Triple Beat-nook(48)

Dani laughed. “What are you? Twelve?”

“Hey,” Jett protested. “It’s research. For my next book. I’ll call you later.”

Aiden reached out to place a hand on Jett’s shoulder. “Thanks for everything, man.”

Jett shrugged. “You guys did the heavy lifting. Wish I could have punched the f*ck out of that *. Sort of jealous.” He looked at Bryson. “You kick the door in?”

Bryson nodded.

Jett shook his head in obvious awe. “I’m putting that move in my next book too.”

Bryson rolled his eyes. “Do me a favor. Call Dani tomorrow. We’re putting her to bed as soon as we get back to the penthouse.”

Jett winked at her, then bid his goodbyes.

“I want to go home,” she said, the adrenaline of the last few hours giving way to exhaustion.

“Okay. I’ll call Blake and see if the statement can wait until morning. We asked the taxi driver to wait,” Aiden said. “We can be back at the penthouse in fifteen minutes.”

Dani shook her head. “No. Home. Nashville. With you guys.”

Bryson kissed her on the cheek. “That sounds damn good to me.”





Chapter Eight


Dani opened her eyes, blinking in the darkness, struggling to figure out where she was.

“You okay, bird?”

She looked to her left to find Bryson lying next to her. “What time is it?”

Bryson glanced toward the nightstand. “A little after one. You fell asleep in the cab on the way back from the police station.”

Dani hadn’t wanted to wait until morning to talk to Blake because it would simply slow down her return home. Now that she had Nashville in her sights, she was anxious to get there.

“How did I get up here?”

Aiden’s arm snaked around her waist as he spooned her. “Bryson carried you.”

She grinned. “Damn. Sorry I missed that. Sounds kinda hot.”

Bryson patted her hip playfully. “For you, maybe. You may want to cut back on those beignets for a while.”

She laughed at his joke, punching him lightly on the arm. “Asshole.”

Aiden didn’t join in the laughter. Instead, he tightened his grip on her. Dani sensed he was still struggling with some latent fear over what they’d faced. She felt the same way.

“You ready to talk about it?” Aiden asked.

Dani was confused. “You guys were in the room when I gave my statement. You know what happened.”

“I mean before. When you were a girl. Why didn’t you ever tell us, Dani?”

Dani bit her lip. She’d kept quiet about it because she’d been ashamed. Jett had told her that was the wrong emotion to feel, but that didn’t make it go away.

However, now, after confronting her father, her fears and the words came much easier. The whole story tumbled out. Every single sordid second of it. From her mother’s death to her father’s drinking problem, the abuse and the details of the first night he’d tried to rape her and his threats at the prison.

And then she talked about life at the Lewis house and when she’d come downstairs to find her guitar under the Christmas tree. She told them about her father’s release and how she’d run away, how Stella had saved her.

Bryson and Aiden listened as she talked, asking questions, laughing with her. Once, she even saw Bryson trying to covertly wipe a tear.

“I’m sorry I never told you any of this,” she said at last.

“Why didn’t you?” Aiden asked.

“I was embarrassed. Ashamed. I know it’s stupid, but for a long time, I felt like maybe I’d done something wrong. I knew he was dangerous. I should have locked my bedroom door. Should have asked for help. Should have done…something.”

Aiden clasped her face tightly in his hands, forcing her to hold his gaze. “You were fifteen years old. He was the adult. Your father, for God’s sake. It was his job to protect you. You didn’t do a damn thing wrong. You got it?”

“I do now. Honest. I was young when I left. The emotions tied up in all of this…” she struggled for a word to describe it, then settled on the only one that worked, “shit were immature. The fears and reasoning of a teenage girl. I know they weren’t rational, but they were all I could remember.”

Bryson had been holding her hand throughout her tale. He lifted it, his lips brushing her knuckles. “You were incredible in that apartment today, Dani. The way you confronted him, told him off. Jesus. I never saw anything so brave, so f*cking awesome.”