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“Jesus,Lily-Bell, I thought my family was fucked up,” Benji explained when I’d told them everything. It had been a more condensed version of my earlier discussion with Grayson but no less difficult to tell.
Benji’s familywasfucked up. His father, a well-known defense attorney in the state, was also a major homophobe. When he’d found out his only son was gay, he’d kicked him out of the house permanently. And because Benjamin Fitzgerald Huntington II controlled the purse strings, every member of his family had ostracized Benji, leaving him with no one to turn to.
Benji’d clasped my hand tightly when I started my story and the support I’d felt flowing from him had helped me feel stronger. I should have known that he’d never condemn me for the choices I’d made, including lying. I leaned my head against his shoulder, loving him more than ever.
“How could a parent ever do that to their child?” Tears rolled down Winnie’s cheeks and her hands were holding her baby belly protectively. Kane kissed her temple gently and laid his own palm over hers.
My childhood had been truly horrible, every moment of it wondering why I didn’t have a family like other kids my age. Questioning how they were lucky enough to often have two parents that loved them, while I had no one. The people sitting with me now were more of a family than my father ever was.
Grayson’s hand hadn’t left my thigh since we sat down. His posture had remained stiff while I’d been talking and I knew he was worried about how I was handling recanting the story that just this morning had me breaking down. I smiled to reassure him that I was all right and he visibly relaxed.
“What do we know about this asshole that is stalking you? We know it isn’t your father, are there any other leads?” Kane directed the question to my side of the booth but I knew it was meant mostly for Grayson.
“How do we know it isn’t my father?” Kane’s eyes widened and jumped to Grayson. I turned my body to face him fully. Tension radiated off of him and a sick feeling washed over me. “Grayson? How do we know it isn’t my father?”
“Sweetheart, I—fuck,” he started but didn’t continue. I thought we’d talked about everything back at his place. But the look on his face told me he knew something else that he hadn’t shared with me. Regret shone in his eyes and I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Tell me.”
“He’s dead, Lily. Your father is dead.”
My breath caught in my chest as his words settled over me. The man who’d tormented me my entire life, my nightmare, was gone. Immense relief washed over me. Even though it had been years, I still searched every unknown face in a crowd expecting to see him. Memories of his fists striking me would flood my mind completely unbidden when I’d be doing the most mundane of tasks. But he was dead. The word echoed in my mind until it settled, ending the fear I’d lived with all this time. I never had to worry about him finding me ever again.
“Lily?” Everyone had left and Grayson and I were alone in the booth. His worried expression had me realizing I’d been quiet since his confession.
“I’m all right,” I squeezed his hand to reassure him that my words were true. “Am I a bad person for not feeling sad?”
“No, no fucking way, Lily. He doesn’t deserve your sadness.”
“How did he…” Grayson seemed to understand what I was asking.
“I’m not sure you want to know the details. It wasn’t natural causes.”
I sighed. It made sense. The man that my father had been could have easily angered the wrong people. “If he didn’t send those messages, then who did?”
“I don’t know. But I can promise you that I’m going to figure it out. In the meantime, I want us to be cautious. This person knows where you are and felt bold enough to let you know he’s watching. We aren’t going to take any chances. That means no going anywhere alone, ever. In fact, I’m going to clear my schedule so that I can be with you.”
My initial reaction was to think that he was being overly cautious but if I were honest with myself, I was scared. I had so much more to lose now than ever before, it was time to be smart and I trusted Grayson with my life.
22
GRAY
It’d been two weeks since Lily received a message from her stalker. However, I was too realistic to hope that he’d moved on. Every time he’d contacted her, the words reeked of possession, that kind of obsession wouldn’t stop until he’d taken her from me.
Sleep had become a thing of the past. I’d lie next to Lily every night, my ears straining for any sound that meant she was in danger, fingers itching to grab my gun that was settled in my nightstand just in case. My nerves were frayed and we hadn’t found jack shit to identify the fucker.
Roe and Sam had returned a week ago. The fate of all those missing girls was weighing heavily on me as well. I was a fucking disaster and everyone knew it because I was being a total asshole anytime someone tried to talk to me.
When my parents called this morning, I had encouraged them to extend their trip. Lily was terrified of Daisy being in harm’s way and as much as I missed her, I had to agree. She was safer with my parents and off this psycho’s radar.
School would be starting in August and Daisy would have to be back before that which gave us a very short timeline. That meant I had mere weeks to find the stalker and keep my family safe. I dropped my head and rubbed my bleary eyes, trying to think of anything I’d missed, any stone I’d left unturned.
I’d been watching the security footage from the gas station that sold the burner phone. Nothing was standing out to me anymore than the first hundred times I’d watched it. The place sold more prepaid phones than I believed possible.
“Hey,” Lily called out to me, one shoulder braced on the door to my office as she watched me with concern. It was the middle of the night and I’d once again left her in our bed to stare at the same images, hoping I’d see something new.
She looked fucking perfect in one of my old t-shirts that hung just past her ass. Her hair cascading in waves around her shoulders and legs bare. My heart ached just at the sight of her.
