Page 19 of Wicked Devotions: Part 2

“Go grab that green bag on the shelf and take out a few treats. They’re her favorite, and she’s taken them from Declan and Cy.”

“So I can bribe her to like me?”

“Don’t think of it as bribery, more exposure therapy. She’s never liked men.”

“Interesting. Was she abused at some point?”

“No. We bought her as a yearling. Aside from the months after she sold off, I’ve always been her owner and caretaker. She doesn’t like men, but she hated my father. She’d always position herself between him and I when he’d come out to the barn.”

“Did she ever witness him hurt you?”

I drop my hands as I try to think back, but all my memories blur together into a hazy mess. There are lengths of time where I know things were bad, but I can’t remember them. It’s like chunks of time that are just gone. She probably did see him hurt me, or at least yell at me.

“Probably.” I shrug. “I can’t recall any specific time, though.”

“Is it easy to remember?” He reaches into the bag of treats and offers one.

“Some of it.” I take the treat from his fingers and set it in his palm. “She’ll take your fingers off if you give her a treat the wrong way.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” I want to redirect the conversation away from my dad and the abuse. I know he’s going to bring up therapy again, and while I know I need it, I’m not ready for it yet. “I’ll finish up getting her hay, and we can head home.”

Chapter

Seven

DECLAN

Dad’s face looks back at me through the screen while I tell him about the latest note given to Harper while she was in class. His expression mirrors my own as I read him the note calling her a whore. He takes a moment to process everything, turning in his chair to look out the window of his office.

“I can’t figure out if that means he was the one who released the video or if it’s a future threat,” he says.

“I mean, does it matter in the end? He’s harassing her. Scaring her. I’m losing my mind trying to insulate her from all this.”

“Can you find the boy who handed her this note? Does she know his name?”

“I’ll ask.”

“Good. Get me the name of the professor, too. I’ll call the dean and see if they have cameras in lecture halls.”

“Cy said he saw two in the back corner when he looked around. Hopefully they were working and maybe caught someone.”

“How is everything at home?”

“It’s been quiet, no threats or letters have shown up.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant. How are things with Harper and you guys?”

“Oh.” I cringe a little inside, not really interested in talking about this with my dad. “Fine.”

“Are you being safe?”

“Yes.” I barely suppress a sarcastic retort.

“Does she need to see a physician for anything? Birth control? Antidepressants?”

“She’s got prescriptions for both from Olivia.”

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