He takes my hand and leads me to the stairs before giving me a reassuring smile. I stand and stare at him, not knowing what to expect, but when he nods and his eyes flash, I know today will be the start of the rest of my life.
LUKE
I wait until I hear the bedroom door close before stomping back into the living room, my anger raging inside me like a living thing.
“What the fuck?”
Ty’s eyes widen, his head reeling back. “Luke—”
“No.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe you’d just fuckin’ walk in when you knew Lily was here.”
“First,” he growls out. “You never even mentioned her before you brought her back to the compound and told us she’s your wife.”
“What—”
“Second,” he interrupts. “She doesn’t look a day over eighteen.” He raises his brow. “And she’s covered in bruises and burns. So, I think you should get to fuckin’ talkin’ and tell me what the hell is going on.”
I deflate as I see the anger in his eyes, but it’s not directed at me—it’s for her, for the injuries he witnessed.
Tilting my head back, I stare at the ceiling—only one floor separating us—before looking back at him. “Warehouse.” One word and he nods. “But not Dean. Only Evan, Kay, and Kitty.”
He nods again before clapping me on the back and walking past me and out of the house.
I knew this was coming—telling them everything—but the idea of asking Lily to sit with me while I explain it all doesn’t sit right with me. I toy with the idea of leaving her in the house and going on my own, but it only lasts a second before I push it aside. She has to be there. They have to see her and know what she went through—for her own safety.
Sitting down on the sofa, I wait for Lily to come down, and when she sits next to me, I turn to face her, my gaze running down the MAC t-shirt and workout leggings I found in the warehouse.
“Hey,” she whispers, a soft smile on her face. “I didn’t know whether you needed to put bandages on—”
I run my finger along her arm before skirting around one of the burns. “They need to be out in the air now, but I’ll check them again tonight.” She nods when I look up at her, an expectant look in her eyes. “I was a medic in the Marines, but you already know that.”
“I do,” she murmurs, placing her hand over mine on her arm.
I count to ten in my head, preparing myself for what I’m about to say. I’ve never opened up to anyone—never wanted to—but it’s different with her. There’s something about Lily that has me wanting to lay myself bare in front of her.
“I came here after I got out.” I look around the sparsely decorated room. “Ty was starting up a security firm and asked if I wanted to be involved. I said yes, built the house, and then Evan came along.” At her head tilt I realize I need to expand more than that. She has no idea what I do here or about anyone else. “There’s five of us on the team: Ty—the boss, Evan—computer whizz—Kitty—all round badass.” I smirk when she chuckles. “Kay—Ty’s fiancée who keeps us all in check. And then there’s me.”
“Okay.” I see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to piece it all together. “And you all work together to…”
“Take down the bad guys.” I shrug. “It’s not as simple as that but it about sums up what we do.”
She bites down on her bottom lip and my instinct is to pull at it, but I restrain myself as I tell her more about us.
“We all have things we’ve had to overcome, but I’m not as vocal as the others. You’ll find that out today.” I run my palm over my face. “They’re my family, Lily. A family who would fight to the death for someone they love.” I let her see the truth behind my eyes as I keep my attention focused on her eyes. “They’ll protect you just like they’d protect me, and I’ve protected them.”
Her hand moves toward my face, and when the pads of her fingers run through the scruff lining my jaw, I have to hold back the groan I desperately want to set free. I never had a doubt in my mind how I react when she’s around. It was only ever the age and the trauma she’s been through that held me back.
“I see how much you love them.” I nod, not willing to say the words out loud. “But you can’t expect them to do that for me—”
“I can, and they will. It’s what we do. We’re family.”
She swallows visibly as silence wraps around us before she asks, “So what do you actually do here?”
I lean back on the sofa, pulling her closer to me. “We help people, close cold cases for the cops—Ty’s brother and Kitty’s boyfriend is a sergeant.” She frowns, and I see her brain working overtime. “He’s also the same guy who drove us to Mom’s when you were drunk.”
Her face turns beet red, but I don’t allow her to wallow in it as I pull her closer to me and wrap my arm around her waist.
“So basically, you’re the good guys?” she asks when she leans her head on my chest. I look down at her at the same time she looks up and smiles, her teeth showing, the happiness radiating from her palpable. Her black eye and bruised jaw don’t take away from her beauty.
“I never said I was a good guy, darlin’, but I’ll always be good to you. Never doubt that.”
We sit in silence, staring at each other, doing what we do best—talking without actually speaking. My mind and soul call out to her in a way I never thought was possible.
“Do you regret it?” she whispers after what feels like hours but in reality, is only minutes.
“Regret what, angel?”
She runs the pad of her finger along the wedding band on my hand. “Marrying me, helping me…” She looks up at me. “Protecting me.”
It doesn’t matter how much I deny not wanting to get involved or help her when we first met, I knew I would. I connect with her on a level I don’t with anyone else. And on top of that, I couldn’t sit back and watch her being abused when no one else would listen.
“I’ll happily spend every minute of the rest of my life shielding you from the evil in this world.”
Leaning forward, I place my hand on the side of her neck. I’m about to close the distance and about to press my lips against hers, but just as my eyes close, the ringing of my cell blasts. I don’t let it distract me though as I feel her soft lips against mine—once, twice, three times—before I pull away.
Resting my forehead against hers, I let out a breath before whispering, “I’ll never regret a thing when it comes to you, Lily.”
My cell rings a second time before beeping and I finally look down at it.
Evan: Ty filled me in. Meet at my place. Safer.
I know instantly he’s talking about Dean, and when I look back up at Lily, I know she sees something in my eyes from the frown on her face.
“There’s one more thing,” I say before pulling away and standing up. I hold my hand out to her and tilt my head toward the door. Once she’s standing, I check to make sure she has shoes on before leading her out of the house.
The gravel crunches under our footsteps as we walk across the compound, and when I know we’re a safe distance away, I turn on my signal blocker attached to my belt.
“There’s another guy on the team.” She watches me intently, her dark-blue eyes not moving from my face. “I don’t trust him though, darlin’.”
“What—”
“I can’t give you all the details because not even the whole team know there’s something going on with him but know that there’s something he’s hiding, and I don’t think it’s good.”
“Why do you have him on your team then?” she asks as we come to a stop outside Evan’s cabin.
“Ever heard the saying, ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’?”
“I… sure.”
I nod, not willing to say any more about him other than, “His name is Dean and you need to not be alone with him. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Should I be worried?” she asks and when I look down at her, I see the same fri
ght behind her eyes that is always there but was absent when we were in my house.
“No.” I shake my head, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her toward me. “You don’t need to worry about anything anymore, but I want you to know everything you can. This is your home now, with me and my family.”
“Home,” she murmurs, a smile breaking out on her face. She lets her head drop to my chest. “Okay. I trust you.”
Closing my eyes, I replay her words over and over again, wondering what I did to earn the trust of the one person who should be wary of everyone around her. But instead she absorbs the atmosphere she’s surrounded in and knows instinctively whether she needs to protect herself or not.
“You gonna come in or keep making that kissy face all day?” Evan shouts through the door, and when I chuckle and look down at Lily, I see her cheeks reddening.
“Prepare yourself,” I tell her, pulling away and taking her hand in mine. “Evan likes to think he’s the joker of the group.”
“I don’t think! I know!” he shouts before huffing.
Pointing at the door and looking at Lily, I raise my brows to prove my point before whispering, “You ready?”
She turns her attention from me to the door and back again, her chest lifting on a deep breath before she pushes her shoulders back and nods her head.
LILY
I don’t know what to expect when Luke leads me inside the cabin but it’s not four sets of eyes all pointed our way.
I swallow, keeping half of my body behind Luke’s as the door closes behind us. He nods at the guy who was in his house earlier and then they all start to walk down and through a hole in the floor—wait, why is there a hole in the floor?
I’m about to ask when Luke turns to face me, and whispers, “Remember what I told you about the guys.”
Staring at him, I go over it in my head, trying to put it all together while actually seeing them. He said they help get the bad guys off the street. They’re the good people. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.
His large hand wraps around mine as we walk down the stairs and into what looks like a decked-out basement with computers. My gaze searches the room but I’m not really seeing anything because it’s all closing in on me.
My fingertips tingle and my head spins as I try to get my arm to move, but it won’t work. I can’t get Luke’s attention. I’m frozen, stuck back in that dark, cold room with my dad and Jonah.
I flinch when I feel their rough hands on my arms and legs as they hold me down at the base of my spine. My throat closes, the breath not able to make it in and out of my body. It’s stuck. I’m stuck. It doesn’t matter that I’m surrounded by people, because all I can see is his face, his sneer, and feel the spit on my cheek as he shouted at me.
“Luke?” a woman’s voice says, the panic evident, but it’s not mine because I can’t get my lips to move. My eye throbs from squeezing them closed, trying my hardest to keep the images at bay but nothing works. I may have physically escaped them but they’re in my head. Nothing and no one to stop them from hurting me there.
“Is she okay?”
“Fuck!” Hands cup my face, but I can’t stand the feel of them, they burn through my skin, branding me just like the hot poker Jonah used.
“Please,” I whimper, finally getting my mouth to work.
“Angel. Lily… it’s okay. Breathe, darlin’.” I try to take a breath, concentrating on the calming voice but it’s not working. “Open those beautiful eyes and look at me.”
I try. God do I try, but I’m afraid of what I’ll see and where I’ll be. “I can’t,” I croak.
“You can, darlin’. You’re strong, remember that.”
Counting to three in my head before slowly opening my eyes, I wince at the harsh lights. But as soon as I connect my gaze with Luke’s, I know I’ll be okay.
“I’m sorry, angel.” He leans his forehead against mine, his breath skirting across my face. “I didn’t even think what it’d be like for you to be down here.”
Shaking my head, I try to communicate with him, but nothing comes out.
We stand here for what feels like forever but in reality, is only a minute or so before he pulls back and turns to face everyone. “We’re not doing this down here,” he grunts.
“Luke,” the guy from the house says, his voice deep, a warning in his tone.
Drifting my hand up Luke’s arm, I try to get his attention before squeezing his bicep. “It’s okay.”
He turns his head and stares at me in the same way he did when we first met, assessing me—assessing the situation.
The tension in the room is palpable until he nods. “You wanna leave at any stage, you tell me, and we’ll go back to the house. Got it?”
I smile, knowing the “Got it” was coming. “Got it.” He grins back, shaking his head before leading me toward a chair and pulling it out, sitting next to me and placing his hand on my knee.
Lifting my head, I take a deep breath before looking around the table. A guy on each end and two women sitting opposite us.
“Ty.” Luke points at the guy on the left end before moving to the girl next to him. “Kay.” He points at the woman sitting next to her with purple hair. “Kitty.” Then to the last guy sitting closest to me. “Evan.” There’s a pause and then he announces. “This is Lily.”
There’s a chorus of “heys” and then silence. I wait, shuffling on my seat before Kitty blurts out, “Well tell us then! Don’t keep us in suspense.” She rolls her eyes, but when she focuses on me, she winks.
Luke turns to face me, a question in his eyes that I nod to and I brace myself as he opens his mouth.
“Lily’s dad is the preacher in the church my mom goes to. Mom used to be friends with Lily’s mom.” His hand grips my knee tighter in silent support. “Four months ago, I went to my mom’s and Lily was there.” He looks over at me. “Mom was worried that she was going through the same thing her mom did… and then I saw bruises on her neck.” His eyes flash before he looks at Ty. “She was seventeen at the time and I told Mom I wouldn’t get involved, but I couldn’t…” He huffs out a breath. “I couldn’t stay away. I had to know she was okay and… well… I couldn’t stay away.” I move my hand to cover Luke’s, and when he turns to face me, I smile. “Then I asked her outright what was going on.” Remorse fills his eyes. “It was a mistake. I should have let her come to me, but I didn’t. I jumped the gun and left her with no way to contact me.”
“Wait.” We both turn to face Evan who holds his hand up. “Was the cell for her?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you gonna get to the point where you married her and didn’t tell any of us? Or you just gonna drag it out?” Ty asks.
Growling under his breath, Luke continues, looking over at Evan, “You remember that call at the hospital?”
“Sure.”
“Lily had…” He faces me, his eyes shadowed in anger causing my heart to beat harder. “She’d been hurt.” Goose bumps spread along my skin as he says, “She was at Mom’s and I took her away to the safe house in—”
“Was she seventeen then?” Ty asks, and when Luke nods, he stands up. “You took a fucking minor to the house? That’s why you wanted the guy’s details?”
Luke’s head whips around and I recoil when his chair scrapes along the floor as he stands up too. “Damn fuckin’ right I took a minor out of an abusive house.”
“She’s a fuckin’ minor, Luke! You should have called Charlie.”
“He would have helped,” Kitty chimes in, but I can’t bear to look at any of them, knowing Luke isn’t giving them all the information. He’s shielding me.
“He couldn’t,” Luke growls, the tension in the room becoming so thick it makes me squirm.
This is where I need to speak up. Where I need to own what happened to me and take the control back. Keeping quiet is allowing him to still have a hold over me, and I won’t stand for it anymore.
Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself befo
re whispering the words I never thought I’d say again. “He raped me.”
Luke whips back around before crouching in front of me. “You don’t have to do this, darlin’.”
“I do,” I tell him, looking up and staring into his ice-blue eyes before moving my attention to Ty. “My dad… he raped me.”
Ty’s eyes widen, his face paling as he stumbles forward. All the air is sucked out of the room, but I don’t dare look anywhere else, afraid of what I’ll see on their faces.
“Luke helped me escape but he found me again. He…” I try to keep the sob down that wants to bubble up to the surface. “He locked me in his basement, only this time there was another guy who he was going to marry me to on my birthday.” Luke takes hold of my hand and I squeeze it as hard as I can so I don’t float away. “They took what they wanted. They did things nobody should ever go through. They took everything from me.” My chest heaves, the sob breaking free as tears stream down my face, but something lifts off me. I feel lighter, like somehow if I control who does and doesn’t know, it’s mine. My story, my life.
“He rescued me again.” Looking down at Luke, I lift my hand, laying it on his cheek and lifting my lips into a small smile while the tears continue to trickle down my face. “My very own superhero.”
Luke chuckles. “You don’t need a superhero, darlin’.” He leans forward, whispering, “You could have made it out of there on your own, I just sped up the process.”
I shake my head. He knows as well as I do I wouldn’t have made it out of there—at least not the person I was when I was locked in that room.
“I’m confused,” Evan announces, and when we both turn to face him, he has a frown on his face. “Why did you marry her?”
“Because her dad was gonna marry her to the guy—Jonah. It’s the only way she’ll be free.” Evan tilts his head, his mouth opening, but Luke cuts him off with a growl and, “That’s why.” But the way Evan looks at Luke and then me with a twinkle in his eye tells me he doesn’t believe that’s the reason we got married, and if I really thought about it and was honest with myself, it isn’t the only reason I said yes—not that I’d tell anyone that.
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