“You found our goddess.” The twins come running down but stop as soon as they notice Scotlyn's condition. “What happened to her?” Bethy sucks in a sharp breath.

  “Call Papa,” I tell them as I hand them the envelope and phone in her hand. Slipping my hands carefully under her body, I pick Scotlyn up. Her costume is tattered and torn, blood-stained, and I feel my fury build. My blood boils with rage.

  “Papa’s coming,” Bellamy says as they both follow me upstairs. “Nana, too.”

  “Stay right here; wait for Nana,” I say as we enter the apartment. I'm unsure what I will find once I take the blanket completely off her body, and I don't want them to see that.

  Placing Scotlyn on my bed, she moans painfully but otherwise doesn’t wake up.

  “Jax!” my parents call out as they climb the stairs. I hear Mom talking soothingly to the girls.

  “I don’t know what the fuck happened,” I mutter when I see Dad enter the room.

  “Jesus Christ,” he curses softly so the girls don’t hear him. “I’ll call for an ambulance.”

  I shake my head no before he can do it. “She came all the way out here for a reason, Dad. Don’t call anyone yet.”

  “Jaxson?” I turn to see Mom in the doorway, her eyes fixated on my girl lying in bed. “She was wearing that when we met her.” Which means she was taken the night of her show. I’ve spent all this time just calling and waiting to hear back from her when she was suffering.

  “Fucking hell,” I hiss. “Can you watch the girls for me today?” I already know the answer.

  “She needs a doctor, son.” I know he’s right. Fuck do I know he’s right. Brushing the stiffened hair back from her face, I try talking to her. “Sunshine, I need you to wake up. Tell me who did this to you?” And how did you get here?

  “Hey, Dad, was there a BMW in the driveway?” I ask but get to my feet to look for myself.

  “Nope. Semi-fresh tire tracks, though.” Gazing out the window by the door, I see what he’s talking about just as the rain begins pelting the outside again.

  “We’ve got the girls. Take care of her, and I’ll see if I can get in touch with an old doctor-friend of mine. She might still do house calls.” Nodding, I wait until they’ve taken the girls to the main house before returning to Scotlyn.

  Lying in my bed, hair bloody and matted, is not how I pictured her being here. Going into the kitchen, I grab a large bowl and cloth, filling it with warm water. I plan to get her cleaned up and out of her shredded attire, with the hope that she’ll awaken by the time I’m finished. Spotting her phone on the counter, I grab it and search through it, immediately noticing that it’s not her regular phone; it’s a burner. Activated only recently, too, which means she either stole it or someone gave it to her.

  Putting it down again, I grab the water and washcloth and head back to my room. Laying them on the nightstand, I begin undressing her, starting with her socks. Her feet are slightly bruised, but the thick cotton has kept them from being scratched up. Opening the table drawer, I pull out a small pair of scissors and cut the fabric of her stockings. There’s no way I’m getting her costume off without hurting her.

  Bruising and scrapes start from her calf and travel farther up the more I reveal, worsening with each passing inch. “Fucking hell, Scotlyn,” I groan when I get to her hips and abdomen, displaying varying stages of black, blue, and purple bruising.

  Pulling the flimsy fabric free of her body and tossing it on the floor, I cover her legs with a blanket so she doesn’t get cold. Grabbing the bodice of her costume, I snip slowly through the fabric when she shifts on the bed and groans again.

  “Sshh, sunshine, I’ve got you.” She settles down, so I start talking more. “I didn’t know how to tell you this, but I have two girls. Bethany and Bellamy. They are big fans of yours, apparently. You've actually met them.” I choke this out because it’s hard to believe someone was plotting her kidnapping while she was treating my girls like princesses. “You made all their dreams come true that night, Scotlyn. I’m so fucking sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.” It’s a burden I’ll carry with me to my dying day because I vowed to be her man, her lover, her protector, and at the first opportunity, I failed her.

  “Jaxson?” My gaze darts up to see Scotlyn’s lush green eyes half open and watching me.

  Placing the scissors on the table, I move closer and cup her cheek. “Hey, sunshine.”

  Her chest struggles to draw in air as she grows emotional. “Hi.” Her chin wobbles and her throat tries valiantly to swallow.

  Brushing my thumb along her cheek, I aim to keep her calm. “Easy now, I’ve got you. Nobody can hurt you now.” She nods her head slightly. “Just rest here and let me take care of you, okay?” Tears fall lifelessly down her cheeks as I continue cleaning her up.

  “I tried to fight,” she croaks out. “I tried so hard.”

  “Scotlyn, baby, don’t do this. You’re safe now. You got out. I’ll make sure nothing ever happens to you again.” Leaning forward, I kiss her swollen lips gently before pulling back. “I’ll find the bastard and make sure he pays for what he did.” Could have been a woman for all I know, but I don’t fucking care. Whoever hurt her planned only god knows what to do to her, and I’ll make them fucking pay.

  “Water?” Her hand cups my cheek, and I hold her close, kissing the inside of her wrist.

  Dragging the blanket the rest of the way up her body, I’m quick to honor her request.

  As I’m pouring the liquid into a glass, I hear a vehicle pull up. Placing the cup on the counter, I again walk towards the window by the door. Three large men—one nearly as old as my dad—are exiting the vehicle, and I have to wonder if these are the men who took her.

  Rushing back to the bedroom, I pull out my gun safe, quickly unlocking it, and I load my Sig and place it in the small of my back. “What’s going on?” Scotlyn asks, trying to sit up but is unable to.

  “Nothing. Stay put,” I command.

  “No, wait. My daddy and brother are coming.” Her words give me pause.

  “Big, lots of tattoos, look ready to kill?” She nods. I don’t put my weapon away. “I’ll be right back.” Taking the stairs down two at a time, I slide the barn door open at the same time my dad, Uncle Casey, and two cousins—Drew and Gunner—come out of the main house.

  “The whole fucking family is here,” I mutter as the brawniest guy strides over to me. “Who the fuck are you?” I don’t know whether this is her family or the men who tried to take her, regardless of what she just told me.

  “Where is she?” the big guy growls.

  “Who?” Crossing my arms, I don’t back up when he tries to intimidate me.

  “Jaxson Slade?” The lighter-haired man of the trio comes forward, holding out his hand. “I’m Easton Kincaid. This is Saint and Carver Rivers, Scotlyn’s brother and father. I’m the one who made sure she arrived here safely during the night. Is she alright?”

  Shaking his hand, I can now see the resemblance to Scotlyn in the eyes of the other two men. “She’s upstairs now. We’re waiting on the doctor to get here.”

  Saint and Carver step forward to enter the barn, but Drew and Gun stop them by closing the doors and refusing to move out of the way. A smirk crosses Easton’s face, as well as a hint of respect. “You have no idea who she is, do you?” he asks, and I shrug.

  “She’s mine. What the fuck else matters.”

  “The fuck you say!” I turn to see Saint with a hand on his father’s shoulder, the older man holding a blade in his hand, looking ready to slaughter.

  “What do you know about who took her?” Saint hisses at me.

  “My concern has been getting her taken care of. When she’s strong enough to tell me who fucking touched her, I’ll find him and fucking kill him.” Stretching my head side-to-side, I feel the tension tightening my muscles.

  “It won’t be so easy,” Easton informs me. “Sergei Tumarov has already fled the country.” Pulling a picture out of his jacket, he hands it to me. The man resonates evil. “I’m betting once they discovered Scotty was gone, he cut his losses and left.”

  “What’s your point?” Dad barks from where he leans against the SUV the group drove up in. I see Mom and Ev looking through the curtains of the house.

  The sound of the barn door opening prevents Easton from answering. Scotlyn is wrapped in my sweater, attempting to push the door open further, so I rush to her side. “What are you doing? I told you to stay in bed, dammit.” Picking her up, I hold her fragile body close to my chest.

  “I know.” She leans her head against me, shuddering from the exertion. “But I heard you guys arguing.”

  “Baby girl,” Carver growls, but I see the anguish in his eyes. The matching anger to his son's, as well. “What did he do to you?” The man cups her cheek, and I feel her sigh.

  “Come on inside!” Mom yells from the front door. “It’s too damn cold out here for her.” There’s no arguing with the woman. Leading the way, with Scotlyn in my arms, I feel her gaze on me when she recognizes who's called us in.

  “Jaxson?” Her tone is quizzical as we enter the house.

  “Sarah Fields will be here soon," my mother informs us. "She’s coming in from the city. Coffee's in the kitchen, boys. Help yourselves. Evie has breakfast cooking too.” It’s quite hysterical how all these men thank and follow her direction while I take Scotlyn to the living room, which can be seen from the kitchen.

  Sitting in the overstuffed chair that faces where her family gathers, they are being poured coffee by Aunt Ev while Mom places a thick throw blanket across Scotlyn’s lap and whispers in my ear, “The girls are in the den watching Ariel. You won’t have long.”

  “They’re yours, aren’t they?” Scotlyn asks, and I’m not sure whether I sense sadness in her tone or not.

  Gazing down at the woman in my arms, the woman I am quickly falling in love with, I can’t lie to her any more than I could the twins. “Yes. Bethany and Bellamy.”

  Scotlyn

  The agony zigzagging through my body makes everything around me appear out of focus and fuzzy. Everyone’s moving, talking, planning, but I can’t keep up. When I passed out on that barn floor, I truly wasn’t confident that I would wake up again. My mama’s voice was the comforting entity I needed to let go, and I was pretty sure it was the end for me.

  Cuddling in Jaxson’s arms now, with my dad, brother, and cousin sitting on the inviting sofa across from us, keeping watch, I should feel comforted. Safe, even. But if I’m honest, I’m paralyzed with fear. After the fiasco that was Nick…the way he beat me…I didn’t think I’d ever feel this much terror again. But knowing that Sergei is still out there, I can't imagine how I will go on with my life and not be terrified of him coming after me again.

  “Scotty.” Easton’s voice penetrates my thoughts, and when I lift my head to look at him, I’m immediately dizzy and feel nauseous. “Hey, hey, girl, none of that now.” My cousin grins at me the same way he’s done my entire life. Playful and filled with promise. A promise of retribution for what’s happened to me.

  “Easy, sunshine.” Jaxson’s voice is soothing as his hold tightens, and he turns us so I can see Easton without having to move myself. His gentle kiss on my temple has tears pricking at my eyes. The sweet gesture is almost too much right now.

  “You ready, Scotty?” Easton tries again.

  “For what?” I’m sure he’s already said, but I just can’t concentrate right now.

  From the look he shares with Daddy and Saint, I get the feeling we’ve done this already. “I asked if you remember anything from the night of the ballet?”

  I smile wide. “Two pretty, little girls. I wish I could see them again. I remember being their age and loving the ballet.”

  Jaxson’s body tenses beneath me as everyone in the room grows grim. “What? Were they not there? Did I imagine them?” That would be disappointing. Despite it being my favorite performance of my career, those girls made the entire evening worth all the labor.

  A strong hand with thick fingers and a callous palm slowly turns my head, and I’m staring into Jaxson’s stunning eyes as he watches me with concern. “Sunshine, they were real.” His voice is grave. “But I think you might have a concussion because, baby, I just told you an hour ago that those were my girls.”

  “You did?” When I frown, there’s a pounding in my head, so I try to close my eyes, but I only get dizzy again. “I’d, uhm, I’d like…” Everything feels jumbled together as a reel of images plays through my mind.

  The music from the ballet.

  The dancing.

  Laughter, smiles, excited fans.

  Then pain.

  So much agony. More than I’ve ever felt in my life. I flinch with each remembered hit, each slap, kick, punch. The abuse of being thrown around a dark room and terrified of never getting out.

  “Mama.” I remember crying for her. Wishing she could sing to me when I finally passed out from pain and starvation. “Daddy, please.” I wailed for him in a way I haven’t since I was a little girl.

  “Baby girl.” His voice is in my ear now. “Open your eyes for me, Scotlyn Rivers.” His words are stern, and I do as he says.

  “Daddy.” My voice cracks as I catch sight of his tortured face. “He hurt me, Daddy.” Kneeling on the floor, the strongest man I know allows me to crawl into his lap like a dying dog, and he rocks me, humming my favorite song. “Where’s Mama? Why didn’t she come with you?”

  “I should have let her. But I knew when I killed this son of a bitch, I couldn’t have her here to worry about when I was already petrified I wouldn’t get to you in time. I’m sorry, baby girl. I’m so fucking sorry this animal got his hands on you.” Carver Rivers doesn’t apologize to anyone. His entire life, he’s done and moved with purpose, so to hear him say sorry to me now, breaks my heart a little more.

  “Why is the goddess crying, Daddy?” I hear a little girl's voice and gingerly open my eyes to see who's speaking. It's the girls from my performance. “Is she going to be okay?” Each of them shuffles towards Jaxson, where he’s leaning forward in the chair behind me.

  They both crawl into his lap with the same unshakable confidence I feel with my own father. “Yeah, Bethy, she’s going to be just fine in due time.”

  Slipping his fingers under my chin, Jaxson leans forward and lays a light kiss on my lips. I can hear my father rumbling his dislike of the action, but when Jaxson pulls away, I follow and climb back into his lap, his girls sliding to each arm of the oversized chair.

  I’m not sure which child is which, but when one of them reaches forward and brushes her fingers along my cheek, where I know there’s a huge bruise and cut, her nose scrunches up. “Daddy will fix you,” she says with such certainty. “He makes all our ouchies better.”

  Clearing my throat, I feel the exhaustion pulling at me, and I know I won’t remain awake much longer, but I have to know. “What’s your name?”

  The girls share a secret smile before they answer. “I’m Bellamy, and that’s Bethany. We’re twins.” They beam at me with such innocence.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you again, primas; I’m Scotlyn.” My body feels heavy and languid.

  “You’re her,” Bellamy says, squeezing her sister's hand. “Daddy went on a date with you.” It’s not a question, but I nod anyways and immediately regret it as acid rises up my throat.

  “He really likes you,” Bethany murmurs, quieter than the other girl.

  Crooking a finger at them, they slide off the chair arms and come to stand around in front of me, leaning closer. “I really like him too,” I whisper like it’s our secret. Their giggles lull me into a sense of comfort as I close my eyes again.

  Jaxson doesn’t say anything, but I can sense his pleasure at my comment by the intense stare he gives me as I rest in his arms and by the way he holds me. I don’t know what the hell is happening in my life right now or why, but I'm optimistic that I’ll fight to explore more of what Jax and I have started. Especially now that I’ve met his precious daughters.

  6

  JAX

  “She’s tough,” Saint reassures as he watches me from his perch against the doorframe leading down the hallway to the spare room where the doctor is examining Scotlyn.

  The desire to accompany her and stay by her side nearly outweighs my parental instinct to be here for my girls. “She is,” I agree. “But he stole something from her. Something that will take her a long-ass time to recover from.” And I’m going to kill Tumarov for it.

  “It’s not the first time.” I sit up straighter at his words while my girls continue eating breakfast while quietly watching cartoons.

  Standing up, I walk closer to Saint. “What do you mean?”

  Without looking at me, he says, “Scotty is different. She has a light inside of her. It’s addictive, alluring. Men want it. They want her. What they want most, unfortunately, is to extinguish it.” His cold gaze slides to me for a split second. “Easton, Bishop, and I spent years preventing it from happening. Scared off more pricks than she knew even existed.”

  Saint pauses as we hear Scotlyn’s soft cry and whimper from beyond the closed door. Both of us poised to step forward but don’t because she's requested privacy. Neither of us wanting to ask why but suspecting.

  “She left for school, then moved here, where all her dreams came true. She had her dream career, her best friend, and a man who was drawn to her light.” The more he speaks, the darker his words become, and I have a feeling about where this is going. “Nick beat her to within an inch of her life. He tried to isolate her, to cut off contact with her family.”

  “You didn’t let him.” He doesn’t have to say it aloud. I’d have done the same thing for my own sister.

  “She didn’t. When he was finally arrested, he pled guilty and got six months.” A sick smile spreads across his face. “He never made it out alive.”

  “Damn shame,” I mutter as the door opens, and Sarah comes out, closing it behind her.

 

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