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Hauilt,face “There’s so I should tell you You wouldn’t allow me to call the police after I’d found you But I needed aainst Bill in case he came back for you”

Raine’s heart drummed in her chest “And?”

“I orried about you All those bruises, the gash in your lip… Hell, I didn’t knohether or not he’d broken your dary and ashen “I called Beck into your room after you fell asleep He checked you over to et you to the hospital that nextto do, but while ere there, I took pictures of everything that prick had done to you” He hesitated “I showed the”

Raine felt as if he’d yanked the floor out fro wildly until she sat up and scurried back, staring at Hammer in horror “You took pictures? And kept theaze to Liam “You saw them?”

Liaht”

“The hell it is!” She julared at Ham years?”

He leaned in and grabbed her wrist, tu her back down flat on her back between theodda to show the police if they ever ca in my safe all this time, and I only showed Liam because one of us needed to reach you If it wasn’tBlae what I did I’d ain”

So between sincerity and deterically, she saw his point, but that didn’t make her ache less “I didn’t want anyone to see et I didn’t ever want Liam to know” She tried to curl up into a ball and hide her face “It’s the reason I wandered the streets for two days before you found me The second anyone saw me, I ran By the time you discovered me, I was in so ether, he and Lia like that scared girl again, stripped and defeated, she stopped struggling “Can I be alone?”

“No, precious I will never forget, and whether you wanted Liaood The bad The ugly Didn’t he already make that point with you?”

Yes, he had Raine couldn’t do more than nod

“It’s not going tothat, you will alant to curl up, close off, and hide We’re not going to allow that anymore” Hammer’s voice was calm but stern

“Exactly You’ll not be squirain,” Lia up on you If you’re still thinking that, don’t”

“Besides, the truth is out and see?” Hammer said “We’re still here We think you’re fierce, a survivor We’re fucking not walking away Neither are you”

She’d walked into this task knowing she had to learn to tell the She couldn’t do that if she hid “No, I’m not I’m sorry Stay…”

Lia palrasp yet how much you mean to us Whatever happens when this is over, don’t think for one minute that you’re not treasured by us both I never expected to fall for you, Raine I just wanted to help you along, but you surprisedyou could ever say or do to change that”

They were forcing her to be cuttingly honest, but they were also giving her their truths It was costing thes They’d both been so reassuring and giving—and farthat she’d ever expected “I needed to hear that Will you both kiss me?”

Ha blue eyes She looked e she’d shown in e her worst fears revealed such strength And coht, she’d come so much further than he’d expected And she’d blown him away

As she lay before him with her soul exposed, his heart swelled She radiated a need for reassurance, and Haoddamn it, if his cock didn’t throb in demand, too