Chapter 28
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Lily
My lunch breaks are boring when Jack’s not in town. They don’t drag by. They’re just boring. When Jack works at the garage, he picks up our lunch from one of the restaurants around town. Angie’s seems to be his favorite. So far, I have to agree.
On nice days, we eat lunch outside in another area Emily overly DIYed behind the bakery. It’s like a mini park back there with all the plants, decorations, and outdoor furniture. It’s the perfect place to get some fresh air and relieve workday stress. Emily had a wooden privacy fence installed a year ago. Customers would see her from the parking lots and interrupt her breaks with their orders rather than going inside.
When Jack’s not here, I walk to one of the nearby restaurants for lunch. As far as I go is Angie’s. Today, I grabbed a rotisserie chicken sub at The Sub Shop. Yeah, that’s its name. It’s a bit chilly today, but I still sit on one of the benches outside the library and eat my lunch. I found the library the first time I walked the five blocks to Angie’s. The Sub Shop is halfway between here and the bakery.
I finish eating and throw my trash away before walking into the library. My first is always the little gift shop. I’ve bought a couple of used books here. Book sales are always great. It’s the coffee that pulls me in here. They even have pastries from the bakery. Since I work at The Cupcake Cottage, Mrs. Hammond gives me a little discount. She’s a sweet little retired school teacher. She makes everyone feel special when they visit. Of course, she gives extra attention to the kids.
My lunch break is a little off schedule due to a midday rush of customers picking up special orders and extra sweets for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I still have forty minutes left. I aimlessly wander down a few rows of bookcases. I left the last book I borrowed at home and don’t feel like starting another one. I can’t call Jack. Another Church meeting was called before my lunch break started. I’m so bored.
The computers in the back area are free. I seem to be the only visitor at the moment. I slide into one of the little workstations. I’m not supposed to contact anyone from my old life. That included using my email addresses. I had one at the hospital and a personal one I used for just about everything.
Since I couldn’t log into those, I created a new email with a fake name and birthday on a different site. My old ones had some part of my name in them. Now, I’m Gummybear. Nina and I ate them by the bags full. I sent her an email three weeks ago. The subject line and the body of the message just said hi. As of today, she still hasn’t replied. I don’t think she’s even opened it. Wow. That stings.
The Google search bar taunts me. I should leave right now. I shouldn’t look, but I do. No one tells me much of anything here, just the basics. Since curiosity kills the cat, it gets me, too. I type in Jack’s sister’s name and instantly regret it. Several news articles and the obituary for Ariel Magnolia McLeod pop up. She has a beautiful name.
I click on the first news article and stare at Ariel’s photo. Like her name, she’s beautiful. There’s no doubt she’s Jack’s sister. Ariel, Nanny, Maci, Harley, and Everly all have the same facial features and brown wavy hair. Their shades are a little different. Ariel’s hair has more red highlights than the others.
Her bright blue eyes sparkle and pull you in. Even from a computer screen, her eyes seem to talk to you. She’s so happy in this photo that I can almost hear her laughter. She’s playing with Logan and Everly. They were so small. The caption under the picture says they were three and four. My heart breaks for them. They were just babies. This is where I should’ve walked away.
The first paragraph says Ariel was killed by her boyfriend on January 18, 2011, almost fourteen years ago. A small photo of the evil man is included. Heartbreak turns to anger and hatred. I can’t look at him. I should close the page out and leave. I read on.
Halfway through the third paragraph, I gasp and cover my mouth with both hands. My heart is broken. It’s completely shattered.
A woman putting returned books away on the shelves nearby rushes over. I haven’t seen this librarian before. She’s younger than me, probably still in college.
“Did you lose what you were working on? Maybe I can get it back for you.” She reaches for the computer mouse and freezes when she sees the article. “Oh.”
“I shouldn’t have looked.” I sniffle and close my eyes.
“Probably not,” the librarian agrees softly. “That was the worst thing to happen in Willow Creek. Ariel’s death destroyed the McLeod family.”
“She was pregnant.” I cover my mouth again. No one has mentioned that part.
“She was.” The librarian sits in the chair next to me. “About four months. They named the baby Angel.”
Angel? Oh my gosh. Ariel’s Angels isn’t just for Jack’s sister. It’s for her and her daughter. I push back from the computer and shake my head. Even though the article is public record, I feel I’ve invaded the privacy of every member of Jack’s family, and I didn’t read it all. I can’t. Ariel isn’t my family, but I’ve never felt pain like this.
“Would you like me to close the screen?” She places her hand on the mouse and waits.
“Log me out, please. I’m sorry I looked.” I quickly stand, letting her have my chair.
Somehow, I have to go back to work like this. I won’t tell Emily or the others what I read. I’ll never ask anyone questions about Ariel. I understand now why Jack’s family only drops bits and pieces of their story. I have a couple hours left of my shift. Hopefully, I can get my emotions somewhat under control before I see Jack.
I’m so heartbroken and lost in my thoughts that I don’t notice or sense everything around me. I’m moving on autopilot toward the front doors. I don’t sense another presence nearby until a hand clamps over my mouth, and I’m pulled into the row of shelves along the back wall.
The hand over my mouth tightens as my back slams into the bookcase. He pins me against the shelves with his body. I don’t have to look. I already know who he is. Just like the article, I look anyway. Piercing light blue eyes glare into mine. Eyes I thought were beautiful when I first saw them. Within six months, I learned that these eyes held more evil than the darkest night.
“Lily. Lily. Lily.” Joel slowly shakes his head. “You’ve been a bad girl. You run away for nearly two months and crawl into bed with a dirty biker.” The clicking of his tongue sends cold chills down my back. “When we get home, your punishment will be so bad you’ll never think about acting out again.”
His hand tightens when I try to scream. There weren’t many visitors when I arrived, just someone returning a book. Everyone’s busy today getting ready for Thanksgiving. As far as employees, I only saw three. Somehow, I have to get one of them to notice us.
“You’re going to quietly walk out here with me like a good girl.”
I shake my head wildly. My tears never fazed him. Crying makes matters worse, but I can’t stop the tears today. If he takes me from this building, I won’t survive. He won’t just punish me this time. He’ll kill me.
“You will .” His hand around my arm tightens. His nails dig into my skin to the point I know there’s blood. He lowers his head until his face is inches from mine. “You will, or the old bat in the gift shop won’t make it home today.”
I gasp into his palm. Mrs. Hammond. Oh, please don’t let him hurt her. He would, though. I know he would. I shake my head wildly again. Sadly, his threats have just begun.
“And I’ll lock those three in the bakery and burn it to the ground.” His grin is pure evil. “I might even let you watch and listen to their screams.”
I thought his laugh was evil before. This one belongs in a horror movie. His phone vibrates in his pocket. He doesn’t reach for it.
“Time to go.” He jerks me hard, causing my head to hit the books behind me. “Act up, and they all die today.”
He peeks around the bookcase before pulling me toward the back door. The door and part of the wall on this side of the library are made of glass. There’s a cute little garden area on the other side. I glance toward the desk on the side. The librarian I met earlier isn’t there.
Hope builds when I see a biker hiding in the garden. At first, I thought I was being rescued. Hope dies when we get closer to the door. That’s not a Viking Warrior. He was one of the bikers at the bakery when Jack took me to meet Emily. Oh no. He’s signaling Joel through the glass with his hands. I can’t go out this door. I just can’t. But I also don’t want four women to die because of me.
The sound of an object making contact with a body fills the quiet room. Joel grunts. His body slams into mine, pushing me into the glass door. He falls to the floor, taking me with him.
“Get away from her!” The librarian who helped me earlier holds a folded metal chair back, prepared to swing again.
“A chair won’t stop me.” Joel scrambles to his feet.
He doesn’t take his eyes off the librarian as he reaches down and grabs a handful of my hair. With one swift jerk, he pulls me off the floor. I scream as loud as I can and shove against him. Hopefully, one of the other workers will hear and call for help.
The librarian takes a couple of steps forward and swings the chair at Joel again. With the wall behind us and the door on our right, she has us pinned into a corner. Joel has nowhere to go, and the chair makes contact again. He cries out and stumbles. The impact doesn’t move him away from me like I think she was hoping. Instead, it knocks him into me.
“We’re leaving now.” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls my back to his front. He uses me as a shield and tries for the door again.
The librarian can’t swing now without hitting me, too. If hitting both of us will keep me in this building, she can swing away. She doesn’t swing, though. I have to hand it to her. She’s a resourceful woman. She turns the chair and uses its legs to jab Joel in the side. When he bends over, she runs to the wall and pulls the fire alarm. If this were a movie, it would be comical. As odd as this fight is, it’s for my life.
Over the blaring of the fire alarm, the sound of loud engines and the roar of motorcycles fills the air. They’re not all on motorcycles, but I know it’s Jack and his brothers. The biker outside realizes they have no chance and takes off, leaving Joel behind.
“They’re coming for you.” The librarian holds the chair like a weapon as she glares at Joel. “There’s no escaping them. You’ll be the one who dies today.”
I don’t know who she is, but she has a lot of faith in the Viking Warriors. And whoever said librarians were sweet and timid had never met this one. She’s proof you should never judge a book by its cover. No pun intended here at all.
Sirens blare in the distance, and tires screech to a halt. Joel weighs his options. The librarian realizes his intent. She screams and runs toward us, ready to swing the chair again. I don’t see Joel’s fist until blood spews from my nose, and I’m on the floor again. Before the librarian can hit him again, Joel opens the door.
He pauses long enough to issue one last threat. “I’ll be back for both of you.”
With him gone, I crumble all the way to the floor, still holding my bleeding nose. My sobs are controllable now, so I don’t even try to hold them back.
“Oh my gosh.” The librarian drops to the floor next to me. She quickly takes her cream-colored cardigan off and holds it against my nose.
“I’ll ruin it.”
“It’s just a sweater.” She slowly helps me to my feet.
“Lily!” Jack bursts through the front doors and runs toward us.
Viking Warriors and firefighters run in behind him and quickly spread out around the building. The librarian steps away and motions for me to go. I listen and run into Jack’s arms.
“Joel was here,” I say between ragged breaths.
“I’m so sorry, angel. I won’t ever leave you unprotected again.” His arms wrap so tight around me it feels like he’s trying to pull me into his chest.
“What happened?” Jay asks. He looks between me and the librarian.
“He was in the library. I didn’t see him until he grabbed me.” They can never know why I was so distracted.
“He tried to take her out the back door,” the librarian tells them.
“This will help more than the sweater.” Rodeo hands Jack an ice pack he got from one of the firefighters.
I lower the sweater, and Jack tries to hold the ice pack over my nose gently. The cold hurts, but it will help to reduce the swelling. I squeeze the bloody sweater tightly. I'd have been taken if it weren’t for the woman who owns this sweater. She saved my life.
I turn my head just enough to face her. Tears run down my cheeks. I can never repay her for today.
“It’s ruined.” I slightly lift the sweater. “I can’t give it back to you like this. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“It’s just a sweater,” she repeats.
“You saved my life.” Whether she lets me or not, I will replace the sweater.
“Finley?” Jay narrows his eyes and moves closer to her.
Rodeo and Bankz surround her with stunned expressions on their faces.
“Angel?” Jack gently lifts my chin. “How did Finley save your life? What did she do?” He sounds concerned and surprised like the others are.
“She hit him with a chair.” I point to it on the floor. “Several times.”
Rodeo laughs. “Nick needs to pull the cameras. I wanna see this.”
“Let’s sort this out at the Den. I wanna get Lily home,” Jack insists.
“Jack.” I place my palm against his chest and wait for his eyes to meet mine. They’re light brown now and haunted. He thinks he failed. He hasn’t failed, but we can talk about that later. “Joel threatened to kill a lot of people here.”
“Give me a list of names, and Jay will set up security details for them.”
“He threatened everyone at the bakery and Mrs. Hammond.” I look over my shoulder at her. “And Finley.”
Jay growls and gives a firm nod. “I’m on it. They’ll have guards within thirty minutes.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine,” Finley insists.
“It’s not an option, Fin,” Jay sternly informs her.
“But my family,” she cries.
“Will have to deal with it.” Jay pulls his phone out and storms out the front door to make the calls needed.
I look up at Jack. “Can we please go home now?”
“Absolutely, angel.” He presses his lips to my forehead and lingers for a long moment.
Yeah, I know exactly what he’s feeling. It’s why I haven’t tried to move out of his arms. I need to know he’s here and real, too. I just want to go home and stay curled inside his protective arms all night, if he’ll let me.