“How did they find you?”
“One of the girls at the party saw me being carried off. She knew Gareth and called him, then she followed with her boyfriend. They waited outside the place he had taken me to until Gareth and Marcus, one of my other brothers, arrived.”
“And they caught the bastard? Please tell me they did.”
“It was the principal,” she whispered. “Marcus beat him to a pulp. They had to call an ambulance. And the cops. My mother was mortified.”
“Screw that bitch,” he spat out.
Yes. Screw that bitch.
“I was scared Marcus would get arrested. But that girl and her boyfriend testified that the principal had carted me off. Then there was the fact he’d stabbed me. Plus, Marcus had a lot of friends in high places. And my mother probably threw her weight around.”
“The bastard is in jail?”
“He killed himself before it even got to trial. My mother did her best to suppress all the news stories. The principal, he had a family. A wife and son. They disappeared. I don’t think they knew about what he was doing, though. His infatuation with me. The notes came with photos of me sometimes. Images that he’d obviously taken with a high-definition lens. I never used to pull the curtains when I got changed.” She shuddered. “I did after those photos.”
“Shit. Fuck. I hate that he did that to you.”
“He called me his Daisy. He’d leave daisies for me. To think in the beginning I thought it was sweet. I thought having a secret admirer was wonderful. I wish I’d told my brothers what was happening straight away. Maybe then . . . “
“Hush. None of this was on you. What ifs will kill you slowly. You just need to know that you’re safe now.”
“It’s colored the rest of my life, though. My dad’s death was horrifying, and it took me a long time to start to find my way out of the gray. And then . . . then I was . . . “
“Terrorized. By someone who was charged with looking after you. Someone in a position of authority over you.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “It messed me up. I couldn’t go back to school. I couldn’t do anything. And my mother wouldn’t let me talk to anyone. I decided I never wanted to be weak again. I had to be strong. I had to take care of myself. With Gareth’s help, I enrolled in college, got a dorm room. And then I told my mother. She was not impressed. She tried to stop me. But I had some money from my father’s estate and I paid for it all myself. Then I went one step further.”
“And became an FBI agent.”
“I thought if I could use my experience to help just one other person, then it would have meaning, you know? But I was assigned mostly desk work. I figured I’d just have to show I could handle it. Now, I’ve learned my mother had something to do with it. I should have known. She knew my old boss. It wasn’t until he retired and I got a new boss that I started doing field work.”
She ran her hand through her hair. It was a mess. She couldn’t remember the last time she had messy hair.
“And I messed it all up.”
“You were shot. Listen to me, think over everything you’ve just told me and tell me how anyone else could have done half of what you have done. I can’t believe everything you’ve been through and here you are, still standing. Still fighting. You are the bravest person I know.”
He kissed her gently.
She didn’t believe it. But she liked that he did. He held her for a moment longer then pulled back.
“Come on, shower time.”
He drew off the blanket then helped her up. He led her into the bathroom. Turning the shower on, he then lifted her onto the counter so he could check her foot.
“It doesn’t hurt.”
“It looks good. Will take this off and put another bandage on.” He tested the temperature of the water before carrying her into the shower. Putting her down, he washed her thoroughly. It was kind of embarrassing, having him touch her everywhere. Clean her. But he wouldn’t let her do a thing.
“Relax,” he murmured. “You’re so tense, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier for me to wash myself?”
“This isn’t about what’s easy. This is me reassuring myself that you’re well. It’s me cherishing you.”
She sucked in a breath then flicked her hand through the air. “Carry on then.”