“I don’t think I want one.” I turned my head and looked into his eyes.
“I just want to be your wife. No theatrics.” I didn’t know if that was something he’d want. He had a big family and all. Maybe he wanted them to be a part of it.
“You were made for me.” He purred before claiming my lips. I was tempted to tell him we should skip the rest of the festivities for the day when his mother came and broke us up.
“Ye can make me grandbabies later. Go have fun with yer friends.” She shooed us off towards where the party was getting started. People were making themselves some food, some were dancing to music that had just started playing. Everyone was having a good time and living life the way it was meant to be lived, surrounded by good company and happiness.
When we made it to the gathering, Lachlan pulled me against his body and we started to sway to the music. We laughed, and danced like we didn’t have a care in the world. I should have known things were getting too good to be true.
Chapter Twenty- Seven
Lily
I excused myself to go to the bathroom when a man cornered me. The house was empty at the time and I didn’t see him waiting for me in the room.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Lily. You’re hard to get ahold of.” He held a gun in his lap, and I just stood there. Not sure what to do.
Recognition of who he was hit me like a wrecking ball.
“John Dowers.” I whispered. He was a crazy fan of mine turned stalker until I had gotten a restraining order on him. While I never truly thought he would cause me harm, at the moment I was unsure about that.
“I knew you’d remember me. We always had a special connection.” He smiled and I considered that maybe he was just crazy.
“Why are you here?” I stood tall and asked him. His head tilted to the side like he wasn’t sure why I was asking him that particular question.
“I’m here for you. I’ve tried other ways to get you and ran into complications. Figured I’d come and get you myself this time.” Oh dear.
“What do you mean you’ve tried to get me before?” Thoughts were running through my head. Was this the person who was going to buy me from those terrorists? He ran his spare fingers through his brown hair. He was a middle aged man, lost his wife to cancer and fell in love with ballet. I felt sorry for him at first but then he just weirded me out.
“I didn’t want to hurt you. I’m sorry I’ve troubled you. I’m a really good man. I promise. We can go to ballets together; I can take you to nice restaurants.” He got to his knees in desperation. I was at a loss of what to do in this situation. I prayed silently that Lachlan was on his way and would stop this before something happened that would ruin the wedding. As if he was answering my prayers, he opened the door with his gun drawn, ready to shoot at any second.
“Who the fuck are you?” Lachlan growled ferociously.
John held tight to his gun but didn’t point it at anyone. He was troubled.
“I’m Lily’s biggest fan. We are going to be together, where I can take care of her and be her companion.” He truly believed those words.
“I don’t believe this shit.” Lachlan shook his head, I wanted to groan that this was the story of my life apparently but things were still running hot in our room.
“Let’s go, Lily. I know I’ve done bad things, and have hurt you, but I promise we will be good together.” He smiled at me and held out his hand for me to take. God, I wanted to help him but I didn’t want to go near him. I mean shit, he is the reason I was taken in Milan.
“No John, you need help. We can go talk to someone and get you the help you need. Just give me the gun.” I took a step closer and heard Lachlan growl behind me. He did not like that I was walking close to crazy town. But I trusted him. He would shoot John in a heartbeat if he thought I was truly in danger right now.
“No, nothing is wrong with me. You’re not her, I know this. I want you. I’m not crazy.” Something in him was slipping, and that something was important to his sanity.
“No, you’re not crazy. But I feel like you should talk to someone.” I spoke honestly.
“No, No! I just need you. If I can’t have you then I can’t bear the pain.” He put the gun to his head. Oh god.
“John, put the gun down.” I panicked. This could not be happening. Not right now.
“You have to be with me.” He was blackmailing me. Be with him or he would kill himself. My bet is he was nuts enough to do it too. I opened my mouth, still unsure what I was going to say when a loud bang echoed through the room. My eyes closed shut and I was afraid that I would see John with a hole in his head. I didn’t want to see that. I’d seen enough carnage to last me a lifetime. Those images would be burned into my mind forever.
“It’s ok Lily, you’re safe. You can open your eyes.” Lachlan’s voice filled the room, along with male groans. My eyes flew open to see John on the floor, with the gun on the other side of the room. John was writhing and grabbing his leg which was bleeding onto the wooden planks in the floor.
“It’s just a flesh wound. He’ll heal.” Lachlan told me before grabbing my hand and pulling me against his body. I hugged him so tightly I was afraid I’d pop him.
“I need you to go get the head of the police. He’s down at the wedding. Try and keep it as hushed as possible. Ask Evan for help if you need it.” He kissed my forehead without taking his eyes off John. I nodded against his chest and ran to find help. I was thankful no one had any inkling as to what was going on in the B&B right now. They were all in a blissful state of wedding happiness. I was a little envious. I found the policeman and asked him to come with me and that we had an emergency. He understood the need for silence but I noticed him unbuckling the clasp that held his gun in place. Calmly, I led him back to where Lachlan and John were waiting in our room. Hopefully not bleeding out to death. When I opened the door, Lachlan was standing over John with his gun aimed. Ready to shoot him for any reason given.
“Ok son, I’ll take it from here.” The police chief stepped into the room and told John his rights, asked him a few questions but John was unstable. His mind was broken as he said nothing. Together, with stealth I wouldn’t think possible, Lachlan and the Chief helped John up to his feet and out to his car without anyone questioning it. The wedding continued and the highland games started. Everyone was having fun and I was stuck in my head, maybe I’d finally come to my breaking point. I didn’t know. When Lachlan finally came back into the room he wrapped his arms around me and I crawled into his lap on the bed.
“It’s over baby.” I took a deep breath and with my exhale I let go of the fear I had been holding onto. I felt exhausted from all the emotions and adrenaline. I rested my head against Lach’s strong chest and listened to his heart beat evenly. He was stable, he was here, and he was my home. I repeated that mantra over and over in my head until I finally felt ok.
“Want to go back out the wedding?” He asked me and I nodded. A distraction. I needed that badly. Together we walked back down to the festivities and I downed the madness of my life in a nice glass of whiskey. Refusing to think of anything heavy for the rest of the day. The blood on the floor in our room could wait. Talking about it could wait. I was alive and right now I wanted to live.
Chapter Twenty- Eight
Lachlan
It had been a two weeks since the wedding. Wolfe and Nera were back on his tour and Lily and I had found a sort of routine in our lives. I got a call for one quick job that was truly one weekend and I was now sitting in the darkness of the stage, waiting to kiss my girl. We’d found peace in the darkness. Her stalker John was getting the help he needed and confessed that he’d gone to extreme lengths to have Lily, which soothed my soul that the purchaser had been caught. Although I still wanted to kill him, I couldn’t fault him for losing his mind after losing his wife. I’d be devastated if anything happened to Lily.
There was a crowd of ten students sitting in the front rows as Lily and a man in work out shorts walke
d on the stage.
“Dance is all about emotion. Provoking it, feeling it, living it. You have until the end of the week to choreograph an emotion piece. I want to feel your every movement.” Lily projected her voice towards the teens. She had gotten a position at the local college. Just two classes a week for now but she was taking it very serious.
“Now, Gunner and I are going to demonstrate what I am looking to see from you.” She eyed them all before moving towards her position on the stage. The boy Gunner just stood there. He looked to be a student himself, I was curious to see what they would dance to.
A violin along with a piano filled the air, a country voice started singing about a young girl who was anxious to see the doctor. Lily, who was wearing yoga pants and a tight pink camisole started to dance like the young girl in the song. Swaying and twirling around. Her eyes closed as she moved effortlessly hopping from one pointed foot to the other. When the chorus picked up she threw more of herself into her steps. With every flick of her arms, and twist of her torso you felt the emotion of the girl who was diagnosed with cancer and all she wanted was to dance with her first love. When the melody changed speed and the final verses hit, Gunner joins the dance. Lily looked at him like he was her first love, giving up everything to dance with her. He lifted her while she pointed out her leg, spinning her around. Lightly, he placed her down and they twirled around the stage.
I saw a few of the girls sitting in the row wipe away some tears. Lily was damn good evoking emotions through dance. She always had been. When the melody comes to an end Gunner dips her back as she comes into his arms. Holding him tight.
I knew it was all for show, but I still didn’t like her in another man’s arms.
An applause erupted from the students as Gunner and Lily separated and took a bow.
“Ok, you’ve got a week to nail down a song and choreography. Get to work!” She says breathlessly to them. She leaned in and thanks Gunner before he jumps off the stage and walks over to join the rest of the kids. Not wanting to wait any longer I stood from the darkness and walked down towards my girl.
She squinted her eyes at my figure through the lights, and once she saw me her face lit up. She looked at the kids then back at me and made a gesture for me to meet her behind the curtain. My dick stirred thinking about the last time we were on that stage. This time there actually were people in the auditorium so I would have to control myself. I took one step out of the four and was up in seconds. As soon as I pushed back the curtain, Lily’s body was on mine. I wasn’t prepared for her to jump and cling to me but I reacted quickly.
“You’re back.” She whispered and held onto me like the floor was going to swallow her up if I set her down.
“I’m home.” She looked up at me and those beautiful amethyst eyes were filled with love. Something I’d never thought I would see in my lifetime. She was there fighting back the darkness that tried to surround our souls with her blinding lights of love.
My hands gripped her ass and my lips were on the hunt for hers. She didn’t make me chase after them long. I groaned with her lips met mine. She gave her all into the kiss, telling me how much she missed me every day I was gone. Fuck did I miss her.
“What time are you done today?” Wishing she said right now so we could go back to the apartment. We hadn’t gotten a place together yet because she was being picky. I couldn’t have given a shit but she was looking for something specific. What that was, I had no fucking clue. I just need a place to eat, sleep, shit, and fuck my girl on all of its surfaces. Not a long list of criteria.
“Three. Meet you at the apartment?” She pulled back to see my face when I answered.
“Yeah, my other fiancé wanted me to stop by before you got off work.” My silent laughter bubbled over when she smacked me on the arm for teasing her. Things were lighter between us and it was just like old times. Only this time, we would kiss and make up.
“Asshole.” She pursed her lips. I set her down and touched her lips with my finger. Trying to ease the tension there by caressing them softly.
“There’s no other place I’d rather be than waiting for you to come to me.” She bit back a smile and I knew she’d forgiven my tease. She listened to the kids start to get loud, and took a step back from me. Our time right now was over, but later. Nothing was keeping me from showing her just how much I missed her.
“I have to get back to my class, but I’ll see you soon.” She blew me a kiss and walked back out to her little crew.
I made a stop on the way to the apartment to pick up the engagement ring I’d ordered for her as soon as we left Durness. It was a simple white gold band with one round diamond. The rock was pretty large, 3 carats to be exact. My Starlight deserved something as bright as she was.
The apartment was clean and there was a roast in the crock pot in the kitchen. The feeling of coming home to food cooking and a happy home was still unbelievable. Something that I’m not sure how to get used to. The adrenaline still lingered in my veins from the mission over the weekend. I was jazzed, and playing homemaker was something strange to think about.
I threw my bag on the bed and sat down. Looking at the clock I had a couple hours before Lily would walk through that door, deciding to catch up on some sleep now, so I would have plenty of energy for Lily later. I rolled over and passed out. I would wake before she got home, and if not then she would wake me. Maybe even creatively.
I woke up to the smell of burning roast. Odd. I looked at the clock and saw it was seven pm. Holy shit! Lily didn’t wake me up, and I sure as hell didn’t. I hopped out of bed and went to see why the house smelled horrible.
“Lily, sorry I slept so late.” My fingers ran through my hair, which I’m sure looked like hell.
No answer.
“Lily. Baby?” I looked around and didn’t see her. I walked over to the kitchen and looked in the crock pot. It was over cooked. She hasn’t been home yet. Immediate anger flooded my system. Did she change her mind? Where the fuck was she? Storming into the bedroom I grabbed my phone and saw nothing. No text, no call. Absolutely nothing. Something wasn’t right. Lily wouldn’t just leave me without saying something first. Grabbing my keys, I ran out of the apartment and hopped in my car.
Driving faster than I should have, I slammed into the parking lot and tried to find her car. It was gone. She wasn’t here. She probably would be pissed at me if she knew but I was thankful as fuck right now that I’d installed a tracker on her car. I pulled up the location on my phone. Her car was in Inverness. What the hell! I called her phone and it went straight to voice mail. Feeling utterly fucked in the head, I got out of the car and tried to calm down. I needed to treat this like any other mission I did. I need my head straight and not to be emotionally charged. Shit went wrong when you went in guns a blazing. I needed to figure out what happened, who happened, and why. The sooner I figured that out the sooner I would get my Lily back.
The college was closed so there was no one to ask if they had saw her leave with anyone. I went back to the apartment and opened the chest I’d put in the spare bedroom’s closet. She didn’t know what was in it, and hadn’t asked. It was everything that I would need to get her back. I pulled out my computer and fired it up. I hacked into the camera’s in the traffic lights on the way from here to Inverness. After running a search on her license plate numbers, it had been caught twice. The passengers on the inside were clouded by darkness so that was useless.
I ran her credit card numbers through the system, none had been used. Hell. Next, even though I was hoping was a long shot I broke into the airport’s system and ran a facial scan with a picture we had gotten at the fairy pools. As the computer did its job, I pulled out my bullet proof vest, and other tactical gear, two hand guns with silencers, two magazine leg holsters, two ankle knife sheaths and a bag full of everything I could need. Gas mask, grenades, cash, energy suckers, and a few other things that would come in handy. A ding on the screen brought my attention back to the computer’s results.
Lachlan
What I saw burned my very soul. It enraged me and filled my lungs with a curse that couldn’t be held inside.
Lily, being dragged by the fucking doctor through the airport. I should have known. John wasn’t the purchaser. It was the doctor. But why? Was he bringing her back to his brother? I remembered the way he looked at her and disregarded me. Did he want her? My fists clenched and released in a strenuous pattern for a few minutes. I couldn’t lose my shit. Lily needed me. Her face held no panic, but a look of faith. She knew I’d come. I would. I was so fucking going to get her back and shoot him right between the eyes. I might even toy with him a little for putting her through so much shit.
And if he touched her in any way, I would slice his dick off with a butter knife.
I checked into which flight they had taken, Glasgow. Take off was in thirty minutes. I wouldn’t need be able to make it the three hours to the airport before they left. I needed something faster. Beat them to Glasgow or be close behind. I ran a search through the database of registered recreational aircrafts in the area. I knew one of these fuckers in this town had something. We had some rich people in the area.
Bingo!
Roger Londel, 65 years old, retired air force vet. Widowed. Two kids in the states and three grandkids.
I closed my computer and shoved it in my bag. One by one I put on my tactical gear. Loading myself up to be the proficient killer I was. I was the best mercenary there was right now. It was the reason I was hired by all sorts of powerful men. I got shit done, and I would succeed in my mission now. After I slid my last knife into its sheath on my ankle, I was done. Tightening my bag around my back, closed up the apartment, and looked around the parking lot. I needed something fast. The sedan I had gotten wasn’t fast enough. I walked around and my eyes lit up with excitement. Whipping out my phone, I found the owner of the Ducati bike that was calling to me. I would pay him back for what I was about to do. I found the switch in my bag with the key and quickly switched the ignition to the bike. The key fit perfectly and the bike purred to life. Ready to play.
Blinding Lights (Lights of Scotland Book 2) Page 12