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“Wait until you know the whole story,” Caleb muttered.
Noah took a deep breath. “I guess we can’t disappoint our guest, Cal. It’s not every day we have a princess over for dinner.”
Irene’s pale cheeks blushed a bright pink. She looked very pleased with herself as she went back to sit on the couch again.
Noah slung an arm around Caleb and steered him out of the room.
For now, he only thought of Irene as a normal kid we picked up somewhere. This was the first time I saw him being kind to a stranger. Noah hid his heart so well before the world.
“I’ll back in a minute,” I told Irene. “I’ll run a bath and then, we’ll get you cleaned up.”
“Okay.” She stayed still but looked absolutely at ease.
She’s so obedient, I thought, walking inside the bathroom.
Away from Irene and everyone else, I took a moment for myself. A part of me was still reeling from the sight of the wrecked car and the two dead men inside it.
I need to lock it all away, I decided, forcing myself to turn on the tap to fill the bathtub.There were far more important things to consider at the moment than a pair of child abusers.
Bringing Irene home was like inviting the devil into our home. As soon as Nick knew where she was, he’d waste no time in coming here.
Walking out of the bathroom, I found Irene sitting in the same place I left her. She’d said her parents were dead. Did that mean Nick was her only guardian?
Was her obedience ingrained in her since she was younger? Was that the reason she was able to attack her kidnappers with such precise, lethal stabs?
My uncle taught me, her words rang in my mind.
I cringed at the thought of a ruthless mobster being in charge of such a young, sweet girl. He’d already turned her into a killer and she wasn’t even ten years old yet.
Even though she was behaving well, Irene was probably traumatized by the incident.
She’d been alone and crying. The road wasn’t too far from the woods where we found her but she didn’t have the mental presence to go out there and ask a passing car for help.
Pity welled up inside me. An overwhelming urge to hug her tight against me came over me.
Moving forward, I gently took her hand and helped her off the couch.
“The bath’s ready,” I said, trying to suppress the protectiveness I felt for her. “Come on.”
She followed me into the brightly-lit bathroom.
Her gaze swung all over the room, taking in everything.
“It smells nice here,” she said, looking up at me.
“I’m glad you like my choice of soaps and shampoos,” I said with a chuckle. “My choice hasn’t changed much since I was your age, I guess. I love fruity scents like apples and raspberries.”
She did a little hop and smiled toothily. “Me too!”
That’s when I noticed a few front teeth missing. They made her smile cuter and more heartwarming.
“Let’s take off your dress,” I said, kneeling before her.
“It’s completely ruined,” she said in such a dramatic, exasperated tone that it was difficult to keep a straight face.
“I’ll throw it out, then,” I said in a serious voice. “Caleb and Noah will get us new dresses real soon. Why hold onto a crappy old dress when you can wear a new one?”
“They are so handsome,” she said sweetly. “And you’re so pretty. I have never seen such beautiful people.”
