Page 16 of Torn In Two

He shook his head. “I’m not sure I was even that mad to begin with. They were shitty parents, and foster care was a chance at having a better life. I think I even remember being excited.” He laughed, though it held a bitter edge. “That was before I realized how truly awful human beings can be. My foster parents made my biological parents seem like saints.”

The pain was so clearly etched into his expression that I hurt for him. “I can relate,” I said quietly, more to myself than to him.

He glanced up at me. “Your parents too?”

I picked at the skin of my wrists nervously, not wanting to speak badly of the people who’d raised me. I’d been brought up to respect my elders at all times so I’d never said a word about my parents’ betrayal, always focusing my anger on Josiah.

Yet, it had been them who’d allowed it. Them who’d brought Josiah into my world then failed to protect me from him. They’d given me to him to use and abuse in any way he saw fit. They’d watched me walk around in that veil for years and never lifted a finger to help me.

They’d never even realized the bruises and trauma that veil had hidden.

I didn’t understand that. Protecting Hayley Jade was all I’d ever done, even though giving her away had broken my heart. I couldn’t raise her in a house with a monster, so when Josiah had wanted her gone from his home, I’d done what I’d thought right and let her go without a fight.

When Josiah had threatened her life again, I’d run with her.

I’d protected my child, even though my parents had never protected me.

A tear dripped down my face. “My parents sold me to my husband. Forced me to marry him.”

Grayson nodded. “Mine locked me in a cage whenever they went out. Which was a lot. They’d go out for half the night, drinking and doing drugs and who knows what else. They locked us all up while they were gone so they wouldn’t have to pay for a babysitter. Said we’d steal from them if we weren’t in the cages. Sometimes, even after they came home, they left us there while they passed out or partied some more.”

I put a hand over my mouth to hide my gasp.

Grayson looked me in the eye. “Is your story really any better?”

I wished I could say it was. “He used it as a punishment. He said I needed time alone with the Lord so I could understand why I wasn’t being granted the child Josiah wanted so much. It was supposed to be my time of repentance and a place of solitude.” I shuddered at the memory of the cage door slamming after Josiah had thrown me inside. “But it was a cage in a basement and a punishment for embarrassing him.”

There had been so many punishments, in so many different ways. Rape. The cage. Spending hours and hours on my knees on hardwood floors. They were only the tip of the iceberg. He’d continued finding new ways to hurt me every month my body hadn’t done what he wanted. Like he was searching for the perfect punishment that would wake me up into producing an heir for him.

Grayson picked up his notepad again. “And those men outside. Hawk and Hayden. You swear to me neither of them are your husband?”

I shook my head quickly. “They’re nothing like him.” I said it with absolute certainty, even though others might have disagreed. Hawk had lied. Hayden had held me captive.

But nobody had ever been as good and sweet to me as the two of them. Nobody had ever made me feel as safe. As wanted.

Grayson steeled me with his dark-eyed gaze. “Then how are you so hurt right now, Kara? If it wasn’t them who hurt you, then who did?”

I was telling the truth when I replied that I honestly had no idea.

7

HAWK

“Hawk!”

I started, my thirty-five-year-old back protesting at the uncomfortable seated position I’d been sleeping in and my shoulder aching like I’d torn a muscle or two digging Kara out of that grave. My ass was numb, and War’s sharp shout was enough to drive pins into my brain.

War, Bliss, and Rebel all stood in front of me, their eyes wide.

“What?” I stretched painfully. Fucking hospital seats.

“They’re just wondering why I was letting you sleep on my shoulder,” Chaos said dryly.

I jerked, realizing my arm was still pressed against his. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Um, yeah, you were.” Rebel pointed at Hayden’s shoulder. “Had your head on him and your face pressed into his neck like you were inhaling him.”

I scowled at her, but my gaze quickly moved to War, who wasn’t anywhere near as gleeful as Rebel had been at the chance to tease me about something. War looked vaguely murderous. Bliss just seemed concerned. And very, very pregnant. How the hell she hadn’t popped that kid out yet was beyond comprehension.

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