Texas Heroes_ Volume 1(126)

“Why should you be ashamed? You were the victim.”

Her head jerked up. “I was weak. So blinded by the glamorous lifestyle he promised that I didn’t see until it was too late that I was a thing to him, another pretty object to be admired when he wanted and put on the shelf in between—and never, ever to be shared with anyone else.”

“You were young. You didn’t know.”

She laughed and began to pace. “But I didn’t stay young. I just stayed scared. He would make me—” The words clogged her throat. “He liked to play these awful games in the bedroom…”

Mitch grasped her arm, pulling her into his hard chest. “You don’t have to tell me.” One big hand stroked her hair.

Perrie leaned into the safety of his arms. “Until last night,” she whispered. “I never knew—I’ve never experienced what you made me feel.”

Mitch tightened his arms around her, her pain touching him as if it were his own. Her story explained a lot of things. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Her head jerked back, her eyes sparking, filling with angry tears. “I tried to escape, but he found me and brought me back.” Her gaze dropped. “He beat me and raped me, locked me up tighter than ever. And then Davey was born and—”

Dear God. Davey was the result of the rape. “It doesn’t matter. Davey’s nothing like him. You’ve done a great job with him.”

“I brought a child into that life!”

“You had no choice. And you obviously protected him. There’s not a thing wrong with him.”

“I thought we were finished with Simon. He didn’t believe Davey was his, thought the bodyguard and I—” Her voice faded. But then she straightened. “Then he found a woman he wanted to marry, and I thought we’d been set free.”

Her gaze met his again. “He divorced me, gave me some money I put away for Davey. The only condition was that I couldn’t take Davey from Boston. The Mathesons are very powerful, and Simon told me he would take Davey away if I tried, even though he cared nothing about him. Just pride of ownership, same as with me. I was so thrilled to be away, so happy that he was out of our lives. Everything was good for a while, and then—” Her voice broke.

Mitch tamped down his rage, simply holding her close, waiting for the rest.

“Then he found out his new wife couldn’t bear children. He decided that he’d claim Davey, no matter his private doubts. I had figured out some things by then, things about how he made his money. I threatened to go to the police if he didn’t leave Davey alone.

“He just laughed. Asked me why anyone would believe me over him. Told me he had all kinds of photos and evidence to prove I was an unfit mother. He said if I ever breathed a word, he’d take Davey away and I’d never see him again.”

Mitch knew how fierce her love was for her child. He could feel how afraid she was. He wanted to kill Matheson himself.

“And then he decided to teach me a lesson. He picked Davey up from school one afternoon and took him away for two days. The police wouldn’t help me. I had no idea where he was. I was out of my mind with fear.

“When he brought him back, Davey was a different child. Frightened and too quiet. I knew then that I was out of options. I had to run. Elias helped me, but before I left, I wrote down everything I knew and Elias sent it to the top investigative reporter in Boston.”

She met his gaze. “And then I headed here, to Grandpa Cy. I knew he wouldn’t turn me away, even though I hadn’t heard from him in years. I was just grateful that I’d never told Simon about him and Simon wouldn’t know to look here for us.”

Blue eyes pleaded with him. “I truly didn’t know Grandpa was sick, Mitch. I would never have neglected him.”

Mitch nodded. “I believe you.” He stroked her face. “Why wouldn’t you tell me all this before?” Though he knew. He’d held her in contempt, made it clear she was unwelcome.

But her answer shocked him. “You don’t know what he’s like. Simon would hurt you, too, if he came here and found that you had helped us.”

Mitch couldn’t believe his ears. She was protecting him? “I’ve been taking care of myself since I was sixteen, Perrie. He can’t hurt me.”

“He’s evil, Mitch. Evil to the bone. He’s not just mean, but there’s something twisted inside him. He’d do anything to get us back—anything.”

“That’s why you have to go back and testify.”

She jerked away from him, agitation in every line of her frame. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”