The Break by Shayla Black

With her head a tangle, Raine allowed Beck and Seth to usher her upstairs. No idea why they were leading her this way. But unlike the informal chat in the kitchen minutes ago, the Dominant hum rolling off them didn’t exactly invite conversation.

Making their way down the long hall, Beck softly squeezed her elbow as he stopped in front of a closed door.

“This isn’t my room,” she pointed out.

Seth sent her an amused glance. “We know.”

Okay… They had to be bringing her here to begin the work now. Raine glanced at the portal. What awaited her on the other side wasn’t just important. It could change her life. She dragged in a deep breath.

Liam and Hammer had persuaded her to accept them as her Doms, and she understood now what that had cost them. Whether they meant to or not, they would teach her their expectations and wishes. She would learn—and maybe figure out how to be the right woman for them. If she succeeded, maybe she could have her castle-in-the-sky fantasy. And if not…she’d still be in a better place.

Seth opened the door, and with a jerk of his head, he silently instructed her to enter. As she did, a handful of candles illuminated the mostly empty room. Frowning, she squinted to adjust to the scant light.

There was no trace of luxurious furnishings, like inside the master suite, not even a lamp or chair, just two stark items: a mattress covered in a simple white sheet and a dark wooden St. Andrew’s Cross in the corner shaped in a giant X with several eye bolts attached to the sides at both top and bottom. Absently, she noticed a carved wooden box that nearly blended in with the carpet next to the cross. It looked benign enough, but knowing the two Doms she dealt with, it could contain almost anything.

The significance of her austere surroundings didn’t escape her. They didn’t want her distracted by anything. They could please or punish her at will. And they probably wanted her to rely on them for everything—food, comfort, companionship.

This room put her on notice. They meant business.

Turning slowly, she pinned Beck with a questioning gaze. Raine didn’t want to second-guess herself, but…could she really do this?

“They’re giving you what you asked for, princess,” Beck pointed out. “It’s yours for the taking. So are they, if you do this right.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered. “What if I fuck this up?”

“Language.” Seth scowled.

“Sorry, Sir.” She had to watch her tongue. “But you know what I mean.”

“Yep.” Beck pulled her closer and cupped her shoulders. “Princess, you can do this. You know what you want. You know the stakes. You have the strength.”

“We’ll be here after…if you need us,” Seth promised.

“Got it.” Raine nodded resolutely, trying to ignore the way her stomach flipped. “Thanks.”

“Good. Wait here. Don’t leave this room,” Beck commanded.

“Yes, Sir.”

He shut the door, leaving her very much alone. The temperature was as cold as the décor. The air blowing from the ceiling fan overhead caused the shadows cast by the candles to dance on the walls. She turned in a slow circle, studying the room. She saw no closet, no bathroom, no window, just a strangling quiet that poked at her anxiety.

Raine paced. The urge to run and hide swamped her. The insecurity pumping through her veins was uncomfortable but deeply familiar. And she was growing weary of being off-kilter, but she knew that wasn’t going away anytime soon. Above all, she had to stop fearing that she would never be what they wanted and start learning how she could be everything they needed.

As she nibbled on a ragged nail, the snick of the doorknob stopped her in her tracks. Spinning toward the sound, she held her breath. Her heart stuttered.

Hammer and Liam prowled into the room.

Let the games begin…

They eased the door closed in a whisper and stepped toward her, inches away. Almost in unison, they clasped their hands behind their backs and widened their stances as they squared their broad shoulders. Identical solemn expressions filled their stern faces. An absolute sense of their command rolled through the room, sliding over her body. Her breath caught. She shivered.

Her Doms—at least for now—were united.

“I’m glad—” Their lips tightened in displeasure, and she stopped in mid-sentence. Right… On your knees.

Raine swallowed tightly, then lowered herself to the carpet. Resting her backside on her heels, she drank in one last glimpse of the men she loved, then cast her gaze to the floor. Cool air swirled around Raine’s shoulders as the tips of four Italian loafers came into view. She waited, her entire body tense. Vulnerability and yearning washed over her. What did they see? What did they think? Why didn’t they say or do something? Despite all the worry and uncertainty, a joy she’d only ever experienced once, here at the lodge with Liam, resurfaced. The sense of rightness that seemed so familiar with them settled over her.

“Such a lovely sight,” Liam praised, trailing his fingers through her hair. “Thank you for remembering our instructions. You make us proud.”

“Very pretty, precious.” Hammer cupped her shoulder.

She drew in a relieved breath and smiled to herself. “Thank you, Sirs.”

Then Raine bit her lip. Was she supposed to speak? They’d never told her that she couldn’t, thank goodness. She wanted no part of Hammer’s ball gag.

“Welcome to your first task.” She heard the challenge in Hammer’s tone. “Lie on the mattress for us.”

Task?Her mind whirled with possibilities as she rose and padded to the bed, sliding onto her back and looking up at them. What would they expect her to do?

With a curious stare, she watched Liam ease down onto the mattress on her left, Hammer on her right. Both men watched her intently.

“Do you like your new room, precious?” Hammer asked.

He was joking, right?But since there wasn’t a hint of playful in his tone, she knew better.

“It’s… um, different from the bedroom you put me in after lunch, Sir.”

“I didn’t ask for a comparison,” Hammer pointed out. “I asked if you liked it.”

“Not really.” Raine saw the subtle shift of their expressions and hastily added, “Sir.”

Liam leaned closer. “Tell us why, love.”

She stared between them. Now that they loomed closer, their dominance pressed in, thick and overpowering. Raine could almost taste it. Her pussy fluttered. She sucked in an uneven breath.

“There’s almost nothing here, Sir,” she replied, shivering. “It’s bare.” And freezing.

“That it is.” Liam caressed her cheek.

“Are you moving me in here?” she asked.

Hammer shrugged. “That’s up to you.”

“This isn’t really a bedroom.” She frowned.

Liam nodded. “I converted and expanded a closet into a playroom for the two of us since we were last here. I intended to surprise you for Thanksgiving.”

Right on cue, guilt pelted her. And she’d screwed it all up by not communicating about dinner or asking his plans or… Raine winced. “I’m still sorry about that.”

“Not the point now.” Liam propped an arm over his bent knee. “We’ve moved most of the equipment out of the room for this exercise.”

Which explained why it was bare. “I understand, Sir.”

“You don’t yet, but you will,” Hammer vowed. “So it’s bare. Is that the only reason you don’t like it?”

“It’s chilly in here, too, Sir.”

It was December, after all. And unless she missed her guess, it would probably snow overnight. The room itself felt subarctic. Liam and Hammer wore suit coats, long-sleeved shirts, trousers, and shoes. They had her dancing around in a transparent nightie and a thong, damn it.

“Oh, so you’re cold?” Hammer’s tone both patronized and confused her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“A shame.” Liam added with an arch of his brow.

That’s all they have to say?Raine frowned, looking from one to the other. They stared back expectantly. What the hell were they waiting for?

Hammer gave her a superior smile, then a sudden gust of even colder air blasted her from above. Somehow, the ceiling fan began to spin faster. What in the world…? She glared at Macen. How had he done that?

Raine wrapped her arms around herself. “Can we turn the fan down, Sir? Or off?”

“Of course.” From his pocket, Hammer withdrew a remote and pointed it at the fan. It clicked off, then the blades wound down slowly until they stilled. Liam rose and made his way to the thermostat on the wall near the door. The moment he adjusted it, Raine felt warm air begin to seep from the vents. “Better, precious?”

“Getting there, Sir. Thank you.” Butthead.

“You’re welcome.” A roguish grin curled Hammer’s lips. Liam wore the same expression.

They were setting some sort of trap, waiting for her to open her mouth and put her foot in it. This cat-and-mouse game confused the hell out of her, but Raine was determined to figure it out and beat them.

“So what do you need me to do for this task, Sirs?” she asked, wishing they’d let her sit up. Looking at them hovered above her only made her feel at a disadvantage. Then again, that was by design, no doubt.

“We’ll get to that, love,” Liam assured. “So you’re comfortable now?”

Damn it, they knew the heater would take a few minutes to warm the room. Their little smirks told her that. Why didn’t they offer her a blanket to help warm her? Was she supposed to learn something from discomfort? She was more likely to focus if she wasn’t shivering, and this was too important to mess up.

“Actually, could I have a blanket and some socks, please?”

Proud smiles stretched across their faces at once.

“Absolutely,” Hammer praised. “I’ll be right back.”

As Macen left the room, Liam edged closer. “All you had to do was ask.”

But if they knew she was cold, why didn’t they just give her a way to fix it? Unless… Hell, they wanted her to say it. They wanted her to communicate.

And she could just guess what they’d “work” on for the rest of the evening.

Oh, shit. She was doomed.

Raine turned on her side, curling into the fetal position, and faced Liam. No. Somehow, she had to get over this hurdle. In order for them to take another step with her, they must believe she could give them more than Juliet. They had to trust they weren’t headed for tragedy again. She had to open her head or give up the desire to be with them both.

What’s it going to be?she asked herself.

No contest.

“You want me to communicate, don’t you?” she whispered, looking up at him.

Liam sent her a wry glance. “I’ve been wanting that for weeks now, Raine. But I think I’ve made that plain.”

He had. She just hadn’t wanted to understand the importance of spilling her guts. But knowing about Juliet now… Lack of communication could tear them apart, and Raine knew she was the only one who could prevent it.

“I know, Sir. I’m sorry.”

Before he could reply, Hammer returned with a soft cotton blanket draped over his arm and a pair of fuzzy black socks in his hand. He bent and drew the blanket over her before kneeling at the foot of the bed. Liam joined him, and together they slid the warm socks over her icy feet.

“Is there anything else you need?” Hammer asked, his warm hand lingering on the back of her calf for several long seconds.

“No, thank you, Sir.”

Liam trailed his wide palm along her thigh. She warmed at first, then melted a little.

Then he turned to Hammer. “She’s figured it out, mate.”

“Good.” Hammer looked incredibly pleased. “I knew it wouldn’t take long. Are you warmer now?”

“I am. Thank you.”

“Glad to hear it. Let’s begin.”

They hadn’t yet? From the anticipation on their faces, she guessed not. Her tummy knotted. “I’m ready, Sirs.”

“Stand up, love,” Liam instructed.

Raine did, biting her lip as she watched them walk toward the tall wooden cross.

“Strip and come to us, precious,” Hammer ordered. “You can leave the socks on if you’d like.”

Questions swirled through her brain. They’d centered this task around communication, so she would have to talk. That probably meant she would have to give them some painful truths before they rewarded her with their touch.

Shoving down her tinges of disquiet, Raine dropped the blanket and pulled at the silky ribbon tying the baby-doll together just under her breasts. The sheer fabric parted. She shrugged it off her shoulders, letting it caress her arms before it pooled on the floor. Cool air brushed her nipples. A quiver of anticipation sailed up her spine. Her thong turned damp, and she peeled it off, tossing it aside. She’d warmed enough to ditch the socks. Not an inch of her remained hidden. Raw and hungry, Liam’s and Hammer’s hot stares scraped over her flesh.

The sense of her utter nudity filled her, making her aware of every breath, every heartbeat, every step as she crossed the room.

Neither said a word as Liam clutched her shoulders and pressed her back against the cool, glossy cross. It towered over her. The wooden slabs intersected beneath her shoulder blades.

She trembled as Hammer bent to the box on the floor and pulled four fleece-lined cuffs free. He tossed two of them to Liam. In silence, they bound her wrists and ankles, surrounding them in softness. Then they worked in tandem, attaching long, slender carbiner clips to her cuffs before aligning her with the cross and securing her to the lowest eyebolts. She had to stretch her legs a bit wide to reach.

Liam smiled. “You’re such a wee thing.”

Raine frowned up at him. “Hey, I’m over five feet tall, thank you.”

Hammer trailed his fingers down the sensitive flesh under her arm. “By a whole quarter of an inch.”

She huffed. “Half inch—and it’s an important half inch.”

“That it is.” Liam brushed a kiss over her lips. “I hope to have the chance to feel every inch of you again.”

“So do I.” Hammer nipped at her ear.

Her breath caught. If she’d been wearing panties, they would have melted. Though they’d just affixed her to the cross, Raine wondered how much more sensual torture she could endure before she screamed. She’d almost rather talk.

“Now that you’re strung up nice and pretty, we’re going to ask you some questions,” Liam instructed. “You’ll answer every damn one of them, too.”

That made her nervous; Hammer was usually the more demanding of the two.

“We’ll give you a choice. We can do this the easy way…” He looked in Liam’s direction.

With a grin, Liam bent to her breast and licked one nipple with a teasing flick, then sucked the bud deep into his mouth. She felt the jolt all the way to her clit and gasped in a startled breath.

“Or we can do this the hard way.” Hammer gave her a tight smile and bent to the wooden box again, withdrawing a TENS unit.

Her eyes went wide. She’d seen a sub jolt and twist and scream attached to the electrical device. She’d also seen them moan and beg and come. Everything depended on where the electrodes were attached and how intense the Dom made the impulses. Raine didn’t have many illusions; Hammer didn’t know her body exactly, but he knew what to do with the unit itself. It wouldn’t take him long to figure out how to get the reaction he wanted.

Macen left the room for a brief second and returned with a folding chair, which he opened directly beside her. But he didn’t sit, just set the device on the padded seat, within easy reach. He attached one pad to her bare pubic bone, then another right on top of her clit. As he turned the thing on, she tensed, but still couldn’t precisely brace for the tingling jolt that crept across her skin and up her nerve endings. Logically, stimulation there should give her pleasure. This felt like a whole bunch of ants crawling where they didn’t belong.

Raine tossed her head back and clenched her fists. “Shit!”

“Tsk, tsk, love. We haven’t even started and your mouth has turned foul. I won’t have it.” Liam slapped her thigh. “Hammer?”

“On it.” He turned the device down to something bearable. Just as she took a deep breath, he turned it back up, a smidge higher than before. “What’s it going to be?”

“Sorry, Sir,” she managed to say. “It slipped out. Please turn it down.”

They stared at her, watching her writhe for a long moment before Hammer slowly reached for the unit and turned it off. “You’re aware of your two choices?”

“Very much, Sir.”

“Excellent. Because we can do this all night long.” His superior smile looked every bit smug. “Your safe word?”

She turned her gaze to Liam. He knew it, but clearly he meant to make her say it aloud. “Paris.”

“Duly noted.” Hammer’s fingers hovered over the dials on the TENS unit, as if he just waited for the opportunity to light her up again.

“Did you have a favorite teacher in school?” Liam asked.

Raine frowned. She’d run away. When she’d returned, she’d given them a pronouncement she thought was life altering: She wanted to learn to open herself to them. And this is what they wanted to know? “Um…yeah. Third grade. Mrs. Denton.”

Hammer rewarded her with a caress of her breast, a thumb across her nipple, and a hot kiss just below her ear. “Are you comfortable having Beck and Seth here with us?”

“Yes, Sir,” she managed to answer, despite the distraction. “They’re easy to talk to.”

“Why?” Liam caressed his way up her thigh, then glided his fingertips along the cheek of her ass.

“Because…” Focusing with their hands caressing her bare skin was more than a little challenging. “They don’t have any expectations. They just listen and offer advice.”

“You’re doing a fine job, Raine.” Liam bent to her nipple and took one in his mouth.

As he sucked hard, Hammer toyed with the other. “What’s your favorite ice cream?”

“Caramel Caribou.”

Liam frowned, backing away to stare at her. “What the devil is that?”

“Another necessity to have on hand for that time of the month,” Hammer teased. “After the migraine, she turns into a sugar fiend.”

“That’s not true,” she protested.

“Oh, it’s not?” Hammer reached for the TENS unit.

“Okay, maybe so,” Raine rushed to say. “Yes, I like ice cream then, Sir.”

Hammer chuckled and his hand drifted away from the device. “Tell him what’s in it.”

“It’s toffee ice cream with caramel cups and ribbons. There’s a chocolate flavor, too.” She sighed.

“That’s right, precious.” He looked at Liam. “Another favorite of hers.”

“Would you rather have ice cream now or…” Liam brushed his fingertip up the insides of her thigh, caressing into her folds before easing two fingers inside her. “This?”

Raine swallowed back a gasp. “Definitely this.”

Hammer chuckled. “Right answer.”

She basked in pleasure, then Hammer added to it, pressing himself against her chest and looking straight into her eyes before he took her mouth, demanding everything clear down to her soul.

When Liam rubbed at a sensitive spot inside her, Hammer swallowed her moan.

Liam eased his fingers deeper. “Are you wet for us, love?”

With a last peck, Hammer lifted from the kiss and braced his elbow on the cross above her, still watching her intently. “Yes or no?”

Raine wanted to point out that Liam had his fingers up her pussy, so he’d be the first to know. Just a guess, but a flippant response would only halt the bliss they’d been heaping on her, and Hammer would turn the TENS unit on again. She hated feeling like ants crawled in her cooch.

“Yes,” she admitted. “I have been since you first put me in the car. I’ve wanted you two all day.”

“Lovely answer,” Liam crooned. “Even more than we asked for.”

“So good, precious.” Hammer bent to scrape his teeth over her nipple. A flash of pain mellowed quickly and coalesced into a pleasurable hum.

Liam circled against the sensitive spot high and deep inside her. “We’re talking. It’s not terribly painful now, is it?”

Answering—hell, speaking at all—was becoming difficult. Desire gnawed at her, stealing breath, robbing thought. Raine wanted nothing more than to melt against them, beg, do anything to keep these sensations coming.

“No, Sir. It’s heaven.”

The smirk rolling across Hammer’s face was her only warning that her task was about to become much harder. “Why did you give your virginity to Zak?”

Raine jolted. Liam withdrew, and they both stepped back. There it was, the blindside. This was the same damn game Liam had played with her last time she’d come to the lodge, but instead of punishing her with pickles, they’d devised something more physical and sinister.

Blurting the answer to this question opened up that vulnerable place inside of her that always made her want to shrink back and hide, but she had zero doubt that if she didn’t at least try to get it out, they would not only turn that little dial and make her suffer, but she’d fail them.

“To get your attention,” she admitted.

Hammer neither rewarded nor punished—yet. “You had it. I saw you every day. We talked about school, work, your friends, the club. I answered questions, ate meals with you, took you shopping. You had most of my attention.”

Looking back over those years, Raine realized Hammer was right. “That’s not what I meant. You spent every day with me, yes.” She bit her lip. Now, it was going to get painful. “You spent every night with someone else.”

“You were barely eighteen, Raine.”

“But I was eighteen, a legal adult. I was tired of you treating me like a child. I thought having sex would prove to you that I wasn’t a kid. I didn’t think you wanted my virginity.”

“I would have killed for it.”

The gravity in his tone quieted her. She’d done something she deeply regretted, and it had hurt him. What if she’d learned to communicate years ago? “If I had told you that I wanted to give it to you then…?”

“You never made me that offer, so we’ll never know what I would have done. Did Zak make you feel special and treasured that night?”

Damn it, he knew the answer to this question. Regret poured hot through her. The shame she’d felt that night scalded its way inside her veins again, black, ugly, devastating. “You know he treated me like trash.”

“Because he was a player. And an asshole. I banned him from Shadows after I beat the fuck out of him.”

“So you tried to manipulate Hammer into giving you what you wanted instead of communicating?” Liam questioned. “Sex was the last thing your fragile heart needed at the time, but you took matters into your own hands and had a terrible experience. Do I have that right?”

Humiliation scraped at her as fat tears burned her cheeks. “Yes. But I didn’t know what to do. Growing up, anything I made the mistake of admitting I wanted was immediately taken away, destroyed, or killed. If I didn’t want any more broken CDs or dead puppies, I had to keep my mouth shut. In my head, if I told Hammer how I felt, he’d only spurn me. Or worse, kick me out and never speak to me again.”

Both men stood staring at her for a long, silent moment, as if absorbing her words. Then they moved in quickly, surrounding her, their hands and lips soothing her freshly opened wounds. Hammer kissed away her tears, his broad fingers stroking her hair, offering comfort. Liam enveloped her and tilted his head to capture her lips and swallow her sobs. When he lifted away, he gripped her so tenderly, as if trying to keep her from shattering in his hands.

“I would never have cast you aside, sweet girl,” Hammer breathed as he caught her gaze in his. “You’re the most precious gift life has ever given me. I may not have shown it, but I’ve treasured every single day you’ve been with me.”

She saw love in his eyes. It was there, just like Beck had sworn. At that moment, it didn’t matter if Hammer could say the words or not, she saw it, felt it, drank it in, and filled herself with every ounce of it.

How many years had she convinced herself that he didn’t care? How many ways had she tried to coerce his affection because she simply hadn’t asked? So much wasted time, energy, and heartache. It was too late to change the past. All she could do was move forward, knowing she had his love now. And that if she wanted to keep this connection growing, they had to talk.

Liam’s soft lips peppered her cheeks, her nose, her mouth. Looking into his gentle brown eyes, Raine saw compassion and devotion reflected back at her. He had never stopped believing in her, never stopped trying to open her up, never stopped steeping her in his love.

She didn’t know how it was possible, but Raine was falling even more for these men.

“You’re doing beautifully,” Liam murmured. “We’ve got you. You’re safe. Keep being brave. We’re not going anywhere.”

She sniffed and nodded as he reached up and wiped her tears with his broad thumb.

“We’re so proud of you,” Hammer added. “We know this isn’t easy. It’s hard for us at times, too. But until we open all the wounds and purge what’s inside, we can’t begin to help you heal them.”

“I know.” Raine nodded as she slumped against the cross. She had to dig through the past if she was going to embrace her future. Now that she knew she could draw strength from their unwavering tenderness and understanding, she could go on.

Liam traced his fingertips over her lips. Gazing into her eyes, Raine could see something heavy weighed on his mind. Remembering all the ways she’d dodged his questions in the past, whatever he was about to ask, she owed him nothing but honesty now.

“When I brought you here the first time, we talked about your father. Or rather, I asked and you gave me an abbreviated version of events that basically told me almost nothing. If you’d given me the whole truth, I would have understood you better. I could have helped you more. But you tied my hands with your silence.”

“I didn’t know how to give up my control or let down my walls, Sir. I’m trying to learn now. Saying I’m sorry isn’t enough, but that’s all I can say.”

“I don’t understand, Raine. Why did you hide the truth? I was listening. You had to know I wouldn’t punish you for being honest.” Confusion furrowed his brow. “If I’d known the truth, we might not be here having this bloody inquisition. Tell me why you kept it in.”

His words drowned her in guilt. She seemed to be a never-ending pool of it today, as they pointed out all the ways she’d screwed up and she had to take responsibility. But she couldn’t let the shame she’d dragged around like an anvil for years take her under for good.

She could give Liam excuses—she had plenty—things like she hadn’t known him that well at the time or she hadn’t realized that he’d been so serious about helping her. But they were lame and pointless and would only get in the way.

Instead, Raine fought for a ragged breath and returned his stare as regret poured from her. “I was afraid to be that vulnerable to you. My father took my power from me. Anything he knew I liked or wanted, he made sure I never got. Then he would crawl into my head and tell me all the ways I wasn’t good enough for those things. He manipulated me and he crushed me.” Tears fell, and she had to force herself to whisper, “I wasn’t strong enough to stop him.”

God, she was so afraid to hear either of them agree with that.

“Stop. I need a minute. I can’t…” She turned her head away. “You know my most hurtful secret and…”

“Stay with us, precious. Are you worried you’re still not strong enough?” Hammer asked, nearly pressing his face to hers. “Or did beating the shit out of him change that?”

Raine choked back a sob. She even hated the tears running silently down her face. More weakness. But if they were going to spend this much energy helping her, she owed them the ugly truth.

“In the moment, I felt so strong. I’d let what he said roll off my back. I’d vanquished him and made him bleed for a change. Then…” She sagged on the cross as a sob took her. “Beck drove me to the beach, and I realized his insults were coiled up in my brain. I thought I’d taken the head off the snake, but I could still hear him hiss. I worry I’ll never be strong enough to block him out.”

No one moved for a long moment, then Liam and Hammer rushed to unfasten her cuffs from the cross, as if they couldn’t get her down fast enough. Macen peeled away the pads of the TENS unit. Was this it? Had her ugliest truth finally broken their will?

She risked a peek at Liam. Heartbreak was all over his face as he gathered her in his arms and carried her gently to the bed. Hammer followed close behind, sorrow etched into his expression. Almost as one, they melted to the mattress on their knees.

Liam settled her on her back. His fingers shook as he cupped her face and kissed every tear away. “We’ve got you, love. I’m so sorry for all that monster put you through, but he can’t hurt you now—or ever again. Even if you don’t believe it, you’re too strong to let him. He may have taught you to expect the worst in others, but we will always be here. I’ll always protect you. And if I get the chance, I’ll fucking slice the bastard. I’ll make him bleed.”

“You can’t. He’s dangerous. I don’t want him near either of you. Somehow, he knows where I’ve been all these years. He told me—”

“It doesn’t matter if he knows where to find you.” Hammer stretched out behind her, stroking her with such uncharacteristic tenderness. “If he ever comes near you again, he’s a dead man. That’s a promise.”

“That it is, my brave, beautiful lass.” Liam brought her head to his chest. “Don’t worry about us. Just let it out and know that I love you. I’m amazed by the way you’ve carried on so well for so long.”

“I haven’t. That’s why we’re here.” She sobbed.

“Give yourself a bit of credit. You’ve been through more than most, Raine,” Liam whispered. “I saw what you endured. The brutality of it blindsided me. Getting flattened by a truck would have been easier, I think. I can only imagine how you felt. I truly wish I’d known sooner so I could have helped you.”

On the one hand, Raine completely saw Liam’s point. Maybe if she’d told him everything earlier, she could have started healing and saved them all so much pain. But the more important he’d become to her, the more frightened she’d been to be vulnerable with him. On the other hand, how could he know the extent of her father’s cruelty?

She froze. “What do you mean, you saw it?”

Hammer exhaled heavily, then eased back. Something—guilt, maybe, or regret—flashed across his strong face. “There’s something I should tell you. You wouldn’t allow me to call the police after I’d found you. But I needed ammunition against Bill in case he came back for you.”

Raine’s heart drummed in her chest. “And?”

“I was worried about you. All those bruises, the gash in your lip… Hell, I didn’t know whether or not he’d broken your damn eye socket.” As he spoke, he turned both angry and ashen. “I called Beck into your room after you fell asleep. He checked you over to make sure nothing was broken before we could get you to the hospital that next morning. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do, but while we were there, I took pictures of everything that prick had done to you.” He hesitated. “I showed them to Liam when you went missing.”

Raine felt as if he’d yanked the floor out from under her. She fought and struggled, elbowing wildly until she sat up and scurried back, staring at Hammer in horror. “You took pictures? And kept them for all these years?” She swung her gaze to Liam. “You saw them?”

Liam nodded solemnly. “It’s all right.”

“The hell it is!” She jumped to her feet and glared at Hammer. “You betrayed my trust and didn’t tell me for six fucking years?”

He leaned in and grabbed her wrist, tumbling her back down flat on her back between them. “Watch your goddamn mouth. I took them to protect you, so I’d have something to show the police if they ever came knocking. They’ve been sitting in my safe all this time, and I only showed Liam because one of us needed to reach you. If it wasn’t me, then he needed to know what demons you were fighting. Blame me and hate me all you want. It doesn’t change what I did. I’d make the same choice again.”

Something between sincerity and determination filled his face. Raine closed her eyes. Logically, she saw his point, but that didn’t make her ache less. “I didn’t want anyone to see me like that. I wanted you to forget. I didn’t ever want Liam to know.” She tried to curl up into a ball and hide her face. “It’s the reason I wandered the streets for two days before you found me. The second anyone saw me, I ran. By the time you discovered me, I was in so much pain. I meant to leave the next day, but…” Together, he and Liam held her down, not letting her hide. Feeling like that scared girl again, stripped and defeated, she stopped struggling. “Can I be alone?”

“No, precious. I will never forget, and whether you wanted Liam to know or not, he deserves all your truths. The good. The bad. The ugly. Didn’t he already make that point with you?”

Yes, he had. Raine couldn’t do more than nod.

“It’s not going to make him love you less, but until you start believing that, you will always want to curl up, close off, and hide. We’re not going to allow that anymore.” Hammer’s voice was calm but stern.

“Exactly. You’ll not be squirming away from my questions ever again,” Liam vowed. “And I’m not giving up on you. If you’re still thinking that, don’t.”

“Besides, the truth is out and see?” Hammer said. “We’re still here. We think you’re fierce, a survivor. We’re fucking not walking away. Neither are you.”

She’d walked into this task knowing she had to learn to tell them everything. She couldn’t do that if she hid. “No, I’m not. I’m sorry. Stay…”

Liam rubbed a soothing palm on the small of her back. “Good. I don’t think you grasp yet how much you mean to us. Whatever happens when this is over, don’t think for one minute that you’re not treasured by us both. I never expected to fall for you, Raine. I just wanted to help you along, but you surprised me and stole my heart. Now…” He paused. “There’s nothing you could ever say or do to change that.”

They were forcing her to be cuttingly honest, but they were also giving her their truths. It was costing them to admit their secrets and feelings. They’d both been so reassuring and giving—and far more understanding that she’d ever expected. “I needed to hear that. Will you both kiss me?”