Page 61 of The Freedom in Captivity

“I asked that one time and you shut me down.”

I did for the exact reason I never told you who I was. Dad would kill you.

I wanted to. So many times, I wanted to tell him, only to see if Flynn would become my hero, but I learned early on in life, fantasies are simply that—dreams we convince ourselves to want. How many times did I beg the universe for Mom to live, or for Dad to stop hitting us? Neither of those wishes came true so telling him about the abuse would have just led to another letdown.

“You wouldn’t have been able to save me. I often dreamed you could, but it was for your safety I didn’t say anything.”

“Did he ever rape you?” A blunt question but Flynn’s never been exactly subtle.

“No. He’d only hit me. Sometimes I believe he tried to be in control of himself, but on tough days, he couldn’t help himself.”

Flynn growls. “Protecting him again? What fuckin’ load of bullshit have you fed yourself?”

“I’m protecting myself.”

A beat of silence, and then: “What does that mean?”

How do I tell him the truth without giving away the details?

“Dad’s…bigger than you all realize.”

“And?” he demands when I don’t add to that statement.

Huffing, I explain, “Look, if you hunt him down now, youwilllose. Trust me on that. There’s one person who’ll be dead at the end of this, and it won’t be anyone with the surname Corsetti.”

He remains silent again as he pieces my words together, searching for the underlying meaning.

“You’re not loyal to him at all then, are you? When you said you were determined to get captured, it wasn’t bullshit. You truly wanted inside here.” There’s marvel in his tone that almost makes me smile because,finally, he believes me.

“Nothing I’ve ever said to you since getting caught has been a lie, Flynn.Nothing.” The final word is emphasized because I hope he’ll realize I’m also including anything about us within that statement.

Another scuffle and this time I spot the dark shape of his body lifting to his feet. His steps take him across the room and to my side, where he drops onto his knees on the ground beside me. With his nearness, I can finally make him out.

The grey shadows beneath his eyes, like he hasn’t slept in days. The scruff on his face, which is darker and longer than normal. Lowered brows and a deep, frazzled gaze find me in the dark and he cups my face, touching me more tenderly than he has in a long time.

“Tell me everything, Rozelyn.”

“How many days have passed since you captured me?”

“Eight,” he answers right away. “Relevance?”

Dad insisted on driving, not flying, knowing air traffic can be too easily tracked. Enough days need to pass for him to arrive, amass his army, and then be on his way back. That’s when the Corsettis can attack.

It’ll take about three days to make the cross-country trip if they haven’t stopped for long breaks. Which, with Dad’s staff alternating as the driver, it’s likely the case. He told me gathering forces in B.C. might take time for him to convince them, which means they could be on their way back by now, or days away from starting the trip. Based on what Dad told me and the reports he’s gotten lately, he thinks they’ll be hesitant to listen to him.

Then there’s Yasmine. Dad’s placing my sister right in their crosshairs. A sister who, by blood and DNA, is from there. They technically own her…which makes them my next enemy to battle.

“Soon.”

I want to tell him now. I want this over and done with. There’s a single fact that keeps my lips shut.

Fear.

If this doesn’t work—if they lose…then I do too.

Flynn’s thumbs dig into the underside of my chin, right at the start of my throat. “Rozelyn—”

I shove him away, physically fighting him for the first time. “No. Give up.”

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