Page 90 of Hawk
She turned to greet me and said, “It’s nice to meet you . . .”
Her sentence trailed off when she saw me and tears flooded her eyes. Everyone was looking at us as I stood from my seat and she stepped around Skid to approach me. I was pulled into a forceful hug as they all stared in silence at our embrace.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” Grace said through tears, and I felt my heart beating faster in my chest.
“You two know each other?” Skid asked as Hailey watched in confusion.
I released Grace and smiled as I wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Mom?” Hailey asked, and I turned to her with Grace’s hands in mine.
“Grace and I knew each other from . . .”
“Stella was staying with Rhys when he took me in,” Grace interjected, and suddenly, my redeemer was no longer a secret. “She . . . she taught me how to defend myself and was my confidante when I was struggling,” Grace explained. “She helped to heal me.”
Skid’s eyes grew wide, and Sadie gasped as I retook my seat next to Hailey. Grace sat on the other side of me, and I looked at the table of women. I felt like I’d been keeping a secret, when in truth, I didn’t want to divulge Rhys’s involvement in my escape.
Colton walked back into the room, and I lifted my gaze to him. He looked at Grace and then me before his lips pinched briefly. He placed his plate of food onto the table and walked around behind me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he looked at the group who appeared confused as he explained.
“I know you have a lot of questions, but please, don’t blame Stella or Grace.”
“I blame Rhys and his inability to tell the whole truth,” Skid remarked as I heard another noise behind us.
We turned to see Devlin and Elise walking into the room. Devlin saw Grace’s hand in mine and his eyes narrowed as they approached.
Suddenly, I felt like everyone was mad at me, but I wasn’t sure why.
What they had to understand was I’d promised not to speak of my time with Rhys. Grace, too. It was part of the redemption process and a guarantee that no one would be uncovered or outed. Rhys did wonderful things for survivors, and if it wasn’t for Hailey’s and Grace’s hands in mine, and Colton holding onto me from behind, I probably would’ve run away.
Chapter 29
Hawk
The mood was tense as Devlin helped Elise take a seat. She was eight months pregnant with their second baby and looked uncomfortable as she got situated. I’d made sure to keep my hands on Stella, afraid the new revelation would cause her to bolt. I knew she and Grace had both been with Rhys, but I wasn’t aware they’d known each other until I walked into the room.
The look on both their faces told the whole story, and I felt bad that I’d never pieced it together. I also kept my mouth shut about my connection to Rhys when Grace ran back to him a few years ago. She thought Skid had betrayed her and, in a panic, she went to the one place she’d felt safe. When James and Rhys’s familial connection was uncovered, I’d prayed Stella’s name would never be uttered.
“Can someone fill me in, please?” Devlin inquired, and Skid tried to speak, only for me to interrupt him.
“I think everyone is in shock that Grace and Stella know each other,” I explained, and he cut his eyes to me.
“I need more than that,” Devlin replied, and Skid began to speak.
“Apparently, James’s cousin, Rhys, was who took care of Stella and Grace. Yet, he didn’t have the decency to tell us that.”
“It wasn’t your business to know. That’s the way he does things when he has a vulnerable person under his care,” I returned and saw fire in Skid’s eyes.
He hated Rhys because Grace ran to him when she was backed into a corner, but they all needed to understand one thing. The decisions the ladies made to remain quiet, and Rhys’s insistence on secrecy, was paramount to the work he did. If his name began to spread around, the people he’d helped could’ve been in danger.
“Are you telling me that asshole had my sister the whole time and never let me know?” Devlin roared, and both Stella and Grace stood from their chairs.
I could see the anger in both their postures as Stella walked closer to her brother. She stuck her finger out and poked him in the chest.
“Do not call him an asshole. Rhys saved me. He saved Grace, and he’s saved countless other women. And why would he tell you a damn thing?” she asked as Elise looked on in strange amusement. “As far as he or anyone knew, I had no family.” She turned to look at Hailey and offered her a hand. “I was running from the devil himself, terrified someone would find Hailey and hurt her as retribution for my actions, so, no, Rhys wouldn’t say anything to you or anyone else. If you have a problem with that, take it up with me.”
“Fuck that. If you have a problem with the way your sister handled things, you take it up with me, madman. I was the one who took her there, and I was the one who made sure she was in the best place to heal. You have no say in what happened, either then or now,” I added, seeing the rage in his eyes.
Devlin went to say something, but Hailey stood from her chair, keeping her hand linked with Stella’s. She looked at Stella and Grace before she spoke to Devlin. “I don’t understand why you’re so mad. From what I’ve heard from Grace, he kept them safe, he helped them get past trauma, and he gave them a new start in life. I don’t know Rhys very well, and he may be an asshole, but he saved my mom and he saved Grace. If you have a problem with that, then I think you should leave.”
