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Hunt stood to his full height. “I didn’t know you owned it.”
“I bought it outright last year. I’m opening a second location in Blackrock Falls. I secured the location last month and the remodel starts in a couple weeks.”
Damn. Go, Cyn!“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve got a lot on your plate.”
“Yeah. And I need to hire a lawyer.”
That piqued his interest. “Why?”
“I don’t believe Rad hurt the baby. My sister . . . Yeah, I can see him losing his shit and killing her. But atiny little helpless baby . . .” Cyn shivered. “I want to be prepared to take custody of her.”
Something Cyn said last night crept to the front of his mind. “Why did you tell Angela not to put Rad’s name on the birth certificate?”
“Because she didn’t have to do it. Because if something happened, like she finally decided to leave him, he’d have to fight to get custody of Lana.”
He understood now. “One more roadblock to him doing that. He’d have to request a court-ordered DNA test.”
“He doesn’t have a lot of money. Lawyers cost a fortune. He’d be ordered to pay child support. I hoped he’d give up and eventually leave Angela alone to raise the baby. Angela could have worked for me at my salon. I could have helped support them.” Cyn sighed and her shoulders slumped, her gaze found his. “All this time, I begged her to let me help her. I had the will and the means to take care of her. All she had to do was get over her fear. I know that was asking a lot from someone who knew the consequences of leaving. The possibility and potential for even more violence.” She gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry to say, but this relationship may very well end with you saying goodbye to me through bars, because I really feel like I’m going to kill him.”
Hunt took her hand and pulled her around the desk and right into his arms. He hugged her close and pressed his cheek to her soft hair. “Then I’m going to do everything I can to bring him in myself. I don’t want to lose you and what’s just starting to get good between us.”
Cyn squeezed him tight. “Just find them for me. I don’t think I can live with not knowing what happenedto them.” She released him all at once and turned for the door and left him worried about her but also impressed with how well she was holding up under the immense circumstances. The woman had the strength and will of ten people.
He didn’t want to ever see her break.
So he got back to work, doing what he could and what she’d asked to find her sister and niece.
To help with that, he called in reinforcements for the search later today and someone in particular Cyn would be happy to see.
Chapter Eight
“What are you doing here so early in the morning?” Her mom stood smoking a cigarette in the kitchen. She leaned against the stove wearing a hot-pink baby doll nightie top and cotton polka-dot boy-short undies. The creases around her lips and eyes stood out as she took another drag off the cigarette and blew smoke to the nicotine-stained ceiling.
Cyn didn’t bother to acknowledge stepdad number three sitting at the table eating greasy eggs and sausage while he scrolled through iFunny on his phone. Ed would eventually head off to whatever job he’d be fired from next. Probably some job on a road crew or something in construction, judging by the worn jeans and bright orange T-shirt. Then her mom would have to come to her for “just a little something” to get them by until he found another job he’d suck at and lose.
“I came to talk about Angela and Lana.”
“I hope Angela’s behaving herself. She needs to take care of her man, not rile him up all the time.”
Cyn looked at Ed’s plate, remembered the one she’d made for Hunt this morning and thought,At least I’m doing a better job of taking care of my man than Mom.
“I don’t care if Angela served him dog food for breakfast, there’s no excuse for him hitting her. Ever.”
“Sometimes men are... demanding. Aggressive. Passionate about the things and women they want.” The appreciative glance she gave Ed made Cyn’s stomach roll.
Her mother had been in a few rough relationships. She liked to argue. She liked to be manhandled once in a while. Hell, the woman liked to poke at men just to see them snarl. But what she really liked was to watch them come at her with wild abandon to shut her up with one surefire way that always worked. Kinda. Because her mom liked to get loud during sex. She and Angela had fled the house more times than they could count because no child should have to endure that kind of raw and uncensored life experience.
She cringed at even the memories of it.
Ed, like all the other men her mom brought home, didn’t want any part of this family thing and headed back to the bedroom.
She wanted out of the smoke and this house.
“Mom. Please, sit down. What I have to tell you is... very difficult.”
