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All that matters is that she’s okay, but as I think back to the bruises, cuts, and burns marring her body, I know she won’t be for a while. She needs support, and not just from me, from other people too.
My stomach flips as we get closer to the compound, knowing all the guys will meet her and want to know what happened. I’ll have to tell them everything for them to understand—to help keep her protected.
Running my hand through my hair, I startle when Lily moans. The guttural noise has me wanting to pull over, and when she pleads with someone to stop, I slam my foot on the brake pedal.
“Lily?” I whisper, not wanting to talk too loudly and frighten her even more.
“Please, no more. Please.” Tears slide down her face, but her eyes are glued shut as she shakes her head, moaning in what I’m sure is real pain from the injuries she has.
“Darlin’, it’s okay.” I place my hand on her arm, knowing I probably shouldn’t, but seeing her in this amount of pain rips me apart.
Her eyes fling open, the blue murky and scared as she focuses on me before trying to back away. It takes a second for her to realize where she is, and when she does a sob bubbles out of her throat. It’s not any normal kind of sob, it’s the kind that tells you she’s falling apart.
“Angel,” I murmur, opening my arms.
She undoes her belt before flinging herself at me and I haul her over the center console. Her face pushes into my neck as she grips onto my t-shirt, and I can do nothing but hold her tight. It frustrates me that I can’t do more, but right now all she needs is to feel safe.
Her cries intensify as she tries to burrow further into me, and I worry she’ll make herself sick with how much her body wracks.
My gaze flicks to the dashboard and then the darkening sky before I stare out the rearview mirror. I don’t like us being out in the open like this. We’re too exposed.
“We’re nearly home, darlin’,” I tell her, rubbing my palm up and down her back in a soothing motion. She pulls back and looks up at me, tears running freely down her face, but she does nothing to bat them away. “I don’t want us out in the open like this.” She looks around as her eyes widen. “I’m gonna put you back in your seat. We’re only a few minutes from the compound. As soon as we’re there and I know you’re safe, I’ll hold you for as long as you need. Okay?”
She nods before her hand loosens the grip she has on me and pulls away. Her movements are slow as I help her over the center console.
I wait a beat to make sure she’s settled before facing the front of the car. I try to block out her soft cries as I pull out onto the road and speed toward the compound, but each one is like an invisible tether pulling at me.
As soon as I turn into the road leading to the gates, the tension leaves my body but is replaced tenfold when I pull inside and see everyone sitting on the porch to Ty’s house.
“Luke,” Lily croaks out, her arms around her waist, holding herself together.
“I know, darlin’,” I tell her as I park at an angle. Tilting my head back, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for what’s to come. Maybe I should have told at least Ty what was going on these last couple of months. But then he would have demanded we go to Charlie, and when I open my eyes to look at Lily, I know she wouldn’t have survived that. But maybe she wouldn’t have been taken a second time? Or maybe they would have put her back in that house and she would have suffered even more abuse than she already has?
Lily’s chest rattles as her cries start to subside, but her pale face and wide eyes tells me she’s scared. I never want her to be scared here, but she’s not really here right now. She’s back there. With them.
Opening the door before I jump out of the car, I halt when I look up, my muscles tense as I focus on Evan and then Ty.
They need to know what’s happening, but right now isn’t the time.
Looking away before I move toward the other side of the car, I open the door. Lily turns around, holding her knees to her chest, and in this moment, she looks just as broken as she did when she was in that basement.
My nostrils flare at the sight of her, but I keep all my emotions on lockdown. She doesn’t need to know what I’m thinking or imagining doing to her dad and Jonah.
I lean down, placing one arm under her legs and one around her back before lifting and bringing her to my chest. Using my foot, I close the door and start to walk across the compound.
Their eyes burn through my skin, and I know I have to stop, I can’t just walk past them without a word said. I look down at Lily, my gaze clashing with hers as I say, “I need to talk to them.”
She nods, whimpering when I step forward before a pained groan rips through her as she grips her side.
“Luke?” Ty asks, moving beside Evan. “Who’s that?”
My hand moves to Lily’s hair as I murmur, “It’s okay, angel. I’ll make it all better, I promise.”
“Luke,” she whispers, her voice traveling on the wind.
“I know, angel. I know.”
My head swings up before my gaze flits between all of them, finally stopping on Kay for an extra beat. She’ll understand Lily more than the rest of them—just like I understood her more when she first came here. I swallow, knowing I need to tell them who she is.
