Page 16 of Fatal Intent

His arms tightened around her. “Tell me what happened.”

Where did she start? Rayne held tighter to Grant, absorbing his heat and comfort and praying this wasn’t the last time she’d have that privilege. “I grew up in a wealthy family. My parents were very popular in our town, organizing charitable events and contributing to the causes they promoted. They were the town darlings.”

Grant cupped Rayne’s nape, and somehow with that single touch, she could breathe easier and continue her sad tale. “From the outside, our home looked like the perfect family. A loving father and leader, a multi-talented and gorgeous homemaker who was the envy of every husband in town, and their daughter, a rising gymnastics star with perfect grades and attendance at school.

He kissed her temple. “And behind closed doors?”

“My father was a tyrant who abused me and my mother verbally and physically from the year I turned seven years old.”

Grant stiffened. “Did he molest you?”

She shuddered, grateful she’d been spared that trauma. The rest was enough to handle. “No.”

“What happened when you were seven to start his reign of terror?”

“Our town elected him as mayor. Mom made excuses for his behavior, saying he was under a lot of pressure at work, that he didn’t mean to hurt us. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the same speech as she put ice packs on different places on mybody. Of course, none of the bruises were ever where you could see them. Dad was careful to ensure nothing would show. He didn’t want to answer for his actions. Mom and I were so afraid of him that he never worried that we would tell someone.”

Rayne swallowed hard, nausea swirling in her stomach. “As Dad’s ambitions for political office rose, his abuse became more frequent.”

“How did you hide the bruises when you were practicing for and competing in gymnastics competitions?”

“Dad was really clever about the abuse. When I had a competition coming up, he’d shift all of his abuse to Mom. After the competitions, though, he came after me for every minor infraction.”

“Your mother never tried to protect you, did she?”

Rayne shook her head, pushing down the resentment she still carried over her mother’s lack of action. “To be fair, Mom tried the first few times, but she soon learned the more she protested and protected me or herself, the worse the situation grew. Dad accused her of not respecting him. What kind of husband and father would people see if they knew Mom didn’t treat him like a good wife should? I didn’t know it then, but my mother was the stereotypical abuse victim. She decided we deserved the punishment. If we did exactly as he said, things would be fine.”

“But he always found a reason to punish you both, didn’t he?”

“Of course. We were never good enough for him. He wanted us to be perfect.”

Grant grunted. “How far did he want to go in politics?”

“He filed the paperwork to run for an open senatorial seat the week before he died.”

“How did he die?”

Rayne remained silent for a beat, then said, “I killed him.”

CHAPTER FIVE

GRANT’S GUT TIGHTENEDinto a knot. He’d known whatever happened to Rayne was horrendous, but this? His eyes burned. Man, she should never have had to face this, especially alone. How did she trust anyone after such a horrible past?

He captured her chin in his palm and raised her face to his. Grant pressed a light kiss to her lips, and murmured, “Look at me. Please.”

She finally did as he asked and locked her gaze with his.

“Listen to me carefully, Rayne. Ready?”

The woman in his arms paled but gave a slight nod.

“I’m proud of you.”

Rayne froze. “Proud? I tell you I killed a man and you’re proud of me? Why aren’t you horrified to be working with a stone-cold murderer?”

“I know you. You’re not a cold-blooded killer. If you felt it necessary to kill your father, you did it to save your own life or that of your mother. Am I right?”

She nodded.