Azelie gripped the latte. Her reluctance wasn’t about trust. She had come to know the three women fairly well, at least their character, and she was certain they would always act with her best interests at heart. She had observed them for a long time and knew the affectionate way they teased one another. She was grateful that she was considered their friend. Her reluctance was about getting too close. Caring too much. Putting them in danger. Losing them.
Blanc leaned close to her. “We might be as old as dirt, Azelie, but our minds are sharp. We’re always going to be on your side.”
“You can’t be so nice to me,” she said. “I mean it. I act tough, but I’m not.”
The three women burst into radiant smiles. It was Penny who addressed that statement. “Dear, we are very aware of what a soft heart you have. Why do you think we’re so protective of you? I always wanted a daughter—or, in your case, a granddaughter. I have neither. I lost the love of my life long before we ever thought of making babies together. There was never another man for me, at least not one I wanted permanently in my life.”
China patted her hand. “Do you know why I was named China and my sister Blanc? Our parents were addicted to heroin. They thought it would be hilarious to name their children after their drug of choice. In those days there weren’t many protections for children, certainly not the way there are now.”
A fist of apprehension knotted in Azelie’s stomach. Pressure was suddenly severe in her chest. She had suffered intense trauma, and it had been very public in the news. Her brother-in-law murdered his wife and children and attempted to murder her as well. There had even been accounts of her mother’s abuse, done in her drunken rages. They knew. These women who had never once indicated they knew who she was, had never brought up her past.
“Our parents ‘gifted’ us to their drug dealer,” Blanc disclosed, and reached for her sister’s hand. Penny laid her hand on Blanc’s shoulder. “That abuse started when China was twelve and I was eleven. It didn’t end until Penny’s father stepped in. He was in law enforcement, and Penny told him what was going on. By that time, we were fourteen and fifteen.” She glanced at Penny and blinked away tears.
“We rarely talk about it,” China said. “Penny’s father died saving us. She has forgiven us, but to this day we find it difficult to forgive ourselves.”
“There was nothing to forgive,” Penny interjected. “I was the one who went to my father and told him how your parents treated you. I told him about the drug dealer and the arrangement with your parents. He was horrified. He took it upon himself to investigate. Those were our choices, not yours.”
Azelie’s heart felt as if it were pounding out of her chest. Her mouth had gone dry. There was a lump in her throat making it difficult to breathe.
“Our parents found out about the raid, that it was going to take place. We were both with the dealer,” China continued. “My father had a friend in the department, one who more than once had exchanged information for us. He called my father and asked for us in exchange for date and time of the raid. My parents rushed to inform their dealer. They wanted to take us home quickly so they wouldn’t lose their prize possessions in making money for their drugs.”
“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.”
“She also told us to be brave, to reach out to others worthy of our friendship with an open heart,” Blanc added. “Her advice has never steered us wrong. You have a good heart, Azelie. You also need to trust your instincts. What do they say about Andrii?”
She put her latte down and tried to answer honestly. “Everything in me wants to be with him. I’m afraid though. I don’t know what he sees in me. When we’re together and he’s talking to me, it’s almost overwhelming how drawn I am to him. I fell too far too fast. I can’t seem to help myself when I’m around him. I think I’m going to throw him out, but he starts talking in that voice he has, and I’m totally mesmerized.” She took a deep breath and made her confession. “I can’t help but want to make him happy.”
Penny frowned. “You want to make him happy. Does he feel the same way? Does he try to make you happy?”
“He’s spoiling me. If he takes me somewhere, he thinks he has to bring me clothes and shoes and jewelry. He brought the most beautiful coat I’ve ever seen. When I wanted to pay for it, he was upset with me. I don’t want him to think he has to buy me things. I’m not interested in him for his money.”
“That was the box you had Shaila and David hold for him,” Blanc guessed. “The clothes and jewelry were inside.”
Azelie nodded. “I felt I couldn’t keep them. He wasn’t happy. He showed up with more gifts.”
“Dear,” Penny leaned close to whisper. “Did you tell him you were interested in having sex with him?”
Azelie felt color creeping under her skin. “Unfortunately, he can read me like a book. Seriously. I look at him and melt. There isn’t any hiding that.”
“Does he take proper care of you in bed?” China asked. “If he’s selfish, end it, honey, no matter how much you’re into him. He needs to be more interested than you are.”
“Sadly, I don’t think that’s possible,” Azelie confessed. “I tried to tell him there were hundreds of reasons why we shouldn’t be together, but he countered every one of them.”
“He knows his own mind. That’s good,” Penny said. “You want a man who knows what he wants. Too many men are always looking for something shiny and new. Or they are ‘finding themselves.’ You’d think at a certain age they would know what they want and who they are.”
