Read Online Trust by Francine Pascal - Free Book Online Page A

if she believed that Loki and Katia had once shared a love far deeper than Gaia’s real parents had ever known, that Tom might have been responsible for Katia’s death, and most important that Loki rightfully belonged in Gaia’s life . . . well, then, Loki might just hold the key that would unlock Gaia’s heart forever. Then she would be his. Finally his.
    â€œI . . . I — I had no idea,” Gaia stammered, staring down at the crumb-littered tablecloth.
    â€œOf course not,” Loki murmured. “Why would your mother and father tell you such a thing? It’s too awful.”
    Gaia nodded absently. “You know . . . it makes sense,” she whispered.
    Yes. Loki felt a stirring in his chest. Follow these feelings, Gaia , he silently implored, staring down at her. Trust your instincts .
    â€œIt makes sense that my father never mentioned you to me,” she finished.
    Loki nodded gravely. “He had good reason.”
    Gaia shook her head and ran her hands through her hair. “I . . . I don’t know what I’m even feeling right now.” She laughed bitterly. “I mean, I thought my current family situation was screwed up.”
    An alarm instantly went off in Loki’s brain. Ella . So Gaia’s home life was falling apart, as he suspected. He knew now for certain that Ella’s carelessness had destroyed Gaia’s lone bastion of stability. And now the woman was out gallivanting around town, stalking that moronic boy whom Gaia prized so much. Loki fought back rage. Ella’s little extracurricular activities were about to end. “What do you mean?” he demanded.
    She glanced up at him, then paused.
    â€œYou know you can tell me anything, Gaia,” he said, careful to keep the urgency out of his voice. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why I gave you my number.”
    Gaia nodded. “I know. It’s just . . . Okay, this is going to sound really weird. But I have this feeling that my foster mother isn’t who she seems to be.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” he pressed.
    â€œWe got into this fight,” Gaia blurted out. The words exploded from her mouth and kept coming, as if a dam had been blown. “The thing is, Ella goes out of her way to pretend she’s this trashy bimbo. But she’s not. She’s trained in martial arts. She’s got a secret life. She nearly beat the shit out — oops.” Gaia’s face reddened. “I didn’t mean to curse.”
    Loki waved his hand dismissively and leaned across the table. “Don’t worry about it. I curse, too. So what you’re saying is that Ella attacked you.”
    Gaia nodded. “Yeah. But luckily I’m a good fighter, too. Dad taught me a lot.”
    It took all of Loki’s self-control to sit there and maintain his sympathetic expression. He’d never known a fury greater than the one he felt now. A million scenarios of torture and retribution whirled through his mind. He would make Ella pay for this. There was no turning back now. This was Ella’s final mistake. He would do what he should have done long ago. She’d been assigned to protect Gaia. His eyes flashed to the slight bruise on Gaia’s cheek. My God . At first he had attributed it to the scuffle he’d witnessed outside the restaurant. But now he knew better.
    â€œElla attacked you,” Loki repeated, his voice slightly above a whisper. “Your legal guardian attacked you.”
    â€œWell, I mean, it wasn’t out of the blue,” Gaia muttered. She buried her face in her hands. “She just pisses me off so much. She’s . . . disgusting, awful. I can’t stand her. I hate living there. I hate it.”
    Loki found himself reaching for his niece, almost instinctively. He gently massaged her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Gaia,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I had no idea your living situation was so bad. If