Page 99 of Lilies from Hell

I get out of the car and walk glancing around. It’s scarier at night than during the day. When I turn around to say goodbye, the car has already faded into the dark. I let out all my breath in a sharp exhale to gather my courage and keep walking. There is no one at the entrance. The problem now is getting to the other side. I try to climb that fence as best I can, careful not to get stuck on one of those metal spikes at the top, then I brace myself to reduce the distance between my feet and the ground.

“Damn fence,” I mutter under my breath, rubbing my foot when I’m on the ground.

“Kto ty?! Skazhi mne, poka ya ne izreshetil tvoyu golovu pulyami. (Who are you?! Tell me before I riddle your head with bullets).” I turn abruptly, looking for the owner of that growl. A man dressed in black from head to toe is pointing a rifle at my head. His lecherous gaze makes my stomach churn violently.

I part my lips, wanting to let out the words that have stuck inside me when I see him put his finger on the trigger. I’m about to run away when Sergei appears from somewhere and stops me by grabbing my arm. Then he says something to the man, who lowers his gun, but with considerable suspicion.

“Do you know her?” he asks, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Sergei gives me a quick glance before answering.

“No. But I’ll take care of her myself,” he says with a sly smile. I give him an angry look. He tightens his grip on my arm, starting to drag me into the house.

“Let go of me!” I roar, digging the soles of my boots into the grass, but with one tug he manages to force me to walk again. “Are you going to tell me where the hell you’re taking me, at least?” I spit as we enter the house.

He puts his fingers on my wrist, leading us to what appears to be a living room. I’m surprised to see that most of the rooms have their lights on.

“Don’t you ever sleep or what?” I ask.

“Haven’t you heard that crime never sleeps?” As he speaks, he looks to his left as if searching for something. This gives me a perfect view of his profile, making me giggle as I notice his big nose.

“What?” he blurts out.

“You have a pretty face attached to that nose,” I scoff, making him press his lips together in annoyance.

“Walk before I change my mind.”

I follow him until we reach his bedroom door. He then knocks on the door, but no one answers. Before I can say anything, he leaves without another word. With slightly sweaty hands, I turn the handle of the large double doors, which to my surprise are open. Inside his bedroom, all the lights are off except for those upstairs. I close the door very slowly, determined to wait for him sitting on the bed. After a few minutes, I see him leaning against the railing with only a towel tied around his waist. His torso is wet, and thanks to the reflection of the bathroom light, I can see how a few drops from his wet hair scatter across the line that separates his perfect abs.

“Hello,” I whisper, looking away from his eyes. He gives me a sly smile before walking toward me, leaving a wet trail behind his feet.

“Hello,” he whispers in a hoarse voice, just inches from my lips. His proximity causes the water dripping from his hair to splash against my skin, contrasting with the sudden warmth on my skin. He then slams his lips against mine abruptly, hard enough to make our teeth clash.

When he brings his hands to the edge of the towel and drops it to the floor, I quickly look away. I can breathe normally again when he puts on a pair of boxer shorts he takes from the drawer of his bedside table, but that doesn’t make the heat covering my cheeks diminish even a little.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up.” His voice beside me now sounds reproachful and distant. I am unable to take my eyes off the movement of his lips as he pronounces each word. When he stops speaking, I blink, looking up at his blue eyes.

“I wanted to surprise you. And I brought you something too.” I search for the box in my bag and hand it to him, waiting for his reaction when he opens it to find a Sig-Sauer P-226 adorned with some embedded stones. My stomach twists with anxiety when he says nothing and I begin to speak with a slight hesitation. “If you don’t like it, you can…”

“I love it,” he interrupts, setting the box aside and then gently pressing his lips to my nose. “But you didn’t have to.”

“Why not? You’re my boyfriend, I can give you gifts.” His eyes now sparkle.

“I’m your husband,” he emphasizes, curving the corner of his lips as a simple reminder. “And I don’t want you to spend your money on me.”

“Nonsense,” I reply with a click of my tongue, ignoring the first words that have me on the verge of blushing even more. I furrow my brows in confusion as he narrows his eyes at me.

“Have you gone on more deliveries with your father before?” His gaze intensifies as I don’t answer.

“How do you know that?” I ask.

“I asked you a question.”

“It was only a few times,” I say. He lets out an exasperated sigh before starting to fiddle with his piercing.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” His voice doesn’t match the calm expression on his face at all, and that confuses me for a moment.

“It wasn’t that bad, and my father is no novice.” I want to pull away when he holds my jaw with his fingers. I feel like his eyes can see beyond what I myself can see. I can’t say it scares me, but it makes me feel small next to him.

“You are absolutely forbidden from getting involved in that shit again.” I swallow all my complaints at his request, knowing they would be useless. “Does it hurt?” he asks, his gaze fixed on my arm. Soon I find myself sitting on his lap.