For the Love of Anna (The Town of Pearl 1)

“She never let on to the abuse all these years. Sure, I knew he hit her a few times when she was younger but not during adulthood. I didn’t know that her father continued to treat her like this. She never told me.”

“How could you know? You hadn’t seen her in so long. There’s only so much you can detect over a phone, baby. She’s a fighter, Stacy. What good would it have been to tell you?” Max asked.

“Maybe I could have gone to see her. Maybe I could have made her leave there and come with me.”

“She wouldn’t have left, Stacy. From what you’ve told us, it’s obvious that she’s not a quitter. She sees things through, no matter how tough. She wanted her father’s love, and she thought by taking care of him, supporting him, and working so hard that she would get that love from him,” Charlie responded.

The room went silent, and Stacy leaned into Eric more as he held her.

Wyatt exhaled. “What we need to do now is get as much information from Anna as possible. I can make some calls, discretely, of course, and decide the best way to handle an investigation. Max and I will come up with a plan, and if we can get a description of these men, then we can be sure to get those photos out to the community. Any strangers come into town, we’ll know immediately,” Wyatt stated.

“She knows that you were going to tell us, Stacy?” Ben asked.

“Yes. She’s most concerned about me. She wants to leave here, guys. She wants to stay on the run and keep any trouble away from us. She expressed concern over all our well-being.”

“That’s crazy! She’s the one that needs the protection. What could she possibly be thinking? She’s a little thing. How could she protect herself out there on the streets?” Wyatt exclaimed. His hardened expression was traditional bossy Wyatt.

“Her sole concern is about Stacy and all of us. Her own safety isn’t even a thought,” Max added.

“Well, that’s gonna change.”

Everyone looked toward Charlie.

He raised his eyebrow in challenge.

“I agree with Charlie. She needs us,” Ben added.

Stacy yawned.

“You should get to bed, honey. It’s real late,” Max whispered to her, and Eric kissed her on the head before she stood up.

She held their gazes and squeezed their hands.

“I know she’ll be safe here.” She looked toward the others. “Please take things slow with her, guys. She’s not experienced, and she’s real fragile right now,” Stacy stated, and before they could respond, she headed out of the room.

* * * *

Charlie felt such heaviness in his chest. One look at Ben and Wyatt and he knew they felt the same way. In fact, Wyatt looked like he wanted to hit something. If they were going to make Anna feel safe, he was going to have to control his anger and his temper. Wyatt tended to be controlling, authoritative, and downright mean sometimes. Being the sheriff, he was always in a state of authority, so no one dared mess around in town.

When he thought about Anna and her concern over them, he admired her strength and independence. She was a good person and a great friend to Stacy. These were characteristics he liked in a woman but had yet to meet until Anna. Knowing his brothers, they would probably agree.

Eric and Max said good night and walked them to the door. Charlie, Ben, and Wyatt walked across the yard to their own house.

Wyatt stopped and looked up toward the bedroom window where Anna slept.

“I wish I could see her. Just make sure that she’s sound asleep and feeling okay,” he said as he stood watching.

“I know what you mean,” Ben replied.

“Yeah, she felt real good in my arms the other night,” Charlie whispered as he looked up toward the window as well.

“What? You slept in the bed with her?” Wyatt asked, sounding angry.

“She had the nightmare, and I helped her calm down. She clung to me, and I stayed with her. She’s beautiful.”

“I’m gonna find the bastards that did this to her so she doesn’t have to be afraid.”

Charlie looked at Wyatt then at Ben.