Page 23 of Daddy's Little Patient

“Yes, but I can’t right now. I’ll have to wait until her stitches come out. But there are other ways to punish a naughty little.”

Rafael grinned.

He watched Raina shake her head.

“I can’t go with you because you’re leaving for a few days.”

“Now, how the hell did she know that?” Rafael asked. “I just told you an hour ago.”

“Oh, I’ll find out for sure. I suspect she overheard us, so she’s trying to leave. She thinks she’s in my way or keeping me from working.”

“You’ll set her straight,” Rafael said.

He turned his attention back to the littles’ room and saw Mara nod.

“Yes. My daddy and I are going to an animal rescue place several hours away. They called about some horses that need a home. I can ask my daddy if you can come with us?”

Raina shook her head. “No, I still don’t have all my energy or strength back, so I’d only drag you down.”

“Why can’t you go to your home?” Mara asked.

Alex leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees because he didn’t want to miss anything.

“I can’t go home right now,” Raina said. “After my father died, the only living relative was my mother’s sister, and she’s awful. She’s lazy and really fat, so she can’t move around a lot. When she moved in, she told me everything was hers now. I said it wasn’t, and she slapped me hard across the face. I backed off, and between me and the loyal servants I’d had for a long time, we hid everything that was valuable. I bought cheap things online that looked like they belonged in the house, like silverware, vases, or pictures. She overheard something a maid said about her and fired everyone except the gardener. She then hired her own people that were loyal to her, or so she thought. I got most of them on my side.”

Alex watched as fatigue and a bit of despair started to shroud her face.

“Within six months, she was confined downstairs because she was too fat to walk up the stairs. She sat in a large chair in the main living room every day. That was her domain. Maids would bring her things to eat all day long. She also invited other women to visit. The funny thing was they only came for food and to steal something. I overheard that. They all despised her.”

“Couldn’t you find anyone to help you?” Mara asked.

She shook her head. “If I had gone to the authorities at the beginning, they would have taken me out of my home and put me in foster care. There was no way I wanted to leave the house. If I stayed, I would be able to keep an eye on things and do my schoolwork online. Everything was fine. I was in the process with a lawyer to get her out. The State considered her a resident because she’d lived there for so long, and her mail arrived every day. I found out it’s extremely hard to evict a tenant. It’s taken me over two years because I’m trying to do it behind her back until there’s no way she can fight it.”

“What changed?” Mara asked.

“She hired a guy. I think he’d been in prison from some of the things I’d overheard. She called him the butler.” Raina snorted. “She just hired him to torment me. The man kept trying to touch me and harassed me. I was able to hide most of the time. I didn’t have a choice but to run one night because my aunt and the guy were planning my rape and beating. My aunt knew I was up to something and wanted me gone or beaten into submission.”

Mara hugged her tightly. “Oh, hun. I’m so sorry.”

Raina blinked back her tears. “I just have to find a way to hide until the authorities can get them out, but I don’t know where.”

“Alex can help you.”

Alex watched Raina shake her head, making him grit his teeth.

“No. He’s a doctor and very busy. I can’t ask that of him.”

Mara sighed. “I can tell he likes you.”

He smiled at the woman’s enthusiasm.

“I like him a lot, too. After I get things taken care of, I’m hoping we can maybe date if he still wants me.”

“Oh, he’s still going to want you.”

He wanted to hug Mara because he could tell she was on his side.

“We kissed,” Raina blurted out.

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