“Girls leave. The guys are going to start planning.”
“We can’t stay?” Ella asked.
Before Fury could yell at her, Amelia came to her, took her hand, and led her out of the room.
“You looked beat. How about you lay down for a while?” Amelia said.
She could feel her energy was almost gone. “Yes, thank you.”
“I’ll show you the room Fury wants you to have.”
Ella let Amelia lead her up the stairs and down a few hallways.
“This one is yours from now on.”
“Like forever?”
Amelia smiled. “Yes. You’re part of the family now.”
Ella couldn’t understand how they could accept her so fast. “But you guys just met me.”
Amelia closed the drapes in the room, enveloping the room in shadow. “It doesn’t matter.The girls know what kind of person you are. We’re good at reading people.”
Ella sat down on the bed and stared at the floor.
Amelia sat beside her and took one of her hands. “We will get those women out.”
Ella looked at Amelia. There was one thing she hadn’t told them yet. “There is something I didn’t tell you guys. The day Teddy brought me back to the house, he … raped me.”
Amelia gasped and then got tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Ella. The wave of emotion she’d put off suddenly hit, and she was glad she had someone there with her. After several minutes they both stopped crying, and Amelia reached for some tissues.
Ella wiped her face. “Thank you. I put it out of my mind until now. Thank you. I’ve never had someone there for me.”
“Now, you have us.”
“For how long? I can’t stay here after Teddy is taken care of.”
“Why not?” Amelia asked.
“Amelia, I can’t just move in. You guys don’t know me at all.”
Amelia smiled. “We know you well enough. Now that I know about that bastard’s abuse, do you think you’ll ever be able to feel desire again?”
Ella paused as she remembered looking at Ax’s chest. “Yes. As crazy as it sounds, I already have. Ax had his shirt off, and my girly parts started tingling.”
Amelia’s eyes widened before she burst out laughing. “God, you’re going to fit right in. I don’t know if you’re aware, but Ax has the hots for you.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. I see the way he looks at you.”
Ella had so many emotions going through her at that moment but was too tired to analyze them.
“Why don’t you relax for a while? Is it okay to talk about the abuse?”
Ella had a hard time sayingrape, too. “Yes. I’d appreciate it. I don’t want to talk about it if I don’t have to.”
Amelia hugged her one more time. “You’re safe here.”