Page 34 of Lily
"You're the one who told her to stop yelling, and you're tellingmethat it's not safe?" Lily asked incredulously.
"You told her I was your boyfriend," he said, and Lily was once more reminded of men's selective hearing. She rolled her eyes and stomped over to her closet, grabbing down a bag from a shelf.
"So?" Lily began shoving underwear and clothing into the bag at random. She knew she should be taking more care with what she was taking, but she couldn't seem to care right now. Whatever made it into the bag was going to be good enough. When she imagined coming to get her things, it wasn't with one of her roommates swinging a knife. She had imagined drinking and maybe them passed out on the floor.
Not this.
And then she had to go and open her big mouth and call Sam her boyfriend. What had she been thinking?
Sam moved away from the door and looked critically at the growing wad of clothing she was continuing to shove into her bag. "Don't you need shoes? Socks, maybe? What about a toothbrush?"
"Oh, yeah." Lily spun toward her bed and grabbed a pair of shoes. "Good idea," she told him, tossing them in the bag and then waving a hand at the hallway. "I'm going to have to just buy all new bath stuff. I don't want to go out there and dig around while that fight is happening."
Sam nodded. "We can buy new. I'll take you there after your shift if you want."
"Thank you, but I can buy it." It was important to her to stand on her own two feet. She was working on her list, and as long as she continued to work toward her goals, everything would work out for the best.
"You're not going to buy it," Sam said in a low tone she was beginning to understand as his stern and firm voice.
'But why not?"
"Because you're my girl, and I take care of my girl."
"I have the money, or I will have the money after my shift today." The pay was sporadic, but tips always more than made up for it when she worked. Lily was sure she would have enough if she budgeted right.
Sam came close and put his hands on her shoulders. "Listen to me, Lily Bell. You're my girl, and that means I take care of you. Did you or did you not agree to be mine this morning?"
Lily bit her lip and looked away. He was right. She had. She had agreed to it all and eagerly done so. "Yes," she mumbled.
Sam reached out a finger and tipped her head back to look at him. "Do you still agree to it?"
"Of course."
"Then I will pay for your bath things." He looked around the room and took the bag from her. "And whatever else you need. Grab a coat, and let's go. I don't trust your roommates. The sooner we leave, the better."
"But—"
A thump from the living room had Sam in motion. He took her hand and started for the door. "No time for buts; I will respect your wants, little one, but not when it interferes in your safety and wellbeing. This is a clear violation of that. Those people are risks to you and your happiness. We are out of here. You get me?"
Lily knew she should be slightly mad at Sam for the way he was marching her out of her room or, at the very least, annoyed, but it was hard to be when Sam was right. Her roommates were terrible people. They had always brought her down, and wherever she was going after this was going to be a lot better than her walk-up apartment.
"Fine," she said, following after him into the hallway. The living room was eerily quiet; the entire apartment was, and she swallowed hard, wondering what Sarah and Xander were up to now. It couldn't be anything good.
When they entered the living room, the first thing Lily saw was the knife. It was sitting on the counter, and Sarah was sitting on the couch with her hands in her lap. Xander was nowhere to be seen. Sarah lifted her head and looked at them when Lily and Sam walked in.
"Where are you going?" she asked. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and Lily was sure she'd been crying. Normally, such a sight would have made her feel sorry for Sarah, but now Lily didn't feel much of anything. She wondered if Sam was as unmoved as she was, or if it was just her.
"None of your business," Sam replied in a cold voice that answered Lily's unasked question. The man felt no remorse for Sarah's current state. "Don't come looking for Lily; she's moving out."
"What? How are we going to afford rent?" Sarah cried.
He shrugged and was already to the door. He opened it and ushered Lily through it. "That's not my concern. My girl is. Figure it out." And then he was slamming the door shut behind them, Sarah's shouts were muffled by it, but Sam didn't seem concerned. Lily swallowed hard, eyes moving from the door and back to Sam as they kept walking. They hit the stairwell when the door to the apartment swung open, and Sam froze. He turned then and glared at Sarah who was standing in the hallway.
"Go back inside." Each word was enunciated, clear as a bell and full of meaning. Sam wasn't mincing his words, nor was he threatening her, but he meant business. Sarah's eyes widened. She knew it just as Lily did, and the woman darted back into the apartment, the door slamming shut behind her a second later.
"Let's go; there's nothing here for you." Lily looked up at Sam when she felt his hand at the small of her back. He was right. She had known it before they'd arrived to get her things.
Walking away from her apartment had to be the easiest thing she had ever done, and with Sam by her side, it wasn't as scary as it might have been. Instead, it was exciting. When she had made her list, Lily had thought that she would be on the cusp of an adventure, a better beginning, but that had only been because anywhere had to be better than her apartment.
