe. Later, I became pregnant.” There was a sudden silence. “The first time.”

Rick stilled, slowing down the truck as he stared into her eyes. “What happened?”

She closed her eyes, responding softly, “I had a miscarriage.”

They remained quiet for a while.

“You knew that our family had to leave town? The crazy thing about it was that what happened to my mom and Aaron Mitchum might have been indirectly involved with what was going on with the trafficking gang,” Rick said, breaking their silence about five minutes later.

“Really? I’ll always be grateful for that time I had with my mom. Even though she didn’t always succeed, because Dad picked me up from school a few times when Mom wasn’t aware of it to take me to Rice Lake, she tried to keep Dad away from me because of what you said to her.” Shanna inhaled a shaky breath. “When she found out he was still getting away with it, she killed him for me, Rick.”

Rick’s jaw dropped open until he finally seemed to pull himself together. “How did she do that?”

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