Free Wilde For You (The Wilde Sisters Book 3) by Marianne Rice Page A

sighed and leaned into him again. “I just want it to be over.”
    “Rachael?” The tall woman spoke. “Is this your brother you were telling me about?”
    “Yes. Thank you for letting me stay here, Carla.”
    “I’m hoping you won’t need to return, but if you do, our door is always open.” The woman nodded to Luke. “Take care of her.”
    “With my life.” Luke hugged his sister tight. “You’re coming back to Maine. We’ll take care of you.”
    “I can’t, Luke. Mom. She…she can’t see me like this.”
    Not wanting to have this discussion on the sidewalk, he nodded his thanks to Carla and held his sister close to his side. “You’re coming with me. We’ll talk and figure out our next steps.” He sure as hell wasn’t leaving California without his sister.
    After stopping to pick up some subs and drinks, Luke opened the door to his hotel room and ushered Rachael inside. Dwarfed in her large sweatshirt and baggy jeans, his sister looked weak, frail, and skittish. The bastard did this to her. It was too similar to when he first met her. When his family took Rachael in after her father was arrested for beating her mother to death, Rachael was a scrawny twelve-year-old who had survived being a human punching bag for too long. And now she was the victim again.
    “I’m so sorry, Luke.” She didn’t cry, didn’t move as she stared out the window.
    “Sorry? What the hell for? You didn’t do anything, Rach.”
    Rachael crossed her arms and sighed. “I let you all down. You all told me Dylan was bad news but I wanted to prove I could make it on my own. I can’t let Mom see me like this.”
    “Honey, we all love you and don’t blame you at all. We want to take care of you. You know Mom would love to have you stay with her until you get back on your feet again.” Luke had an overwhelming urge to beat the prick until he was a useless lump of bruised skin and broken bones bleeding on the sidewalk, too weak to call for help. He’d never had violent urges before Dylan entered Rachael’s life. Luke would do anything to protect his family, and his heart sank at not being able to shield his sister from her pain.
    “I’m a secretary. Was a secretary. Dylan made me quit my job a while ago. He wanted me to…” She wiped her nose on her shoulder and turned away.
    When Luke put his hand on her arm, she jumped. Cursing himself for being so insensitive, he pulled back his hand and sighed. “You don’t have to prove yourself to us. We all love you. You’re in a rough spot right now, but what doesn’t kill a Riley makes us stronger. Come home. You need us. We need you.”
    Rachael finally turned and faced Luke, tears in her eyes. “You all have careers. Lives. Mom has success stories in all of you. You don’t need me to shame the family name.”
    “Rach,” he pleaded. “Look at me. Please.” He waited patiently, watching her fingers twitch and her eyes blink back tears until she finally lifted her head. “You could never shame our family. We’re all products of eff’d up people in the world, but they don’t define us. We define ourselves.”
    Knowing she needed her space, he slowly leaned toward her and kissed her lightly on her tender cheek. “Sit and eat. You need your strength. Then we’re going back to your apartment and packing your things. You’re coming home.” He pulled out the chair at the tiny round table in the corner and waited for her to come sit.
    “I thought Colton was the bossy one. You’re supposed to be our rock, the nice guy with sexy dimples.” A tiny smile escaped her lips.
    “While Colton’s in Afghanistan I’ve got to fill his shoes. He’s protecting our country. I’m protecting you.”
    Rachael softened and nodded. “Okay. I’ll come home. But can we wait a few days? I don’t want Mom to see my face like this. So much for showing you all that I can be Miss Independent.”
    “This isn’t your fault. You’re not responsible for someone else’s actions.”