Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
“How terrible,” Azelie murmured. She pressed her hand over her aching heart. “I’ve never understood how people can abuse their children that way. My mother beat me and more than once threatened me with a knife, but I don’t think she considered selling me. She did see me as a rival for men’s affections. I was lucky to have Janine, my older sister.”
“We didn’t have anyone, not a single relative,” Blanc added in a hoarse whisper. She cleared her throat. “When our parents arrived, pounding on the door, at first Marty, that was the dealer’s name, refused to answer. He was furious that they would bother him when he and his customers were having fun with us. There was a lot of shouting back and forth. Swearing. Marty even shot at the door. My parents had weapons, and they shot back through the door. At that point, Marty dragged China away from one of his men and put her in front of him as a shield.”
“Blanc was screaming at Marty to let me go. Marty had three men with him and four customers. Chaos ensued when he finally yanked open the door and my parents were pointing guns at him and he was pointing guns at them and his soldiers were yelling that they’d heard our dad say the cops were on their way,” China said.
“Then the cops were in the house, and Marty opened fire on them,” Blanc continued in a much stronger voice. “They broke in through the back and kitchen doors.”
She reminded Azelie of herself and the way she distanced herself if she had to repeat the story of her brother-in-law massacring her family. Azelie felt more connected than ever to the three women, and she felt privileged that they were telling her of their past when they didn’t have to.
“Our parents forgot all about Marty keeping me in front of him as a shield,” China continued. “They opened fire on the cops. I saw Blanc go down to the floor with blood on her chest. I thought she was dead. Marty’s men stepped on her and kicked her when they ran. Our father went down and then our mother. Marty kept firing at the cops. The sound of his gun was so loud by my ear I couldn’t hear anything.”
Subconsciously, she rubbed at her ear, and then she hugged herself. “I was certain I would die, and it didn’t matter if Marty shot me. Someone was going to sooner or later, and I didn’t want to live without Blanc. I fought Marty, throwing off his aim. I was able to break away but ran right between Marty’s men and the cops, with both sides firing. Penny’s father jumped out of the line of cops and tackled me, but he was hit from both sides.”
Azelie heard the sob in her voice, but China kept it together. Penny put her hand on China’s shoulder.
“He saved my life, Penny,” China whispered.
“I know he did. He was a man everyone looked up to for a reason. He wanted you to live. You and Blanc.”
“And your mother…” China broke off with a little shake of her head. She lifted her fingers to her trembling mouth. “She was the most extraordinary woman I’ve ever met. Bar none, the most extraordinary.”
Blanc nodded her agreement. “She took us in when no one would. She claimed it would be a temporary shelter, but she gave us the first real home we’d ever had.” She lifted her gaze to Penny’s. “She would sit on our beds with Penny when we had nightmares. She rocked us like we were babies and told us nothing was our fault, and we were worth everything. She believed that, and she made us believe it.”
“Her name was Annabelle Foster, and we both took her name for our middle names,” China continued. “We wanted to honor her. She knew a judge who made our name changes legal.”
“My middle name is also Annabelle,” Penny added. “Her name ties us together as sisters. Maybe not by blood, but of the heart.”
“That’s so incredible. I wish I’d had the opportunity to know her,” Azelie said, meaning it. “Thank you for giving me such a gift as sharing your past.”
“It’s important that you know you can trust us, Azelie,” Blanc said. “Obviously, we read about you in the papers, just like most of the people here in San Francisco. It was all over the news. We don’t want you to feel alone.”
“If Annabelle were here right now, she would tell you that you deserve to live your life,” China assured her. “She would tell you that you took a tremendous knockout, but standing up and getting on with your life honors the ones you lost.”
“She believed everything she said to us,” Penny said. “She drilled it into the three of us that life is to be lived. To be experienced. It isn’t always easy, but when it’s right, it’s a thrill ride.”