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So let me start at the beginning.
Your father and I were madly in love. When we married, I knew I had to accept who his family was. And that’s the thing, your father was nothing like them.
Your grandfather and grandmother were horrible people. They swindled people out of money with theirschemes, which is what eventually led them to prison time. They both died while behind bars.
Your father was always a good man. Always trying to do right by everyone. His twin was the devil incarnate. Yes, you have an uncle. David is his name.
I continue reading about my uncle and his run-in with the law and how my father bailed him out so many times. How David was always trying to bring my father into his illegal business dealings. But my father always refused.
Rory, your father couldn’t take it anymore. When we found out we were pregnant with you, well, he knew he had to raise you in a safe environment. He didn’t want you anywhere near his family.
While you were growing inside me, your uncle came to him with this idea of using your father to design a casino. On the front, it looked fine. Like a normal casino. But your father wasn’t licensed yet. He would have had to forge documents and provide drawings that could get him in serious trouble. Not to mention the illegal activities that would have been going on there. No, your father didn’t want to play a single role in all that.
So, we did what we thought was right. Your uncle was a bad man. His connections went deep. We weren’t safe. We went to the Feds. We entered Witness Protection. We became the Dawsons.
Your father had to give up his dream of becoming an architect, and instead he started working at a mechanics shop. With the help of the FBI, we got our lives back on track. Everything went the way it should have with the bad guys being put away. We even decided to come out of Witness Protection. And that was the worst decision we could have made.
It’s what I now know got your father killed. And yes, the accident wasn’t an accident. I only learned that too late.
Rory, don’t trust Aaron. I caught a conversation he was having in his home office with David. It was the first time I realized that all of this was a lie. I am so scared, Rory.
You need to get a hold of Agent William Thacker. You will find his contact information at the end of this letter. Tell him what I just told you. Let him get you to safety.
Rory, I wish I had convinced your dad to not take us out of Witness Protection. We got comfortable, too comfortable. We lost him because of it. And of course, I got us into this mess.
Please, when you get this letter, don’t let anyone see. Go see Agent Thacker. I don’t know where I’ll be, but don’t worry about me. Let him know everything I put in this letter. Just get to safety.
I love you, Rory. I will do everything I can to get back to you. I promise. You are my world, sweetheart.
Love Always,
Mom
“Princess? You okay?” Xayden asks. I look up through my tears and see him and the other two slowly approaching me.
I sniffle and wipe my eyes. “No.”
“Hey, hey. Just let it out.” Seven plops down next to me and pulls me into him. I let out a sob as he tugs me into his chest.
The cushion next to me dips, and I feel a hand on my back. “Shh, Angel,” Dekker says sweetly, soothing me.
I pull back from Seven and see Xayden sitting in front of me. His hands fall to my knees as he grips them tight. “Do you want to talk about what was in that letter?”
Wiping the tears from my eyes, I clear my throat and nod. “We know some of the stuff that was in there. David, Aaron, and the Witness Protection. But she was trying to get me to safety.She apparently was going to mail this and send it to me at some point. She included an agent I should have contacted to let them know what was going on.”
“And she didn’t,” Seven adds.
I shake my head. “No. I have no idea when this was written, but it had to be before Aaron took her and kept her hidden. So, she was never able to send this out. She never made it back to me.”
Tears fall from my eyes down my cheeks.
“Princess?” Xayden’s thumb and index finger grab my chin as he slowly moves my face to meet his. “She did everything she could to protect you.”
“But she’s not here,” I choke out.
“Not physically, no, but she is,” Dekker says as he kisses the top of my head.
“She’s always with you, Firefly.” Seven rubs my back in circles.