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Blake stayed quiet as he turned around. If I knew my father, he’d be leaving soon. After knowing what I’d done to Amir Junior, he’d want stability and he wouldn’t find it here. Not so far away from his guarded palace. And he’d never make it back there if I had anything to say about it.
Chapter 23
Slade
The dirt and grime were gone and the knots brushed out of Lily’s hair. She looked presentable and ready for work, dressed in a pair of black slacks, a black blouse, and heels. Aside from the swelling and bruises, it was as though my sister never left. The disconnect was back. The different Lily I had associated her with when she returned. Truthfully, she was only the old Lily when Zain was around. The composed business woman in front of me now was an imposter, a mask my sister donned to deal with being alone. Why hadn’t I figured it out before? She was so collected, so strong looking, yet I knew that wasn’t the case. It was all an act. My Lilian was scared and crying on the inside. She wanted Zain. She wanted to be happy. And she wasn’t.
“I’m not sure I should go over the details of Bethany,” she said, quietly. “Maybe I’ll just tell Mary she…” Lily took a deep breath. “I’ll just say…” Tears clouded her eyes and she looked toward the floor-length windows. The tears disappeared as she crossed her arms over her chest. “She didn’t make it. That’s what it boils down to. Not that she was raped and beaten to death.” A pause had a ragged breath escaping. “For fuck’s sakes,” she said, bringing her hand up to her forehead. “God, I can’t believe this happened again.”
“Shh.” There were no words I could offer for comfort. Sentiments were the last thing I was good at. All I could do was pull her into my arms while I held her. Still, she didn’t break down like I expected. For minutes, I tried to comfort my sister, but she was so rigid and stiff. I couldn’t help but feel like I was doing more harm than good. “Why don’t we go wake up Mary? She’ll be happy to see you. It’ll be best to break the news to her before Gaige gets back.”
Lily nodded, almost too happy to break away. My mouth twisted and I recalled how easily she molded into Zain’s arms. She was like putty where he was concerned. It was a good sign. She needed to be with someone she trusted enough to let her walls down, but apparently they weren’t where Zain wanted them. He said they had things to work on. What that was exactly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
“He’s the FBI agent?”
“Yes. He’s been working under the radar with us since you went missing, but he got called in shortly before you all arrived. I have a feeling it may have been related to where you all just left. If that’s the case, I don’t expect him here for another few hours.”
Lily’s head lowered and she didn’t wait for me to head to Mary. I followed behind as she eased the door open and stood there, frozen.
“You okay?”
The moment my hand landed on her shoulder, she jumped.
“I’ve never really been afraid of the dark, but…I don’t like not being able to see inside.”
To me, I could clearly see the bed. It was further into the room that lay in pitch black. I nodded, walking past her and turning on the bathroom light. Mary immediately stirred. The action brought Lily forward, until she stood at the foot of the bed.
“Mary?”
Blonde hair flew over my wife’s shoulders as she bolted into a sitting position. She looked lost, confused for a few seconds as she stared at my sister. Then, as if awoken from some dream state, she crawled on her knees across the bed to meet Lily on the side.
“Oh, God, I was so afraid they wouldn’t find you.” Mary hugged Lily tight and Lily seemed more at ease than she had been with me. “How are you? Are you hurt?” Their connection broke as Mary squinted. I turned on the bedside lamp and the color drained from her face. “Oh…Lily.”
“It’s not as bad as it looks. Just a few bruises.”
Mary led her to sit on the edge of the bed, but I could see the horror in my wife’s face. The way her eyes searched Lily’s had me walking over to comfort her.
“Who did this to you? My sister called. Was…it her?”
Lily reached out, grabbing Mary’s hand. “Not really. I mean, Bethany thought she was a part of it.” Hesitation had my sister staring down at their connection. “Jonathon Brighton was the one behind it. He took over for Julian and began working with Zain’s family, like his father had before I killed him. Your sister…she was seeing Jonathon.”
Mary’s back straightened. “That’s why she left Charles? For Jonathon Brighton?”
“Yes. But he...” Lily shifted, “he had other plans for her. He was going to pin my murder on her. When he found out that Amir wasn’t going to let him kill me, he...” Again, she stopped. “I’m sorry, Mary. Bethany didn’t make it.”
Lily’s hand gripped Mary’s tighter and I let mine rest on my wife’s shoulder. The sniffling told me she was crying, but her head was angled to where I couldn’t see.
“I’m sorry they took you, Lily. I knew from the beginning that Bethany probably had something to do with your disappearance. It just…” again, she sniffled, “it saddens me to know that my sister harbored so much anger that she ended up having to pay for it with her life. If she would have let it go, if she could have seen how evil they were instead of being blinded by her own hate and greed...”
“It happened,” Lily said, hugging her. “We can’t change how or why. We just have to keep moving forward. I’m truly sorry for your loss, Mary.”
A sob left her while she shook her head. “I don’t know how you could be. My sister was trying to kill you, yet you’re the one sorry. You amaze me, Lily.”
As they hugged, I could tell my sister was emotionally and physically drained. Not to mention, my wife. It made the exhaustion I was experiencing even more intense. The last two weeks had taken their toll. I quickly cut in.
“I just wanted you to know she was okay. You both need your rest. We can finish this discussion some other time.”
“Yes,” Lily said, standing. “Why don’t you two get some sleep? I’m going to lay in my room and wait for Zain. I think I need to get some rest. Hopefully, he won’t be much longer. We can leave tomorrow. I’m not sure I’m ready to fly anywhere tonight.”
