14. Lily
Chapter 14
Lily
I watch Sam work with quiet fascination. He moves with a confident efficiency that’s mesmerising. I admire the way his muscles flex beneath his tee as he runs cables and mounts cameras alongside his brother, who is the spitting image of him.
“You okay?” Jack murmurs in my ear, making me jump.
“Yeah.” I sigh, leaning back against him. His arms wrap around my waist, and I bask in the comfort of his embrace. “This is all just a lot.”
“Tell me about it.” Jack rests his chin on the top of my head. “But George knows what he’s doing. This place will be secure as fuck when he’s done.”
I nod, though a tendril of uncertainty still coils in my stomach. Will it really be enough to keep Emily safe? The mere thought of that psycho enforcer laying a hand on her makes my blood boil.
Speaking of Emily, she’s watching George again, her gaze equal parts curious and wary. I can’t blame her for being skittish. After what she’s been through, a little wariness is understandable, but the fact that she can’t tear her eyes away from George is interesting.
As if sensing my eyes on her, Emily glances over at me. Our gazes lock, and I try to give her a reassuring smile. She returns it, but she quickly looks over at George again.
“Fascination,” I murmur.
“Huh?” Jack asks, pulling away to look down at me.
“She’s fascinated by him.”
He chews his lip, thoughts swirling around his brain. I know him too well. He has a plan, and I’m not sure I’m going to like it. “Yeah, I noticed, too.”
“You can’t be thinking?—”
“I’m not thinking anything,” he quickly interrupts me. “Well, okay, maybe a tiny bit.” He grins and holds his finger and thumb up an inch apart.
“Do not do it,” I hiss. “You can’t. We don’t know George.”
“I do,” he adds huffily. “And even if I didn’t, I know Sam. His whole family are good people, Lily. They won’t be on the wrong side of this.”
Glaring at him, I drag him over into the corner of the shop near the front, away from everyone. “What exactly is your plan here? Going over to George and asking him to mate with a stranger who is as scared as a rabbit and barely legal? Hmm?”
“Don’t put it like that,” he snaps, actually annoyed with me.
I gape at him. He is the one being a cock here, not me.
He closes his eyes and exhales slowly. Opening them again, he says, “Look. Her being here is a danger to you. It’s not that I don’t want to help her, of course I do, but there is only so much we can do here. If she is in a packhouse, surrounded by people who will protect her, she is better off, and so are you. I’m not asking him to mate with her, for fuck’s sake. I just think they would take her in.”
Relaxing a bit at his words, I take his hand and squeeze it, but I’m still unsure. “We can’t ask her to trust anyone. If we palm her off and she runs, I will never forgive myself.”
“I know,” he says. “I know. But someone has to look out for you, Lily, and that’s what I’m doing. It’s always what I’m doing.”
Our stare is intense, and neither one of us moves.
My heart melts at Jack’s words. He may come across as gruff, but underneath, he’s the most caring, protective alpha I know. Squeezing his hand, I nod slowly. “Okay, let’s talk to George at least. See what he thinks. We can’t plough ahead when it’s his family we are asking to take Emily in.”
He leans down and presses a soft kiss on my forehead. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you. I’ll talk to Sam and get him on board; this will work out as long as Emily is game.”
I nod and watch him wander over to Sam and George, laughing at some joke Sam cracked. Smiling, I cross over to Emily and take her hand. She is ice cold, but she doesn’t pull away.
“He’s good-looking, isn’t he?” I murmur.
She giggles, and her cheeks flush. “Understatement.”
It’s the first time I haven’t seen her terrified and ready to run.
“They’re good guys. All of them. They won’t hurt you.”
Her gaze shifts to mine, and she makes eye contact for only the second time since we met. “I trust you ,” she murmurs. “I’m sorry for putting you in this position. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Don’t ever be sorry for looking out for yourself, especially when it comes to matters like this. You did right, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Your pack did the same, didn’t they? Wanted to sell you?” Her earnest question doesn’t take me by surprise, but it snaps against my heart all the same. “Come,” I say and lead her up the stairs to the flat. Closing the door behind us, I gesture for her to sit and take a place on the coffee table in front of her. “They did sell me. I was with the Trials for around a month. Jack helped me escape.”
“What?” Emily’s mouth drops open, and she drops her face into her hands. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. And here I am, bringing them straight to your fucking door. I need to go, get away from you, keep you safe.”
“No,” I say sternly when she rises, ready to bolt. I grab her hand. “You aren’t going anywhere. Yet. Sit.”
To my surprise, she does. I think her reaction is coming from the pure Emily. The one who cares about people when she isn’t scared for her life. But she is scared, and she doesn’t want to run.
“It’s true, you can’t stay here. That enforcer idiot knows where you are.”
“Nigel.”
“Hmm?”
“The idiot is called Nigel.”
I press my lips together to stop from laughing, but Emily snickers and shakes her head.
“Yeah, I know. But he isn’t nice. What he lacks in physical strength, he makes up for by being nasty and mean.”
“That makes him a real arsehole, then.”
“Agreed.” Emily sighs. “So where can I go? I literally have nowhere else.”
“We are working on it. But I need you to trust that I will do right by you.”
“I do. I trust you.” Emily’s eyes, which are just starting to lose their red-rimmed look, meet mine. There’s a flicker of vulnerability in them that makes my heart ache. I want to tell her everything will be okay, but I can’t. Not yet.
“I’m going to make sure you’re safe,” I say instead. “I promise.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “I believe you.”
“Good,” I say, squeezing her hand. “Do you want to stay up here or come back down?”
“Stay up here. Can I have a shower?”
“Of course you can. You don’t need to ask. Make yourself at home. Have a shower, eat, make a cuppa, watch TV. Relax and feel safe because you are, okay?”
“Thank you, Lily,” she says, gripping my hand. “I owe you everything.”
“No, you don’t owe me anything except living your life free and happy.”
She gives me a shaky smile and picks up her backpack to head into the bathroom. I blow out a breath and leave her to it. No one can get into the flat without getting past three growly alphas and me, an omega who will claw eyes out to keep that girl safe, even if it means putting myself in danger.