Peaches knocked on the door and opened it carefully. She saw her friend sitting in the corner wrapped up in a blanket and it reminded her so much of the past, she almost cried. “Oh Cassie, what have they done to you?”

“Peaches, I’m in so much trouble!” Cassie wailed.

Peaches ran over to where she sat and wrapped her arms around her. “No, you’re not. They don’t know. I swear I would never say anything to put you in harm’s way.”

“But you had to tell them something.”

“I told them you were beaten everyday by that bitch Mrs. Pierce and I told them about the day we ran away but that’s all, I swear,” Peaches cried out.

Cassie nodded. “We can’t tell them anything more. We have to protect our secret.”

Peaches nodded. “I will. I won’t tell them, I promise.”

Cassie stayed in Peaches’ arms for the longest time. Then she peeked up at her friend and smiled. “I kissed him this morning,” she whispered.

Peaches swallowed hard. “Who did you kiss?”

“Deke.”

“Oh, honey,” Peaches said softly. “Is that really wise?”

“I don’t know if it was wise but oh, it felt so wonderful.”

“Did you fuck him?” Peaches asked with a fearful look on her face.

“Yup and it felt great,” Cassie admitted.

For a long time neither of them spoke then Cassie said, “I didn’t mind his touch. In fact. it didn’t feel so bad.”

“Oh, baby.” Peaches wrapped her arms tighter around her. “Some touches are okay and others are wonderful. Not everyone’s touches hurt.”

“I know that now. His touch didn’t hurt me.”

“I’m glad.” Peaches brushed Cassie’s hair away from her face. “Come on girl, Reva said breakfast would be ready soon.”

Cassie got to her feet and laid the blanket back on the bed. She followed Peaches to the door and back into the main room. Deke’s table was full, so they went over to another table and sat down.

Reva carried them each a plate of food and after setting it on the table, she glanced at Cassie. “I hope you’ll give us a chance to be friends. Not all of us are as crazy as Connie.”

Cassie nodded. “I understand why she did what she did. I hope she can understand something as well. I did tell him not to touch me. In fact, I told him twice. He didn’t listen either time.”

Peaches smiled at her.

Reva laughed. “Bet he’ll listen now.”

“I hope someday, he can forgive me,” Cassie said.

“Forgive you?” Reva asked. “What does he need to forgive?”

“My mama told me when I was really young, it was wrong to hurt people. I really try not to, that’s why I tell them not to touch me.”

“When did you lose your mama?” Reva asked.

“I was three I think when she died.”

“Oh honey, I’m sorry.” Reva reached her hand out but didn’t make contact.

Cassie took her hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay, her hell ended and mine began,” she whispered. Then she picked up her fork and began eating.

Reva got up and walked back to the kitchen with tears in her eyes.

A few minutes later, Gator walked in and wrapped his arms around her.

“That poor child,” Reva whispered sadly.

“Can you try and make friends with her, baby? Deke wants to know more about her. He thinks she’s hiding from someone and he wants to know who it is. If it’s gonna bring the badges down on us, we need to know.”

“Yeah baby, I can ask her.” Reva rested her cheek on the big man’s shoulders for a moment, then she pushed him away. “You’d better finish your meal and go do whatever it is you guys do. I have work to do.”

Gator’s lips crashed down on hers and they took a moment out for their own pleasure. Finally he broke the kiss. “Woman you taste so fine.”

“Remember that tonight. I’ll be the one laying in your bed.” Reva chuckled.

“You’ll be the only one I’ll be fucking for the rest of my life.”

“You got that right, mister.” Reva swatted him on the ass as he walked away.

Cassie brought their plates back to the kitchen and asked if she could help clean up.

Reva nodded and watched as she began washing the mountain of dishes sitting by the sink. “Where did your friend go?”

“Peaches had to go to work. She’s a dancer in the club.”

“Did you have a job before you came here?” Reva asked.

“Yup I did. I used to work in a law office.”

“A law office?” Reva was startled. “Whatever did you do there?”

“I was working on becoming a paralegal. Peaches and I got our GED’s when we were sixteen. I took some classes at night, when we had the money and worked during the day. Peaches and I were going to make a good life for ourselves. I had to quit my job when Peaches was taken. I had to find her and make sure she was okay.”

“Sounds like you were busy.”

“Busy isn’t always a bad thing. After my classes were done, I made time to paint a little.”

“Paint?” Reva asked, “What did you paint?”

“Would you like to see?” Cassie turned to Reva. “If you don’t tell anyone I’ll show you my drawings.”

Reva nodded and they went down the hall to the bedroom she shared with Deke.

Cassie got her suitcase from the closet and opened it. From under her clothes, she pulled out a book. She studied Reva for a long moment. “Please don’t tell anyone what you see in this book. It’s my secret.”

Reva took the book from her and promised, “I won’t tell anyone.” She sat down on the bed and opened the book. She gasped at page after page of excellent drawings. They were so realistic she couldn’t grasp it really. Each was a face of a homeless person, or the face of a tiny baby resting. The best drawings though, were in the back of the book. Cassie liked to draw big cats. Lions and tigers mostly but each drawing seemed so real. “These are really good.”

Cassie smiled. “Thanks.”

“Why do you hide them?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Most people wouldn’t understand my passion for drawing. I can get lost for hours once I start drawing. I tend to get carried away when the right mood hits me.” She sighed. “They look at me and see a misfit, a nobody.”

“Oh baby girl, you are somebody very special.” Reva closed the book.

“If I’m so special, how come nobody out there but Peaches loves me?” Cassie whispered. “Why did my mom have to die and why did my dad throw me away?” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

Reva held out her arms and waited for Cassie. When she joined her, Reva held the girl close and just let her cry. “Honey, I don’t know what to tell you. Some people are just plain stupid and some others just give up trying after so long. I’m sure your mom didn’t want to leave you, she just couldn’t stay with you anymore.”

Cassie left the haven of Reva’s arms. “What is it with you people? I didn’t even cry this much when I was a kid.” She brushed her tears away.

Reva smiled and shook her head. “Sometimes, we all need to cry. There is nothing wrong with that.”

“But tears don’t do anyone any good,” she insisted as she swiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Sometimes, we need the tears to cleanse our souls. Tears can wash away the pain we feel at times.”

Cassie shrugged and looked down at the wound on her arm that Connie left her with. She had stopped the bleeding before but now fresh blood stained her arm. “Oh damn.” She went to the bathroom and washed the blood from her skin. Going to her suitcase, she brought out a small first aid kit. Rummaging through it, she found a large band aid.

“Maybe you should lay down for a while?” Reva suggested. “You look a little tired.”

“Yeah, I guess I am a little tired.” Cassie laid down and throwing the blanket over her shoulders, she closed her eyes.

Reva slipped out of the bedroom and went back to the kitchen to finish up after the morning meal.

Deke glared at the girl across from him. He was back at the club and Peaches wasn’t cooperating with him this morning. “Why won’t you tell me what I want to know?” he asked her for the third time.

Peaches had tears in her eyes. “I can’t. If you want to know, you have to ask Cassie.”

“Why?” he demanded. “She isn’t going anywhere and I need to know if someone is coming after her. I can’t protect her and the club if I don’t know what I’m dealing with. She can’t leave the compound, so tell me what I what to know.”

Peaches chuckled despite the fear she felt. “I will tell you one thing, if Cassie wants to leave she will. Not even you can hold her.”

Deke stared hard at her. “That would be impossible. No one has ever escaped the compound before.”

“If you upset her, she will leave. I’ve seen her do it before. You won’t even know she’s gone until it’s too late and then you won’t find her, if she doesn’t want you to.”

“Tell me what I want to know.” He growled.

“I can’t!” Peaches wailed. “It’s not my secret to share.” She got to her feet and ran out of the room.

Deke groaned with frustration. He didn’t know any more about the woman than he did when she came here. There had to be a way to find out something about her. No one was invisible.

He picked up the phone and called in a marker. When the contact answered, he told him what he wanted and the man on the other end hung up. Deke steepled his fingers and was deep in thought when Gator entered a few minutes later. “What’s up?’ he asked.

“That rumor we talked about this morning?” Gator reminded him.

“What about it?”

“It’s now a fact. Big Jimmy died a couple of hours ago. The cops have no clue who cut him and neither does his crew. But his crew is very interested in who cut him up so badly.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep, his crew is sending feelers out all over town for information leading to the person or persons unknown who did the deed. Nobody knows what happened that night and Big Jimmy never regained consciousness to tell anybody anything.”

“But we don’t even know for sure she did it, do we?”

Gator shook his head. “We don’t know that she didn’t do it either. Did Peaches tell you anymore?”

“She won’t give up any more info. She says it’s not her secret to share and that if I want more about Cassie, I have to ask Cassie.”

“Want I should lean on her a bit?”

Deke shook his head. “She also tells me Cassie can leave the compound anytime she wants and for some reason, I believe she can and will if Peaches gets hurt.”

“And you don’t want to lose her just yet, is that it?” Gator gave him an amused look.

Deke grinned. “That’s about it.”

“Good luck with that my brother.” Gator chuckled. “Some women are a real bitch.”

“That thought did cross my mind a time or two.” Deke poured them a drink. “There’s just something about this one. I can’t put my finger on it but I know it’s there.”

“What else are you going to do?”

“I put a call into Rusty. He said it shouldn’t be too hard to find her, if she was in the system. He said he would call back day after tomorrow with any new info.”

“Why do I have a feeling you ain’t gonna like what you find out?” Gator reasoned.

“We’ll soon know.” Deke shrugged. “At least we’ll know what we’re dealing with.”

Cassie woke from her nap refreshed. She got up and went out into the main room. No one was there to bother her, so she decided to explore. In one of the backrooms, she found several cans of paint. Mostly black but there was a can or two of red and orange and green paint as well.

The rest of the rooms in the back were storage rooms and of no interest, so she passed them by. She opened another door and peered down into a black basement. She quickly shut the door. She had no interest at all in going down there. Basements terrified her.

She heard someone behind her and when she turned, she saw Connie standing there. “What’s the matter bitch, scared of the dark?” she sneered.

Cassie didn’t speak to her but instead walked away without saying a word. She didn’t want to start anything.

Connie glared at her as she walked away.

When Cassie arrived in the main room, she paused and stared at the blank wall beside the bar. She had gotten an idea when she’d seen the paint. She could put her talents to good use and pray no one minded too much. It would certainly help the décor out a little. The clubhouse was a bit on the drab side.

Going into the bedroom, she shared with Deke she grabbed her notebook and opening it to a new page, she began drawing one of the two designs she wanted to paint on the walls. She’d have to wait until everyone else was asleep, so she needed to make sure the drawings were simple enough to get done in a few hours.

By the time she was done, she heard the roar of motorcycles in the courtyard. She was very happy with her designs. Putting her book back in her suitcase, Cassie went back out to the main room and joined the other women in the kitchen.

They were all busy getting things started for the evening meal.

“What can I do to help?” Cassie asked.

Reva grinned. “How good are you at cooking for a lot of hungry men?”

“I can do that.” Cassie grinned back. “What’s on the menu?”

“Surprise us.” Reva nodded. “You’re in charge of dinner tonight.”

Cassie took her up on her challenge. “Is there anything the guys won’t eat?”

Reva huffed. “As long as it’s hot and filling, they won’t care.”

“Okay then everybody out. I need the kitchen.” Cassie shooed them all out.

“Don’t you need help?” Honey asked. “It usually takes all of us to feed this crew.”

“Nope. I can handle it,” Cassie assured them. “I was exploring today and found everything I need.”

Reva took off her apron and nodded toward the door. “Okay you heard her, she can do this on her own. Let’s go have a drink with our men.”

Cassie locked the door behind them and set to work. When she had explored the pantry, she found the ingredients for a recipe she hadn’t made in years. One of her jobs as a kid was working in a restaurant and she found she was good at cooking.

Soon, the rich aroma of tomato sauce filled the kitchen. As the doors and windows were closed, she hoped no one else could smell the sauce. Soon, she was filling the six oversized pans with layers of noodles, sauce and cheese. The lasagna she was making was her own special creation. That along with the garlic bread and salad would be enough to fill everyone’s stomach.

At five thirty on the dot, she raised the opening to the main room and everyone gathered around. She waited as everyone filled their plates and moved away to eat. Filling her own plate, she sat in the kitchen eating all alone.

Reva joined her a while later with a big smile on her face. “Supper was really great. Everybody, and I do mean everybody loved it. Gator, that old pig had four helpings.” She groaned. “I ate so much myself. You made my Italian grandmother cry tonight.”

Cassie smiled. “I made my Irish grandmother cry too.”

Reva nodded. “You did the cooking, the rest of us will do the dishes.”

Cassie walked over and joined the rest of the group. Deke motioned for her to join him and she went over to his table.

“I understand you cooked supper by yourself tonight. Why?” He frowned.

“Old family recipe. I couldn’t share the ingredients upon penalty of death.”

Deke glared at her. “Not funny.”

“Not intended to be.” She shrugged. “Just the truth.”

“Whatever it was I’ve never tasted anything finer,” Gator complimented her.

“Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have something to do.” She got up and began walking away when Deke grabbed her arm. Cassie tensed and tried not to show her fear as sweat began forming on her forehead.

Deke seemed to realize his mistake and carefully released her. “Please sit down for a moment with us. We have something to talk about.”

Cassie sat down carefully. She had to stop and breathe for a minute. When she could focus again, she turned her gaze to Deke and regarded him with caution. “What can I do for you?”

Deke flushed. He shouldn’t have to explain anything to anyone but she made him feel about three feet tall and that bothered him. For his whole life, his size and his attitude prevented any such nonsense of his ego ever being bruised. This little spitfire knew just what buttons to push. He paused…Spitfire? Damn that Gator and his nicknames. He motioned the bartender to bring a bottle and when he did, he poured himself a stiff drink.

Gator joined him and he poured a glass for Cassie.

Cassie ignored the drink in front of her and after he finished his second glass, Deke scowled at her untouched drink. “What’s the matter little Miss Prissy pants, are you too good to share a drink with us?” His words were slurry and his eyes were glazing over. He was well on his way to being drunk.

“I don’t drink. I believe I told you that the other day,” Cassie reminded him quietly.

Deke closed his eyes as her words slammed home. He felt almost ashamed of himself but if he let this drop, he would have discontent among his men. For some reason, he couldn’t let this go. He had to show her who was boss. It was saving face. He was the prez here and he wouldn’t put up with bull shit “Drink it.” He growled.

“Deke…maybe she shouldn’t.” Gator tried to reason with him.

Deke just glared at him. “I said drink it,” he insisted.

Cassie raised her head. “No.”

“I can make you do it if I have to,” he warned her.

Cassie shook her head. “God doesn’t argue with sinners, drunks or fools.”

Deke’s jaw dropped and he stared at her. “Did you just call me a fool?”

“No I didn’t. I said God doesn’t argue with sinners, drunks or fools,” Cassie insisted.

“Get the fuck away from me before I beat you.” Deke growled, glaring at her.

“Gladly.” She turned to leave.

He thought she called him an asshole but he didn’t know for sure. Deke watched her go and when he turned around he saw Gator’s chest shaking with mirth. “Don’t you dare laugh at me you big bastard.”

Gator tried to contain his laughter. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“She needs to learn her place,” Deke argued. “That’s what I’ll do, teach her what her place is.”

“Ahh, Deke, Maybe you better finish your drink first,” Gator suggested.

Deke nodded. “Maybe…That’s a good idea.” He reached for the bottle and poured them both another drink.

Gator sat beside him and they both got totally shitfaced.

An hour or so later, the clubhouse was quiet. Everyone else had gone to bed. Deke was snoring as he slept with his head on his folded arms on the table.

Reva was helping Gator stand up. “You damn old fool,” she whispered. “Come on big boy, let’s get you to bed.”

“Sorry baby, I had to save his life tonight. That little girl would have killed him. She was plenty pissed at him the way it was.”

“I know I saw her too.” Reva accepted his reasoning. “You did good baby. Maybe they needed this.”

“I think the big guy is falling for her, honey.” Gator slurred. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad but it could be a good thing, don’t you think?”

Reva patted his stomach. “Yeah baby, that could be a good thing.” She closed the door behind them and stumbled their way to the cottage next door.

Cassie waited until all was quiet. Deke hadn’t come to bed yet, so she opened the door and walked to the main room. There he was, sleeping on the table. She went over to where he was sitting and poked him. When he didn’t move, she let him alone.

Moving quietly, she gathered what she needed and she began to paint. Everything else disappeared as the lines of her patterns began forming. She lost track of everything around her as she got into her work. She finished the first piece and began the second almost without thinking about it.

As the night crawled closer to the early morning, her muscles began to ache. Her shoulders and arms began to tire and after she painted the last little bit, she dropped her paintbrush into the empty can and stood back to view her work.

“Wow girl, you got some talent there.”

The words were spoken softly but they made Cassie jump and spin around.

Reva stood there gazing at what she’d done in awe. “You did all this in a few hours?” she exclaimed.

Cassie nodded as she picked up her empty can and went into the kitchen. Running water, she rinsed out the brush and threw away the can. Coming back into the main room she asked, “Do you think anyone will care that I painted their walls?”

Reva turned her head and grinned. “I think they will love it. You did a great job. I can’t wait until Gator sees this. He’s gonna love it.”

Cassie yawned. “I think I can sleep now. See you later.”

“Yeah, you need to get some rest.” She patted Cassie on the shoulder but Cassie was too tired to care as she made her way down the hall. A few minutes later, she laid down on the bed fully dressed, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Deke groaned as he heard dishes slamming in the kitchen. His dreams had been weird. He dreamt of being chased by a huge snarling tiger all night. That and sounds of someone pacing behind him. It was certainly a dream he’d never had before. His bleary eyes focused on the empty bottle of Black Velvet sitting on the table and he vowed never to get that drunk again.

Picking up his head, he winced when someone set down a cup of coffee beside his head. The aroma almost made him want to puke. He had to take several deep breaths before the nausea disappeared. He groaned and sat up. Grabbing the coffee, it took both hands to bring it to his lips this morning. He groaned again, when the first sip slid down his throat.

“How are you feeling?” Reva asked as she sat down with her own cup of coffee.

“Am I still alive?” Deke jokingly asked her. “I had the weirdest dream last night. Something about being chased through the jungle by a huge assed tiger. I could hear the beast snarling at me all night long.

Reva snorted. “Look behind you, boss.”

Deke glared at her but turned his head and simply stared. He slowly got to his feet, never taking his eyes off the beast. The tiger in his dreams had come to life and it was standing about three feet away. He could see its snarl, he could almost hear its mighty roar. “What the fucking hell is that?” he cried out as he backed away from it.

Reva laughed. “It isn’t going to hurt you, you know. She worked on it all night. Isn’t it great?”

Deke’s swiftly beating heart slowed down as he stared at the painting on the wall. The tiger seemed so real it was uncanny. He seemed to be leaping out of the wall straight at him. Then he turned his head and saw the other painting. There on the wall bigger than life was the Satan’s Spawn patch. The colors were bold and bright and it too seemed three dimensional. “Wow, are you telling me that Cassie painted this?”

“Yep, she’s got some kinda talent.” Reva sipped her coffee.

The main door opened and Gator stumbled inside. His head was drooping and he could barely put one foot in front of the other. When he sat down he glanced at his wife and begged her, “Please woman, get me coffee. I need it strong and black this morning.”

Reva got up and fetched a pot. When she sat down, she poured him a cup and set it close to his head. When he raised his head, something caught his eye and he sat up with a start. “What the fuck?” he called out as he stared at the cat staring back at him. His face paled by at least two shades. “Holy hell, that scared the shit out of me for a minute.”

Deke turned his head and grinned. “At least you didn’t have nightmares about it chasing you through the jungle.” He turned back to the cat. “Damn, I can almost hear the bastard roaring.”

“Who painted it?” Gator asked.

“Cassie,” Reva replied. “She was up all night doing it.”

“Wow,” Gator grinned. “Wait till the boys see this. They are gonna seriously freak!”

A loud piercing scream broke the silence a moment later.

Deke, Reva and Gator ran toward the bedroom Cassie was in, not knowing what to expect. They threw the door open and saw her laying on the bed. She was throwing herself this way and that way, struggling against the power of a nightmare.

Deke began to rush toward her when Gator wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Better call out to her and try to wake her before you touch her. She doesn’t look like she’s in a good place right now.”

Deke nodded as he stared at the pain and agony he saw on her face. Whatever demons she battled in her dreams, they held her close and they were not kind. “Cassie, honey please wake up. It’s only a dream.” He moved closer while Reva and Gator watched from the doorway. “Come on baby, time to wake up now,” he called out a little louder.

His voice must have reached her in her blocked state of mind and she stopped thrashing about. She hadn’t opened her eyes yet, but she acted like she could hear him.

“Come on baby, open your eyes and come back to me.”

Cassie slowly opened her eyes. At first, she didn’t seem to know where she was. Then she turned her head and saw Deke standing there. Her eyes were puffy and her skin was pale. Her nose was runny and blood drained from the corner of her mouth. She leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Her tears and sobs wrenched his heart and he could do nothing to help her except hold her. His hands ran up and down her back as he whispered in her ear, “It’s okay baby, it’s just a bad dream.”

Cassie sobbed like her heart was going to break. She was shaking and her arms were trembling with fear. She could taste blood in her mouth but she didn’t know why. Deke’s arms tightened around her and she didn’t care. Here for just a moment, she felt safe. No one could hurt her as long as he protected her. Then her fears came back. How long would he protect her when he knew the truth? How long would she have a safe haven when he learned all there was to know about her past. She knew he asked Peaches about their past. Peaches would keep her secrets, but could she still be tracked down? Would the police come to arrest her?

Cassie trembled then calmed. She knew she had to find a way to escape again. She couldn’t be caught. She had to be free, not locked away in prison. She could never be locked up again. She wouldn’t survive this time. If they caught her, it would kill her.

She took a deep breath and raised her head. She glanced toward the door and flushed when she saw Reva and Gator standing there.

“Hey.” Deke leaned back. “Are you okay now?”

Cassie nodded and wouldn’t look at him.

“It was just a bad dream, it can’t hurt you,” Deke murmured.

“I know. I’m so sorry I caused this much grief,” Cassie whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hush.” Deke’s arms tightened around her briefly. When he let loose, she buried her head in his chest. “Everyone has bad shit in their past. Most are lucky enough to leave it there and others dream about it.”

“Deke, can I ask you something privately?” she whispered.

Deke looked over at the couple and nodded.

Gator pulled Reva out the door and quietly closed it behind them.

“We’re alone now.”

Laying her head on his chest, she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see his face when she asked her question. She didn’t want to see the horror in his eyes or the revision. “Did you ever hurt someone who really needed hurting? Someone who used pain to control little kids? Someone so vile, he had no soul?”

Deke tightened his hold. “Yes baby, I’ve hurt someone just like that.”

“Did he die because of it?” she whispered.

Deked lifted his head. “Is that what you’re so afraid of? That you might have killed somebody who hurt you?”

“I don’t think I killed him, I know I did. There was just no way he could have lived after the way I hurt him.”

Her words were softly whispered, so softly Deke didn’t know if he heard her correctly or not. “Honey, I’m not a very good person. I have killed before and will probably do it again, when the time comes. If it comes.”

Cassie glanced up at him and frowned. “But I didn’t want to kill him. I only wanted to stop him from hurting Peaches.”

“Why don’t you tell me about it?”

“I can’t.” She shook her head. “It’s not only my secret.”

“Sometimes, talking about it helps you cope with the pain. You can’t keep that shit inside, it will eat you up.”

Cassie laid her head back down on his chest. Closing her eyes, she began telling him about her childhood. At first, the words were halted and faltering. Then as she went on, they became clearer. The hell she described as her life was like a living nightmare he could hardly believe, but he knew it was true. She had been the victim from the time she turned three and she had no one to help her. No one but herself. Then she told him about what happened the night Peaches was attacked. She described in vivid detail what she’d done to a teenage rapist. A boy more than a man but still a vile person. The things she described that this young kid had done to a small child made Deke’s blood go cold.

At the age of ten years old, she had saved the life of her best friend by plunging a knife into the body of another human being. A boy four years older than herself and many pounds heavier. She told him every detail she had embedded in her brain. The sight of his blood the smell of the candles he was burning. The taste of his mouth as he tried to kiss her.

Then she showed him her wrists. “Can you still see the rope burns? Mrs. Pierce used to tie me up in the basement for days when she got mad at me.” Her words were barely above a whisper now. Her throat was dry and her voice cracked. “I-I can’t be restrained and put in a dark basement. I couldn’t stand—it. I almost lost my mind being there when I was a kid. I’m afraid of the dark. That’s part of why I don’t like to be touched. When I was in the dark, all tied up, I felt hands grabbing me, they touched me all over. They pinched me and touched me in places no one should touch. I screamed but no one could hear me. Then the laughter came, driving me further into the blackness. When I got loose that night, my wrists were bloody and so sore I couldn’t move them. When I heard Peaches screaming I ran to her. When I saw the pain and fear on her face, I knew I had to help her. I could barely hang on to anything and Robbie laughed at me. He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me close to him to kiss me and I wanted to puke. I don’t know how I did it but I got the strength to grab a knife and I stabbed him with it. The rage came over me and I kept stabbing him. There was so much blood…”

Deke cradled her head to his chest. “Shhh, it’s okay. Don’t tell me anymore.”

Cassie closed her eyes. “But I killed him. I murdered him and I’m so afraid Mrs. Pierce will find me and haul me back to her basement. I’ll die down there. I’ll die and no one will ever know.”

“Honey, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’ll kill her first.”

“There was only one time I saw her that she acted halfway decent.”

Deke ran his fingers along Cassie’s back. “Oh, when was that?”

“I guess I was about eight when someone came to the door. I was hiding but I could see her face. When she saw who was there, her face changed. It was as if someone from her past came back and she was happy to see him. I couldn’t see him but I could hear the conversation. She called him Calderone and he called her Janie. It didn’t make sense to me at the time, but she went with him outside and closed the door behind her. I went to the window and watched them for a few minutes, then he got into his car and he left. She came back into the house and I hid again. She was wiping tears away and for a moment, she looked upset. Five minutes later, the hellbent old lady I knew so well was back.”

“Did this Calderone person ever come back?”

Cassie shook her head and she didn’t speak for a few minutes. “Please don’t hate me. I’m really not a bad person.”

Deke leaned back and holding her face, he kissed her. He thrust his tongue inside her mouth and he kissed her deeply and then he breathlessly pulled his mouth from hers. “Oh baby, I don’t hate you. I think I might be falling for you and that scares the hell out of me. I’ve never loved anyone before.”

Cassie threw herself at him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him back. “For the first time in my life, I’m not afraid. I know that I’m safe when you hold me. I’m not afraid to let you touch me. I never knew before that a touch could give me this feeling. When you let me kiss you. I’d never known that feeling before. I’m not sure if what I feel for you is love or not, but I want to find out. I think it might be but I’m not sure. I know I don’t feel this way for anyone else. I can’t stand to think someone else could touch me the way you do.”

“No one else will ever touch you the way I do,” Deke whispered. “If that happens I’ll kill the bastard.”

Cassie smiled sadly. “I learned the hard way how to protect myself and Peaches. I learned when someone else hit me, just how much pain I could endure. I learned how to hurt them when they came after me and her…but I hated every minute of it. I just couldn’t let anyone else hurt her or me. I just couldn’t. She was so scared that night. Robbie cut her bad. She was bleeding so bad, we had to hold up for three days until it stopped. I was so scared, we would get caught.”

“I’ve got you now and I won’t let anything or anyone hurt you ever again,” Deke vowed.