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She draws in a shuddering breath. "We were running track today. We were on our way to the showers when a sophomore showed up with a slip for Den to come to the office. She said she'd go after she showered, but Mr. Landon told her to go immediately. The other girls were already done and almost out the door, so I figured it wasn’t a big deal. Den would be back in a few." Lilly pauses, and I swipe away the lone tear running down her face with my thumb. I wait for her to collect herself.
"I even brought my clothes with me out of fear they would take them." Lilly breathes out a non-comical laugh. "I was rinsing the shampoo out when the water turned scorching hot." She squeezes her eyes together but keeps talking. "I tried to turn it off but couldn't get to the lever fast enough. The water burned me. When I tried to get out of the stall, someone pushed me back in." Lilly’s breathing picks up. "I...I couldn't see. My wet hair was in my face, and I tried to get my head away from the water. Someone held my hands and shoulders, and the water hit my back." Another tear escapes. "Rhys, it hurt so bad."
I gently place my palm on her cheek. "I’m so sorry, babe."
I feel sick and have to fight the urge to haul the tray with medical supplies across the room.
"I heard Den scream. That was when they finally let go." Lilly's lids spring open. "They’re going to pay!"
A cold shiver runs down my spine. In all these years, I have never seen the girl in front of me anything but kind and compassionate—even with what I put her through for two years. She is one of the most empathetic human beings I know. But at this moment, her eyes are wild, almost...deranged. Everyone has their limits, and Lilly has reached hers.
I make sure our eyes are locked when I speak. "They will, babe. I promise you." She will get revenge. The question is only when, how, and who gets to execute it. The list of people who would do anything for my girl is long. Anything from torture to erasing the target from existence—in a cyber sense—is possible between George and Nate alone.
Just as I'm about to place a kiss on her forehead, Dad storms through the door. He stops abruptly and zeros in on Lilly's exposed back. His eyes turn wide, and he presses the back of his hand against his mouth, mimicking my own reaction earlier.
His gaze jumps to me. "Who did this?"
"Still working on it, Dad." He will find out soon enough.
My father jerks his head in a nod. He has seen some of the worst shit a human can be forced to endure during his time in the Marine Corps. He hasn't talked openly to us kids about it, but I've heard bits and pieces over the years. He has never so much as shown concern or remorse about it, but the emotions playing on his face now tell me that this will end badly for everyone involved. Maybe not in a physical way—unless one of my former friends had anything to do with it—but between Nate and my parents...they messed with the wrong family.
Mom arrivesas the nurse has finished cleaning Lilly’s skin with saline and is putting aloe on her back. Nurse Julie, as I find out when I finally take the time to read her name tag, explains the process as she goes along, and Dad and I are standing in the corner, letting her do her job. Every time Lilly winces, I'm about to punch Julie's lights out. Not that it's her fault, but I can't take much more of seeing her in pain. Dad eventually has his hand firmly planted onto my shoulder, aware that I'm holding on by a thread and may lose it at any point.
Mom's eyes water immediately at the sight of Lilly, and her eyes fly to Dad. He holds out his other hand, and she launches herself at him, unable to hug the person she wants to embrace.
The doctor, who assessed Lilly’s burns earlier and declared them to be second degree, enters the room again, and it’s getting crowded. He seems to come to the same conclusion. "We only allow two visitors at a time. May I ask one of you to wait in the waiting room while we finish up with Miss McGuire?"
"Rhys." Dad looks at me, and I want to protest.
The thought of letting Lilly out of my sight causes my chest to constrict. I try to inhale, supply my lungs with the oxygen they demand, but it’s like I’m breathing through a pillow.
However, seeing my mother about to fall apart, I can't do that to her.
"Okay," I concede. Before leaving, though, I take the two steps to Lilly's bed and squat down so she doesn't have to raise her head.
"I'll be outside with Den and Wes." And probably George, which I don't say aloud.
She smiles at me tightly. "Okay."
"I love you." I place a kiss on her nose, not giving a fuck about who’s watching.
"Love you, too," she whispers.
As I straighten, the doctor says, "We will discharge Miss McGuire shortly. I don't see a reason to keep her overnight. You want to watch the burns, keep them clean, and when the blisters burst, do not pick at them. They will heal in seven to fourteen days. No lotions or creams and loose clothing. She can take Motrin for the pain and sleep on her stomach..." He keeps going on, but I exit the room in search of Lilly’s head of failed security.
