Page 51 of Dolly

“You were doing what you had to in order to find them.” I lean forward and press my lips against his in a quick peck that tickles because of his beard. “You weren’t trying to hurt me.”

“But it’s my job to protect you. I shouldn’t do anything that hurts you.” He’s going to beat himself up if I let him.

“We protect each other,” I correct him. “Now we know where she is, and soon, we’ll know about Dragonmate.”

The sides of his lips curl up. “You’re amazing.”

“I’m just me,” I say, like I do every time he compliments me. I’m nothing special, but he’ll learn that eventually. In the meantime, it’s nice to see the softness of his smile and the light brighten his eyes.

What happened to him in that playroom…no one should ever experience it. I had come to terms with it. As horrific as every moment was, how much I wanted each breath to be my last, it wasn’t anything new to me. But Ken didn’t grow up that way. He was a hero, not a victim. And those men tried to put him in the victim mold.

“Dolly.” His fingers tighten around my hands. “Those feeds, those videos, have been on the web a long time. There’s a good chance they’re still all over the place. I’m not sure I’ll be able to track them all down.”

I search his eyes, finding a safe place to hide. It’s not a matter ofifthey’re still out there. There’s no possibility they haven’t been copied and uploaded to other sites.

“I know,” I whisper, my throat raw from the burn of reality. “I’m sure Daddy didn’t send his videos just to Bossman. I heard him talking to Mom a few times.” I pull my hands from his grip and cover my face. “I was so stupid. So fucking stupid. I should have run away. I had plenty of chances. Why didn’t I run away?”

“Hey! Hey.” He grabs my wrists and uncovers my face. “You survived. That’s all you had to do, and you did it.” His forehead wrinkles, and his lips thin out.

“I did,” I agree. I’m sure there’s a deeper explanation. A girl, abused since childhood, has plenty of ways to get away, but never does. Leaving was scarier than staying, I suppose. There were monsters lingering out in the shadows, and Daddy protected me from them. Because there are worse people than Daddy. Like Queenhearts.

“Now we make her pay, right?” I ask. People like her won’t ever stop the horror they spread. The only way to put an end to her actions is to end her.

He flashes me a bright smile. “Yeah.”

I grab onto that thought—of her pain, her cries as we drain her of the pathetic life she holds dear. I don’t know everything she requested with Ken, but I remember every fucking thing she wanted done to me.

“What about the others? There were so many people.” I don’t want to let any of them get away.

“It could take us a lifetime to find them all.” He’s the realistic one. It’s why I depend on him, why I love him so much. He’s the solid one while I’m the wobbly leg.

“We deserve peace.” I nod.

“I think you should get some rest. We aren’t meeting her until late tonight.”

I run my fingertips along his jaw. “You know the best way to help me take a nap?”

The right side of his mouth tilts up. “I do.”

I push myself onto the bed, settling on the pillows. As soon as the bed dips beneath his weight, I pull my long t-shirt above my hips and spread my legs for him. His mouth finds the right spot without hesitation.

Will I ever get used to how easily he plays my body?

“Oh fuck,” I moan, deciding I don’t care.

Twenty-Two

KENDOLL

This motel needs an ice machine on the upper floor. We should be prepping to leave, but Dolly wants ice for her soda and I can’t seem to tell that woman no.

Stepping off the last stair with the ice bucket in my hand, I swing around the railing to head to the machine. My eyes land on a black sedan parked right outside the front office, and my heart slams into my chest.

The door to the office opens, and I jump behind the vending machine. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck

Holding my breath, I glance around the machine to see who’s walking out of the office.

My head blanks.

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