Page 116 of The Making of Marnie Jones

“Okay. Where is he now?”

“I don't know. I don't know what he did with him.”

“What Lester did with Daniel?”

Her brow furrowed. “Lester took Daniel away from me.” She held her hands in a cupping motion. “He was so tiny. I didn't even think he was breathing. He was so blue. But Lester took him away.”

“Was Daniel alive?”

She shrugged apathetically.

That didn’t fool him. Her body radiated tension.

Finally, she met his gaze. “No, probably not. I was young. All I remember was the pain. I was being ripped apart, and there was a baby. I held him for a few minutes, and then he was gone.”

“Who helped you give birth?”

“Lester.”

Christ Jesus.A miracle she survived. “Marnie?”

“Hmm.”

He swallowed, searching for the right words. “Daniel’s dead, isn't he?” He despised himself for forcing her to face this, but he couldn't let her live in a delusion.

“Yes.” She finally met his gaze head-on. “I guess I've always known. I wanted to believe he was off somewhere safe because it made the whole thing bearable.” She dropped her gaze. “Lester left me alone for a few weeks before he started raping me again.”

Jake closed his eyes, praying for inner strength. Every time he reflected on what the man had put Marnie through, he regretted the bastard having taken the coward’s way out. There was nothing he’d love more than to obliterate the man. He felt the same way about Demeter Anton, Olivia's tormentor. That man was lucky he was safely in jail where Jake wasn’t able to get his hands on him. “Tell me what I can do.”

“Hold me.”

Her request stunned him. “Are you sure?”

“Please, hold me.”

“Say my name.”

Unblinking green eyes questioned.

“Say my name, Marnie.”I can’t afford to get this wrong.Too much was at stake.

“Jake.” Barely a whisper.

Good enough.

He carefully pulled her into his lap. As he settled her, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her grip was tight and reassuring. She tucked her head under his chin, and he rocked her softly. He murmured gently into her ear, but what he wanted was to take away her pain.

“Jake?” Her voice was soft.

“Yes, Marnie.”

“My face is wet.”

Why did she sound so surprised? “You're crying, sweetheart.”

“I never cry.”

Such a simple statement, but he wasn't about to argue. Instead he gathered her close and kept rocking her.

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