Page 86 of Snowbound with the Santas

“But… but I?—”

“I know it feels like it,” Archer says, and his voice is rough. “It feels like it’s your fault because you were there. Those people were harmed and you feel the weight of that responsibility, but you were acting under the guise of another. Of someone you trusted. That situation is on them. Not you.”

As tears spring into my eyes, I get the feeling Archer isn’t just talking about my past. “I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t.” Nick’s face is soft and sad. “He abused you, hurt you, then drugged you and forced you to carry this awful secret for years. Then he pops back up like a fucking weed. But Rayne… I know what happened was terrible. I understand that. But any court would recognize that you were drugged. He was the one in charge. That accident was his fault.”

“He’s lucky he only lost an eye,” Frankie spits out, and his hand tightens on my wrist. “We’ve got you, Rayne. You understand? We’re here for you.”

“We’ll take care of it. No matter what he says,” Archer growls.

A sudden exhaustion washes over me and my eyelids become so heavy that I close them.

Is this real?

Maybe I’m still dreaming and this is wishful thinking.

They’re not angry. Not accusatory. They’re understanding. Sympathetic.

I sob softly and cover my mouth. Frankie’s arms wind around my shoulders and Nick’s hand clasps my knee.

“How,” I gasp, opening my eyes. “How will we stop him from telling everyone?”

“I don’t think we can,” Archer says. “That fucker’s clearly a psychopath to some degree.”

“Men like Ashton will do what they want,” Nick agrees. “But we can maybe smash his face in some more. And then help you deal with the fallout.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper between my tears.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Frankie murmurs. “We’ve got it from here.”

The rest of the drive passes quickly, though my heart sinks as soon as we pull into the ski lodge. Someone must have informed those inside because I’m halfway climbing out of the truck when I hear a terrible screech from my mother.

“Rayne!” she screams, hurrying toward me with her skirt bunched up in one hand. “Oh, my Rayne! My daughter! My daughter!”

Uncle Cecil follows behind her, along with a few other people and some of the lodge security. This might be the most emotional display my mother has ever given me. She’s a few feet away when a cry rises up, but it's not from her.

It’s from Frankie.

“You’ve got to be kidding— you son of a bitch!”

Out of nowhere, Frankie suddenly leaps forward and attacks my Uncle Cecil in a complete rage.

32

RAYNE

“Frankie!”

He doesn’t listen. It’s like a switch has been flicked inside him and he’s deaf to all attempts to stop him. Frankie flies at my Uncle Cecil and tackles him down into the snow with a cry. Elbows jerk and fists fly as he punches Cecil repeatedly in the face. It’s like something out of a movie and I’ve walked in halfway through because none of this makes sense.

My mother stumbles back in shock, so I reach out to catch her, and she flinches at my touch.

“Oh, Rayne, where have you—Cecil, what are you doing?”

To everyone’s surprise, my uncle fights back. He punches Frankie and catches him on the jaw. Frankie’s head snaps back as Archer leaps forward. I expect him to pull Frankie backward and scold him, but things get even more insane when Archer ends up joining the fight. A full-on brawl ignites on the snow between Frankie, Archer, and my Uncle Cecil. Fists fly, legs kick, and elbows strike soft flesh, causing all sorts of grunts, cries, and yells. Frankie swears like a sailor and so quickly that I’m barely able to decipher exactly what he’s saying,

Thankfully, Nick flies out of the truck, but Lodge Security gets there first before he can reach the three fighting men.

---