Page 60 of Broken Wolf

But she was smart and refused to go with them without more answers. They couldn’t force her to come in, but they could keep her from running until I got there. They didn’t tell her that, but the cop who called me made it clear they were losing ground with her fast and she was scared.

I wasn’t far and luckily already on the move for other things as Alpha. I promised I’d be there soon and hit the lights with my detail taking off to get there before she rabbited.

I was out of the SUV before it fully stopped and racing for where I heard elevated voices. She was scared and ready to get out of there from the way she was yelling, probably mortified that she was making a scene at a church.

“Marie, I’m the one looking for you,” I said as I joined the group.

She turned to see who was talking to her and did a double take when she saw me. She dropped the bag she’d been holding and leaned heavily against the pew she was standing next to. “Sera? Is that really you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I said gently as I walked over to her. I picked up her bag and held out my hand to her. I swallowed loudly and said the same thing she had to me almost twenty years ago. “Let’s get you out of here and I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore, okay?”

Tears immediately filled her eyes and she hurried to wipe them. “I don’t deserve that when I didn’t keep that promise to you. I failed you just like so many others did.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t your fault, and you tried your hardest. I never forgot that.” I saw that wasn’t going to be enough to persuade her. “I was also looking for you for work. I know what’s been going on.” I nodded when the tears came back. “I’ve got some questions for you.”

“Okay,” she accepted, taking my arm then.

I realized she needed it and was really in bad shape. I was furious and out for blood that the vibrant and loving woman I’d remembered was now a shell of herself and so beaten down.

I thanked the officers and apologized to the priest for the disturbance and not giving him more information before getting her out of there. I made a few quick calls to call off the search and thanked the others. We were at the office by then, and I showed Marie the locker room so she could have a real shower.

“I have nothing,” she rasped, looking at the shower longingly.

“I’ve got your gym bag, Sera,” Sander said from the doorway, wiggling at me.

“We’ve got you covered, Marie,” I promised, going over and getting it. I thanked him and asked for food easy on the stomach and more. Then I pulled out my toiletry kit and got her situated.

Twenty minutes later she was freshly showered and in a clean pair of FBI sweats looking completely different.

Still nothing like the woman I remembered, but better at least.

There was one thing that I had to know. “Why didn’t you contact me?”

Tears filled her eyes as she fidgeted with her sandwich. “No matter how horrible everything being done to me was, I couldn’t bring myself to call you.”

I frowned. “I never thought you’d be an idiot with pride like that and—”

“It wasn’t pride,” she gasped. “I have no pride. I don’t care about pride.” She waited until I did something that made her believe I accepted that. “You didn’t deserve my troubles, Sera. All you’ve been through—I failed you. I promised to help you and be the adult and I failed. I have a soul, and the last thing anyone decent would do is turn around and—”

Now I understood. “Marie, if I was a normal person, I would get that—agree even. But I have a badge. I took an oath to help. You would be a jerk if you called me first over the regular police, but obviously something dirty is going on and…” I let out a slow breath when more tears fell down her cheeks.

Yelling at her about it now wouldn’t help. She was in too bad of a spot.

“The failure wasn’t yours, and I never blamed you,” I told her gently. “I wish things were different. I wish you and I had left that place together because you deserved better as well.” I sighed when she flinched. “I didn’t understand it until I was older and going through therapy for my own life. I knew Hank was manipulative.”

I was going to say more, but shock rocked me when she didn’t immediately defend him. She always used to.

And I couldn’t let that go.

“You’re not defending him,” I hedged.

She shook her head and finally tucked into her sandwich. “No, his son did all of this to me, and he set it all up. I’ve done a lot of thinking as well, and—I wish I’d gone into therapy a long time ago. Maybe—I wish I’d left with you back then as well.” She swallowed her bite and then broke down sobbing.

I moved to sit next to her and hugged her as she clutched me and sobbed out her pain. It took a bit, but I got her calmed down, and she ate about half of her lunch. I knew she needed more, but it was clear that she hadn’t eaten a full meal in weeks, and eating that much so fast could hurt her.

Which was why I pushed to have her checked in at the hospital. She didn’t want the hassle, but not long after she ate she tried to hide her stomach hurt and I made the call, snapping at her not to argue with me. I was mad at myself for not making this happen first, but… I just had so many questions and she said she was fine.

Obviously, she wasn’t fine.

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