Chapter 40
Lily
“Shh, shh. I’m not trying to hurt you.” The hand gripping my arm, tightly squeezing my bicep, doesn’t match this man’s words.
It’s a familiar voice. But it’s not Ryder. This voice is a little higher pitched, and Ryder wouldn’t grab me like this, not when we were practicing self-defense, not ever. It’s not any of my brothers, either. They’d never do this to me.
I can’t break out of this hold, at least not with the techniques Ryder taught me. My back is flush against this man’s body, and Ryder never showed me how to get out of this.
Who is holding me?
When he spins me around to face him and I realize who it is, my stomach drops and my skin crawls.
It’s Tristan Jackson, looking down at me with his hand on my mouth and his other hand on my shoulder. He shoves me into a corner and presses my back against the wall.
I shake my head back and forth, trying to free myself from his grasp, but he won’t budge.
“I’ll let go of your mouth if you promise not to scream,” he says, his blue eyes full of ice. “I just want to talk.”
I swallow hard, weighing my options. I can agree and then scream, but I don’t really have much of a chance of escaping.
I have Galileo in my hand, but I’m not sure how much damage that can do.
Even if I scream, someone might hear me, or they might not.
There’s a concert going on, after all. He would probably just grab me and hurt me worse.
Or I can agree and find out what he wants, then use my brain to figure a way out.
I’m not sure I’ll be able to succeed, but I think it’s my best chance.
So I give a nod, and he releases his hand, hovering it over my mouth in case I change my mind. When he decides I meant what I said, he puts his hand on my hip, gripping it hard.
My eyes have adjusted slightly to the dark, and I see his lips turn up into the charming grin he’s so well known for.
I’m going to be sick.
“That was a beautiful performance, Lily,” he says. His familiar voice, dripping with honey and venom, makes my stomach turn. “How come you never played for me when we were together?”
“We were never together,” I say slowly.
“Oh, really? I think I have some text messages you sent that say otherwise.” He gives me a wink.
The anger in me is rising higher and higher. I swear, I’m going to explode if I don’t get out of here soon.
But how?
“What do you want from me?” I finally ask. “You got your money from my brothers. The deal was that you’d leave me alone.”
“I don’t remember any ‘deal,’” he hisses. “But I come here with a humble request.” He tilts his head and gives me a sad smile. “Come with me, Lily.”
It takes everything in me to stay silent and fight my instinct to say, There is no way I’d ever go anywhere with you.
“We were so good together,” he continues, almost pleading. “You and me, we made sense. It wasn’t until your brothers got involved that everything went sour.”
“If what we had was real, you wouldn’t have accepted a check from my brothers.”
He furrows his brow. “That’s not true, Lily. I really loved you. But when your brothers barged in, accusing me of taking advantage of you, what else did you expect? Do you think I could have said ‘no’ to Adam Stone?”
Yes, I think. Because Ryder wanted to stay by my side and face them together.
Tears prick my eyes. Why didn’t I listen to Ryder? Why didn’t I stay with him and stand up to Adam?
Why did I cower in fear—again?
Hot, angry tears fall down my cheeks. I’m furious—with Tristan, with my family, but most of all, with myself. I’ve been hiding away, letting everyone else shield me from harm, when everything was actually hurting me instead.
No more.
I’m done.
I won’t hide in fear again, starting now.
Tristan notices my tears and tilts his head. “Oh, Lily. Don’t cry. We can fix this all now,” he says.
“No,” I say firmly. “These tears aren’t for you.”
In an instant, his entire demeanor changes. Where he was once sympathetic and appealing, his grin turns menacing. “That’s right. They’re probably for, what’s his name, Ryder?”
I swallow, not wanting to give him anything.
“I know all about him,” he continues. “It’s a good thing Lucy was at the book club that night and sent me the picture of you two.”
Lucy. The new girl in the vintage dress. She was with Tristan this whole time?
“And then Calhoun finally made himself useful and got you sent here,” he says.
“Calhoun?” I repeat. “Mr. Calhoun was working with you?”
Tristan has the audacity to wink.
“We thought he was an expert,” I say. “We trusted him.”
“And that’s what made it work so well,” Tristan says. “No one is suspicious of a man with a face and voice like his.”
My mind is spinning. All along, Mr. Calhoun was working for Tristan, keeping me locked in the tower, sending me to the Flower Festival, and then sending me away from Brookhaven. Making me cut my hair.
Tearing me away from Ryder.
“Why?” I ask him.
“Why what?”
“Why do you care so much? Why keep ruining my life?”
His eyes narrow. “Because you took everything from me. Everything, Lily. And you need to suffer the way I’ve suffered.”
This is turning in a really, really scary direction. His arms are gripping me harder than before, and I’m genuinely afraid for my safety.
I need to use what Ryder taught me. Eyes, throat, groin, instep. Then run. Except he’s too tense right now, and if I make any sudden movements, he’ll hold me down. But maybe if I can calm him down, I’ll be able to make my escape.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, infusing as much feeling as I can into the lie. “You didn’t deserve to have everything taken away.” I shrug a shoulder. “I was just so…taken by you. And my brothers were worried about me.”
His eyes widen, softening, and his mouth parts.
I feel his grip loosen slightly. It’s working.
“Maybe,” I say, and bite my bottom lip, trying to look innocent. “Maybe we should go somewhere. Where it can be just me and you, and no one can bother us anymore.”
His eyes flick down to my lips, then back to my eyes. “Really, Lily?”
For a moment, I almost feel sorry for him.
Is he so desperate for love that he thinks I’m being honest?
That I’d have such a quick change of heart immediately after he said he wanted me to “suffer”?
His mind is so warped and twisted. But I need to seize the opportunity.
No matter what, this man has ruined my life, and I won’t let him hurt me again.
I nod, even though I feel like I’m going to throw up. “Really.”
He takes in a breath, and as he leans down to kiss me, I bring my knee up between his legs with all my strength. Much, much harder than the way I had kneed Ryder.
Instantly, Tristan’s hands release my shoulder and hip, and he doubles over, moaning in pain.
He yells some very not nice words that I don’t use, and I take advantage of my opportunity to run as fast as I can in the opposite direction.
I make it about twenty feet away when I’m stopped by another person, running straight into a man’s chest.
I back away, panting and about to let out a scream. Not again.
“Lily!” This is another voice I recognize. One that fills me with so much relief and hope and love.
It’s Ryder. Ryder’s here.
I rush to him and bury my face in his chest as he wraps his arms around me tightly. “Tristan is here,” I say, breathless. “I kicked him in the groin and ran as fast as I could, but—”
“I saw him. That’s why I rushed out of the audience.” His voice drops low, like a growl. “Where is he?”
I point in the direction I came from, and I can still make out his shadowy figure hunched over. “There.”
Ryder grabs my shoulders and says, “Stay here.” He presses the quickest fierce kiss to my lips, then strides over to Tristan.
I can’t see exactly what happens, but I see Ryder’s tall shadow towering over Tristan’s huddled form, then I hear one punch and the words, “Don’t you ever come near her again. Do you hear me?”
Tristan is still moaning when Ryder finally returns to me. He grabs my hand as we run down the hallway. “We should go find someone and let them know,” he says.
This isn’t the reunion I imagined with him, but even in the midst of our run, I feel myself exhale with relief.
Ryder is here.
I can breathe again.