How about you tell me what made you so passionate about rescuing dogs?”
Well, shit. And well-played by Curly.
She sipped her beer then let out a sigh. “Can I change my mind and ask you the questions instead?” Delving too deep into her past gave her hives.
His lips quirked, and his eyes smoldered as he slowly shook his head back and forth. “Nope. You missed your chance. I get to conduct the interview.”
She didn’t discuss her past with anyone. Nancy knew the bare minimum required to maintain a close friendship, and she assumed David did as well, but no one knew the gritty details. The humiliation, the years of having her self-worth torn down, the helpless, trapped, desolate existence she’d endured. Then the lonely years since where she’d fought to climb out of that pit of despair. Untangling herself from a ten-year marriage had been so much more complicated than she’d ever expected. Walking away was only the very first step. A hard one for sure, but no more dificult than everything that came after.
The financial concerns.
The living arrangements.
The legal complications.
The job situation.
The pitiful glances from supposed friends and family.
None of it had been easy.
Curly’s gaze held no judgment. Though he hadn’t heard her story yet, she had a feeling when all was said and done, he still wouldn’t judge her or find her lacking.
She’d done plenty of that herself and couldn’t handle it from someone she considered…what? A friend? An acquaintance?
Not really either, but it didn’t matter. Suddenly the weight of what she carried insider her pressed down on her shoulders like a million-pound blanket. She needed to shed it before the load crushed her. The man sitting before her was the absolute wrong man to flay her soul open for. He’d been a large-scale criminal and seemed to be diving back into that life, but still, the words burst from her mouth.
“I have a passion for rescuing abused and neglected animals because I know what it means to be one.”
CHAPTER TEN
A MAN COULDN’T spend the first decade of his adult years with an outlaw MC and the second decade in prison without hearing just about every fucked-up story out there. Nothing shocked Curly anymore. Not recounting gruesome murders, not torture, not even people with no sense of right or wrong. He’d heard it all, witnessed almost as much, and had done things that would keep most men awake with nightmares. It took a shit-ton to get a reaction out of him, but that’s precisely what Brooke’s statement did.
Someone had abused her.
He balled his hands into fists beside him on the couch. His instinct demanded he launch himself at her and shake her until the name of the asshole fell from her beautiful lips. But he’d learned restraint while in prison. It was one of the first and most lasting lessons. Rash behavior often led to a shiv in the side.
Or a sharpened toothbrush across the neck.
So instead of following his instincts, he said, “Tell me.”
Brooke blew out a breath as her gaze moved to Ray’s head resting next to his thigh. He automatically rubbed the dog’s fur, which drew a smile from her. “He likes you.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
“He was my first rescue. I’d never owned a dog before. As a kid, all I ever had was a fish. So I was clueless as to what to do with him when I found him. My…” She lifted her gaze. “My husband never wanted one.”
Husband.
He swallowed hard as a bubble of rage began to creep its way up from his gut. These kinds of stories were never pleasant but hit harder when the abused was someone known to him. And if she hadn’t left the bastard, Curly might lose his mind. “Ex-husband?”
Her eyes widened. “Yes. Sorry. Yes, definitely ex.” A visible shudder ran through her. “Anyway, I went for a run one day, and Ray followed me the entire time. He was under a year at the time and so thin I could see his ribs.”
A faraway look came into her eyes as a half-smile tilted her lips. “To be honest, I was afraid of him when I first saw him. You never know how an abused animal will act. But Ray was so sweet, just trotting along beside me. When I ended up back at my house, and he was still there, I couldn’t leave him. We had some leftover chicken from the night before, so I put it in a bowl for him. He looked up at me