Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 160042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 800(@200wpm)___ 640(@250wpm)___ 533(@300wpm)
That freedom is for me but not for him.
I don’t get it. How long is he going to punish himself for her death? What will be enough if eight years in prison and even revenge don’t seem to be?
He even had the audacity to tell me I shouldn’t feel guilty about my mother’s death. But I do, even though rationally, I believe him—that I was just a child and I couldn’t have done anything. He told me if I hadn’t saved myself, we wouldn’t be doing what we were doing right then. And then he proceeded to show me what that was: putting me on my tummy, arching my hips up, and sliding into my ass. All the while he fucked me, he made me say things; and if I refused, he’d smack my ass and make me say it anyway:
“My husband is right.”
“My husband is so happy I’m alive.”
“My husband is fucking ecstatic that he gets to fuck my juicy little asshole whenever he wants. And if I keep whining about things like that, he’ll fuck my ass twice every single day until I get it through my head that I’m precious. And I should be protected at all costs.”
God, he’s so infuriating and sweet, and I just want to shake him. Anyway, the only reason I haven’t yet gone to Haven is because I don’t want to betray his trust.
Which is why a few days later, I do what I do.
I realize this is a breach of his trust as well. But it’s been almost two weeks since we came to the ranch. Time’s running out, and I’m no closer to finding a way to stop all this. I don’t even know if what I’m doing is going to help me in that regard, but if I don’t do it, I know I will regret it.
“You know my brothers will kill me for this, yeah?” Axton grumbles, entering numbers on the safe keypad.
“You’ll be fine,” I tell him, looking toward the door of Marsden’s office.
“Arsen’s makin’ me muck stalls every day of the week just ’cause I stared at you too long.”
“So maybe don’t stare at me then.”
His eyes, almost as dark as those of his two brothers, fall to my chest for a second. “Hard to do with you lookin’ like that.”
“Hey.” I smack his arm. “I’m your sister-in-law.”
He looks up before smirking. “Yeah, you wish.”
“Why are you such a cocky asshole?”
“I’m a cowboy, baby,” he drawls, tipping his hat and finally getting the safe open. “It’s my job to be a cocky asshole.”
I roll my eyes at him.
“There,” he goes. “Have at it. Just know you’re enterin’ sacred territory.”
“You stole money from your sacred territory.”
“Cash is different. Ain’t never touched nothin’ else in there except that.”
I woke up with a mission this morning. Somehow I was going to do something toward my goal, and since I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this safe I saw Axton break into days ago, I hunted him down and blackmailed him into helping me. I told him if he didn’t help me break into the safe, I’d tell everyone about the money he stole.
Of course, Axton was less than graceful. So then I told him the truth. Everything. Including that I loved his brother and I wanted him to be safe.
It was a big risk, but I knew he’d cave. He may be an asshole, but Axton, like the rest of this family, loves Arsen. They all want him to be happy. They all want him to move on. So here we are, sneaking into Marsden’s office when everyone else, including Peyton and Haven, are busy elsewhere. I root around the safe in desperation while Axton stands beside me. He asks me what it is I’m hoping to find in there, and I tell him I don’t know yet. All I know is that I have to try. But so far it’s all a bunch of useless crap.
Until I find a thick manila folder.
I’m expecting it to be more useless crap, but my heart stops the moment I see the letters written in bold with a photograph of a stunning brunette: Annie Cassidy.
I HAVEN’T BEEN very brave in my life.
I’d always hide when my daddy came around. When he did catch me, I’d cower and crouch. I’d beg him to leave me alone. I’d beg him to leave my mother alone. I never just stood up and said enough. Granted, I was a child, but even when we left Wildfire and I became relatively safer, I still chose to hide behind things.
My clothes. My books. My insistence to never be like my mother, so I shut myself off from every experience and adventure. I even kept my dream, that I wanted to help women like my mother, a secret for the longest time. Because I kept telling myself if I couldn’t stand up for my mother, how was I going to stand up for anyone else? He was the first person I told, and he was also the first person to tell me I’m brave.