for years, there’d been nobody she could tell. Now a man who had been kinder to her than any other in her entire life was asking for the truth. She couldn’t refuse, but when she opened her mouth to speak, the words wouldn’t come. A keening wail drifted from her throat, and she closed her eyes as the tears began to stream down her face. She took a deep breath.
“All right!” she sobbed. “My marriage was a nightmare. Kyle was a monster, and I lived in fear that every day would be the one when he would finally go too far and kill me.”
She felt him move closer, and she glanced up just as he reached out and patted her shoulder. That only produced more tears. “Why didn’t you come to me?” he whispered. “I would have helped you.”
The sorrow in his eyes pierced her heart, and she pulled free of him and turned her face into the soft afghan she’d just folded minutes before. He didn’t say anything as she sobbed but patted her shoulder from time to time and uttered some soothing words.
After several minutes she sat up and wiped at her eyes. Her pulse was still racing, but it was freeing to finally admit to someone what her life had been like. And she was glad Lucas was the one she could tell.
“After Kyle and I were married, I discovered very quickly why my father had wanted me to marry him. He was like my father, but worse. He didn’t allow me to make any decisions, not even about the clothes I wore. He picked out everything, provided everything and wanted me at home when he got there. The abuse wasn’t too bad at first. If I displeased him, didn’t cook a meal the way he liked it, he would slap me. Then one night things escalated.”
“What happened?”
“He was watching the news, and the reporter did a story about your brother, Adam, bringing in a fugitive wanted in a high-profile case. Adam told about the Knight Agency, and he mentioned that his younger brother was serving in the navy SEALs but was arriving home on leave soon. I made the mistake of saying that I was glad you had pursued your goal, and Kyle went wild. He accused me of still being in love with you and of plotting to meet you when you came home on leave. That’s the first night I had to go to the hospital.”
Lucas’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She waved her hand in dismissal. “It wasn’t your fault. I’d made the mistake of marrying him. After that, though, things got worse.”
“Why didn’t you leave?”
She shrugged. “I tried to once, but he found me and brought me back. That was one of the worst beatings. He told me if I ever left again, he’d kill me. He hired a maid after that to keep tabs on me. She reported every little thing I did to Kyle.”
Lucas squeezed her hand tighter and then released it. “I’m so sorry you had to endure this. I wish I could have helped you.”
“It’s okay, Lucas. I’ve been alone for so long that I don’t expect much from anybody anymore.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she could barely make out his image even though he sat next to her. “But, please, help me now. I’m never going to be free of Kyle and the life he made me live until his killer is caught.”
He smiled at her, and for the first time in years she felt some hope. Maybe she could overcome the fear she’d lived in for so long.
“Don’t worry, Mia. I’ll help you, and I promise I’ll do everything in my power to find this guy and keep you safe from him.”
Her eyes filled with tears again. “I was so afraid to come here. I didn’t know if you’d even listen to me. I can never tell you how much I appreciate your help.”
Telling Lucas about her life hadn’t been easy, but she felt better, almost as if a dam had burst and all the memories that threatened her sanity had poured out. Maybe this was the beginning of a new life for her. She hoped so.
She had no idea what she’d do once Tony Chapman was back in jail where he belonged, but at least she’d be free. Free to go and do as she pleased. And free of everything that tied her to the past. And Lucas was going to make that happen.
Lucas walked to the window in the living room and stared outside. The discovery of what Mia’s marriage had been like had almost sucked the breath out of him. He raked his hand through his hair and groaned. Even if he had spent the past seven years trying to come to grips with the anger he’d felt for her, he would never have wanted her to endure what she’d had to go through.
He glanced around. She still sat on the sofa, her eyes downcast and her hands clasped in her lap. He’d thought she looked like a waif when she’d arrived. Now he realized she was a battered woman. Not only had Kyle hurt her physically, he had hurt her emotionally, and Lucas had no idea how to deal with it.
However, he did know how to deal with danger, and, from what Mia had told him, she was in a lot of danger right now. The one thing he still hadn’t figured out was how Mia’s caller had known she was at his house. If he hadn’t followed her here, he had to have some way of keeping tabs on her. The answer hit him, and he groaned again.
“Of course. The car.” He whirled around from the window and ran to the door. “I’ll be right back,” he called over his shoulder to a startled Mia.
Once outside he headed straight to Mia’s car. It took only a few minutes to find the GPS tracker attached by a magnet to the inside fender of the back left tire. He pulled the tracker out, and an uneasy fear slowly curled through his body. When Mia had first begun to tell her story, he hadn’t believed the threat to her to be that severe. Now, with Mia’s account of the attack at her home, the threatening phone calls and a GPS tracker on her car, he knew it was serious. Deadly serious.
He stared down at the device in his hand before turning it off. Then he closed his fingers around it as he reentered the house. Mia stood just inside the front door, waiting for his return. When he walked in, her eyes grew wide. He motioned toward the living room. “Let’s go back in there.”
He followed her into the room and stopped when she turned to face him. A puzzled expression flickered in her eyes. “Why did you go to my car?”
Lucas opened his hand. “To look for this.”
She took one glance at what he held and frowned. “Wh-what is that thing?”
“It’s a GPS device that was attached to your car. That’s how your caller knew where you’d gone. As long as you kept using your car, he’d have known where you were at all times if I hadn’t found it. I think we need to go to the police and tell them Chapman is stalking and threatening you.”
“No!” A panicked look flashed across her face, and she glanced around as if in search of an escape route. “I can’t go to the police. He said if I did, I’d end up with three bullet holes in my head.”
Lucas reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to an abrupt stop. “We have to, Mia. My brother-in-law, Ryan Spencer, is a detective on the force. You don’t have to go to the police station. I’ll call him and have him come over here.”
Mia tried to pull away from him. “I can’t. I’m afraid,” she cried out.
Lucas clamped his hands on her shoulders and stared down into her eyes. “I know you’re afraid,
