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She sucks in a ragged breath, nodding slowly. A young woman, resembling her, steps into the frame, a black belt in one hand. She tilts her head, a wild gleam in her eyes. Jax turns his head toward her and plants a kiss on her cheek. Sammi gasps and sways next to me, Dresden lets go of my shoulder to steady her.
“Hello, mother.”
“Jennifer?”
“Yes. You know, it’s heartwarming you betrayed your team for me, but Jax takes care of me better than you ever did.”
“No.”
“Bye, mother. Your little friend here should be back there in a few hours. I can’t wait to see the infamous Viper back on the block. I might even buy her myself and have a little fun.”
“Jennifer!”
Jax’s booming laugh echoes in my ears long after the feed is cut, and I can’t move. Everything around me blurs and I barely feel Sorina sobbing against my shoulder. This can’t happen. I won’t lose Lily again. Not to the Taurus, not to Jax, not to anyone. Come hell or fucking high water, she’s staying with me, and I don’t give a damn if I have to kill a thousand people to make it happen.
They’ve fucked with the wrong man this time.
31
~Blake~
I can’t stop pacing the living room. 17 hours. Jax’s transmission cut off 17 hours ago. Lily still isn’t here. I’ve spent 17 hours trying to figure out what to say to her. When I’d first woke up from the meds, I’d planned to rip her head off. After seeing her on that screen though . . . it’s like someone punched a hole in my chest the size of Russia.
I’m angry and scared at the same time. How in the hell could she agree to go back? A month? What is that shit? And what game is Jax playing? There’s a reason he agreed to give her the time, and it isn’t to say goodbye. I just can’t figure out what it is.
“Blake,” Delia says softly touching my arm to stop my pacing.
I take a deep breath and look down at her. She’s helped Teresa nonstop for the duration of this fiasco. When the transmission came through last night, she and Marcela just stood in the back, not saying a word. There wasn’t much they could say. They haven’t seen Lily since she was eight. There’s no connection between her and them.
The click of the front door startles me, and it’s as if life moves in slow motion. Edmond Bates, the head of their Interpol division, sidesteps through the door, his arm around the waist of my beautiful, albeit very bruised, fiancée.
Everyone rushes toward them but stops short as Bates holds his hand up. That’s when I take in Lily. She’s in loose-fitting shorts and a tank top. Her arms and chest are covered in knuckle and strap-shaped bruises. Her legs have the same markings and her left knee is swollen twice its normal size.
“Baby,” I say quietly. Something tells me yelling isn’t a good idea.
At a snail’s pace, she lifts her head. When her hair falls out of the way, I almost break. Her nose is broken; cuts litter her lips and cheeks. Both her eyes are blackened, and her right eye is swollen. Not enough to be closed, but enough that she looks like she’s been stung by something.
“Hi handsome,” she says taking her arm from around Bates’ shoulder.
To my surprise, she turns and limps right to Dresden. He doesn’t hesitate as he wraps his arms around her fiercely. It’s a strange moment, but one that shows the unshakeable bond between them. Lily buries her face in his shoulder, and the only sound echoing off the walls is her constant mantra of, “I’m sorry.”
“No, no, no, mein freund. Don’t do that.” Dresden leans in and rests his face in the crook between Lily’s face and her shoulder, speaking to her in German. His voice is audible, but the words aren’t discernible.
After a few moments, she lets go of him and turns back toward me. Her eyes wander over my shoulder and within a moment her face turns to stone. I glance behind me where Sorina is standing with Delia and Marcela. As she makes to move past me, I gently take hold of her bicep. I can’t tell if she’s going to hug Sori or beat the hell out of her mother.
“Mom.” Sorina makes the choice for her and jogs forward, wrapping her arms around Lily’s waist. “I’m so pissed at you.”
Lily’s eyes soften a fraction. “I know. When aren’t you mad at me though?”
“I’m not mad when you’re here,” Sorina says with a chuckle, squeezing Lily tighter.
“Sori,” I say, putting my hands on her shoulder as Lily winces in what can only be excruciating pain.
“No. Let her squeeze. I don’t have much time left for these moments.” Lily squeezes Sorina back, hard, and just clenches her teeth to handle the pain.
I lean over and kiss her lips, gently tangling my hand in her hair. “Don’t do that. We’re going to figure this out, baby.”
She kisses me back harder than I expect, and I use my other hand to cup her face and steady both of us. “We’ll talk about this later.”
