by Becca Van
He glanced toward the door when he caught movement from the corner of his eye and was relieved to see Lilac and Enya near the entrance. Enya whispered something to Lilac and she nodded.
Lilac entered the room with her gaze lowered toward the floor, and while she was still very pale, she looked better than she had before she’d rushed out.
“Are you okay, Lilac?” Luke asked as he and Damon took their seats after she’d sat in the chair behind the desk again.
“Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Are you all right if we ask you a few questions?” Damon asked gently.
Wilder glanced at Nash and pointed toward the door. Nash closed the office door and then leaned back against it. Cree hadn’t moved from his post near the wall beside the door, but Wilder knew his identical brother as well as he knew himself. Cree was as tense as a bowstring. The muscles in his upper arms were twitching as were his pecs, and he kept clenching and unclenching his hands.
Cree was just as uptight as he and Nash were. His brother was grinding his teeth, causing the muscles on either side of his jaw to flex.
Wilder glanced back toward Lilac when she swallowed audibly, and she nodded.
“Do you know what your real name is?” Damon asked.
When Wilder saw the moisture welling in Lilac’s eyes, he wanted to hurry around the desk, scoop her up into his arms, and hold her, but he forced himself to remain where he was. Lilac didn’t know him or his brothers, but if he had the chance to change that, he would take advantage. It didn’t matter that he didn’t know her, he knew she was the right woman for him and his brothers. He just hoped that whatever was going on didn’t make it harder for them to woo her.
“I thought Lilac Primrose was my real name.”
Wilder drew a deep breath and held it as anger surged through his body. He wasn’t angry at Lilac but angry on her behalf. She looked so small and fragile sitting in that office chair. She was as white as milk and her shoulders were slumped in defeat. His heart went out to her, and again the urge to hold her and comfort her nearly overrode all his good intentions to remain where he was.
“Can you tell me about your parents?” Luke asked.
She shook her head and more tears welled. Even though she blinked rapidly as if trying to keep from crying, the moisture brimmed before spilling down her cheeks. “I don’t know who my parents are,” she wailed softly. “I’ve spent the last ten years searching, but I haven’t been able to find them.”
Wilder couldn’t take it another moment. He moved around behind the desk and squatted down next to Lilac, palming both of her cheeks. He swiped the tears from her face with his thumbs, and though he wanted to kiss her on the lips, he settled for leaning in and kissing her on the forehead. “It’s going to be okay, love.”
She shook her head. “How can it? I don’t know who I am.”
Pain gripped his heart at the fear and despondency he saw her in unusual gorgeous, violet eyes. And in the next instant she threw herself at him, her arms looped around his neck and she sobbed into his neck. Wilder wrapped his arms around her waist, stood, taking her with him, and then sat in the office chair with Lilac on his lap. His heart broke all over again when he felt her shaking as she cried but not once did she make a sound. Who the hell had hurt her so badly? He knew she’d been hurt. No one cried the way she did, so hard without making any noise.
What the hell had happened to Lilac Primrose?
* * * *
Cree shoved away from the wall and hurried over to stand behind Wilder and Lilac. He glanced over at Nash when he came to stand next to him. Without saying a word to each other, they placed their hands on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze, letting her know that they were here for her just as Wilder was.
Cree shifted his gaze to Luke and Damon. Anger surged through his blood again when he saw the concern on the sheriffs’ faces. How could Lilac not know who her parents were? Had she been a ward of the state? Had she grown up in foster care?
What the fuck is going on?
Lilac’s shaking slowed to an occasional shudder, and Cree knew her tears were slowing. He hated seeing her so upset and vulnerable, and vowed then and there to do everything he could to help her out. He sifted his free hand through his short-cropped hair and concentrated on keeping his breathing deep and regular. If he let his emotions get control, he could end up frightening Lilac and that was something he never, ever wanted to do.
She shuddered under his other hand, and after drawing in a deep ragged breath she sat up a little straighter, wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, and sniffed.
Nash reached for the box of tissues sitting on the desk and snagged a couple before pushing them into Lilac’s hand.
“Thanks,” she rasped before blotting her cheeks and then blowing her nose.
“Do you want something to drink, honey?” Cree asked, squeezing her shoulder again.
“Water, please.”
“I’ll get it,” Damon said as he stood and hurried out. He came back a few moments later with an armful of water bottles and handed them around after giving Lilac hers first.
Cree slugged down half the bottle while watching Wilder caress his hand up and down Lilac’s back as she sipped at the water.
“Are you okay, baby?” Nash asked with concern.
“I’m good. Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall apart.” Lilac glanced over her shoulder at Cree, then looked at Nash, Wilder, and the sheriffs.
“Don’t apologize, Lilac,” Wilder stroked his hand up her back. “You’ve just had a huge shock.”
Lilac laughed a little hysterically and ended up choking and spluttering since she’d just taken a sip of water. Wilder patted her on the back until she was breathing normally once again.
“Where did you grow up, Lilac?” Damon asked.
“I can’t remember the first few years of my life, since I was too young, but I grew up in Werner, Minnesota, from the age of four or five years old, until I was fifteen.”
“Where did you go once you were fifteen?” Wilder asked.
“I headed to New York City. I didn’t have much cash and it took me twelve months of working and traveling to reach my final destination.”
“You were on your own? Traveling by yourself when you were only fifteen?” Cree asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“What—” Nash didn’t get to finish his question because Luke cut him off.
“You need to tell us everything you can remember, Lilac. If we’re going to figure out who you are and find your family, you need to talk to us.”
Cree shifted to the side so he could see her face. She was tense and wringing her hands in her lap, but she was also nodding. He glanced about the room and spotted another couple of chairs near the small sofa and the far wall. He nodded to Nash to go get them. His brother looked reluctant to move away from Lilac but didn’t argue. Cree tensed when Lilac slid to her feet and paced away from Wilder and the desk. When she got close to the door, Cree’s stomach dropped. He was worried she was about to take off, but when she leaned against the entrance with her back to the door and her arms crossed beneath her breasts, he exhaled softly.
Luke held up his cell phone. “Do you mind if I record all of this?”
Lilac shook her head, drew in a deep breath, and then started talking. “I lived with a group of people just outside of Werner in Minnesota as I said. There were only a few children but there were a lot of adults. We were home schooled and were never allowed off the property. I didn’t know that wasn’t how other kids grew up, not until I was about twelve years old.”
“What changed to make you realize you were living a different life?” Damon asked.
“I was a bit of a rebel.” Lilac tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. “I was bored and lonely. The two other girls I spent most of my time with hadn’t finished their chores, but I had, so I went for a walk. The ten or so acres of land had high fences all the way around and there was barbed wire on the top. We were told th
at it was to keep us safe from intruders, from evil, but they lied.” Lilac paused to take another sip of water. “It was to keep us in and from others seeing in.
“I was feeling trapped and lonely and decided to see what was so scary on the other side of the fence. I climbed a mountain maple tree that was close to the fence. The things I saw. There were kids in buses and cars whizzing by. At first it was frightening but that fear quickly turned to excitement. I don’t know how long I was up in that tree staring out at the world with fascination, but it must have been a long time.” Lilac lowered her gaze to the floor.
“They came looking for me. The leader sent out the teenage boys to search for me, and his son, Virgil, found me. That little shit was as nice as pie to me until I was back on the ground. The moment my feet touched down he grabbed my arm and slapped me across the face. I was so shocked I didn’t even cry out.”
Cree’s knuckles cracked when he clenched his fists. “How old was he?”
“Seventeen.”
“That motherfucking son of a bitch,” Nash snarled.
“Fuck!” Wilder growled.
Lilac continued on as if there hadn’t been any outbursts. “He dragged me back to the main house and into his father’s den. His father just stared at me without showing any emotion for a good long while, and then he smiled. There was so much evil in his cold hazel eyes I actually took a step back, but the asshole’s son was behind me and shoved me forward. He pushed me so hard I fell onto my hands and knees, and just as I was about to get up, his father stood. ‘Stay where you are you little bitch,’ the leader yelled.
“But I got to my feet and glared at him as he walked around the desk. He stood in front of me only inches away and then reached out and gripped my hair, yanking my head back until my neck hurt and I was scared he was going to snap it.”
Cree blinked through the haze of red rage coloring his vision. He wanted to demand that Lilac give him the name of the man and son who’d hurt her so he could hunt them down and rip them apart with his bare hands, but he kept silent. He was scared if he opened his mouth he’d roar with rage and scare off the one woman who was meant to be his and his brothers’. He inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly as he tried to quell his ire.
He glanced at his brothers and the sheriffs and from the heat in their eyes, they were just as furious as he was.
“He told me that if I said anything about what I’d seen he would beat me within an inch of my life.” When she lifted her gaze and Cree saw the fear in her eyes, he took a step toward her. She held up her hand and shook her head. “I need to finish this.”
Cree’s heart filled with pride. He was proud of Lilac’s strength and bravery, and in that moment, he fell a little in love with her. When she started speaking again, he pushed his emotions aside and drew on his military training. No matter what happened between Lilac, him, and his brothers, he was going to find the bastard’s who’d hurt their woman and take them down.
“From that moment on Virgil, the son, and his cronies became my shadow. The only time I was ever left alone was when I went to the bathroom and bed. They must have told the girls I shared a room with that I’d done something terrible because the only time they ever spoke to me was when we were doing chores together and they only ever talked about what we were doing. I was surrounded by people, but I was isolated from everybody.”
“What’s the father’s name?” Damon asked angrily. “Can you show us on a map where this place was?”
“I haven’t finished,” Lilac said sadly.
Cree wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He couldn’t believe a child had grown up in such isolation under such fear and control. He was so fucking angry he was shaking.
“The day I turned fifteen was a day I will never forget. My shadows and the rest of the men were called into the leader’s office for a meeting. The other girls and I were in the vegetable garden with the women pulling weeds and tending to the few farm animals we had. It was a hot day and I was thirsty after spending hours under the hot summer sun. Everyone was sweating, so I went back inside to get jugs of water and glasses to take back outside.”
Nash was panting as if he was about to explode, and although Wilder had his arms crossed, he was gripping his biceps so hard he was leaving marks in his flesh. Cree wondered if his face was as red as it felt. He was so fucking angry he felt as if his face was on fire.
“I heard the men arguing in the den. I knew I shouldn’t go down that hall and listen in, but when I heard my name mentioned I had to know what they were talking about. I snuck down the hall and stopped just beside the slightly open door and covered my mouth with my hand so they didn’t hear me breathing.” Lilac paused as a shudder raced through her body, causing her to shake. She tightened her arms around her ribs and bent over slightly as if she was in pain, and she was. Cree could see the emotional stress and horror on her face even though she wasn’t even looking at him. The whole time she’d been talking, she’d been speaking in monotone as if she was far removed from the situation as possible, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Yes, she’d distanced herself so she could tell her story, but only so she wouldn’t break apart. Her lips were in a tight line and her eyes had narrowed to a squint as if she had a headache. After all that crying before and now relieving these horrid years of her childhood, she probably had the headache from hell.
“‘You’re not giving her to Mills,’ Virgil shouted at his father. ‘You let him bed Fleur and Warren was allowed to deflower Rose. If anyone’s going to fuck that slut on her sixteenth birthday, it’s going to be me.’ That was the moment I knew I had to escape. I was only two months away from turning sixteen. There was no way I was staying just so he could…” Lilac shook her head and slid down the door until her ass hit the floor. She doubled over clutching her stomach as she sobbed.
Cree rushed over to her, knelt at her feet, and reached for her, but he hesitated over touching her. Yes, he was attracted to her and wanted to have a relationship with her, but right now, he wanted to comfort her more. He’d never thought about comforting a woman and wasn’t sure how to go about it, but her pain was beating at him and he couldn’t let her think she was in this alone. He and his brothers would protect her even if it meant using their bodies to shield her from a bullet. She already meant that much to him.
Lilac rubbed the tears from her eyes and face, drew a deep breath, and lifted her gaze. She jerked when she saw Cree so close to her, but when she locked gazes with his, the tension seemed to drain right out of her.
“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to, honey.” Cree held his hand out to her. “Let me help you up from the floor. Do you want to sit on the sofa?”
Lilac sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded as she placed her hand into his. Her hand was so small and pale compared to his large, bronzed appendage, he was worried about hurting her. She was shaking, but as soon as he enveloped her hand into his, she gripped him hard, as if he was the only lifeline she had when her world had turned upside down.
Cree was careful of his strength when he clasped her upper arm with his other hand and helped her to her feet. He hooked his arm around her waist when she swayed and then guided her over to the sofa. She sighed wearily when she sank into the cushion, and Cree sat right beside her, keeping her hand clasped with his. Luke and Damon stood, turned their chairs around until they were facing the sofa, and sat down again. Wilder walked toward the sofa slowly and perched on the arm. Nash moved sit on the floor near Lilac’s feet, but he didn’t sit too close in case she felt hemmed in.
“How did you escape Lilac?” Luke asked in a quiet, gentle voice.
“I’d been planning on leaving for a while, but when I heard them talking about letting Virgil rape me, I knew I had to leave as soon as possible. There was money stored in a tin in the kitchen for supplies. The women used it every week to buy things we needed. They went once a week, every Wednesday morning. Since it was Wednesday afternoon and they’d already bought what was needed,
there was no reason for them to look in the tin again. I went back to the kitchen and took what cash was left and then crept to my bedroom where I’d been hiding nonperishable food under a loose floorboard. I wrapped the money and food up a shirt and shoved it under my pillow. For the rest of the day I went about my chores as if nothing had changed.”
She gazed into Cree’s eyes. “I was so scared I would give myself away. I was on tenterhooks the rest of the afternoon and night, but no one looked at me any differently.
“I went through the motions of getting ready for bed and for the first time in my life I was grateful for the big, long nightgowns we’d been given to wear. I kept my clothes on under the gown and got into bed and pretended to sleep. The time passed so quickly and yet it seemed to drag by.
“Finally, I got up, removed the gown, put my hooded sweatshirt on, grabbed the shirt with the food and money, and snuck out.”
“How did you get over the barbed wire?” Nash’s voice was hoarse.
“I climbed that tree, walked along a thick branch, and jumped.”
“Shit. You could have been hurt, sweetness.” Wilder rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Better that than what I was leaving behind,” Lilac snapped.
“You’re right. I wasn’t…I didn’t…I’m sorry.” Wilder squeezed Lilac’s shoulder.
“What did you do then?” Luke asked.
“I walked from just outside of Werner to Bemidji. It shouldn’t have taken as long as it did, but I was so scared of getting caught and being dragged back there. Every time I heard a car coming I hid and waited for it to pass before I resumed walking again. It took me five hours, and when I got to the bus line building I had to wait another couple of hours for the terminal to open. As soon as I could, I got onto the first bus leaving town and never looked back.”
“Thank fuck you got away, baby.” Nash smoothed a hand up and down her trouser covered shin.
Lilac nodded, her face pale and her expression grim.
Cree vowed then and there that no one was ever going to hurt Lilac Primrose again. Not on his and his brother’s watch. Even if it was the last thing he ever did, they would protect her with their lives.
