Page 31 of The Ties That Bind

I traced my fingers over her arm, avoiding the deep lacerations that lined it. “Did they …” I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question.

She shook her head violently. “No.” Then, quietly added, “They didn’t. But I knew it was coming. Your brother …”

It was Arabella’s turn to leave words unspoken. She didn’t have to tell me though; I already knew the type of man Jayce was, what he would have done to her had his hired thugs not turned on him before we arrived.

“Shh, I know.”

He would have enjoyed degrading her and then he would have raped her because he knew how important she was to me and how the knowledge of her violation would have destroyed me. He’d wanted Arabella dead, yes, but he’d also wanted me broken before he eventually killed me too.

I wrapped my arms around Arabella tight, saying a prayer of thanks to a God I’d never believed in. When you were in my line of work, you didn’t have the luxury of thinking of things like heaven or hell, god or the devil, because oftentimes you delivered people to their own private hells, played god with their lives, or were the devil they cursed in their sleep.

Arabella’s breathing became heavy as her body was overcome with the fatigue or her ordeal. Soon, she was asleep, quiet gusts of oxygen leaving her body in slow and steady pants against my chest. I raised my eyes to take in the small digital clock across from me. We had another two hours until we reached our destination. We could both use some sleep.

But first I dropped a kiss to her forehead and made her a promise. “No one is ever going to hurt you again,” I whispered. “No one will dare lay a hand on you once you’re my wife.”

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