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“Of course.” Vanessa’s smile was almost too fake. “We’d be more than happy to take her home and make her… comfortable.”
The woman pointed her head down, paler than before. It took everything in Mitch to not run forward and reassure her thatnobodywould hurt her on their watch.
“Excellent.” Candace handed Vanessa a postcard with information. “Call or text this number if there are any issues. It’s secure. Oh, and anytime Wednesday is perfect for the drop-off. I can even have a car sent to collect her if it’s too onerous for you.”
“We’ll only be out of town on Christmas itself. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“She’s very well-behaved at home. Aren’t you, Lily?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You can take her now,” Candace continued. “Or I can have her dropped off some time tomorrow. It’s up to you.”
“I thought you were traveling to Thailand for the holidays?” Mitch blurted.
“My house is well-staffed even when I’m not at home. It won’t be a problem.”
Staffed with people kept beneath your thumb.Mitch had to maintain at least a stoic countenance, but it wasn’t easy. Not when Vanessa insisted on taking Lily with them now. The urgency in her voice probably made Candace think that Vanessa couldn’t wait to get her hands on this girl.More like can’t wait to get her away from you.
They walked away with Lily behind them. Stella stared at them on their way out, and Jade kept an eye on them as they traversed the hallway to the garage. Luke waited for them there.
“Who’s this?” he asked when Mitch got into the passenger seat and Vanessa helped Lily into the back. “New friend?”
“Someone who needs a place to crash for a couple of days,” Mitch said.
“We’ll be hosting Ms. Lily through Christmas.”
“Hello, Ms. Lily.”
The girl was not prepared for a large man who spoke with such a loud yet friendly voice. She gave the tiniest nod before buckling up.
“Lily is tired,” Vanessa said. “I think a quiet ride home will be nice.”
“Got it. Party was a rager, huh?” Luke didn’t need a response. He chuckled, put the car into reverse, and drove them home within thirty minutes.
Mitch knew that the weirdness was only beginning.
Chapter 22
Thefirstthingtheydid was provide Lily with a guest room and some of Vanessa’s clothes to change into. When asked if she had a preference for toothpaste, she stared at them as if they spoke another language.
“Look,” Vanessa said, sitting on the walnut hope chest at the foot of the guest bed. “It’s me and Mitch here right now. That big guy stays in the guest house, and he won’t bother us until tomorrow unless I instruct him otherwise. He’s the head of my security, and we trust him with our lives. You can too.”
Mitch, wig and makeup off with nothing but a hoodie to cover her ripped negligee said, “This is a lot to deal with right now, we know.”
“We don’t want to hurt you,” Vanessa said.
Mitch gestured talking on the phone to Vanessa. She shook her head. “You do it,” she mouthed while Lily wasn’t looking at her. “Let me talk to her.”
Although Mitch was not in a hurry to leave, she did. Vanessa knew she probably had thirty minutes before they had company.
“Is Lily your real name?” she softly asked the girl who now shook from head to toe. It couldn’t be because she was cold, although Vanessa pushed a folded quilt toward her. “Hey, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to share. I’m also… honey, I’m not going to touch you. Nobody here is.”
Lily leaped off the bed, ripping open the front of her travel coat and showing off the standard black cocktail dress beneath. “Do you not like it? Ms. Lister said you would like me. That you would help me become a better…” Her lip quivered, her coat slowly closing again. “My name is Marcela,” she squeaked.
“Please, Marcela, sit down. Do you need some water? When’s the last time you ate?”
Marcela sat on the very edge of the bed. “Please understand, if Ms. Lister thinks you didn’t like me, she will… she will be very angry. She spent a lot of money on me. She has to make her investment back.”
