Read Online Destiny's Whisper by Elizabeth Moynihan - Free Book Online Page A

rage that again swept through him at the thought of all Chloe had endured at Andrew’s hands. He’d heard of things like this happening but had never witnessed anything first hand. He prayed to God he never had to be witness to any such thing ever again and wondered how cowardly a person had to be to beat on someone smaller than himself. Granted, he’d threatened to pound his sister more times than he could count, not that he ever really would have.
    ‘Boys don’t hit girls!’ It was a litany his parents had drilled into him for as long as he could remember. Obviously, Manning’s father didn’t hold the same belief, and any respect Sergei may have had for the elder Manning vanished like the early morning fog.
    Chloe’s tentative, gentle touch as she touched Sergei’s wavy hair made him lift his head and brought their eyes together. “I only wanted to skate,” she stated tearfully, her voice, a heartbreaking whisper, her small, white teeth nervously pulled on her lower lip.
    Sergei felt like weeping at Chloe’s words. He knew how she felt, recognized the need as being the same as his own; to skate was to live, to live was to skate. With firm resolve, he smiled into her tear-filled eyes and requested, “I’m looking for a partner, Chloe, come skate with me.”
    Chloe’s expression went from surprise, to hopeful, to regret within seconds. “You don’t want to skate with me, Sergei. You want a partner who won’t embarrass you; one who knows what they’re doing. I’m obviously not that person,” she answered sadly.
    “If I want a partner that requires I put a pink ribbon on her left ankle so she remembers which foot is which, that’s my decision,” he teased lightly, “You do know your right from your left, don’t you?”
    A shy smile turned Chloe’s soft lips upward; “Of course I know my right from my left,”
    “Well, then, you’ve already saved me the price of the pink ribbon! Skate with me Chloe. Please?” Sergei asked softly, his voice taking on a huskiness she’d never heard before, the sound sending the nerves at the base of her neck tingling, a not unpleasant sensation. His dark eyes beckoned her to accept.
    “I don’t know…”
    “You don’t have to answer me this minute; think about it. The decision is entirely yours to make and I won’t push you into anything you don’t feel comfortable doing.” Sergei pushed the soft waves of honey and gold from her cheek, a small frown appearing between his eyes at her slight retreat from his touch. “I’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll talk some more. Okay?” he asked casually.
    Chloe nodded affirmatively, a small, shy smile reaching her eyes.
    “Sleep well, princess,” Sergei urged, running his fingers gently along the top of her hand where it rested on the light blanket, made his way to the door and with a quick, last smile, left her room.
    Sergei wasn’t surprised to find his father outside the exam room, waiting patiently, his look one of concern. “How bad is it?” Aleksei asked his son quietly, his shoulders subtly shifting as he awaited his son’s response, already having gained information he wasn’t officially entitled to have. Whoever said it was impossible to finesse information you had no right to know obviously didn’t know Aleksei Rocmanov.
    “Her back looks like an ad for an ugly painting. Manning’s been beating the shit out of her and I didn’t do anything to stop him!” Sergei growled, his fists clenching at his sides, the desire to physically thrash the coward nearly overwhelming.
    “You didn’t know,” Aleksei reminded his son.
    “There have been rumors for months,” Sergei fired back.
    “You can’t believe everything you hear?” Aleksei stated calmly.
    “I could have asked!”
    “Do you honestly think Chloe would have told you the truth? Do you think it’s easy for anyone to admit something like that is happening to them? If they admit there’s a problem then they have to acknowledge