“He’s not my husband anymore,” Sierra said quickly. “He had to serve some time because he assaulted a police officer. I pulled together every dime I had and got a lawyer. She believed my story and worked her ass off to make sure the divorce went through while he was locked up. Then she helped me hide in plain sight. I never left that town, just laid low while she left a trail to another town.”
“How long have you been on the run from him?” I asked her.
“Since Lexi was three years old. So, almost eight years.”
“How many times has he found you?”
“Three times. The first time we were in a public place and I yelled for help. The second time was a year or so later and he tried to get Lexi out of daycare. They called the police and that’s when he got arrested for assaulting the officer and I got my divorce. I made sure that he had no rights in the divorce since he wasn’t her biological father; that way if he tried again it would be kidnapping.”
“Good job,” Marcus nodded his head. “And the last time?”
“The last time was two years ago when Lexi was nine. I have no idea how he found us, but he was waiting inside our apartment when we got home that evening.” Sierra tried to dry her eyes with her hand, but the tears were coming too fast. Marcus reached into his pocket and pulled out a linen handkerchief and handed it to her. “He held us there for three days. I didn’t show up for work on Monday and one of the women I worked with brought her husband to my apartment to help her get inside and see what was going on.”
“And then what happened?”
“He escaped. They were so busy getting an ambulance for Lexi and I that they didn’t pay attention to him and he was gone with the wind. He’s still wanted for keeping us hostage, raping me, beating Lexi, and all the other stuff - we haven’t seen him since. My friend who was my lawyer for the divorce gave me Kari’s information and called ahead so she had a place for us to stay when we got out of the hospital. We’ve been here for a little over a year now.”
“And if you claim the lottery winnings, your name is going to be all over the news.” Marcus shook his head. “It’s a hard decision to make. Have all this money to fight him, maybe even find him and make sure he’s put in prison or have all this money to disappear in a way no one would ever find you again. But you’re risking him trying anyway and getting through your defenses.”
“I can think of a few more things that money like that could buy and none of those things end with him breathing,” Reagan huffed and took a sip of his wine. Marcus shook his head and patted Reagan’s hand. “I know, blah blah blah, uphold the law, blah blah blah, don’t tell everyone what you’re going to do or it can be used against you later, blah blah blah.”
Sierra laughed and dried her eyes one final time.
“So, you see my dilemma? It’s like the grand prize is right there in front of me, but I risk exposure if I reach for it.”
“Marry me,” I blurted out.
“What?” All three heads snapped in my direction as they all asked that same question.
“Marcus knows what I’m up against. He told me just the other day that if I was married and settled down in a nice house that Leia’s mother wouldn’t have a chance in hell. If we get married, we can make a contract that says all the money is yours, but we’ll stay married until Leia is 18, no matter what. I can turn in the lottery ticket, your name will never come up, you’ll get your money and stay safe, and I’ll get to make sure my little girl is safe with me.”
“Safe from who?” Sierra asked quietly.
“My monster is nowhere near as scary as yours, honey. That’s a story for another time.”
“Are you serious?” Sierra whispered, her eyes wide.
“I have another good reason. If we get married, we can adopt each other’s daughters. That way if something happens to either of us, the other will raise both girls as their own. Lexi’s mother won’t have a leg to stand on and neither would your ex in-laws or your parents if they tried.”
“So it would be an arranged marriage?”
“I have been thinking of it all afternoon and I’ve already come up with some stipulations.”
“Okay,” Sierra tilted her head, but she hadn’t shut me down completely yet so I went on.
“I don’t want to be married to you in name only. If we get married, we act like a married couple so much so that even our kids don’t realize what’s going on. I don’t want to live a lie. I want a wife in all ways and that includes the bedroom. I’m not a man to stray, so even if you and I didn’t agree to become married in all ways, I wouldn’t cheat on you.” I took a deep breath and finished, “You and I fell head over heels in love when I carried you out of that store and couldn’t wait to get married. Then, lo and behold, I won the lottery and we’re living the dream life together.”
“What if we hate each other?”
“I’ve already seen what kind of mom you are to your daughter and heard the lengths you’ll go through to protect her, so I know you’ll do that for my Leia. You don’t know me well at all, but I can produce some character witnesses as to what kind of man I am, what kind of father I am, hell even what kind of boyfriend I am. I’ve dated a few women over the years and I am still friends with every
