Page 30 of The Finder

Emma stared at him as she simultaneously blinked back tears. “Nobody’s had my back in a long time,” she said softly, still looking at Liam.

Liam nodded grimly. “It’s time to change that,” he said firmly.

“Emma,” she heard the low, gravelly voice of Garrett. She turned towards him and met his eyes. She saw the anger in his eyes and didn’t know what to make of it. He didn’t say anything else; he simply nodded at her.

Emma took a deep breath. “I don’t know where to start,” Emma said carefully. She closed her eyes. It was easier to get her story out without everyone looking at her. “I was an only child.” She smiled. “I had a great upbringing. My father and mother loved each other and loved me. We weren’t rich by any means, but we were happy. My life was pretty normal until I turned twelve.” She swallowed hard. “My dad died,” she said, proud of herself for not stumbling over the words. “I can’t believe how quickly my life fell apart after that,” she almost whispered. It was silent in the room, and Emma took a moment to compose herself. With her eyes still closed, she plowed on.

“My mother remarried less than a year later. I don’t know why it was so fast. Maybe we were in financial trouble, and I just didn’t know. Anyway, she married my step-father.” She laughed bitterly. “He turned out to be a gem. He managed to turn my mom against me, get her hooked on depression pills, and steal the money that my dad left behind for her and me.” She took another fortifying breath. “My step-father also brought his son with him into the marriage—Alec,” she shuddered just saying his name. “He was a few years older than me and made my life a living hell. He was always messing with me and causing me grief. The older I got, the worse it got. He and his friends were awful to me. They would make lewd comments and disgusting suggestions to me. Then Alec started...” her voice trailed off for a moment. She felt the couch shift next to her, and her eyes flew open.

“It’s just me,” Madison said quietly.

Emma drew in a breath and sat back. This time, she didn’t close her eyes. She stared at a spot on the floor. “Alec and his friends started doing awful things to me. They would lock me in the basement for days at a time without food or water. They would do horrible things to me and just wait to see what my response would be. They never did anything that would leave permanent scars so no one would know what was happening to me. They did... lots of bad stuff.” She fell silent after that, lost in her memories.

“Was it ever sexual?” Madison asked quietly.

“No,” Emma immediately answered. “I mean they always said stuff and touched me but nothing inherently graphic. Until the end...” she said and grew quiet again.

“What happened?” Madison probed gently.

Emma shook her head. “I knew once I turned eighteen all bets were off. Alec kept reminding me of that daily; his friends reminded me as well. I guess they were afraid to do anything to me before I was legally of age. After that, anything was game. That’s why I had to run. They watched me like a hawk the last few months before I turned eighteen. Someone was always following me, like they were afraid to let me out of their sight. Then one night, I...” she stopped, unable to go on. She was quiet for a moment. Madison rubbed her back.

“What happened?” Madison asked just as softly.

“I—” Emma shook her head. “I don’t know. They blindfolded me and drove me somewhere. Then they made me walk forever. I tripped and fell dozens of times. Alec and his friends would just laugh. Then they took my blindfold off. They tied me to a tree and left me. I begged them not to, but they didn’t listen. It took me hours, but I finally escaped. I began running. I didn’t know where I was going, just that I had to get out of the woods. Then a huge wolf at-tacked m-me. It b-bit me,” she said, her voice shaky now. “I remember it hovering over me, and then two more coming to stand over me. These weren’t tiny wolves either. They were huge with enormous fangs, and I-I knew I was going to die.” Emma was silent.

“What happened after that?” Madison asked.

“I don’t know,” Emma said. “I woke up in my room on the floor. I don’t know how I got there. I would have thought it all a dream, but my clothes were dirty, and I had bite marks on my thigh. I never told anyone. No one would have believed me anyway. Who believes that some girl is attacked by three wolves and lives to tell about it? I decided that day that I had to escape. Between that and turning eighteen a few days later, I knew I had to escape. I left the morning of my eighteenth birthday. Somehow, they found out about it. They caught up to me before I even made it on the first bus, but I eventually got away. They got my bag though. I boarded a bus and rode for three days and eventually ended up here without a penny to my name and only the clothes on my back.” Emma took a shaky breath. “So, there it is. You have my amazing story. You see what a catch I am now?” she said bitterly.

Emma heard the front door slam shut, and her head turned in that direction. Garrett was gone. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Madison. Madison wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s okay. He’s just angry,” she said.

“At me?” she asked.

“No, honey,” Liam interjected. “At what you went through. We all are.” Kyle grunted in agreement.

Emma didn’t know what to say to that. She’d never had someone angry on her behalf before. Kyle came over and put his arm around Madison. She leaned into him and away from Emma. Emma once again felt like the outsider. She stood up and decided to go outside and get some fresh air. She figured Garrett was probably long gone by now. He had much more important things to do.

Nobody stopped her as she stood and walked out the front door. She quickly glanced around and relaxed when she saw Garrett was nowhere to be seen. She sat in one of the rocking chairs and rocked slowly. It was quiet inside for a long time. Finally, she began to hear some noise. After a while, the front door opened and Liam stepped out. “Madison’s got dinner ready. Come join us,” he commanded gently.

Emma was too spent to argue with him. She stood up and followed him inside. Max was gone again, and Garrett hadn’t returned; but Kyle, Levi, and Madison were all sitting around the table waiting when Emma and Liam walked in. Liam held her chair out for her as she sat down. The conversation picked up after a little bit. Soon there was lively conversation happening. Emma sat back with a piece of garlic bread in her hand and nibbled at it as she watched and listened. For the first time in a long time, Emma felt like maybe, just maybe, she had found a place she could belong.

Chapter 19

After dinner, Madison helped her get settled into a room for the night. “Kyle and I will be staying here with you for a little while if that's okay,” she said.

Emma almost laughed. “Of course it’s okay. It’s not my house. Besides I would hate to be alone.”

“I get that. All right. Well, why don’t you get some sleep. What time do you have to be at work again, unless I can talk you out of staying home for a day or two to let your body heal?” Madison asked hopefully.

Emma was already shaking her head. “Nope, I need to help Helen.”

“That’s what I thought. Okay, what time do you have to be at work again?” she asked.

“Four thirty,” Emma said.

Madison frowned and shuddered. “That’s such an ungodly time. I probably won’t be seeing you in the morning. One of the guys will be taking you—Liam, Levi, or Kyle. I’m not sure who drew the short straw,” she said with a grin.

“Well, I hope it’s not Liam. He’snota morning person,” Emma said and grinned.

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