Page 31 of Gideon

I took a deep breath. “My husband was shot and killed while we were celebrating our sixth anniversary. I later found out his father had him murdered. A few months later, his father came into our home, beat me, and forced us to move in with him. He held us captive. Sometimes, he beat me so badly I needed hospital care. But no one ever said anything.”

“Why was he able to do that to you?” Mike asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

“Because he was the mob. I didn’t even know my husband had a father—he left home at eighteen and never looked back. Idon’t blame him. But I wish I’d known. When my husband was dying, he told me to take Haley and run.”

“That’s horrible. How did you escape?”

“He went away on business, and one of his men warned me Jonah was planning to kill me. He gave me money and told me to leave, so we ran. We managed to stay hidden for two months, but they found us. That’s how we met the Golden Team. When they caught us, Jonah’s man knocked me out and took Haley. She managed to escape and ran straight into Gideon, who saved us both. Jonah’s dead now, so we no longer have to worry about him.”

Mike shook his head, processing everything.

“What town does our Dad live in?”

“Are we going there?” He asked.

“Yes. He doesn’t know you’re out yet. I just learned about all of you a few days ago, so I don’t have his phone number.”

“Do you have any other family?” he asked.

“No.”

“Do you know where Farmington is?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Dad’s place is about an hour from there. I’ll let you know when we’re close. But first,” he grinned, “I want a giant cheeseburger, fries, and a Pepsi.”

“Carl’s Jr. has massive burgers,” I said. “Let’s stop there.”

I watched Mike inhale two giant burgers, two sodas, and a large fry as we ate. “That must’ve been terrifying, being locked away.”

“It was horrible,” He admitted. “I was lucky Raven knew some of the guards. They looked out for me. But I still got stabbed on the prison grounds once. I hated going outside—that’s where they’d get you. I spent most of my free time working out. Now that my charges are dropped, I want to join the Navy SEALs.”

“That sounds amazing,” I said, genuinely impressed. “How did you survive all that?”

He gave me a curious look. “How did you manage to get me out of prison when Dad and my brothers couldn’t?”

“I called the mob’s lawyer,” I explained. “David used to argue with Jonah about how he treated me. I took a chance, and he came through. He’s leaving the country, but he did this for me.”

Mike nodded slowly. “Is that how you got this setup?” He gestured toward the truck and boat.

“No, Bass Pro Shops sponsors me. They provide everything because I only advertise their products. It’s the only store I mention in my videos, and I send everyone to them.”

Mike chuckled. “Dad and I used to watch you all the time—on YouTube and during tournaments. We saw you as a teenager, fishing out of that old boat with that old man sometimes.”

“He was my friend,” I said, smiling at the memory. “He gave me that old truck and boat so I could enter more tournaments. I’d pick him up in the mornings, and we’d fish all day.”

“That’s not much of a life for a young teenage girl. Did you do anything else?” he asked.

“No. I loved to fish.”

“What did your parents think about it?”

“I didn’t have any parents.”

Mike frowned. “Okay, what about your mom? What did she say?”

“My mom died when I was eight. I went into foster care after that, and there’s nothing good about that. So, I fished. Do you want to visit your mom?” I asked.

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