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Ren erupts, more than I have ever seen. He jumps from his seat and forcefully turns to his father to look at him.
“The right thing?” he seethes, and growls, causing his father to flinch. “What do you know about right and wrong? Or what she has had to endure? She will not face that again! How could you even suggest that?”
Ren looks at him with disgust, and the damage that is being done to this family, all because of my choices, my mistakes, is irreparable.
Dave is quick and courageous to step between them because Ren doesn’t seem to be anywhere near finished with his harsh and vicious words. He points over Dave’s shoulder in his father’s face, as Dante holds him back.
“She will be my wife. I would kill men for less. Fault? You want to know who’s at fault? Why didn’t you keep an eye on her? How did she get out?” The more he lets go, the angrier he becomes, this warm, loving family being ripped apart right in front of me.
“This life, the way you raised us, look what it’s done. Mum was murdered. You put a gun in my hand when I was only a child. You groomed me for this life. This fucked up way to live. But not anymore!” His voice roars with built up rage and sadness. “I was never happy. Not until Lilly. And you want me to give that up? I’m going to build a life with her. Out of this fucked up one. A better one. Living free from this shit. A life that our kids can be proud of. Not this!”
His father breaks and buckles to the floor, Ren ruining him with his words. His wrath, and his protection of me is blinding him to what really is the only choice.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the vibration of my phone that I couldn’t hear over the barrage of words finally gets my attention, a message from Sergei. The final nail in my coffin. Another picture of Amari, this one she is in the room, the room I never want to think about again. The room where he takes me to hurt me.
Sergei: The boys want to play. Hurry up or this poor virgin will be destroyed.
Checkmate.
I move out of Tommy’s soothing embrace and run to my room. I can hear footsteps hot on my tail.
“Lilly,” Tommy calls out.
I turn, my face wet from tears. “Tommy, please, I just need to be alone.”
His face contorts into a pained expression, as he nods, letting me go. Then I run straight to our bedroom and slam the door closed. There’s no more time for thoughts, no more time for tears because Ren is losing it all for me, risking it all, and his poor family will never recover. They spent their entire life protecting Amari, shielding her, keeping her pure and untainted. I will not be the reason that ends. Amari will not recover from what he could do to her. But me?
I can.
I can go back.
I must go back.
For the family.
For my family.
Ren will find me. I trust him wholeheartedly. I know the plans; everything has been considered, and he’s hurting now, breaking, and not able to make this choice. But that’s what partners do. That’s what you do when someone you love is falling, you lift them up. You help them. You take it off their shoulders.
With that, I slip off my ring and find paper from the inside of his drawer and write. I write a note to the only man I have ever truly loved.
I book a car to meet me down the street and leave my phone in my drawer. Resetting it won’t help, since Sergei can recover anything he wants, and if he read my conversations with Ren, it would be devastating for me. So, I don’t take the risk to take it with me.
And in a far cry from how this all begun, I simply am able to slip out the front door, taking advantage of the commotion and the lack of men now at the house. I keep to the shadows of the trees, and sprint from the property and back to the devil, just like he always planned.
33
Lilly
Neverinamillionyears was driving down this street ever on my list of things to do. Every part of me is alive, blood pumps through my veins slamming into my chest, but surprisingly my hands aren’t shaking.
“Just in here,” I say to the driver, pointing at the underground car park and hiding behind my hand, away from the windows.
Ren’s men surround the building and no doubt watching like a hawk. If he finds out before I get Amari out and sends them in for me, this could be a death sentence for everyone.
“It needs a card.” The driver looks over his shoulder at me.
“No, it doesn’t. Drive up a bit.”
