“Anything wrong, Mr.—um, Julien?” The fear in her voice slithered through his soul, fortifying protective instincts and berating his lack of attention to his surroundings.
“No, just a note from one of my insane brothers.” Lying to her made his skin crawl, but the truth would make her retreat. “You know our penchant for practical jokes. I’ll either find a snake in my bed tonight or some other inane prank.”
Her wary gaze had followed him as he strode around the front as if he would sprout wings and turn on her with the flip of a switch, reminiscent of mate munchers in various species. It wasn’t just her beauty and wounded strength that attracted him like iron to a magnet. Intelligence shone from sapphire-blue eyes, veiled for the most part, waiting for the chance to shine.
The snick of his closing door and her subsequent sigh provided audible confirmation Adara welcomed the temporary cocoon. He hardened his resolve to see her not just safe and secure, but with the confidence to move forward in her life.
“Oh, and thank you for dinner. It was wonderful. I’ve never eaten there before.”
You still haven’t…unless you absorbed essential elements by osmosis.
“You’re welcome, my pleasure. Thank you for letting me order for you.” One more test as he tallied the clues in his mind. Not only did she not bat an eye when he ordered, her posture relaxed with a deep breath and half smile. As he pulled out onto the highway, the car door locks automatically engaged. He locked out the peripheral controls.
His natural instincts were to protect, which he would do despite desire riding him hard, his body making its own demands. He wanted her for himself. After months of observation, he’d never met a more desirable woman. The only acceptable outcome—to have her on his terms, which included physical and emotional freedom to make her own choices.
“I thought maybe we’d take a ride down the coast. It’s early yet, maybe sit on the beach where we can talk without being interrupted.” The openness of the beach would make her feel free, the absence of others would allow her to open up.
“Um, okay. Really though, you don’t need to go to all this trouble for me.”
“No trouble at all. I enjoy your company, and I’ve been waiting for the right time to talk to you.” The slight noise of the tires thrumming down the highway provided a soothing backdrop to his tumultuous emotions. The next move must be a careful yet direct approach.
“Oh. About what?” She gave him a nervous glance before gazing out her window, fingers curling around her upper arms.
“Your family for starters. Which man is abusing you?” The blindsiding method worked, and he didn’t feel one iota of guilt for depriving her of time to think.
A breath drawn in sharply, she moved closer to her door. “What are you talking about? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” Her voice held a distinctive quaver. She avoided his gaze.
“Adara, listen. I know what’s going on, I just don’t know with whom. Let me help you.”
Still she gazed out her window as if gathering her thoughts, then hung her head. Her body language read trapped and defeated. In the window’s reflection, jeweled drops fell to her slacks.
A tight-knuckled grip on the steering wheel left his fingers with a bloodless tinge. Now was the time to set her straight on a few things.
“Adara, look at me. Now.” He used his Dom voice and received an immediate response. When their gazes met, more tears slid silently down her cheeks.
The jolt of his tires skidding on the dirt as he pulled into a rest area brought another sharp inhalation from his anxious waif. The view overlooking the beach calmed his rising frustration. With the touch of a button, the soft whir of his window lowering gave him time to collect his thoughts before turning toward her.
“Adara, come.” Taking her left hand, he gently tugged before lifting her to sit sideways on his lap. “Listen, I will never hurt you. Understand? Look at me, hon.” Her delicate bone structure and thin frame gave her body a coltish look, yet she was a perfect fit in his arms.
She tucked her chin down and lifted her gaze to meet his again. Her entire body trembled, yet she’d followed the command. Following orders is something she’s used to doing. Wide, frightened eyes suppressed God only knew what horrors. He wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb.
Her expression held the innocence of youth, her gaze touching him for a heartbeat before sliding away. The puzzled frown that followed depicted the battle raging inside. A few minutes to collect her thoughts preceded the look of someone on the verge, deciding if it was safe to jump. He waited for her to fill the gut-wrenching silence.
In his line of work, he’d seen many abused women. One of his brothers had met his submissive through their work and continued to help her deal with triggers and other issues. He could do the same for Adara.
“Tell me, Adara. Who?”
Her voice broke the silence with a whisper. “My uncle and cousin.” More tears.
Jesus. “Both of them? How long?”
“Yes, both. Since I was sixteen. It started when my parents died. At first, they just beat me. I thought that was bad.”
Gently, he tucked her head beneath his chin, held her close then buried his face in her silken mass of curls. A deep inhalation helped steady his rage. “I’m so sorry. Have you ever talked to someone? Teacher, counselor, anyone?”
“No. Tony said he’d kill anyone who found out. I knew my only choice was to wait till I turned twenty-one to escape.”
“Why not when you were eighteen?”
“I didn’t know enough to hide from them, and I didn’t have any money. Still don’t, hence my job with your firm. Uncle Tony said they’d find me if I ran, but if I married Gary after my twenty-first birthday, I’d survive.”
The only outward sign of his internal explosion was a string of curses. “Your uncle wants you to marry your own cousin?” He felt her fold in on herself, make herself smaller.
“Well, I was adopted, so he’s not a blood relative.” Her voice was barely audible.
Yeah, that made all the difference in the world. “And the reason for the marriage?” He knew what lay ahead, he’d done the background check. Yet she needed to verbalize that and so much more.
“My father’s will. I receive my inheritance on my twenty-first birthday.”
With his shirt wet from her tears, Julien found a small measure of peace that she could finally shed them. To know the aberrancy of what she lived, Adara must’ve shared a loving family for her first fifteen years, absorbing strength of spirit and memories of normal life to hold deep in her heart. “Which they’ll then take control of, I guess?”
“Yes. I don’t care about the money or the businesses. They can have it. All of it. I just want freedom.” Her wistful expression held a yearning that transcended time.
“And so you shall have it. On all levels, Adara. Safe and secure.”
“That sounds too good to be true.”
His mind worked various scenarios as he thought about the best way to help. “Okay. Tell you what. Why don’t you stay with me for a few days? I have lots of room, plus I can take you to and from work. See you safe. We’ll go from there.” Yeah…that’s playing with fire.
“You mean—live with you?” He felt the shudder racking her body.
“Yes and no, Adara. You can sleep in the spare bedroom. You won’t share my bed. You’ll be safe.”
“But they’ll show up and take me away.”
“Adara.” Again he shifted her to meet his gaze. “Just say no. They can’t legally force you to do anything, and I won’t let them take you against your will. Okay?”
“They said they’d kill anyone who helped me. I don’t want you hurt.”
“Not this time, sweetheart. Not this time. Are you forgetting my background? Together, we can stop them cold. What do you say?”
For five years her uncle and cousin had provided an environment of abuse and terror. If not for Simmie’s intimidation at his office, he’d know the origin of the anonymous threat. Even so, he looked forward to a private meeting with the uncle and cousin, BODT style. His Bag Of Dirty Tricks held just the answer to her family problems.
After several hours on the deserted beach, he began to see a new side of his assistant, one stronger and more confident. Adara had taken his hand when he offered, then gave a gentle squeeze to accompany her smile. That combined with the gentle whispering of the surf, soothed his nerves and instilled a temporary peace.
With a little urging, she divulged the details surrounding her stalker, notes left on her car’s windshield, black roses on her seat, and robotic voice messages on her phone. The stalker’s handwriting didn’t match her uncle or cousin’s scribble. Last week, she’d received a photo of herself entering her home, which meant the bastard stalked her on all fronts.
Since her family used a direct approach in their terrorization, they probably weren’t directing the latest series of events. Simmie came to mind. Julien had realized the man wasn’t hinged properly in the few minutes of scrutiny. Plus, the prick’s father had more money than sense, evident in the son’s attitude also. Money plus contacts equaled supplies, legal and otherwise.
“Adara, do you have a smart phone, hon?”
“Yes.”
“How long have you had that particular phone?”
“Since I graduated from high school…why?”
“I’d like to take a look at it and disable the electronic tag. That’ll make it more difficult for someone to know where you are at any given moment. As a matter of fact, why don’t we just get you a new phone and let Conner look at yours, see if anyone’s uploaded tracking software. We can swing by his place on the way home.”
“Huh, okay. Thank you, Julien. It’s in my purse.”
Since reticence wasn’t a part of his character, he provided most of the conversation until she again relaxed, even though her palm stayed moist and he could feel her pulse hammer in her wrist.
Progress existed in accepting his presence and holding his hand. Baby steps. Elation filled him with the revelation of breaking through her barriers and taking the first strides forward. She’d taken the initiative in becoming whole. Now came the time to fortify her defenses.