Taming Coyote - E.C. Land Page 0,17

else not even water and only when I’m forced to do that,” I murmur.

“You got it,” Momma B says, smiling before she turns to the door to hold it open for me.

I pause at the hallway wondering if I’ll be able to face everyone. I know they’re all going to want to know what happened and who did it. Can I handle seeing the pity that I’m sure will come across their faces as they hear? I should just leave like I thought about, but Momma B and Harlow’s words keep circling around in my head.

Those men out there, they’re not about to let you go anywhere. If someone is after Coyote’s kid then you need to tell him.

There’s no need to run when those men out there will do everything in their power to protect the little boy as well as you. Let me guess this happened because you refused to tell them anything.

God, if only they knew.

Mason and Sam may have been the ones to harm me this time; however, it certainly isn’t the first time I’ve gone through something similar. Only the last time, I barely escaped with my life. It’s one of the reasons my cousin didn’t want to leave me here. He was the one who found me.

Grigory isn’t a man to be messed with and though he spent a lot of years in Russia with our family growing up, he didn’t miss anything that happened over here. My mother is the sister to his father and after my father died my uncle made sure to visit as much as possible.

The day Grigory finally moved to America to take his place, he’d come to visit me at my apartment in Yorktown. What he walked in on I’ll never forget. It was the day I’d been raped by a hooded man. I still don’t know what the man looked like. I’d been screaming for help as the man laughed saying no one would come for me. My cousin heard me from outside my apartment and burst through the door with his gun aimed in our direction. My cousin had simply pulled the trigger without hesitation. The guy jerked before landing on top of me, his blood covering my body.

Shaking my head, I clear my thoughts. I don’t want that to happen again. Especially considering the fact Mason threatened it would be worse next time they came after me. I can only imagine what he intends to do.

“It’s okay, sweetheart, you don’t have to leave this room yet if you don’t want to. We can bring you something,” Momma B says, softly.

“No, I’m okay. I–I just needed a moment to brace myself,” I murmur, taking a step forward. Guess there’s no time like the present to get this out of the way and see what they want to do. Send me away or keep me here.

If I stay here, I’ll have to see Coyote and if I have to face him being with other women after dreaming of him being with me, I don’t know if I could take it. Sending me away might be for the best.

As I approach the mouth of the hallway, I can hear the raised voice of my cousin.

“Grigory,” I say in surprise.

Everyone turns in my direction at the sound of my voice.

“Angel,” Grigory murmurs as he takes in the bruises and I know his mind is going back to that day.

Glancing around the rest of the room, I realize every last one of the men are looking at me with different amounts of anger and fury in their eyes. When my gaze lands on Coyote, it’s as if the world around me freezes and my heart begins to pound in my chest.

My feet move on their own when Coyote gives me the slight nod and motions for me to come to him. It’s like a beacon I’m unable to ignore. He opens his arms for me to step in and I’m immediately surrounded by his heat.

“You okay?” he asks, quietly.

“My body hurts like a bitch,” I whisper, pressing myself to him, savoring the feel of being in his arms.

“I’m sorry, Luce Mia,” Coyote murmurs before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

Luce Mia?

I’m so confused right now with what’s going on, but I don’t want him to let me go. For some reason, I need his strength.

“Angel,” Grigory calls me by the name he’s always called me since we were kids. It’s the same one my dad used as