Lily: Captive to the Dark (13 page)

“What about your father?”

His stare left mine and went to Gaige’s, only to return. Words were useless when the murder was so clearly behind his gaze. “I’ll deal with him,” he said, lowly.

Gaige reached inside his jacket, pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and handed them to me. “I’m going to go outside the room and take care of the discharge. Put him in cuffs and help him out. Have your men guard your sides at all time. I’ll have your back and explain everything to his family.”

Zain pulled all of the wires free from his chest and stood. He was a little wobbly, but held the bed for support.

“Is that your clothing over there?” I pointed toward the small table across the room.

“Yeah, Amir had them brought over. Can you get them for me?”

I grabbed the bag and pulled out a pair of what looked like black jogging pants, a black T-shirt, and a pair of running shoes. My eyebrows drew in. Every time I saw the guy, he was wearing all black, whether it was a suit or regular clothes.

Gaige waited until Zain was dressed and eased out of the door. I opened the handcuffs. “Hands in front.”

A look of uneasiness came over him. “You fucking try to kill me when we get out of here,” he said, looking up at me, “I swear, you’ll pay. I don’t trust anyone and to let you do this—”

“Enough,” I growled, locking one side on his wrist. “If I wanted you dead, you’d already be six feet in the ground. Now, lift your other arm and let’s get the hell out of here.”

Click.

My arm linked through his and I took on some of his weight as we headed for the door. It opened just as Brace reached for the knob.

“What the hell is going on here?” Amir stepped back as we kept walking. “Hey, I asked a question.” He hurried to Gaige, who was scribbling across a piece of paper at the nurse’s station. “Why are you taking my son?”

Gaige turned to face him, towering over the man. “Protective custody, sir. Surely you can understand that. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“But…” Amir followed. “I’m taking him home,” he said, his voice booming.

We all stopped and Zain kept his voice low. “Calm. I’ll see you soon.”

“No.” Amir and the cousin walked forward. “There’s something you’re not telling me. FBI? I may not be an American citizen, but I know a simple shooting doesn’t bring in a department like theirs. What’s going on, Zain?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself over, Father.”

As they kept eye contact, the tension between them grew so thick, I couldn’t begin to process what was going through either of their minds. Secrets always had a way of getting out. Was Amir afraid his were going to become exposed with Zain out of his reach?

“If you say so.” Amir gestured his head to the cousin and they took off walking at a fast pace. As we followed behind, I took my time letting my mind run. Amir was trouble and I knew Zain planned to put a stop to it. But he wasn’t in any condition to do that yet. At least, not alone.

I promised Mary long ago that I would stay out of trouble, but Zain coming into our lives changed things. My sister loved him. I may not have been able to protect her, but I’d be damned if I was going to drop the ball concerning him.

Chapter 16

Zain

Seeing the inside of Lily’s penthouse from her point of view left me anxious with impatience. Here I was, in a room I’d seen her walk through a million times, and she wasn’t here. And she wouldn’t be again until I did something to get her back.

The black leather sofa I rested on did nothing to put me at ease. I needed to get to my father. Put a stop to him before the next shipment of girls went out. If he lied about not having Lily, she’d be there. Another slave ready to ship out. I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t have even brought up Lily’s name to my father if I didn’t have to rule him out and learn more about the deal. I had to see his reaction to her name. His expression. Like usual, nothing. Was it him? Someone else?

“God dammit. Who could it be?”

Slade continued to pace the living room with his phone gripped tightly in his fist. He’d had to have gone back and forth at least a hundred times. It left me even more determined to get my strength back. I felt weak next to him and I hated it.

“I don’t know, but I’m almost positive it isn’t my family.”

My words did little to comfort him. They did absolutely nothing to comfort me.

A sniffle was followed by the bedroom door closing. My head lifted just in time to see a blonde woman stop in her tracks. Her eyes were red rimmed and she looked a bit on the pale side.

“Oh great, you’re back. Did you get the crackers?”

Slade froze and his mouth parted the slightest amount. “I, ah…” His phone was to his ear before he finished. “Brace. Get the crackers out of the car.
Fast
.” He smiled apologetically and she groaned.

“Oh, Slade. You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Of course not. Come here.” His mouth twisted as he looked at me. I knew he was lying. We’d come straight here after driving around for a good half hour to make sure we weren’t being followed.

The woman came forward, stopping as her eyes connected with mine. “Oh…I didn’t know we had company.”

Slade’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Honey, I want you to meet Zain. Zain, this is my wife, Mary.”

I pushed myself forward, starting to rise when she rushed forward.

“Oh, no, please, stay lying down.” Her hand connected with mine. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zain.”

“Pleasure’s mine.” I looked back to Slade, only to return to Mary. “Are you feeling alright?”

She grinned, but I could see her fatigue. “I’m okay. Just a little under the weather. Morning sickness will do that to you.”

Pain settled in my chest, but it had nothing to do with the wound from the gunshot. I knew the effects of morning sickness all too well. Lily had been sick pretty badly. Not for long, though. She hadn’t been granted that opportunity. It tore me to pieces. I knew the hardships she would have had to face being young and pregnant, living at my father’s, but the pregnancy had happened and we were a little excited at the thought. Until my uncle. Saul was going to pay for causing Lily to miscarry. I had yet to be able to get my hands on him. He disappeared while I was off on one of my missions. But the time was coming, and he was going wish he’d never put his hands on what was mine.

“Congratulations,” I said, forcing myself to look at them and seem genuine. It really was great that they were having a child. I knew Slade was the type of man to take care of what was his. He’d made that clear concerning his sister. It still made my loss all too real.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling even bigger. “Say, are you hungry? Thirsty? If I know my husband, he probably overlooked asking. Slade expects people he’s close to to help themselves.”

I tried not to smile at the jab. She was joking, I could see that not only in her expression, but on Slade’s as he leaned down and kissed her head.

“My wife is right. Where are my manners? Would you like something to eat or drink?”

Food. Fuck, I
was
starving. I couldn’t remember the last meal I’d really eaten. The hospital didn’t count. I barely touched what they gave me, more as a precaution than anything. Poisoning my food was something I didn’t put past my father. He knew I killed my uncles. I could feel it from the cold shoulder I’d been given over the last few days.

“Actually, there’s a deli on the corner. I think I might try to walk over there and get a sandwich or something. I wouldn’t want the smell of anything to affect your wife.”

“Sounds like you’ve been through this before,” Slade said, laughing, only to sober almost instantly. His shoulders got wider as he stood taller. Something passed behind his eyes, but he shook his head, as if to dismiss it. “I’ll get one of my men to grab you something. I don’t want you out there just yet. A few more days and you’ll be good on your feet.”

I pushed to stand. “I’m good now. I should really be moving around. That’ll help more than anything. Been through this before. Not in the chest, but other places.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “You’ve been shot before?”

How she knew that’s what had happened was beyond me. My guess was Slade.

“Three times, not including this one. One in the arm, the shoulder, and leg.”

“At the same time or on three different occasions?”

The fear behind her question was real. She was afraid of me and what I’d bring on them. And she had good reason. I shouldn’t be here.

“Two different occasions.” I hesitated. “The world I lived in isn’t like this. That’s why I left.” My stare went to Slade, as if to drive the point home. “I’m going to go get something to eat. Then I should probably be heading out.”

“Eat, yes. But I can’t let you leave. My sister would want you here. Think about that.” He stepped back from Mary as I slowly slid on my shoes. Damn, I wasn’t going to bounce back from this like I had the others. My ribs ached and I knew they’d cracked a few with the chest compressions. Not to mention, my arm was still sore from Lily catching the back of my elbow. Pain meds. That’s what I needed. Whatever I was given in the hospital had long since worn off.

Slade walked me to the door, pushing my wallet into my hand. I didn’t want to know how he’d gotten it. “Don’t do anything stupid, Zain. Food, and then you come back. My sister doesn’t need anything else to worry about. If she’s able to call back, I want you here.”

All I could do was nod. He was right in that regard. I needed to talk to Lily.

“I’ll be right back.” I opened the door, meeting Marcio head on. His narrowed expression eased and he reached into his jacket, pulling a gun out. My heart jumped and the memory of the explosion rang out in my ears, leaving my chest cramping.

“You might want this.” His hand lifted and the anxieties lessoned the moment I gripped the handle.

“Thank you.”

“Been there,” he said, under his breath. “So, where are we going?”

Slade stepped out into the entrance with us, shutting the door behind him. “Deli on the corner and right back,” he said, taking over. “Then, we come up with a plan to settle things with his family once and for all.”

Our eyes met and the pull I felt toward him grew. Somehow, he understood me more than I could process, and I liked that. Tonight, I’d end things and find out if they had Lily. It was time to wipe my slate clean of everything bad from my past.

My hand gripped the gun tighter just before I lifted my shirt and placed it against my hip.

“Holy shit.” Slade reached out, pulling the material up just past my belly button. It took everything I had not to reach out and crush his wrist. “What the fuck are all those scars from?”

I ripped the shirt down. Even all the tattoos I had covering my stomach, chest, and back, couldn’t hide what my father had had done to me. The scars from the whip had been deep and covered from below my neck, down to my knees.

“Punishments throughout life, Slade. Most from before I turned fifteen. After that, no one would get near me if they valued their life. It was exactly what my father had intended when he started my training. The killer he created will soon be the executioner he’ll face. And I look forward to it.”

The room grew silent, only to be disrupted by the ding of the elevator. Brace stepped out, pausing as he looked at us.

“Great. Thanks, Brace.” Slade strode forward, as if we hadn’t just discussed the pain of my past. The powerful strides had him getting to his guard and taking the crackers in three steps. When he turned and met my eyes, understanding was there. And so was anger. Maybe we did share something I wasn’t aware of. Had he gone through something similar with his father? Had he at least been on bad terms with him?

I walked forward, relaxing at the weight in my waistband. Marcio stepped in behind me as we nodded to Lily’s brother and got on the elevator. The moment the doors closed, he looked over, shaking his head.

“I knew you were dangerous the first time I met you. You can’t hide that sort of energy. It follows you around like an invisible mass. Only people similar to you can feel the threat. I felt it when we met as far back as that party.”

My head nodded as he pressed the lobby button. “Like for like, I suppose. I felt it from you, too.”

“So, you’re gonna kill your dad? Is that plan?”

The way my skin crawled had me rotating my neck. I reached my palm up to run over it, easing the tension as my fingers gripped the side of my throat.

“He doesn’t deserve to live after what he’s done. If I don’t stop him, a lot of girls are going to suffer and probably die. I made a vow to Lily and I have every intention of following through.”

A deep exhale was followed by him clenching his jaw. “I know Boss is already going to put out the order, but I’m with you, regardless. Nothing would give me more pleasure than putting a stop to operations like the one that took Lily. I…watched her grow. She was such a sweet girl before she was taken. When she came back…” his head shook. “It’s like I didn’t even know her. I’m not sure the horrors she lived through, but it left its mark on who she was. No one should have the power to ruin a person that way. If it hadn’t of been for you, or Lily’s spirit, she’d have been worse. I’m glad you were there to protect her.”

My stomach turned and flashes of our lives together nearly made me sick. Two people, confined to a room almost all day and night to escape the cruelty behind my door was almost suffocating. But there were times I couldn’t save her and those were usually when I wasn’t there. My Lily’s heart was too big. A girl in need had her facing her fears…and ultimately paying a price she couldn’t handle on the inside…like our child’s life. She was never the same after that.

“When Lily is returned…” Not if, but when, I made myself say, “I’ll be heading back to my father’s home. I have uncles there who need to pay just as much. I need you to make sure she’s kept safe.”

The doors opened, but neither of us moved. Our eyes locked and his head gave a quick jerk down. “On my life. I will make sure she never gets hurt again.”

“Me, too,” I said under my breath. And I would. Lily was never going to have to worry about another thing again. Once I eliminated the immediate threats, no one with ill intentions would ever dare think about coming near her again. I’d be there if they did.