CHAPTER SIX

Jonas was able to take Khloe back to her own cottage, where he settled her in for the night. Not wanting to leave her alone, he parked himself in her spare bedroom across the hallway, leaving the door open.

He’d been such as ass to her. It wasn’t her fault that her ex was responsible for the death of his family. In fact, she’d tried to stop him, get him arrested. It was such a shock he couldn’t speak in that moment. When he delved into that, he realized that it wasn’t the shock of her connection as much as it was discovering his feelings for her.

Since the death of his wife, he’d barely looked at another woman, instead burying himself in his work. The sad thing is, she would have never wanted that for him. With that thought, a warmth spread through his chest as he lay there, looking up at the ceiling.

“I hear you,” he smiled. “It’s time.”

It was as if a weight had been lifted for Jonas. He fell into a deep sleep. Deeper than he’d had in years. When he heard thunder, the flash of lightning crossing his room, he rose from bed. It was nearly 0700. Another first for him. He hadn’t slept that late in ages.

Peeking into Khloe’s bedroom, he was happy to see that she was still sleeping peacefully. Making his way into the kitchen, he started the coffee and stared out at the sheets of rain drenching the grounds. He wandered around her living room, looking at the photos on the walls and tables.

There were photos of a very young Khloe standing with Alec and Tailor, looking like a miniature in a dollhouse. He chuckled to himself, then smiled at the photo of her with Garr and his parents. There were several with her and Irene and Matthew, then Claudette and Jake. But at every big event, her graduations, her prom, her birthdays, members of the Belle Fleur family were there.

“They’re amazing, aren’t they?” she smiled, leaning against the wall.

“Hey, good morning,” he grinned. “Yes, they are. And so are you. How are you feeling? Any pain?”

“I’m fine, Jonas, thank you. And thank you for staying last night. The pain meds really helped, but honestly, just knowing I wasn’t alone was wonderful.”

He set his coffee down and walked toward her, his big hands resting on her hips. She let her arms fall over his shoulders and moved closer as he leaned down, kissing her. At first, it was a sweet, soft, chaste kiss. Then, his tongue began to explore.

Khloe moaned against his lips, holding on for dear life as her brain stopped functioning. This man knew how to kiss a woman, how to touch a woman. He pulled back, smiling down at her.

“How about some coffee?”

“Definitely,” she smiled. Taking a seat on the sofa, she pulled the blanket over her legs and curled up in the corner as he brought her a steaming cup of black nectar they both craved.

“Doesn’t look like we’re going anywhere today with this weather,” he said, nodding toward the windows.

“That’s okay. I think this gives us some time to get to know one another even more.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

“On that note,” she sighed, “I feel like I should tell you my whole story. The story of how I ended up living here.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if it’s going to cause you pain, Khloe. I only care that you’re here now, with me,” he said, stroking her face.

“It’s okay. Over the years, I’ve learned that talking about it helps me. I tried telling Archie, but he didn’t want to hear it or at least pretended that he wasn’t listening. I think it’s important that you know about me. And then, I want to know about you.” He nodded.

“My parents weren’t much. My mother was in and out of rehab most of my life, and my father, well, I’m not really sure where my father was most of the time. By the age of five, I was doing my own laundry, making my own meals, walking myself to school, all of it.

“When I was in high school, I kept telling my teachers that I thought a man was following me to school. I was a few weeks shy of my seventeenth birthday. They said it probably wasn’t anything to worry about. Except it was. I was walking home, and four men got out of a car, put a hood over my head, and shoved me inside.”

“Babe, I’m so sorry,” said Jonas softly.

“It was only the beginning. They took me to a warehouse, made me strip, took photos of me, and then tossed me this flimsy cotton gown. I was shoved into a room with about two dozen other teens. Most were girls, but there were some boys. A few appeared as though they’d been there a while. They were dirty and looked like they hadn’t eaten.

“We were told that we were being sent to Belarus. Most of us didn’t even know where that was, only that it wasn’t in America. I knew what fate had in store for me, so I made the mistake of trying to escape. The warehouse wasn’t near anything that I could see, but there were woods behind me. I thought I’d be safe running in that direction.

“I was wrong. There were guards everywhere. Dozens of them. They dragged me back to the warehouse and made an example of me to the others. They beat me, mostly with their fists, but didn’t miss an opportunity to touch me intimately.”

“Babe,” he frowned, holding her tightly.

“It’s alright. I don’t think much about it any longer. Once in a while, something makes me think of it. That man, when he grabbed my arm, made me think of it.” The thought of that gutted Jonas. Had he known, he would have been watching her more closely. He’d been a fool.

“My face was so swollen and bruised I could barely see. Several of the others tried to help me, give me water, but if they came near me, they were beaten.

“I’m not sure how long I was out, but I heard a lot of commotion and thought, this is it. They’re going to ship me off somewhere, and I’ll never be found. I knew my parents didn’t care. I figured I was dead either way.”

“But you weren’t,” he said softly. “You’re too good to die that way.”

“I don’t know about that,” she smiled. “But I do know that more than two dozen men were good enough to kill every man and woman who dared to touch us. I just remember this huge body looming over me as he knelt down. I could barely open my eyes, but he kept talking to me, telling me everything was going to be alright. I didn’t know at the time it was Wade, nor did I know that his father was Zulu.”

“That’s a formidable family tree,” grinned Jonas.

“Zulu knelt beside me as well. He asked me which man beat me. He gently raised me up to see the men against the wall. I pointed to them, and he kissed my forehead. He said, ‘I got this, honey. You can rest easy now.’ That was all I remembered. I woke up in the hospital here, and Riley, Gabi, and Gray were working on me.”

“That’s amazing,” said Jonas. “You were all so fortunate.”

“I was. So were the other kids. Most were returned to their families, but a few, including myself, stayed here. No one could find my parents. Mom had left our apartment and disappeared, and as I said, Dad was nowhere to be found. It was like they decided if I was gone, there wasn’t a reason to stay put. I had turned seventeen during my captivity, so I thought they would just let me be on my own. But Mama Irene and Claudette said, ‘no way.’”

“They are overpowering at times,” he laughed.

“I was never so relieved in my life. I was shown to a private room at the school, given a closet full of new, clean clothing, counseling with Bree and Ashley. It was amazing. I’d never been given so much in so little time in all my life. Suddenly, I was thriving. I’d always been a good student, but now I was excelling thanks to all these people.”

“Don’t discount your own spirit and intelligence, honey. You don’t just turn around from something like that without the right attitude. You’re fucking amazing,” he said, kissing her.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “I remember when I graduated, Wade and Hannah were in the front row, cheering me on along with Zulu, Gabi, and fifty other people. They paid for me to attend college, gave me living expenses, and then helped me to get into medical school. I owe them everything, Jonas. Everything.”

“I can understand that,” he nodded.

“I think I’m saying that because I don’t want to leave these people. They’re my family, my support system. I can’t imagine living without them. In the hospital I said I would leave, but honestly I can’t fathom the idea of walking away from the only family I’ve ever known. I care a great deal for you, and I see that you’re feeling the same. I just, well, I just want to make sure you understand how I feel about this place.”

Jonas nodded, smiling down at her as he pulled her onto his lap. He feathered kisses down her face, neck, and then back to her lips.

“Baby, I understand, and I’m right there with you. Maybe it’s my turn to tell my story.”

“Hold that thought,” she said, jumping up. “I think I need more coffee.”