Page 93 of His to Possess
I’m pretty sure I’m going to kill my sister. I’ve always admired her tenacity and strength—one of my favorite memories of her was the night she sat, arms-folded, at the dining room table for nearly eight hours because the nanny was insisting she eat lima beans. I’d had our father fire the nanny immediately—who the hell does that to a six-year-old?—but I’d also had a pretty good laugh at the mulish expression on Veronica’s face. I had no doubt she would have sat there all night if I hadn’t happened to stop by.
Right now, though? I wish she had even a single meek bone in her body.
“Just tell me where she is,” I say for what feels like the hundredth time. “I know you know.”
“Nope,” she says brightly. “Girl code, bro.”
It’s everything I can do to keep from screaming at her. “Veronica,” I bite out. “This goes so far beyond any ridiculous girl code. Lilah is in trouble and I need to find her.”
“She said you would say that.”
My heart lifts in spite of myself. “You did talk to her.” I fucking knew it.
“She said you were acting like a crazy person and she didn’t want to see you,” my little sister says.
I close my eyes and blow out a long, frustrated breath. I never should have let her out of my sight at the club last night. The memory of her face as she stormed away from me hits me square in the chest. She hadn’t just been angry—she’d looked betrayed. Hurt.
It’s bad enough thinking about her somewhere out there alone. Scared. Desperate. The last time Lilah had felt that way she’d entered the damn auction. What will she do now?
But just as upsetting to me is the fact that she’s hurt. She’s hurt, and I did that.
I’ll be damned if I don’t fix it.
“Veronica,” I say, trying to inject every bit of sincerity I can into my voice.Now or never, Matthews.I’m going to fight for this woman with everything I have. Even if that means pissing off my sister. “I need you to listen to me.”
She’s quiet, for once, on the other end of the phone. Maybe she can hear the desperation in my voice.
“I told you earlier in the week that I ran into Lilah. I wasn’t entirely truthful with you.”
Suspicion bleeds through her voice. “What do you mean?”
So I tell her everything—or close to it. I don’t mention the auction, but I do tell her Lilah was trying to get help from some shady people because of the divorce and the situation with her stepfather. I tell her about the shitty apartment she was staying in and the shitty bar where she worked. I tell her about bringing Lilah back to my place, about spending time with her and getting to know her.
“Philip,” she finally interrupts. “This sounds like a lot more than brotherly concern.” Her voice turns sharp. “Are you about to tell me that you have feelings for her? For my best friend?”
“No,” I say. “I’m about to tell you that I’m in love with her.”
I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed my sister shocked into silence, but I don’t hear a peep from the other end of the line.
“I don’t want to hurt her, V. I’m honestly scared for her safety right now. So if you know where she is, you need to tell me.”
“You love her?” she finally says, her voice a near whisper.
“I know that’s probably strange for you to hear. I know she’s younger than me and there are probably a hell of a lot of people who will look down on our relationship—”
“Hang on,” she cuts in. “Yourrelationship?Are you telling me she feels the same way? Is she like, your girlfriend?”
“We haven’t put a label on it. And I’m not going to presume to know if she feels the same way.” Please, god let her feel the same way. Let me fix this. “But we’ve been getting closer. I would absolutely describe what we have as a relationship.”
I can’t tell if my sister’s silence is stunned or angry. “Lilah never dates,” she finally murmurs. “Like,ever.”
“I know.”
“She doesn’t trust men. Especially since her parents split.”
“She trusted me,” I say firmly, believing it with all my heart. “That’s why I need to find her, V. I need to make sure her trust was warranted. I’ve never lied to you a day in your life and I’m not about to start now, so believe me when I say this. Lilah is in trouble. I have to find her.”
There’s the slightest pause. And then—“she’s staying at my apartment.”
