Page 32 of Twisted Lies

“Yes. Let’s go home.” Standing, I reach down to pull her up. She stalls at the door. Her wide eyes are looking around frantically for something or someone.

“Back or front door?” I ask.

“Back,” she whispers.

“Okay.” Leading her to the car, I help her in. “Listen, I need to go back for just a second. Stay here. I won’t be long.” She nods, pulling the seatbelt on. Shutting the door, I turn around again to see she’s slouching in her seat as if trying to hide. Going in from the back, I make my way back up the stairs.

“Kevin, where did you run off to?” Jason asks.

“Smoke,” I say, not offering any more and moving to the bar where Connor watches the crowd. “I need to go home. Emergency.”

“Go. Return once you get it handled,” Connor says, annoyed at my need to leave.

“Thanks, boss. I will.” Turning back, I return to the car and peel out of the parking lot, hoping that distance will return Lily back to the here and now. I debate trying to get her to talk on the way home but think it’s best to give her time to process whatever the hell happened. The last thing I need is for her to shut down more. Helping her into the house, she moves slowly, as if in a trance, up the stairs. Pulling open her door, she slides into her bed. Pulling the cover over her, I take in how small she appears in the bed.

“I’m going to tell Cla…Mia that you’re home. She’ll stay with you. I’ll be back soon.” I want to say more but don’t know what. I’m worried I’ll make it worse by saying the wrong thing. Bending down, I brush my lips over her forehead. “You’re safe here. Nothing can get you here. I promise.” She jerks at my words but says nothing. I wish I didn’t have to leave her, but I have no choice. Connor’s pissed as it is that I left.

Leaving her bedroom door open, I find Claire in her PJ’s flipping through a magazine. “You’re home early,” she says, not looking up from the page.

“Long story. I need to go back. Lily’s in her room. Something happened. She won’t tell me what. Can you stay with her, maybe see if she talks to you?” My words have her sitting up.

“What do you mean you don’t know what happened?” she asks.

“I was talking to Connor about an issue. When I returned, she was missing. I went to find her, and when I did, she was freaking out.”

“First you take her to the event, then you leave her, and now this is where we are. Great work. Outstanding job,” she says, rolling her eyes and standing.

“Now’s not the time, Claire,” I hiss.

“It never is. I’ll see what I can get from her.”

“There was a time when you got things out of everyone. I hope you did not lose your touch,” I state, and she glares. Leaving her in Lily’s room, I once more make the drive to the restaurant and hope I won’t be there late. Hopefully, once Claire finds out something, she’ll let me know.

Claire never texts me with any information. My mind is unfocused once I return, and Connor wastes no time to inform me it was noticed. I gain some useful information the drunker everyone gets. Nothing about Lily, but a few things to report to Connor in the morning. I finally make it back home at two-thirty. Climbing into my bed, I think about Lily down the hall and want to check on her, but I know I won’t have the right words. Comfort is not in my nature. Once I find out who scared her….well, that is very much in my nature.

* * *

LILY

After what feels like hours of staring at a white wall, I finally pass out. I might as well have just stayed up the whole time the way I feel the next day. Everything is sore, as if I had done a twenty-four-hour workout. My mind is mush and at the same time in high alert—all of these factors exhausting me. Thankfully, I dreamt of nothing but blackness. That was the only blessing from last night.

After Kevin walked away, I needed to use the restroom. There were very few people in the hall to the stairs, but the hairs on the back of my neck went up, making me wish I had waited for Kevin to return. But after all the water and wine, I just needed to use the restroom. Plus, it was going to be nice to have a moment to process the evening. It felt like I was in a room of sharks, and I was the chum in the water.

I heard the noise after I stepped off the last stair. It startled me, and I looked without thinking. There were two men, both tall and strong, with dark hair. The one that was pushed against the wall had a burn mark on his forehead. The other guy I couldn’t make out much as he was facing the other man. His arm was against his throat and was leaning close to his face. It wasn’t the scene that had me frozen in fear. It was when I noticed the serpent tattoo that was apparent on his arm. I had seen those years earlier. It was as if I were back in time, and every detail was coming into focus. Things I had buried were rushing back, and I knew the man standing in front of me was one of the same. He had turned to look at me once he realized he had an audience, but I moved swiftly, and my hair covered my face. Hiding in the bathroom was the only thing I could think to do. After that, I lost all sense of time. I barely got the few words out for Kevin when he found me. I’m not looking forward to the questions I’ll have to find some sort of answer for.

Mia sat with me till I fell asleep. Thankfully she didn’t ask me anything. She just sat there. A small part of me wished it had been Kevin. Even with our fights and when he’s an ass, I feel safe with him. It’s unnerving; I’ve not felt safe with another person, not since my family was killed. I feel safe with Mia in a way, but it’s different. Very different. I’ve relied on my own for so long it terrifies me that I need—no,want—another person. Why the hell did that person have to be Kevin? Complicated past, future, and present. It’s just complicated.

I know Kevin is deep into something, but did not realize how deep until I saw those men at Connor’s event. I need to get out of here. I can’t stay here. I can leave everything here. I’ll get new clothes, and whatever else I need once I get somewhere new. Making my decision, I stand and quickly change clothes, wearing as many layers as I can before slipping on my warm coat. Grabbing my purse, I slide on a pair of flats and slip out the door.

“Morning,” Mia says, exiting her room.

“Morning,” I chirp, tightening my grip on the purse.I hope my voice gives nothing away.

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Oh yeah. Must’ve been stressed induced. Your brother could make a saint cuss.” I laugh and hope it sounds natural. “Anyways, I’m heading to the store. Do you need anything?”

“The store? This early?” she asks, looking unconvinced.

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