Page 26 of PenPal Hero

His chest constricted painfully. “Bonnie, it’s me!” She’d known all along she was dating someone who was damaged. Of all people, he would’ve understood what she was going through. No wonder her family had been so blasted protective of her!

“I’m sorry, Holt,” she rasped. “I should have. I was going to.”

When? He studied her bleakly.

“Plenty of that coulda, woulda, shoulda stuff going around,” her father interjected gruffly. “Believe me, we can relate.”

Bonnie didn’t act like she heard him. She was still staring at Holt in anguish. “I was afraid of losing you.”

He reached for her hands. “That’s not gonna happen.” He could tell from her haunted expression that she didn’t believe him. He was prepared to tell her whatever she needed to hear as many times as she needed to hear it in order to convince her.

“I’m as broken as a person can get, Holt.” Her voice cracked. “I didn’t want you to look at me that way or think of me that way. But I guess it was inevitable. I was taken when I was fifteen, and now to find out I’m adopted on top of everything else…” She shook her head so fiercely that a few tears broke loose and went flying.

She was so distraught that he went into full-blown protective mode. Yes, he was burning with questions, but they could wait. Right now, Bonnie needed him.

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” So help him if anyone attempted to take him to task over the way he was openly spilling his heart out to her…

No one moved.

“I don’t even know who I am anymore,” she quavered.

“I do.” His voice was harsh with emotion. “You’re mine, and I’m yours, you hear?”

The glazed look in her eyes faded as she nodded.

It was a long time before anyone spoke again. Her father finally broke the silence. “This is what we were afraid of, honey. This is why we couldn’t bring ourselves to tell you about the adoption.”

Anger twisted Bonnie’s delicate features. “I’m twenty-one,” she reminded, swinging her head in his direction. “I think I had a right to know by now.”

“We can’t argue with that.” He sounded bone weary. “Please believe me when I say your mother and I only wanted what was best for you. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

“Well, you have a strange way of showing it,” Bonnie snapped. Holt could practically taste the years of resentment welling up inside her. “You all but kept me a prisoner here at the ranch. My brothers served as your Doberman Pinschers, guarding me like obedient hounds.”

Jordy gave a few mocking barks that his older brothers silenced by tossing him back into the shrubbery.

“You’re not a prisoner.” Her father looked aghast. “Far from it. Everything we’ve ever done is to protect you.”

“From what?” She dropped Holt’s hand.

“Honestly?” Her father shook his head. “The police haven’t figured that out yet. And despite spending every penny we can spare on private investigators, we haven’t, either. We still don’t know who kidnapped you six years ago. We might never know.”

“I was taken twice, Dad.” She rounded on him. “The first time from my birth parents and the second time from you.”

Her parents looked so shattered that Holt could only assume that Foster Kane was correct. Real Sons had kept their adoptive parents in the dark about their more nefarious deeds.

“Oh, honey,” her mother bleated. “Are you sure about this?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Holt jumped back into the conversation, trying to get a grip on his reeling thoughts. What were the odds of any one person being kidnapped twice before adulthood? He reckoned it was slim to none. “It’s been verified by an ongoing investigation being conducted in part by the police and K&G Security.”

“That’s why I’m done,” Bonnie declared in exasperation. “Done hiding. Done cowering. Done having my brothers smother the life out of me with all their overprotectiveness. It’s not like it worked, anyway. The bad guys still managed to get to me — not once, but twice!” She stormed up the porch stairs and yanked open the front door.

Her mother jolted from the daze she’d fallen into. “What are you doing, sweetie?”

“Packing,” Bonnie called over her shoulder. “I’m moving out. Tonight. To start living whatever life I have left to the fullest. All Doberman brothers are cordially invited to help load things into the back of Holt’s pickup truck.” She stomped into the house.

Holt’s jaw dropped. Of all the directions the conversation could’ve taken, he hadn’t expected it to result in his girlfriend’s immediate change of address. He was still coming to grips with the fact that she’d been kidnapped fairly recently. She would’ve been fifteen or sixteen at the time. His boss needed to hear about this right away. Then again, maybe he already knew about it.

Bonnie’s mother wrung her hands anxiously. “Where will she go?” She sent Holt an imploring look.

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