“My mother was a hardcore drug user,” Will replied quietly. “She left us alone for long periods of time because her favorite vacation spot was the state penitentiary. There are four of us and I’m fairly certain we all have different fathers. You look at us and see something that’s not there. Every family struggles. No matter how shiny the image is, there is tarnish beneath. How we deal with those trials and tribulations—that’s what makes us rise or fall as a family. If you love her, share your burdens with her. That’s what I’ve learned, what my Bridget taught me. I wanted to keep her but I was too scared she wouldn’t want me if she saw the real me. Silly, really. She’d always seen past my walls and then I realized I didn’t need them with her. Do you honestly believe you can drive away from Lisa?”

“No.” He wasn’t lying to himself or anyone else anymore. “Absolutely not. I can’t leave without her by my side. Seeing her like that, well, I can’t leave her again. But she heard me rejecting her and now she won’t talk to me. God. I can still hear her screaming. She was so afraid. Do you think she blames me for letting it happen?”

Will’s jaw went tight and he was silent for a moment. “I’m going to tell you a story that I wouldn’t normally share with anyone outside my family, but you need to understand. I meant what I said. I do not believe Biondo physically hurt Lisa at all tonight. He scared her, but he didn’t harm her bodily. Lisa’s injuries tonight were self-inflicted.”

“What?”

“Lisa has problems with claustrophobia, specifically when dealing with being locked in with no way out and darkness. She can handle a tight elevator. She can be in a small room as long as she knows she can get out.”

“What the hell happened to her?” That scream. It had been beyond calling out for someone to save her. That scream had been from her soul, a desperate, hollow cry.

“I explained about our mom. There was a distant relation who lived in the same trailer park we did. A cousin of our mom’s. She would sign the paperwork, agree to be our guardian on paper for the powers that be. She had no intention of actually taking care of us, but the girls and I would help out around her place and she would give us a little money and let us be during those times when Mom was in prison.”

Remy couldn’t imagine Lisa growing up in those weeds. She was such a gorgeous, well cared for flower. “None of your dads cared enough to take you all in?”