Loving the Enemy (Seven Forbidden Arts Book 0)

by Charmaine Pauls

  Jacob kneeled next to her. He touched her shoulder, his eyes scanning over her. Her clothes were intact. There was no blood, no marks on her body. Then he understood. Cain did nothing. He tortured her with taking away her stimulation. He locked her up and removed sound and light and human interaction. It was the fastest, non-invasive way to break a human being, especially an inexperienced, young woman.

  He gathered her into her arms. “Lily, baby, I’ve got you.”

  “I’ll give you a moment,” Cain said. “Use the bathroom. Run her a bath. Take your time. She needs to consume only liquids for the first two days. There’s soup in the kitchen.”

  Jacob remained quiet. He didn’t turn or speak for fear of killing Cain with his bare hands. Cain, as if sensing Jacob’s fragile state, turned on his heel and left them to their privacy.

  Jacob rocked her gently. They starved her. Fuck. Only two days. It was going to be fine. He lifted her body and walked from the room. He wanted to get her out of the hole in which she had been locked up.

  In the bathroom, he did as Cain had suggested. Oblivious to the people in the lounge and whatever the fuck they were doing, he left Lily on the rug to run a bath. As his fingers went to the button of her jeans, she slapped his hand away. It was a weak movement, but it warmed his heart. His Lily still had some fight left in her. She wasn’t broken.

  “Lily,” he pushed her dark hair from her face. She was covered in muck from the dust and her sweat. He didn’t know if he had to feed or bath her first. Where was the doctor when he truly needed her? Bitterness rose in his throat. He supposed Cain didn’t want Eve to know what was happening behind that closed door.

  “Shit. Shit. I’m here, baby.” He got up and yelled for Pierre.

  To his surprise, the old man appeared in the door a few seconds later.

  “Get her something to drink.”

  Pierre left without a word and returned with a cup and straw. “Juice, diluted with water.”

  Jacob snatched it from his hand. “Get the hell out of my sight, before I break your neck.”

  When the door closed behind the old man, Jacob brought the drink to her lips. He almost sagged in relief when she didn’t refuse. Lily was hardheaded enough to do exactly that, to deny anything coming from him, even to her own detriment. After a few sips he set the cup aside. He’d have to build up her strength slowly.

  “Don’t touch me,” she said when he lifted her arms to pull her T-shirt over her head.

  He understood how little she wanted his hands on her body, but he wasn’t going to leave her in the dirty state she was in, and she didn’t have enough strength to manage on her own. Ignoring her wish, he finished the task. She pulled her legs up when he tried to remove her pants.

  “Please,” she said.

  The single word broke his heart. Too weak to fight him off, she begged him to stop. But it was only her pride that didn’t want her naked and vulnerable in front of him. Her pride would heal. Right now, her body was the priority.

  “I’m sorry,” was all he said before he stripped her from her clothes and underwear, but obviously not from her dignity, because Lily regarded him with a haughty look, as if he was not worth the dirt under her feet. Which he wasn’t.

  He lowered her into the water and started to wash her body and hair. Her expression was closed, her eyes shuttered, and he had no idea what was going on her pretty little head. He used a sponge to wash every inch of her skin. Lily had always been slender, but now she looked like that day he had found her in the park, and he hated knowing he had been the reason, twice.

  He lifted her from the bath and toweled her dry. Having no spare clothes for her, Jacob took off his T-shirt and pulled it over her head. It fitted her like a large dress. The last time he had seen her in a man’s clothes, was in another man’s jacket, and at the time he had wanted nothing more than to rip it from her body and make her wear his, like some deranged sign of ownership, but he never wanted it under these circumstances. Back then, she was lively and seductive, trying to save both of their asses. Now, she was angry and bitter, and in need of nourishment.

  He pushed all other thoughts from his mind as he brushed her hair. He’d focus on what she needed, step by step, breath by breath, and how they were going to get the hell out of here. He hoped Cain was what everyone said–a man of his word.

  He led her to the kitchen, sat her down by the table and fed her a bowl of watery soup he had found in the fridge and had nuked in the microwave. She took every spoon he brought to her lips without meeting his eyes. The bowl was almost empty when Pierre walked into the room. Lily’s body tensed. Jacob cupped her hand and, ignoring the man behind them, bent down so he could catch her ever-escaping gaze.

  “Did they touch you, Lily? Did they hurt you?”

  For the first time, she met his eyes dead-on. “You mean besides locking me up in dark room and starving me?”

  “We didn’t touch her,” Pierre said. “Cain needs you both in the lounge.”

  Lily didn’t react. If Pierre had been lying, Jacob would have seen it in her eyes. The need for revenge was bitter on his tongue. He wanted them to pay for what they’d done to her.

  He got to his feet and held out his hand, but she refused it. He let it drop lamely to his side. She got onto steady feet. At least some of her strength had returned.

  “Let’s go,” Pierre said. “I don’t have all day.”

  Pierre let Lily and Jacob walk ahead of him. So far, no weapons had been flaunted, which either meant Cain was a man of his word, or they considered Jacob too weak to fight them.

  His hope soon dwindled as they walked into the room where Cain and his team waited. In his hand, Cain held a silver, ornate revolver with an ivory shaft. The man was theatrical, down to his damn choice of weapon. If the situation wasn’t so seriously fucked up, Jacob may have even admired his taste.

  Lily stopped in the door at the sight of the strangers. Jacob’s arm went around her shoulders, but she shrugged him off.

  “Miss Reid, meet my team,” Cain said.

  Her eyes flashed at him. “And what supernatural powers do they possess?”

  Maya’s brow lifted with amused surprise, her lips parting, but Cain answered before she could utter her question.

  “Miss Reid has met someone who possesses a very powerful art recently, haven’t you, Miss Reid? Hence, she knows your physical perfection hints at something more than daily gym sessions.” Cain pointed at Josselin. “Except for our leader. He’s not one of them.”

  “So you’re showing off your own team of supernatural heroes?” Lily said. “Whatever for?”

  Jacob squeezed her arm in a warning gesture. She didn’t want to fuck with these people. But Lily had the same look as Josselin–like she had nothing left to lose. Except for that lick of anger that lit the depths of her blue eyes. Anger was good. Anger was a powerful emotion. It gave him hope.

  “Tell us what you know about your father’s organization,” Cain said, “and about Lupien.”

  Lily turned to Cain, facing him squarely. “I already told you–go to hell.”

  Jacob’s breath caught in his throat. That was definitely the wrong answer. All she had to do, was tell them again she knew nothing, and maybe they had a chance at walking away. Not so now. His eyes closed as the cold metal of the barrel pressed against his temple and the safety cocked.

  “I could blow his brains out,” Cain said.

  “And she won’t care,” Jacob hissed, trying to think clearly when his ability to get Lily away safely had just diminished another ten degrees.

  Cain smiled. “I think she will. Shall we do the three seconds, Miss Reid? One. Two.”

  “Stop,” Lily said through clenched teeth. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

  Cain didn’t remove the weapon. “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Her hands balled into fists. She stepped away from the safety of Jacob’s body to the center of the room. She was surrounded now, with Cain at her back, Lann and M
aya on the left, Josselin on the right, and Pierre in front of the window, once again behind the liquor tray as if his life depended on pouring drinks.

  “My father wants to take over the major communication companies. I don’t know which they are, except for Sky Communications, but I know they’re important ones, the ones that count. The ones that use satellites and can cause a communication and technological worldwide breakdown. I know he’s recruiting a team, like yours. And I know my father is here, in Paris, because he wants to buy the Eiffel Tower.”

  Maya scoffed at that. Lily threw her a cutting look.

  “Tell us his real name,” Cain said.

  “What?” Lily’s eyes widened with obvious surprise. This was news to Jacob, too. “What do you mean? You know my surname.”

  “No, and apparently, neither do you. Your father operates under a false name. Always has. I believe you, Miss Reid.”

  “She could be spinning lies,” Pierre said.

  “No.” Cain sounded sure. “She doesn’t want Jacob dead. She loves him.”

  Lily turned to him slowly. “You’re right. I don’t want him dead.”

  Hope would have taken root in his soul, had Lily not chosen to let her hatred burn hot in her eyes in that moment.

  “You should have pointed that gun at me and pulled that trigger,” she said.

  “Lily…” Jacob inched forward. “You came too close to death to ever utter those words. You have your whole life ahead of you, do you hear me?”

  “You’re both right,” she said. “I don’t want Cain to shoot you, Jacob, and neither do I want to die. I have too much to live for.” She sneered. “I’m living for revenge, Jacob, because I want to kill you myself.”

  Josselin’s eyebrows shot up at that. A smile tugged at his lips. Lann was impossible to read, his face expressionless.

  Cain laughed softly. He lowered the gun. “Maya, get Miss Reid some clothes so she can take us to her father.”

  Before Maya had given one step, Lily charged. She shot forward like a bullet leaving a barrel. Only, instead of charging Cain who stood by the door, she moved in the opposite direction. For a bizarre moment everyone froze as Lily aimed straight for Pierre. She was a defenseless woman considerably weakened by a lack of nourishment, and Pierre’s body was a ton of bricks that wouldn’t even dent if Lily’s frail shoulder connected with it.

  Comprehension came too late. At the last minute, instead of going head-on into Pierre, Lily launched her body through the air, aiming for the window. Glass splintered with a sickening crack. Jacob watched in horror as Lily’s body disappeared from sight, plummeting down.

  No balcony.

  He sprinted to the window, pushing Pierre out of his way. Lily had to have fallen to her death. There was no other way. She had taken a suicide jump.

  Chapter Eighteen

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  The noise of the glass splintering was frightening, but not as terrifying as falling through the air. Lily hit a canvas hard. It broke the speed of her descend but tore under the force of the impact. She slid down, groping at the sagging fabric, and hit the tables and chairs underneath the awning. Cups, saucers and sugar pots crashed to the pavement.

  Flinching at the pain in her back, she moved her arms and legs. Nothing seemed to be broken. She still felt weak, only slightly better after the soup Jacob had fed her, but the adrenalin rush gave her the strength she needed to get to her feet and run over the broken crockery as fast as she could. A stunned waiter stood frozen to the spot, calling after her only when she had already crossed the street.

  Too frightened, she didn’t look back. They may be close on her heels, or not. If they were, she didn’t want to be slowed down by her fear. The cobblestones of the alley she chose hurt her bare feet, but she ignored the discomfort as she ran at full speed. Several alleys snaked around the area, making it easy to get lost, so she kept a view of the river and ran in the direction of the landmark that dominated the Parisian landscape–the Eiffel Tower.

  The shocked faces of the people she passed barely registered in her mind. A few minutes later, she had to stop to catch her breath. Her lungs were burning and her legs close to collapsing. She stopped in an alcove and leaned against the wall. Only then did she study her injuries.

  Her upper arm was cut, blood dripping down to her hand. It may need stitches, but it could have been worse. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks that she was alive. This time, there had been no pool, only a brasserie awning that ran along the length of the ground floor, which she had noticed when they had first exited the taxi in front of the building. Jumping was an uncalculated risk. Lily was afraid of cutting herself, and of falling to her death. But she preferred death to what Cain had in store for her. More of that solitary, dark room torture was not an option, and neither was facing Jacob. That hurt almost more than her physical wounds.

  The next step was to get to her father. She had to get to the Eiffel Tower. The question was how to get there without being noticed. She looked down at herself. It would be hard to achieve with wearing nothing but Jacob’s oversized T-shirt and blood dripping down her fingers.

  She glanced up and down the quiet street. Her eyes went to the boutique across the passage. Except for a sales woman dressing a mannequin in the window, there were no customers. With a last glimpse to ensure she was still alone in the short alley, she ran for the shop and pushed the door open. The well-groomed lady looked startled. She said something in French, but before her sentence was finished, Lily had gripped her fancy jacket collar and pulled her to the center of the floor. The woman’s eyes went wide.

  “I need clothes. Do you understand?”

  The woman nodded frantically.

  “Give me your phone.” She couldn’t risk the woman calling the police.

  The shop assistant rounded the counter and pointed at the desk phone. “Qui. Si’l vous plaît, madame, calmez-vous.”

  Lily jerked the cable from the underside of the phone and ripped the plastic key off. The woman backed up to the wall behind her.

  “I need your cellphone.” When the woman only frowned, Lily said, “Mobile phone. Now!”

  The woman scurried to retrieve her handbag from under the counter.

  Lily snatched it from her and pointed a finger in the woman’s face. “Stay there. Don’t move.”

  She rushed to the nearest rail and plucked down a striped dress more or less in her size. Pity the shop didn’t stock underwear. A quick look through the window ensured her they were still alone. Without moving her gaze from the shopkeeper, Lily jerked Jacob’s T-shirt over her head and pulled on the dress. She quickly scanned the selection of shoes on a center shelf and grabbed a pair of flat ballerinas, not caring that they were too big. Next, she tried to rip Jacob’s T-shirt, but wasn’t strong enough. Spotting a pair of scissors on the desk, she used them to cut a hasty bandage, which she tied around her arm. Luckily, the dress sleeve covered most of it. She grabbed the sales lady’s bottle of water from the desk, wetted a part of Jacob’s T-shirt and wiped the blood from her arm. The rest of water she drank. Then she slung the woman’s bag over her shoulder and left without looking back.

  She had precious seconds before the woman was going to shout for help. She’d be able to give the police an accurate description of Lily, and of what she was wearing. Panicking that she’d run into Cain’s people, or Jacob, who had to be searching the area, Lily walked to the main road running along the river. The urge to run was big, but she didn’t want to attract attention and she was out of energy. On the double carriageway, she managed to wave down a taxi.

  “Eiffel Tower, please,” she said, shifting into the backseat.

  Her arm throbbed and her feet ached. The adrenalin was probably wearing off. She fumbled in the bag and found a phone. It was a good thing it wasn’t locked with a code. Lily closed her eyes briefly and punched in her father’s number, but only got a message to say the number had been disconnected. Well, it was worth a try. Lily turned her attention back
to the contents of the bag. There was a notebook and a pen, a bottle of pills, make-up, tissues, a scarf, and a purse with twenty Euros and various debit, credit and club cards.

  The taxi pulled up on the curb of a street from where Lily had a clear view of the tower. She paid the driver seven Euros and tied the scarf around her hair. A long line of people queued for tickets. Lily had no idea where to go, or what to do. Pushing past people, saying ‘excuse me’ as she moved along, she made her way to the front. She was met with hostile looks and insults. At the sales window, she dipped her head and asked through the hole in the glass, “Is there an office here, or something?”

  The man regarded her sourly. “Go to the back of the line.”

  “I don’t want a ticket. I just need to know where the management office is.”

  He threw his thumb in the direction of a security guard who stood at one of the access gates.

  Lily approached the man. “I’m looking for a manager, please.”

  He scrutinized her from her shoes to the top of her head, his mouth pulled down, but didn’t answer.

  “Do you understand?” Panic started to take hold of her. “Administration office.”

  He shook his head and turned the other way.

  Defeated, Lily stepped away. What now? She walked slowly to a baguette stand from where she had a larger view of the ground floor area of the tower. If she could only speak to someone, anyone, who could tell her where to start looking.

  If she wanted to buy the Eiffel Tower, who would she contact? She thought about it for a while. It was a huge deal. It would have to go through something as big as government. The chamber of commerce, maybe? In fact, she didn’t even know who owned it. Was it government property, or privately owned? She was sorry now she had never taken the time to do her research, but she had thought she’d be running away from her father, not to him.

  It had been foolish to come here. She knew that now. But in her haste, and state of shock, she hadn’t thought clearly. It made more sense to hide out somewhere until she could steal or make money to sustain her while she tried to find out where her father was. She had to warn him that Cain was close on his heel, coming to kill him. And then her duty would be done. She’d walk away and never look back.