Emily's Captive (A Lilly Town Shifter Novel Book 2)

by Palmer, Bobbie

  A song popped into her head and she started humming it. “Rising it, back on the seat. Did my thing, took my chance. Went the distance, now I back on my meat. A man and his will to alive. It’s the spy of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the sight. Rising up to the challenge of our survival and our last gone survivor.”

  “Lucy!” Mike yelled at her.

  “What?”

  “Really? Eye of the Tiger?”

  *** Paul watched Mike and Lucy. He loved how much they bantered. He wanted something like that. Maybe not exactly like that, but he liked how they were so comfortable together.

  “Lucy, really? And you got the words wrong,” Paul said. He looked around and saw Jason trying to hold back his laughter. Emily was looking at Lucy like she was crazy. He started laughing a little. He couldn’t help it. The look on Emily’s face was just great.

  “Well, what are the words?” she asked him. Emily sang them to Lucy. Paul was surprised that came out of her. He never thought he’d hear her giving out lyrics, especially when her sister was being operated on. And to sing it so well? It was amazing.

  “What? I’m a Rocky fan,” she grumbled, and looked around the room to see the surprise on everyone’s faces.

  “I never took you as a Rocky fan,” Paul said.

  “What did you think I watched? Chick flicks?”

  “No, I thought you were more into the horror movies.” “I like those too, but I like a good action movie. I’m also a big Die Hard and Indiana Jones fan.”

  “Really?” Paul asked. “Oh yeah, and don’t you dare talk through any of those movies. She will bite your head off, kick you out, then watch the part you made her miss,” Jason said.

  “Yeah, there’s a reason I stopped watching movies with you,” she said.

  “Why?” Lucy asked. Paul wondered how much of this conversation was going to end up in one of her books. He hadn’t read any of them, but he had a feeling that, with all the people watching she did, a lot of what she saw did end up in published books.

  “Because he always talked through the movie, asking why things happened,” Emily said. “The whole point of a movie is to watch it and go on the journey with the characters, not ask people what’s going to happen.”

  “I like how you think. That’s how it is with a book. The whole thing is the journey, not the ending, not the why. It’s the journey and watching the characters develop,” Lucy said. Paul never thought he’d witness anything like that, Emily and Lucy having a conversation about movies and books.

  He could tell Emily thought Lucy was a little strange and didn’t particularly like her. A lot of people would tolerate her but wouldn’t want to spend too much time with her because of her being so out there. Paul liked her. One thing he could say was that she wasn’t boring. She was actually very entertaining.

  “Mike, I’m hungry,” Lucy said. “I’ll be right back,” Mike said, and stood up. Lucy started rubbing her stomach as she watched Mike leave.

  Paul could tell she was really looking forward to the baby. She would be a great mom, he could tell. She was a very caring person. He didn’t think she would be as bad as they were saying. She’d probably check it every five minutes to see if it was hungry, and would constantly check for dirty diapers. She’d always hold it when it cried, and would kiss its boo-boos. She would be a perfect mother.

  “How far along are you?” he asked her. “Five months going on twenty,” she said with a little laugh.

  “I missed a lot, didn’t I?” he asked, when he saw the ring on her finger. “I can show you pictures. I know you would have been there if you could,” she said with a smile. “I was huge. Not a whale like I am now, though.”

  “You look beautiful,” he smiled, and he meant it. She had a glow that only pregnant women and new mothers have. It tended to disappear when the sleepless nights began. Well, that had been his experience. He got an elbow to the rib. “Ow! What?”

  “You don’t say that to another woman when the one you’re sleeping with is sitting next to you,” Emily said, moving her arm back to her side.

  “I didn’t mean it like that. She is beautiful, as in ‘pregnant woman beautiful’. She doesn’t hold a candle to you,” he said, and kissed her cheek.

  “Good,” Emily said. Paul looked over at Lucy and saw a smile. He hoped she wasn’t offended, but it was true. Mike walked back in with a plate of spaghetti and handed it to Lucy.

  “Perfect. How do you always know what I want?” she asked. “Because I know you,” he said with a smile and sat down. Everyone went quiet as Lucy ate, mostly because they were staring at the growing red stain on her shirt and face. Paul looked around the room, and everyone but Mike seemed to be holding in a laugh.

  Lucy stopped eating for a minute and must have seen everyone’s eyes on her. “What?” “Um, Hon, I think it has something to do with you looking like a kid with your S’ghetti,” Mike said with a laugh.

  “Well, you try having a growing wolverine shifter inside of you and see how much you eat,” she grumbled, and went back to her food.

  “What’s taking so long?” Emily said to no one in particular.

  “It’s a good sign that she’s been in there for a while, isn’t it?” Paul asked.

  “It means she’s not dead, but the injuries could be worse than Bill thought.”

  Paul pulled Emily close and said, “She’s going to be okay.”

  *** Emily couldn’t believe Mike and Lucy. Well, she couldn’t believe how Mike could put up with Lucy. The girl was fun to watch, but she couldn’t imagine being stuck with her day in and day out. She could be so annoying. She knew the woman would be a good distraction. Hell, just watching her sit down with her big belly helped cheer her up.

  The door to the exam room opened and Bill stepped out. His face was covered in sweat and he looked like hell. “She’s doing well. I had to fix her rib and lung and remove the bullet. She also has a few broken bones, but they’ll heal. It’ll be at least a few days before she’s back on her feet.”

  “Can I see her?” Emily asked. “Of course,” Bill said, and stepped out of the doorway.

  “Thanks,” she said, slipping into the room. Stacy was asleep and Emily was very grateful for that. She knew her sister would have been in a lot of pain. She had a lot to heal.

  Moving up to the bed, Emily sat down and looked at Stacy’s sleeping face. She needed to be closer to her. She couldn’t let anything happen to her. She had to be there to protect Stacy in case someone came after her again. She knew she was safe in Bill’s house and that he’d give his life to protect them both. She just couldn’t let her out of her sight. Not yet.

  “Emily?” she heard Aunt Martha say. “Hey,” she said, and looked at the door. Aunt Martha was standing there, looking like she wanted to come in but not being sure if she was welcome. “Get in here.”

  Aunt Martha nodded and walked in, closing the door behind her.

  “How’s she doing?” Aunt Martha asked. “She’s asleep,” Emily said.

  “Why don’t you go get some? She’s going to need you, so you need to be ready,” she said.

  “I don't know. I don't want to leave her on her own.” “That bed is big enough for an elephant. You can sleep right by her,” Aunt Martha said with a laugh.

  Emily nodded and lay down next to Stacy. She hadn’t had Stacy in her bed since she was little, ten years ago.

  Emily didn’t realize how tired she was until her head hit the pillow. She hadn’t gotten much sleep in the past few weeks because of her mission. Now her sister was safe next to her and she could finally rest.

  CHAPTER 30

  Stacy woke up in pain. She didn’t know why she was hurting so much or where she was. She felt someone move next to her. She didn’t know why. She opened her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on, and found Emily next to her. She let out a relieved breath. She was safe. No more beatings, no more cell. She was free.

  “Emily,” she rasped out.

  “Hey,” she heard her say.
“Do you need anything?”

  “I must be pretty bad off if you’re being this nice to me,” she said, smiling. “You’ll be okay, but you were in pretty bad shape. It’s going to take a few days for you to get better.”

  Stacy nodded. She was alive and home. That was what mattered to her.

  The door opened and she looked toward it to see Bill coming in.

  “Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?” Bill asked. “I'm hurting a little,” she said.

  “Okay, I can give you something for that, but it’s going to knock you out,” he said with a smile.

  She nodded. “Can I have some water?” “Sure.” Bill walked over to a sink and filled up a cup. She took a sip and felt much better just by having that little bit. “Before I give you the meds, Jason wants to check on you before he goes back home. Is that okay?” Bill went on.

  Stacy nodded. She wasn’t sure who he was, but she was guessing he’d helped save her, so she’d say hi and tell him she was okay.

  Bill walked out then came back in. There was a man behind him. He looked amazing, even with the dark circles under his eyes. His clothes were wrinkled like he’d slept in them and his hair was a little rumpled. He was sexy. She knew he was too old for her, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t admire him.

  “Hey,” he said. Wow, that smile! If she were one to swoon, she would be on the floor. She smiled back at him. “Do you remember me?”

  She shook her head.

  “I helped Emily and Paul rescue you.” She just nodded. She didn’t know what to say.

  “I’m Jason.” “Stacy,” she croaked out. Duh, he knew that already. Oh well, she was being polite.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked. “Alive.” It was true. She’d wonder if she was still alive if, after everything, she wasn’t in pain.

  “I'm going back to Nevada, but if you need anything, you can call me. Emily and Bill have my number.”

  “Okay, thanks,” she said. “Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, and left before she could say anything else.

  The next thing she knew, her pain was gone and she was getting tired. Sleep would help her heal, so she gave in to it, hoping she’d see him again.

  *** Bill pulled the bandages off of Stacy and didn’t like what he saw. She was bleeding again. How could she be bleeding again? He stopped it when he operated.

  “Emily, I need to go back in,” he said looking at her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. He could tell she was starting to panic. “I’m not sure, but she started bleeding. I need to get in there and figure out what’s causing it.”

  “You missed something?” she asked quietly, like she was ready to attack. If he didn’t know this was from fear, he would be afraid of what she’d do.

  “I don’t know. That or some of the sutures opened. I need to find out and stop the bleeding.”

  Emily nodded, a tear running down her face. He knew this was all too much for her. The kidnapping, the feelings for Paul, Stacy being so hurt. She didn’t know how to handle it all.

  “Go out to the living room, I’ll let you know when I’m done. I’m going to do everything I can to keep her alive. I love her too,” he said.

  She nodded and walked out the door. When he knew she was gone, he got to work on scrubbing up. He needed to do this quickly before it got worse.

  *** When Jason looked at Stacy, he had no idea how she was even alive, let alone awake. She was black and blue and bleeding. She was so many colors. He didn’t know a person could turn those shades. He had a feeling she wouldn’t make it through the surgery he knew Bill was going to have to do. He hoped she did. He really wanted her to, but she was in such bad shape.

  “Bill,” Jason whispered. He didn’t want to keep the man from helping her, but he had to know.

  “Yeah,” Bill said quickly as he walked over to her table with a mask and gloves.

  “Will she make it?” “I hope so.”

  “Please, don’t let her die,” he said.

  “I'm going to try my best,” Bill said, and went to work. Jason sat down in a chair in Bill’s living room. He had to stay. He couldn’t leave her there. He knew she had family, but that didn’t mean he could leave. He wanted to know if she lived or died.

  “Jason, you don’t have to stay,” Emily said as she paced the room.

  “I know, but I want to.”

  “But, you don’t know her,” Martha said. “I know, but I worked for weeks to try to save her. I want to be here to make sure she’s going to be okay.”

  “You know she’s not going to be, right?” Martha asked.

  “What do you mean?” Emily asked as she sat down. “She’s never going to be the same Stacy. She was captured, and we have no idea what she went through, other than being beaten. She’s not going to be okay.”

  “I know.” And he did from experience. He hadn’t always been the fighter he was today. He’d been held captive by his crazy uncle. Martha was the one who’d saved him, so she knew. He didn’t know what Stacy had gone through, but if it was anything like what he had, she was going to be hard and a fighter. She might even turn into someone like him. He wanted to be able to defend himself and not let anyone put him in that position again. That was why he’d become who he was.

  “I know you do. I think you should be there for her to help her. You know what it’s like,” she said seriously.

  He knew she was right. He also knew that he’d have trouble with that because he wanted her. He wanted her to be more than just his friend. He wanted her to be his mate.

  “What are you talking about?” Emily asked.

  “She doesn’t know?” Martha asked him. He shook his head.

  “Know what?” she asked. “I was kidnapped when I was a little younger than Stacy. I know what she’ll be going through.” “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” she asked. “Because it’s not something I like to talk about,” he said. She nodded and went back to staring at the door. They all did. Waiting for Bill to finish his exam. He hoped there was some improvement. She had to be okay.

  *** “Emily, she’s doing okay. The bullet did more damage than I had originally thought. You can go back in,” Bill said when he walked out of the exam room.

  Emily couldn’t believe he’d had to operate on Stacy again. How could he have missed it? Shouldn’t he have been checking everything?

  Instead of letting him have it like she wanted to, she nodded and walked back in to see Stacy. She looked so peaceful there. She hoped everything had gone okay. No lasting injuries; nothing but her healthy sister.

  Then she started worrying about Stacy and Jason. She’d seen the way they were looking at each other and didn’t want her sister involved with him. Stacy deserved a prince, not a fighter. She already had to worry about her when she went out on missions; she didn’t need to make a life out of it with her mate.

  “I’ll be right back,” Emily said to Bill as he walked back in. He nodded and went back to checking Stacy. It was probably better to do so while she was unconscious so she wouldn’t feel the poking and everything.

  Emily stepped out and saw Jason leaving. “Jason!” she yelled to him. He turned around and looked at her. “I want to talk to you.”

  “Emily, I really don’t want to fight with you,” he said with a sigh. He looked like hell. “I don’t want you getting close to Stacy.”

  “Why?” he asked. “I love my sister and I don’t want her to be with one of us. She doesn’t need the worry or the danger. She already has it from me. I don’t want her to have that her entire life.”

  “That’s not what I expected to hear from you,” he said, surprised.

  “What did you think I’d say?” “I figured it would be to stay away, but not for those reasons. I figured it would have something to do with the fact that you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you. I just never knew how to act around you, so I got pissy,” she said with a smile.

  “Well, can you stop acting pissy and be my friend again?
We used to make a good team.”

  “Okay, but stay away from Stacy,” she said again.

  “I don’t want that life for her either, so I will. I’ll be her friend and nothing more.”

  “Good.” “I’ll catch you later,” he said with a smile.

  “Bye,” she said, and went back in to Stacy.

  *** Paul was in the kitchen making food for himself and Emily. He couldn’t really cook, but he could handle eggs. She needed food. She hadn’t left Stacy’s side since they got back, and he didn’t blame her, but she needed to be strong, and to do that, she needed to eat.

  He made some coffee. That he needed. Bill had let him stay in a spare room, but he was worried about Emily. He knew she wasn’t getting much sleep. Coffee would help, though. He couldn’t go without his morning cup, and hopefully it would make her just a little more tolerable.

  When he had the eggs cooked and some toast made, he walked into the exam room where Stacy was. He didn’t bother knocking. He didn’t think he’d need to worry about it, but when he walked in, Bill was examining the wound on Stacy’s chest, so he got a view of her breasts. He didn’t mean to, and he averted his eyes once he realized they were uncovered, but he didn’t know if doing so would help him any or not. Emily saw him.

  “I brought food,” he said, looking at the floor.

  “I can see that,” Emily said with a little laugh.

  “I… I didn’t mean to…” he stuttered out.

  “I know.” “Let me know when I can look up,” he said.

  “All right, you’re safe,” she said with a laugh. He couldn’t believe she thought it was funny. He could feel his face turning bright red over it. He hoped he never saw Stacy naked again. It wasn’t that she wasn’t pretty, but he had eyes only for her sister. He didn’t want Emily thinking any different. He looked up and saw the bandages back around Stacy’s chest, and that she was covered up. He let out a relieved sigh and set the plates down. “I hope you don’t mind, but I thought I’d eat with you.”

  “I’ll leave you two alone,” Bill said.

  “Thanks for breakfast,” Emily said, and took a plate. “No problem. It’s about the only thing I can cook,” he said with a smile. He was glad he could take care of her.