Page 137 of Hawk
“Where were you living when you ran away?” Stella asked, skirting around the statement Carla made about him hurting her.
She had a way with people, and Carla relaxed a little more as she answered, “I was living in Memphis when I ran away.”
“How long have you been in Portstill?” I inquired, and she lifted her weary eyes to me.
“Almost two years.”
“How did you end up with . . . them?” Stella asked, and Carla’s eyes shuttered briefly.
I was quickly doing the math and there was about two years unaccounted for. Mentally, I was taking notes, so I could get Devlin to start looking for who she was and where she’d been. Somewhere out there was a ‘man of God’ who was abusing little girls. He needed to be stopped, and I knew Callahan was the man to do it.
“I was at a homeless shelter when I met . . . Lucas.” She lowered her voice and looked at Stella. “He was the one who tried to stop us.”
Stella shivered, and I knew that must’ve been the man she killed when they escaped. That left one person who needed to be handled, and I patiently waited for Carla to keep talking because the more she told us, the better we could protect her.
“Do you know the other man, the one who seemed to be in charge?” Stella inquired, and Carla shook her head.
“All I know is he grew up in the Flats, and his brother died a couple years ago of an overdose. He took over the ‘business’ and that’s when Lucas moved us into that house.” Her voice dropped so low, I almost couldn’t hear her as she said, “I thought he liked me, but he just wanted to . . . use me.”
Stella guided Carla’s face to look at her with a small touch of her chin. “No one will ever touch you again without your permission.”
“Do you know if you have any other family?” Carla shrugged as Stella asked the question. “One more question, then I want everyone to try and get some rest. We can figure everything else out later. Does that sound okay?”
Carla looked expectantly at Stella as she asked, “Would you like to live with us, so we can help get you on your feet?”
Carla’s eyes teared up as she nodded. “I’d like that very much.”
Stella pulled her into a hug and her blue eyes met mine. I could see the momma bear staring back at me, and I knew we’d just taken on another kid. I was happy to help Carla, and whatever made Stella happy, made me happy, but we did need to figure out more about her. She may have family looking for her, and if so, they deserve to be reunited.
We all stood from the table, and I looked over at Carla, explaining plainly, “One thing you should know about the Death Hounds—when you’re family, you’re family for life.”
She smiled at me, and I offered her my hand. Taking it without hesitation, she walked around the table and looked up at me, not with fear but almost in awe. I assumed she’d never had a positive male role model and I promised myself I would do everything I could to show her compassion and understanding. She looked up at Stella, and my lady took her hand before the three of us walked out of the dining room.
Sadie was leaning against the bar with Gunner, but the clubhouse was mostly empty. I knew they had sent everyone home, or at least outside, as we spoke with the small, broken girl. I gave Sadie a look that let her know we had a mission to undertake, and she nodded at me as we walked to the back door and out of the clubhouse.
Taking the path to our cabin, I quickly called Jacob and let him know we were ready for the kids. I didn’t expect to have any alone time with Stella tonight, but just having her close would be good enough. When I discovered she had been taken, I feared I would never hold her in my arms again.
Seeing her smile down at the girl she’d saved, on the way to our cabin while we waited for the rest of our family to arrive, gave me a feeling that I couldn’t describe. It was a mix of happiness and eagerness.
I was happy she was okay, and I was eager to start our life without worrying about Araneta. There was a healthy amount of fear mixed in, but I would never let that show. I had to be strong, and I had to protect my family.
No matter what, Stella, Matthew, Anna, Hailey, and now Carla, were mine to protect. And with the help of the Death Hounds, I knew I wouldn’t fail.
