Silent Desires (Shattered Silence Duet Book 1)
Silent Desires: Chapter 37

I look down at the sleeping beauty in my arms as I lean back on the couch. Dom sits beside me, holding her tiny feet in his hands, and Atlas sits on my other side, his fingers playing with her hair like it’s the most delicate thing in the world.

“Dom, we have to figure out a way to get her out of that house,” I say with a sigh.

“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he says, his eyes glued to her unconscious body.

“I know we still need to have the conversation, but I don’t think I can wait until she turns eighteen, what if she’s being hurt at home?”

“Yeah, I know,” he says, dropping his head back and scrubbing his hand down in face in obvious frustration from the situation. “I wish she’d just talk to us.”

I take a breath before I speak, not sure how they will take this piece of information. “You know… The legal age of consent in this state is sixteen.” I feel them both look at me as I continue. “But she isn’t considered an adult until she’s eighteen.”

“Exactly. We aren’t talking about sleeping with her, we’re talking about getting her out of that place. She’s a minor until she’s eighteen, which is still months away,” Atlas states, and I nod in agreement.

“Okay, so… Options?” Dom asks us.

“There’s emancipation,” I suggest. Dom nods as he considers it.

“But that would take time and have to go through the proper legal channels. Not exactly ideal when her family is in the middle of our investigation.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t work,” he agrees, scratching his stubble in thought.

“Let’s just kidnap her,” Atlas says after a few minutes of silence, and I look at him, raising an eyebrow in question. “She can just stay here with us. She doesn’t even need to go to school. She’ll learn way faster here, anyway. It’s not like she went to school before. If her mother is up to what we think she is, she’s not going to the police to look for her. We know her identity is somewhat fake anyway, there are no records of her before six weeks ago.”

I realize he’s being serious right now. I look at Dom. Could it work? Could we just… keep her? It couldn’t be that easy.

“It could trigger the killer to do something bad,” Dom says slowly.

“He’s already killing people. At least she’d be safe,” Atlas adds, making Dom nods.

A sudden thought makes me stiffen. “Wait, what if she’s in witness protection?”

“Shit,” Atlas mumbles, his eyes widening as we all consider it.

“Think about it, her mother is overprotective, there is no record of them, we know Helen has assumed multiple identities, she was witnessed being seen with a son, which makes sense, if you didn’t want anyone to look for a mother and daughter, disguising them as a mother and son would be a great disguise,” I tell them as some of the pieces click into place.

“And Jeff,” Dom says, staring at the wall across the room as he adds his own thoughts into the mix. “He could be the agent assigned to them, that’s why he’s not always there, he doesn’t live there, he just checks in on them.”

“It explains why she doesn’t have a phone, they don’t want her to contact anyone from her old life,” I add. “But what do we do if that’s true? If the serial killer we’ve been tracking is targeting Mina, shouldn’t we talk to the FBI?”

“They aren’t going to give over information about anyone in witness protection to us,” Dom tells us, frowning. “It makes sense why Mina won’t tell us anything.”

“And why she has panic attacks and seems so sheltered,” I add, trying to figure out if there was a way to replace out if she really was in witness protection, but they don’t even keep that info online, so it can’t be hacked.

“Something probably happened, maybe she was a victim that got away,” Dom suggests.

Shit, that fits perfectly. I look down at Mina, holding her tighter to me. “We’ll just have to do our best to protect her. We can’t lose her,” I whisper, my voice low and rough. I see her shiver in her sleep, and a small smile tugs at my lips. She burrows deeper into me, her face pressed against my chest, and I can’t help but inhale the soft, sweet scent of her. She’s so warm, so small, and so ours. Or at least, I hope she will be one day.

I let my fingers drift over her face, tracing the delicate lines of her cheekbones, the curve of her nose, and the soft bow of her lips. She stirs, and I chuckle as her lips part and a silent sigh escapes. I glance down as Dom massages her feet, and Atlas’s hands roam up her calves, his touch firm and steady. She’s surrounded, safe, and cared for. It feels right—she feels right.

She squirms slightly, her body reacting to our touches even in sleep. A heat builds in my chest at the sight of her, soft and vulnerable, completely trusting. I lean close to her ear, my voice dropping lower. “Do you feel safe here, Princess?”

Her body responds again, another silent deep sigh escaping her lips. I glance at Dom and Atlas. They’re just as captivated as I am. None of us planned this, but none of us can deny how we feel about her. She’s not just a girl. She’s our girl.

My hand continues its slow exploration, brushing over her lips. When I let a single finger press between them, her lips part instinctively, and I slide it inside. The way she responds, biting down just enough to hold me there, then licking and sucking softly—it’s enough to drive me insane. I know I’m pushing past our self-imposed limits, but a low groan escapes me before I can stop it, vibrating against her cheek. Her eyes flutter open, wide and surprised, locking onto mine. For a moment, neither of us moves, the connection between us electric. She’s still holding my finger in her mouth, her tongue pressing along its length.

Her eyes widen as she realizes what she’s doing, and she slowly releases me, her lips parting just slightly. I pull my finger back, but I can’t stop staring at her. Her lips look soft and sweet, and I can’t help but wonder how they’d feel against mine. I know I can’t kiss her yet, and it takes everything in me to restrain myself from taking that leap with her right now.

I help her sit up when she tries to move, but the second she shifts away, I pull her back into my lap, wrapping my arms around her from behind. My chest presses against her back as I nuzzle her neck, unable to resist the way she melts against me. There’s nothing wrong with a little cuddle, now is there?

“Hi, Princess,” I murmur, my lips brushing her skin. She shivers, and I can’t help but smile.

She groans, covering her face with her hands. I share a look with Dom and Atlas, does she feel embarrassed about her reaction to me?

“Whatever you’re thinking right now, stop,” Dom says firmly, his hand resting on her thigh. “You haven’t done anything wrong. There is nothing wrong with the way your body is reacting to us. As long as it feels right to you.”

I feel her tense in my arms, her embarrassment palpable, but slowly she relaxes, dropping her hands as she looks at him and nods. Relief washes over me as I press a kiss to the side of her head.

She’s overthinking, doubting herself, doubting us. She doesn’t understand yet, but she will. She’s not just a girl we’re drawn to. She’s ours. We can’t explain that to her yet, not without telling her everything, and we can’t do that until we figure out what’s going on and who the real killer is.

Dom grabs the remote and turns on The Office, and I lean back into the couch, holding her snug against me. Atlas and Dom each hold one of her hands, and for now, it’s enough. She’s here, she’s safe, and she’s ours. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.