Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I swallow hard, nodding as I choke back the lump in my throat. “Yes…now that you’re here.”
He nods stiffly as if fighting back his own wave of emotion before pulling me into a crushing hug. His body is hard and unyielding against mine. We stand there, wrapped in each other, and for a moment—just a moment—all is right.
“Dragon,” I whisper against his chest.
His mere presence has brought about a sense of calm I didn’t realize I was craving, and his arms around me feel like home.
“I’m here, Diana,” he murmurs into my hair, his voice shaky but strong.
He sounds so real, so alive.
Griffin watches us with wide eyes as she clings to the door of the van, her skin pale. Her gaze flutters between Dragon and me before she finally lets out a sigh of relief.
“We made it,” she whispers to no one in particular.
We made it.
She and Dragon made it.
“Griffin,” Dragon says to her, “I’m going to take care of you. I should have found you long before now, but I’m going to take care of you and Bridget. No one will ever hurt either of you again.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Dragon
I stay with Griffin as she tells her story to the police.
Her blond hair is dirty and stringy, and she’s too thin. She looks underfed.
I stay by her side, and as she recounts how Sir, as she calls him, gave her to the cult, rage courses through me.
But I have to stay calm. If I’m going to be any help to my sister—and we truly don’t even know each other at this point—I must be strong and control my emotions.
Malcolm.
She remembers Sir’s name. Mack.
Griffin was only five years old, so she never knew his last name. Osborne.
Brother to my best friend, Ricky Osborne.
Was he the one who came into her room that night and cut her? The event that led to my abandonment by my family?
She doesn’t know.
She can’t remember.
And that’s okay.
She recalls only being taken from her home by Sir, whose real name was Mack. He didn’t hurt her at first, she says. He only hugged and kissed her and gave her baths where he touched her all over.
I want to kill him.
But when she grew up a bit…
The horrors unfold as she breaks down, and finally the detectives questioning her take pity on her.
“We can finish this another time, Ms. Locke.”
“Where’s Bridget?” Griffin asks.
“She’s in the custody of child services,” I tell her. “You’re her mother, so you can get her back.”
“Yes, and we’ll help in any way we can,” the detective says.
“And Sir?” she asks timidly.
“He left her,” I tell the detective. “He’s the one who’s been getting in touch with me. He called me and left me clues.”
“I guess he was finally ready to move on,” she says.
“You’re going to be okay now, Griffin,” I tell her. “You and Bridget both. We’ll get her back. And somehow, I’ll take care of both of you.”
“I knew I’d recognize you when I saw you again,” she says. “I’ll never forget those kind eyes of yours, Dragon.”
I smile and pat her hand. “Come with me. Diana and I will take you back to the house in Taos. You can get all your things, and tomorrow, we will get Bridget.”
“I’d like that,” she says.
“So you’re comfortable going with Mr. Locke here?” the detective asks.
“Of course I am.” She grabs my hand and squeezes it. “He’s my brother.”
“All right. If you’re sure, we will release you into his custody. You’re an adult, after all.”
“Do you even have any identification?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Probably not. I never learned to drive, and honestly, Dragon, I can hardly read. Neither can Bridget.”
“We can take care of that right away.”
She widens her eyes. “What if it’s too late?”
“It’s never too late to learn.”
I close my eyes. Think about everything my sister has been through. Abduction. Abuse. Rape. Having to bear a child when she herself was still a child. Being subjected to God knows what at the hands of this awful cult.
Fuck.
I could use a drink.
But now more than ever, I am staying sober. For my sister. For my niece. For Diana.
Most of all?
For myself.
To be the person I was meant to be. Griffin has a second chance now, and so do I.
It’s nearly ten p.m. by the time we get back to Taos, but Griffin insists on going by the house she shared with Sir. She wants to get her belongings. Then she’ll stay at the hotel with Diana and me, and tomorrow morning, we’ll go see about getting Bridget back.
Diana and I go with Griffin into the house. It’s run-down, as I expected. Old papers scattered all over in messy stacks. It reminds me of that television show about hoarders.
Griffin scrapes a few things together into a reusable grocery bag. “This is all I need,” she says.