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He smiles softly. “Say what you need to and do what you must, and then we’re going home.”
Home. How comforting that word is right now as I turn my back on the one I’m standing in now. Is it really my home, though? For the next ninety days, I suppose it is or how many I have left. Nothing is certain right now except one chapter of my life is over and another is about to begin.
CHAPTER 33
MIKHAIL
Ishould have insisted she leave, but from the expression in her eyes, Lilli really needs to be here. To witness first-hand the demise of her aggressor. The man who took away her childhood and robbed her of so much. This is her retribution, not mine and so I watch what she does now with interest.
“Mickey.” She takes a deep breath and stands facing him with no fear at all. It makes my heart beat faster when I see the strong woman standing before him, despite what he tried to do to her.
“Just so you know, I don’t forgive you.”
“Ha.” He laughs in her face. “Forgive me for what, exactly? For earning enough money to keep this house when your waste of space father drank himself to death. I did nothing but pick up the pieces and you owed me.”
“I owed you nothing, Mickey, and neither did my sister. It was all in your sick mind.”
Her voice is strong and unwavering, and she says roughly, “You killed my sister. I blame you for her death. You sent her to hell and watched her burn while you pocketed the money and got my mother so high on drugs she couldn’t stop you. You should go to prison for what you’ve done, but I doubt you’ll get that luxury.”
“What are you talking about?” For the first time since he was forced to his knees before us, Mickey sounds fearful and I’m happy Lilli is the cause of that. It will give her the strength to see this through, knowing he can’t hurt her anymore.
“These men.” She waves her hand around like some bad-assed bitch as she stands there in her smart suit on killer heels and I swear if I had the capacity to love, I would be falling hard right now. I have never felt so proud in my life, and I can’t explain why.
She laughs in his face as she says fiercely, “I am not on my own anymore. It turns out there are good men out there.”
She jabs her finger in his direction and hisses, “You ruined my mom’s life. You took my sister’s, but you will not have mine. I’m leaving and you will never see me again. Come to think of it, I doubt you will ever see again.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He laughs loudly. “You really are such a stupid bitch, and you always were.”
“What it means, Mickey–”
I step by her side and stare down at his hateful face.
“What it means is that life ends here for you today.”
For the first time, his eyes widen as the penny drops and he gasps, “You wouldn’t dare. Murder a man in his own home. Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“Murder?” I raise my eyes. “There will be no murder today, Mickey.”
I nod to Damien, who grabs him in an arm lock and pulls him to his feet.
I say roughly, “Where is Reggie’s room?”
Lilli points down the hall. “The first one on the left.”
I nod to Damien, and he drags Mickey in that direction as he yells, “What the fuck is going on? I can pay you. Take the girl, she will make you money. Just go. I don’t want her, nobody does.”
Lilli’s strength is almost deserting her and as her body sags as his words fly back to hit her hard, I slip my hand in hers and whisper, “You are worth everything, Lilli. You are a strong, brave, beautiful woman, and I am so proud of you.”
She peers up at me and her lip trembles as she whispers, “I never realized how far he got into my mind. It will be difficult to come to terms with years of mental abuse.”
“You will.” I say confidently. “I’ll pay for the best shrink in the world. You’re not on your own anymore.”
“For the next ninety or something days, that is.”
She appears almost sad about that, and I wonder if it’s because she hates the thought of staying. I should set her free and give her the choice. This isn’t a fun game anymore. It’s her life and I no longer want to play. The trouble is, I don’t want her to leave either, so I take her in my arms and kiss the top of her head and whisper, “Let’s get this over with.”
