Page 126 of Nevada

“It’s all about money. Women who resist and talk back don’t make them money. They want quiet and submissiveness, which is why illegal immigrants are a perfect candidate because there’s always the threat of telling the authorities.” She shakes her head. “We knew your sister’s name was Matilda but no surname, that she remembered had a sister called Star, and that you could’ve been from Texas or Louisiana. That was about it.”

“We vacationed in Texas when we were little. Hence her confusion.”

She nods. “Like Bane, we have a doctor off the records, that’s how she wasn’t handed into the authorities. She’d just get lost in the system. The doc said she believes it’s temporary amnesia; it should pass. She remembers things, but there are holes and pieces of stories missing. Oftentimes memory will come back, but it can take time and nobody knows when.”

I bite my lip to save from crying. I can’t believe my sister had to endure all of this. It makes my stomach turn.

“I can’t even begin to thank you,” I start, but Diamond waves me off.

“Our reward is seeing women like Tilly go back home to people who love them. Trust me, it’s not always the case for a lot of them…”

Nevada squeezes my hand, snapping me out of my reverie. “You good?”

I smile. “Better than I have been in a long time.”

We take the short drive from the city to Saddle and I take a deep breath when we stand outside the clubhouse doors. It’s an old homestead but has been remodeled. There’re gorgeous planters out the front with cactus and other succulents adorning the garden bed. It looks like something out of an old Western movie, but it’s inviting and has a branded sign hanging above the front doors that reads: Stiletto Riders — Saddle, Texas.

I smile. At least I have the comfort that Tilly was well looked after while she was here.

We step inside and it’s exactly like a saloon bar, though a lot cleaner and tidier than any cowboy would’ve left it. We walk through the long bar stacked with bottles of alcohol, just like in the NOLA Rebels clubhouse, though this one has a disco ball in the middle of the pool room. Not something I could imagine in the NOLA clubhouse, and it looks slightly out of place here. Still, it makes me smile…

And then I see her. I stop in my tracks and so does she. We stare at one another and for a moment I feel pain in my chest that she doesn’t recognize me, but then she starts to cry and runs toward me. “Star?”

I meet her halfway, pulling her into my arms as I lift her off her feet and kiss her hair. It’s short, like someone shaved it. Fucking assholes. “Oh my God, Tilly! I’ve been looking for so long.”

“I heard. They told me all about it. I didn’t know… I didn’t remember our last name.”

I still hold onto her, afraid if I let go, she’ll disappear. “St. Clair,” I whisper. “It’s St. Clair.”

“Matilda St. Clair.”

“Yes, but you hate your real name.”

“I do?”

I try not to wince. It doesn’t matter. I’ll get her the best therapist money can buy. I’ll do whatever it takes to get her better. “Yes. You do. Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on everything, okay?” I squeeze her so tight. I don’t even know how long we stand there for, but when I finally let go, I cup her face. “Anything you want or need, I can get it.”

She smiles. “I know.”

“Do you really know who I am?”

She nods. “I knew I had a sister called Star and what you looked like. I couldn’t remember what you did.”

Then I remember her wound and I look her over. I see a large scar on the back of her head, and I figure this is why she has such short hair. It’s almost healed over, as have most of her bruises. “I never stopped looking.”

“I know that. I knew you’d come for me. I knew it. I kept saying.”

Nevada clears his throat and I turn and look over my shoulder, then back to Tilly. “Tills. This is Nevada, he’s my… uh, boyfriend.” It feels weird calling him that.

Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Boyfriend?”

“You remember the part about me being single?” I quirk a brow.

She smiles, then says, “Nice to meet you, Nevada?”

He shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you too. Of course, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“I can’t wait to hear all about me, too.”

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