Page 60 of Wilde In His Arms

Nick was so damn proud of Aria for trying to connect with this scared, traumatized little girl.

Stacy shook her head, though only he could see that.“No.Maybe.It’s just…”

Nick took over, since the little one didn’t know what to say.“Aria, Stacy asked me to save her again.”

“Of course you will.”Not a second of hesitation before that declaration.

He loved her even more for having such faith in him.

“But why, Stacy?What’s wrong?”

Nick looked into Stacy’s troubled eyes.“Stacy has a secret she wants to tell us.”

“You can tell us anything, sweetheart.It won’t change how we feel about you.You’re so special, sweetheart.Whatever it is, we will help you.”

Stacy met his gaze.“Promise?”

“I promise,” Nick and Aria said at the same time.

“Go ahead, sweetheart,” Aria coaxed.“You are brave and strong.I know you can do this,”

Nick stopped breathing, waiting for her to say whatever she needed to say, hoping it was something inconsequential like she still wet the bed at night.But he knew before she even spoke it was going to be something worse.

She leaned in and whispered, “My dad gave me to the man who gave me to the other bad man who shot you.”

Aria gasped.“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry he did that to you.”

Nick reined in his fury and kept his gaze on Stacy.“The man he gave you to…was it someone he knew?”

Stacy nodded, her eyes watery with tears.“He owed him money.But he didn’t have any to give him, so he gave him me, because the man wanted me real bad.But I didn’t like him.He acted real nice but his eyes were…strange.He looked at me so…hard.And then he…hurt me.Made me do stuff.”

Nick didn’t want to push, but he needed more information to keep her safe.“Do you know his name?”

“Perry.He owned the big company in town.Daddy played poker with him.And lost.A lot.He’d get really mad and say if he didn’t have to feed me he wouldn’t need so much money.”

That fucker blamed his child for his gambling.Nick fumed, but tried not to show it.

“It is not your fault, sweetheart.Your dad was supposed to take care of you, not gamble away all the money.He should have protected you.”Aria’s leashed anger still permeated her words, and maybe that’s exactly what Stacy needed to hear and know, that someone was furious about what her father did to her.

Nick still needed more.“How long did you stay with Perry?”

She shrugged, but her eyes filled with tears and her lips pressed tight.“A while.He wouldn’t let me go to school.He kept me locked in a room in the basement.And he did…bad things.It hurt.Then he dressed me up and took me to a fancy place.It had pretty things and a big bed and big windows.I could see a big pool and lots of trees.I wanted to run away but he never let go of me, or let me outside.Then the other man showed up.Javier.He said I looked nice.Sweet.”Her gaze dropped to the floor.“He said the others would like me.”Those whispered words gutted him.

“Why did Perry want to give you to Javier?”Maybe this question was too broad for her to answer.

Stacy shrugged again.“Perry said he had to mend him, or something.Perry kept saying sorry to Javier, but he just looked mean at Perry.”

Mend him?Mend?Perry was sorry.Maybe… “Did he say make amends?”

Stacy nodded, then shrugged.“That sounds right.Maybe.I was trying really hard to be good and be quiet so I didn’t get punished.”

“Was Javier mean to you?”

“Not really.Not like Perry.He wasn’t around much.There were others like Julia who kept us.”Not took care of them.Kept them.What a distinction she’d made at such a young age.

Nick tried to get a little more from her.“Were you with Javier for a long time?”

She nodded.“I was there for a few days, and then Emma arrived and they kept us together.”

---