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"In the end, we got sidetracked." I picture my father sitting on the bed, revealing what he let someone do to Lilly. My grip instantly tightens, and the case around my phone crackles.
"What do you mean?"
I attempt to calm my temper by breathing through my nose, and Lilly waits patiently. She can read me better than anyone and knows when I'm about to flip my lid, as she calls it. Twenty-three inhales and exhales later, I’m sure I can recall both conversations in a manner that will not end in me destroying any more pillows or electronic devices. I say, "Dad told me what happened to your memory and why there are cameras in the entire house."
Lilly’s hands fly to her mouth.
"You might want Nate and George there," I continue.
She stares at me for a long moment, probably trying to figure out why I'd voluntarily suggest speaking to her brother.
"Okay. Uh, give me a minute." She doesn't immediately get up but then shakes her head and disappears from the screen. I take in the framed paintings on the wall behind the desk and finally recognize the object on them as an abstract version of the same black horse, one galloping and one standing. The weird shit rich people hang on their walls.
It takes several minutes before Lilly is back. She lowers herself into the chair, and I hear rummaging in the background. A moment later, two tall figures are carrying more chairs into the picture. When all three are facing the camera, I’m not sure where to begin.
"Rhys," George greets me in his usual, unemotional fashion.
"G." I nod at him, mimicking his detached tone. Oddly enough, I can remain pissed at him for picking Lilly up instead of putting his foot down—not that that really would've been an option.
My gaze swivels to Nate, who sits with his arms crossed slightly behind his sister. "Psycho."
Yup, still resentful for him allowing Lilly to leave.
Where Lilly glowers at me disapprovingly, George’s lips twitch at the corner.
Nate simply rolls his eyes. "Why were we summoned, Rhys?"
Well, here we go. "My father explained to me how Lilly lost her memory and—"
"We already know how. George has a meeting with Lakatos set up for next week," he interrupts me.
Who—
"You didn’t tell me that!" Lilly’s head turns to her brother.
"I finalized the details yesterday. I didn't have time to fill you in yet," the other man inserts himself.
"Who. The. Fuck. Is. Lakatos?" the question is more a feral growl than an articulated string of words.
"He's the memory doctor." Lilly glances back at me.
I suck in a lungful of air. Holy— "Can he...uh, reverse what he did?" Is there a possibility for Lilly to remember?
"We don’t know. I had to follow his extensive contact protocol before I could even set up a secure call with him."
"He’s a paranoid motherfucker." Nate blows out a non-comical laugh.
George ignores his employer. "As I was saying, we spoke on the phone, and it took multiple days to agree on the terms to meet in person. The only reason he even considered it was my...reputation. He has heard of me, as I knew of him."
Well, if that isn’t wonderful. "Maybe you can form a club." I can’t swallow the snide remark that formed on my tongue.
This time, I'm at the receiving end of George's displeasure.
Thankfully, he doesn't evoke a sudden bladder release anymore, so I just shrug. "What?"
"Okay, now that we are all up to speed on that topic." Lilly narrows her eyes at the two men in the room with her before making eye contact with me again. "What else did you find out?"
Oh yeah, the our-housekeeper-got-murdered-by-a-teddy-thief news.
