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Prologue

It felt as if I had just fallen asleep when I heard the soft, barely there tap on rippingI tossed back the worn, old comforter and lance at the clock besideI had to be up at seven to get to work—a job I only went to so that I could get Es she needed, like food

Pushing back the old curtain that had been there since I was a little kid, I saw her shadow in the dark night outside Barely tall enough to reach the , Eown Froht that illu shoes

I opened the , trying to be as quiet as I could If my old man heard me he would come in and God only knoould happen next That bastard was a loose cannon at the best of tiht he was drunk so I really didn’t want to wake his ass up As soon as I had the n, I leaned out and gripped her thin little ar!

I pulled her little body through theand then carried her toand no wonder It was barely twenty degrees out, typical winter weather in Ohio Thankfully it wasn’t snowing, but there was a good frost on the ground I tucked the covers around her then et a pair of my wool shocks from my dresser

There was a scratch on her left foot, right on top It was bleeding but I didn’t dare leave et her a Band-Aid When I had her feet covered I tucked, them back under my comforter and then and only then did I look at her face…

Her lip was busted, blood running down her chin Her eye was already swelling and turning an unhealthy shade of blue and dark purple I wanted to punch so! I really wanted to just kill her monster of a mother How dare she hurt my sweet little Emmie!

Still shivering she offered me a pained smile “Thanks,” she whispered

“What happened?” I whispered back

There she sat, only nine years old, way too s “She wokeme, so I don’t know There were two ured she would be too busy to even think about me”

Her s, and thelife Her house was always littered with empty liquor bottles, crack pipes, needles, naked men, and used condoms

One day, when the guys and Ito take Emmie away from all of that!

But for now I pulled her close and wrapped her still shivering body incare of me, Jesse” She whispered around a yawn

“I’ll always take care of you, Em”

“Promise?”

“I swear it” She just gave me a smile and closed her eyes “Always, E evened out and she was deep asleep For now she was safe in my arms…