Page 58 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
Burt softens his voice as he speaks to someone else, the sound diminished slightly like he’s moved the phone away from his mouth. “Calantha, my dear, you truly have grown into such a beautiful woman. Dare I say, you’re even more attractive than that sister of yours. But don’t worry, she’ll be here soon too. Maybe then I’ll be able to compare how you both taste.”
Jesus fucking Christ, he has Calantha? I barely have a moment to process before his angry tone is back, and it’s clear that he’s not fucking around.
“I grow tired of playing this foolish game. I’m in charge now, Kaleb. You might be the face of Exalta Solutions, but it’s no longer under your ownership. Do as we say and the girls live. You have three hours to decide.” Then the line goes dead.
“Who was that?” Aiden asks, likely seeing the look of horror on my face.
My gaze flashes to Lily, unsure if I want her to know about this. She’s already been through enough tonight, hasn’t she? But it’s lies and secrets that got us into this mess in the first place. It’s time we put everything in the light.
“That was Burt,” I say, wincing at the flash of pain on Lily’s face. “I’m so sorry, Blossom. Sorry that we lied and didn’t protect you when it mattered most, but now…”
“Thank you. I’m sorry too, for the part I played. It doesn’t mean I forgive you, either of you, but I’d really like to get home.” She gives us a weak smile, and she hugs herself as she shivers.Aiden and I both notice at the same time, and he gives her his jacket.
“What is it?” he asks, knowing there’s more.
“Burt has Calantha, and we have three hours to submit to his demands or she dies.”
Liliana
It’s funny how nightmares work. Creeping up only once you’re asleep and breaking down your defenses. But when you wake up in a cold sweat with the taste of fear coating your tongue, it still doesn’t go away. Like a dark fucking cloud, it lingers.
Ever since leaving the farm, I’d had this horrible dream that Calantha and I traded places. Sometimes my uncle’s friends got tired of me and wanted something fresh to whet their appetite, and other times it was a punishment for something I’d done. In the dream, I’d scream and fight, but I’d never been able to save her. The only way I’d gotten through those nightmares was the fact that it hadn’t truly happened. She escaped with me and never had to know what it felt like to be sexually abused.Now my nightmares were becoming reality.
I watch country fields pass by through the window as we head toward the very place I swore I’d never go back to. My uncle’s farm. It’s where he wanted Hank to take me, and I would bet everything I had on Calantha being there too. Though the nausea churned in my stomach, I’d do anything, go anywhere, to get my sister back safely.
What a fucking disaster. I should have been more open with her. She knew enough about what I’d gone through, but there was just some things you didn’t share with your little sister. Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t have gotten caught.Fuck, who was I kidding? All of this was my fault.
I’d acted like a child ever since I learned Kaleb was Fitz. I let them all down.
“Take the next left. We’ll park there and sneak up by the lake,” I tell Aiden, thankful that neither of them mentions the hitch in my voice.
They’d called the cops on Hank and left their driver to handle the details, promising that we’d come back and make our official statements tomorrow. With anyone else, I was positive that shit didn’t fly, but being Aiden Daniels and Kaleb Fitzgerald sure had its advantages. I’m just lucky they let me tag along.Okay, scratch that. A million overbearing bosses couldn’t keep me away from this mission. They were lucky to have me since I knew this place inside and out. Never in a million years had I thought that knowledge would be helpful, but here we are.
Aiden parks the car, but when I reach for the handle, Kaleb stops me. “You’ve dealt with enough shit for one night, Lily. We wouldn’t judge you if you wanted to stay back.”
“Hell no. I know my way around this place better than anyone, and as much as it may haunt me to be back here, they have my fucking sister in there. I’m going.” I ignore them and step out of the car into the chilly night air.
“We’re running out of time,” Aiden whispers as he checks his watch.
“Well then, let’s get going. This way.”
They follow me through tall grass that tickles my calves. I’m still wearing my skirt and blouse from yesterday, but luckily, I’ve got on flats instead of heels, or else this trek would be a whole hell of a lot harder. The lake comes into view, practically glowingbeneath the rising moon. It’s bright tonight, an almost full moon that seems to light up the entire sky. Good for us in some ways but bad in others.
“Stick with me and stay quiet,” I whisper. “We’re about to pass where they keep the foster kids, and the last thing we need is to be spotted by a cabin full of children who want to earn favor with my uncle.”
Like my personal shadows, Kaleb and Aiden follow behind me as silent as the wind, adding confidence to my every step as we approach the converted barn. Before Calantha and I escaped, renovations on the barn had already started. My uncle was calling it a guest house, but I knew better. He was tired of keeping the sex slaves under the same roof where he slept and wanted us gone. We’d tried to burn it down when we left all those years ago, but it looks like we didn’t succeed.
I motion for the guys to stop and hide behind a thick oak tree. Someone stands guard in front of the barn door. He looks younger than me by a few years, though it’s too hard to tell for sure with only the light of the moon.
“One of you has to pretend you’re Hank, and we’ll just have to hope this guy wasn’t friends with him. Kaleb, your coloring is about as close as we’ll get. Just act like you’re hauling me home, okay?”
“I don’t like this,” Aiden replies.
“Well, if you have another idea, I’m all ears.” To my surprise, he says nothing, and I don’t get even a peep of disagreement from Kaleb. The Liliana of last week would never have talked to them this way. She might have been comfortable around them, but she’d rather someone else call the shots. Not this time. Calantha wasmysister, and I’d storm the gates of hell to save her.
Without another moment to think it through, I whisper, “Aiden, be ready to strike when he’s distracted. We don’t wanthim notifying anyone that I’m here before we’re long gone with Calantha.”
Still wearing Kaleb’s jacket, I move out from behind the bush and let him lead me toward the barn doors. I try to pull away, scowling at him over my shoulder as I act like a sullen child that’s been caught escaping their chores.
