“Afternoon, my dad’s got the perp up there.” Grayson pointed toward the stairs.
“Thanks, we’ll get a statement after he’s taken care of.” The man told him as he began to go up the stairs to meet Bryan as he walked down.
“Hey Cap, what’s going on?” the deputy asked.
“Toby…” Bryan sighed, “Why me?” He groaned before continuing. “Look, this guy is my neighbor; I guess he thought his girl ran away and that my son had her…”
Toby chuckled, “He did look slightly guilty.”
“You have no idea. Anyway, he’s very drunk. Lock him up and keep him in the drunk tank until I come in tomorrow. I’m going to have to take tonight off and talk with my boy before I decide what to press him with.” Bryan sighed.
“Cap, take it easy on Gray. I’ve heard that Frank here’s not a very good guy.” Toby whispered as he yanked Frank from Bryan’s grasp and escorted him down the steps.
“Thanks Toby,” Bryan replied as he closed the front door. “I’ll get a statement from my boy and I’ll get one written up for me as well. Don’t have to worry about anything.”
Bryan smacked his hand into the wall and then grumbled as he turned around and walked toward the kitchen. As soon as he came into the kitchen, Grayson shoved his chair back jumping up. “Dad, listen, you’ve got to understand.”
“I don’t want to hear it, Grayson!” Bryan growled out. “You should have trusted me enough to tell me you were harboring someone in my own home!” Lilly cringed. She was digging through the fridge when Bryan walked in and now she had tucked herself as far away as she could into the corner of the kitchen.
Bryan sighed. “Grayson,” he paused and looked over at Lilly, “give us a moment would you?”
“Dad?” Grayson said worriedly.
“Grayson, don’t scare the girl more than necessary, you know she’s perfectly safe with me,” Bryan muttered out.
“Gray!” Lilly cried softly as Grayson turned to walk out of the kitchen. “Don’t please.” Lilly whimpered as she ran to him.
Grayson smiled down at her softly. “I promise you’ll be alright. I’ll just be right in the other room.” He whispered reassuringly, “he is a great man, you’re safe. You are strong, remember that.” He kissed her lips softly then left her standing there nervously.
“Sit down Lilly,” Bryan said softly. He could tell through very common signs that Lilly was at one time very petrified of Frank. He could tell that Lilly was nervous around most men even though he was proud to admit she had formed some sort of bond with Grayson.
Don’t take the Girl
Chapter 29
Lilly had sat down cautiously on the far side of the table from Bryan. She was silent as Bryan began to speak. Finally, after fifteen minutes of complete silence from Lilly to all the questions he had asked her, Bryan gave up. “I’m going to go get Grayson. We can talk more…” Bryan sighed as he pushed his chair back and stood up.
As he walked toward Lilly, she whimpered and pushed her chair away from him. Bryan sighed but continued to the other room. “Gray,” he called.
“About time!” Grayson grumbled. “Lilly, I’m right here,” Grayson said as he walked past his father and encircled his arms around the girl. “Shh…” he cooed, “I’m here now. Can we talk to my dad?”
Lilly shook her head ‘no,’ and eyed Bryan. “You have to tell him or I need too, it’ll be alright. I promise.”
Lilly whimpered.
She didn’t want to tell the man, who happened to be a police captain of the abuse Frank put her through. She didn’t want Bryan and Grayson to be in danger. With tight lips, Lilly shook her head. She couldn’t do it.
“Lilly was being abused,” Grayson said firmly.
Lilly gasped and looked horrified at Grayson and tried to pull from his arms. His grip held firm, “He can help Lilly. Frank isn’t going to get away with this.”
“Is that true Lilly?” Bryan asked. “Can you tell me what has been happening to you?”
Lilly’s eyes watered with the realization that someday she wasn’t going to stand a chance in hiding it any longer. She needed to let it all out. She needed people on her side and this was her chance. Maybe even her only one.
Slowly words began to leave her lips, shaky at first but eventually they came out with more and more confidence and strength behind them. She had told Bryan, as he meticulously took notes, about his mother’s death and then the abuse that followed. She told him everything she could and ended with the moment she had walked out of Grayson’s room.
“Wow.” Bryan breathed. “I can’t believe it,” he grumbled.
“Dad everything she says is true. How can you not believe it?” Grayson defended.
“No Gray,” Bryan sighed, his hand went up to rub his temples for a moment before he continued, “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. That was right behind our home. Right in our back yard.”
“This is not your fault,” Grayson replied. “Neither of your faults,” he said kissing Lilly’s temple.
“I’ve got this all written down and recorded so we are going to make sure he goes away for a long time Lilly,” Bryan told her.
“NO!” Lilly screamed. “You can’t tell anyone! He’ll have them come kill me!” She cried, with all her strength she pushed from Grayson’s arms and glared. “You said I could trust him!”
“Lilly calm down,” Grayson comforted. “You can trust my dad; he’s going to have Frank put away.”
“He can’t! He has friends that are out here! High up friends, ones that’ll take me down and do awful things to me or to …” She let the words hang. Lilly couldn’t exactly tell about the abuse that someone else was going though could she?
“Lilly what are you not telling me?” Bryan questioned. “I promise he won’t hurt you again. Please tell me.”
Grayson set Lilly down into a chair and walked across the kitchen retrieving her some food and a drink. As he set them down before her, she looked up at him sadly. “How can he help if you don’t tell him everything?”
“George and Bobby, Frank’s friends, they’ll come after me if you take Frank away.” She huffed out. “And they’ll hurt Jake, they abuse him too.”
“George and Bobby from the force?” he asked in disbelief. “Jake Whit?”
Lilly nodded. “Jake has helped me out a few times, escape the house when Frank’s on his crazy streak, but I know he takes blows from his father.”
“We’ll get them all. We have been investigating and I knew there was some corruption somewhere, but we just couldn’t find it. Grayson take Lilly upstairs. I think she could use some rest.”
“Dad?” Grayson questioned.
“Lilly do you feel comfortable staying with Grayson?” Bryan asked.
Lilly nodded vigorously. “Then go on boy, take care of her.”
Grayson nodded. It was getting late out now and he too was exhausted from the recent events. Clasping his hand around Lilly’s he tugged her gently behind him as he led the way to his room.
One Day
Chapter 30
It had been two months and there was still no sign of Bobby Whit. Once George was picked up and sent to jail to await his trial, Bobby disappeared. Frank was locked up as well, but still Bobby roamed.
Jake and his mother had been informed to call the police if they heard anything from him, but they were sent off to stay with family until he was caught.
“Do you want to go to the mall?” Grayson questioned.
Lilly’s clothing were beginning to fit quite well to her nicely fed frame, but they were still ragged and old. “I don’t like spending the little money I have, Gray,” Lilly complained.
“Yeah, but do you remember that the house we put up for sale is yours to sell and you get all the proceeds from it. It was part of your mother’s will including the trust fund that you and Will had. You got plenty of money to buy some clothes for yourself,” Grayson chuckled.
“Right,” Lilly mumbled. “I guess we
can go.”
Grayson beamed as he walked with Lilly toward his car. “Oh Gray!” his mother called out. “Don’t forget to pick up some new things for Lilly’s room!”
Lilly groaned. Yes, Grayson’s mother had come home the next day and easily accepted Lilly with warm and loving open arms. As a family they all decided it was a good idea to keep Lilly with them since she would be ending school soon and had nowhere to go. Yet, his mother insisted on redecorating a new room just for her, even though and especially since, everyone knew Lilly and Grayson had something going on.
“She wants you to feel as welcomed as possible,” Grayson chuckled.
“But that don’t mean I need to redecorate an entire room. I am plenty satisfied with my old things,” Lilly grumbled.
“Yes love, but those things are just that old and crumbled even for some of them.” Grayson shrugged. “You can pick it out. Just please her.”
Lilly and Bryan, Grayson’s father, had called up a real estate agent to put up for sale after Grayson had found the will tucked under Frank’s mattress. At the moment, the house was in the closing part of the sale. So, every item that was in the house had been sorted, donated, trashed, or kept.
Lilly kissed Grayson on the lips and nodded. “Okay.”
He held open the door for her to the car and waited until she was safely inside before he continued on to the driver’s side of the car. The two drove in their comfortable chatter, Grayson talked about his future of the gym and whether or not they should stay in this city. He could easily close up the gym or even hire someone to run it for him while they moved across the country. While Lilly grumbled on about how Grayson shouldn’t leave his life for her.
“I am going to marry you one day Lilly, I’ll get you to say yes,” Grayson chuckled, yet held a serious tone.
He had asked her a week ago to marry him, yet she slightly refused. Not that Lilly didn’t love Grayson, she was still stuck on the idea of being unwanted and broke hearted.
“Maybe someday,” Lilly nearly whispered.
Once inside the mall, Lilly spotted the place she would like to visit first and walked in that direction. “I have to go to the restroom, I’ll be right back,” Grayson promised as he let Lilly walk into the small clothing shop alone.
“Okay Gray,” Lilly smiled.
She had become very aware of her surroundings and now could easily protect herself, which gave Grayson great comfort. Grayson slipped down the side hall which led to the bathrooms, but instead of going in, he continued on to the jewelry store’s entrance just down the hall.
“Grayson,” the man greeted.
“Shh…” Grayson groaned. “She’s not far from here. I don’t want her to catch scent of what’s going on.” Grayson scolded quietly.
“It’s about time you finally come to pick it up. I’ve had way too many people begging me to create a new one. Even though I told them it was a custom one of a kind for a friend and that was all I was going to make.” The man complained.
“Thanks so much.” Grayson beamed. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Grayson smiled as he offered the man the rest of his payment and accepted the small blue velvet box.
“Let me know how it goes.”
“Will do,” Grayson promised as he slipped the box into his pocket and continued back down the hall past the bathrooms.
“What do you want?” Lilly screamed.
“You are going to pay for what you did to Frank. He’s paid me big time to take care of you!” Bobby hissed. “When I’m done with you… you won’t mutter another word to the cops.”
“No!” Lilly twisted in Bobby’s slimy grip. Dropping her purse, she dipped low and twisted around. Her arm made a horrifying popping noise, but she was bound and determined to get away.
“What are you doing?” Bobby grumbled as he struggled to get a better hold on Lilly.
“Let me go.” She snarled.
“Shut up!” Bobby yelled as his hand reeled back and he slapped her hard across the face.
With a quick twist, she spun around punched Bobby as hard as she could in the jaw. “I said let me go!”
Why nobody seemed to want to help her, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like they were in a desolated area; they were in the middle of the crowded mall for pete-sake. “What yar going to do about it?” Bobby questioned as he yanked her harder into his grasp.
“This.” She snarled as she yanked back and twisted to collide her fist into his gut.
Bobby groaned and with another tug she was free, but she wasn’t done. “This is for everything Frank put me though!” She growled as she round kicked Bobby in the head.
The greasy disgusting man toppled over, but Lilly wasn’t through. “This is for all the torture you put me through coming to the house all those years!” She snapped as her foot collided with Bobby’s stomach.
“UH!” Bobby grunted.
His hand swung out and grabbed hold of Lilly’s ankle and quickly he tugged her to the ground. As he climbed over the top of her, she wondered again why nobody dared to stop him. Instead of sobbing in her own self-pity like she would have done only months ago; instead she twisted until her leg was positioned just right then kneed him right in the groin.
Bobby groaned and grumbled as he rolled to the side. “Lilly!” Grayson cried out in horror as he raced to her side.
Without much thought, Grayson dropped his body down to the floor and quickly picked Lilly up in his arms. “What happened?” He questioned and then he turned his eye to meet the man Lilly had just pummeled crumbled up on the ground.
“If he wants you, he’ll have to come get you himself, I’m out of here!” Bobby grumbled.
“Oh no, you don’t sir. I think you will be coming with us.” A man said from the right side of Lilly.
Grayson snapped his gaze over to the man. “He’s got a warrant out for his arrest sir,” Grayson said calmly. “And he attacked my girlfriend.”
“Yes sir. We have it all on tape. The police are on their way.” The mall security guard said calmly as he assisted Bobby up to his feet. “Now if you would please come right this way sir. We are going to go back to our office and talk.”
The first two security guards began to drag Bobby away while the last hung back. “Ma’am, are you okay?” The man asked as he stepped closer to Lilly.
She nodded and clutched to Grayson tighter. “Do you mind if we walk back to the office so we can get a medic to assess at her injuries?”
Grayson spoke up this time, “yeah that sounds like a good idea. Come on Lil.”
Gone
Chapter 31
Lilly’s punches to Bobby had given her some seriously swelling in her hand. The slap resulted in a severe black eye and palm print to her angelic features. Other than those few things combined with a few cuts on her knuckles, Lilly was fine.
Grayson had not let her more than a few inches from his side the remainder of the week. “Grayson?” Bryan called up the stairs.
Lilly poked her head out of Grayson’s room. Once everything went chaotic Grayson wouldn’t let Lilly out of his sight and his parents, well they happily agreed to take her in. “He’s still sleeping.” She called softly back down to Bryan.
Bryan took a few steps up the stairway and then said, “well I need to speak to you both do you mind waking him?”
Lilly nodded and went back inside the bedroom. “Gray.” She patted softly on his arm.
“Lil, come back to bed.” He groaned, curled over toward her and wrapped her in his arms before he flopped back cuddling her like a teddy bear.
Lilly squirmed within his grasp and Grayson slowly popped an eye open. “Hold still, I’m sleeping.” He teased.
“Gray your dad needs to talk to us.” She squirmed. “Get up.”
Groaning again, Grayson sat up and kissed Lilly’s temple before releasing her. “I’m up.” He mumbled.
“Gray?” Bryan called again.
“We’ll be down in a minute.” Grayson returned.
The two got up, slipped on some clothing and walked together down the stairs. It had been a while since all the incidents had happened and Gray really didn’t expect to find a three state police officers standing in the doorway.
Grayson stopped in his steps. He pushed Lilly behind him slightly and looked hard at the man in the middle of the group. “Grayson?” The man questioned.
“Yes.” Grayson returned.
“My name is Detective Predu, you both have been asked to come in as witness and victim for Frank and Bobby. We had tried to reach you earlier, but we’ve been unsuccessful. There is a trial later today and to put these monsters away we need to have a victim’s statement and a witness…”
One of the other men butted in. “There has been at least five arrests regarding this case. Including Bobby Whit. Frank Walker, and George Finkle.”
“What about Jake? You’ve been able to reach him haven’t you? Is he okay?” Lilly questioned as she slowly stepped around Grayson.
“I’m sorry, but if you are referring to Jake Whit, he was shot while walking down the street the other day. He died this morning. That is why it is important that we have you for the witness stand.” One of the police man stated sadly.
“Oh my goodness! Jake!” Lilly screamed out as tears began to fall. Grayson wrapped her into his chest and held her tight.
“I have photos,” Grayson stated in a near growl.
“Grayson, no.” Lilly whimpered as she tried to pull away. “You can’t.”
“Lilly stop.”
“You have pictures of what?” The cop questioned.
“I am asking if we provide you with the proof needed do you need us up on the stand. I’m sure Lilly would appreciate not being stared at by so many people.” Grayson said confidently.
“Grayson what are you talking about?” Bryan questioned. “What kind of photos?”
Grayson turned to his father and shrugged. “I have proof that bastard should be put away,” Grayson said. “He had her tied up in the basement.”
Fight Like A Girl Page 9