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Ash’s voice tre…”

Chloe leaned forward and rested her hand on Ash’s arhter, don’t forget that Even Saould’ve had trouble fighting hilance to Sawyer, whose intense eyes told her that no, he would have no trouble royally kicking Travis’s ass Looking at that body, Chloe didn’t doubt he could But she gestured toward Ash, hoping he caught the hint

He nodded and turned to his sister “Travis is trained to hurt people That training er”

“I felt so”—more tears spilled down Ash’s face—“helpless to stop him”

Ashlyn’s expression becah Chloe as she understood what Ashlyn was unable to say “Your brother needs to know everything,” Chloe said very gently, “no matter how hard it is to talk about it”

Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe sayer stiffen, but she stayed focused on Ashlyn

Ashlyn hung her head for a long moment before she murmured, “Before he took me into the kitchen to beat me…he raped me”

There was a long, heavy silence

Chloe glanced over at Sawyer as he rose from his chair, his expression closed off “Please excuse me for a moment” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Ashlyn’s forehead “I’ll be back soon” Without looking at either Chloe or his sister, he left the room

“He’s going to lose his shit, isn’t he?” Ashlyn asked, eyes wide and worried

Chloe took Ashlyn’s hand “He loves you,” she said, giving the other wo smile, “and you’ve been hurt in a

very bad way Of course he’s going to lose his shit”

Chapter 6

After Sawyer’s parents returned to Ashlyn’s hospital roo outside the hospital on the bench by the s, he bowed his head It saddened Chloe to see aand powerful as Saith such a haunted aura

Sawyer didn’t look at her as she approached him, nor did he say a hen she sat down next to hiht be best to stay silent, she angled her head back, gazing up at the stars