30. SHANE
30
SHANE
“ D id he get away?” Lilly asks the officers downstairs.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get forensics in here, and we’ll examine the cctv footage,” Taylor says.
Lilly looks up at me from the hall, her face pale other than the rosy flush in her cheeks. She doesn’t need to worry. I’ve deleted any footage of myself entering the property, and they won’t have access to the hidden cameras dotted around her house.
“I’m taking her to mine.” My arm slips around Lilly’s waist, needing to hold her close. “I’ll file her statement in the morning.”
“Okay, sarge.”
Lilly bristles in my arms when Taylor calls me sarge. I wonder if she’s figured out my true identity, but when I look into her eyes, I see nothing but adoration for me, the same love and respect she’s had for me since she was a little girl. She can’t possibly know it’s me. She’d never forgive what I’ve done.
I remind myself that it’s over now. She said as much on the live. And after tonight, all I care about is her safety. “Go pack your things, and we’ll get going. No point waking your sister up this time of night.”
Lilly returns up the stairs, and I survey the carnage in her kitchen.
I can’t figure out what the perpetrator was after. He’d even rifled through her bin.
“What are you thinking, sarge?” Taylor asks. “Is it the same guy that’s been terrorising the Bayview estate?”
I shake my head. “This doesn’t have the same MO.” This guy was after something other than money. This seems personal.
Lilly stands at the bottom of the stairs with a holdall in her hands, dressed in leggings and a baggy jumper.
I say my goodbyes to the team, leaving them to secure her broken door. I’ll have to get Kane to sort it out properly tomorrow.
“Ready to go?” I take her bag from her and step outside into the dark winter night.
Lilly follows, grabbing a coat from the hook. She shivers as she takes the few steps to my car.
After placing her bag on the back seat, I open the passenger door and help her inside. Her body trembles as she climbs into the Shogun. I buckle her in like I would when she was a girl. Every cell in my body wants to take her in my arms, as if my muscles have memory and know that’s where she belongs, but I fight the urge as I close the door and round the car to the driver’s side.
“How you feeling? Talk to me, Lil.” I turn the engine over and drive, resisting the urge to hold her hand and bring it to my lips.
“I’m all right. You don’t have to worry.” She gives me a small smile before looking back down at her shaky hands.
“You know I always worry about you.” I think back to all the times I’ve come to her rescue over the years. When she needed a ride home from a party, it was me she’d call. If she was in trouble, it was always me she’d call.
“And I love you for it.” She reaches over and places her hand on my arm. Her touch soothes me like it always does. But today it’s like she’s trying to show me just how much she cares for me. It’s comforting, but torturous.
The rest of the journey falls silent. But it’s not awkward, just us as we’ve always been. My little sister-in-law needing my help, only this time I’m not chiding her for getting herself in trouble. Though I’m sure her online escapades haven’t helped matters. Her perpetrator could be any of her subscribers, pissed that she blocked them.
I scrub my hand over my weary face, tired from work and the night’s events and the knowledge that I’ve probably caused this. Keeping my eyes on the road ahead, I go over everything, wracking my brain for any inkling of who this fucker is.
Headlights light the way up the winding hill to my home. The lake below mirrors the moon as if it’s in the shimmering waters instead of the night sky. A peace takes hold, clearing my head, and I relax, knowing she’ll be safe with me under my roof.
I pull the brake as I park outside the house. The headlights go out as I kill the engine. With only the light of the moon and the starry sky, I guide Lilly to the front door, carrying her bag.
“Thank you for letting me stay,” she says as she steps over the threshold.
“You’re doing me a favour as much as I am you.” I carry her bag into my spare room which is next to mine, making a mental note to lock the door to my office before she sees my set up.
“How so?” She follows me into the room that will be hers for the night.
“Because I can sleep well without having to worry about you.” I drop her bag on the double bed. “Make yourself comfortable. Bathroom’s across the hall. Can I get you anything?”
“A glass of water, please.” She unzips her bag as I leave the room, needing to secure the office. Luckily I’ve had a lock on that door for a while, since my computer contains a lot of sensitive information.
Once locked and secured, I climb the stairs and get her a glass of water and take it back down to her room.
She’s changed into checked flannel pyjamas, sitting on the bed with the duvet covering her legs. “Thank you,” she says as I hand her the glass of water.
After she’s had a drink, she places it on the bedside table next to the night lamp she’s switched on. “Will you tuck me in?”
I’m taken back to when her father passed. I tucked her in and read her a bedtime story. As I gaze into her eyes, it’s the same little girl staring back at me, full of sadness and loneliness, just like she was then.
I lift the duvet, gesturing for her to lie down. “Do you want me to tell you a story, too?” My lips curve into a smile.
She shuffles down the bed, a smile pushing her cheeks up showing me the dimple I love. “I like my fairytales a little smuttier these days.”
“I’m sure you do.” A chuckle bursts from my mouth. “Get some sleep, princess.” I kiss her forehead and tightly press the duvet around her neck, tucking her in. My hand moves to the switch on the lamp.
“Leave it on.” Her two front teeth sink into her bottom lip. “Please.”
I nod, forcing my feet to move away from the bed. “I’m just next door if you need me.” Leaving her door ajar, I check the house is secure and walk barefoot along the cold flagstone tiles in the hallway to my room.
I pull the burner phone from my jeans pocket and shoot her a text, hoping to cover my tracks. Things were a little crazy back there, and I got the feeling she knew something was suss when I burst into her room, and Taylor was surprised to see me.
Tell me you’re safe. Are you all right?
The grey carpet and bedding match my grey mood as I change into an old t-shirt and shorts. Usually I don’t wear anything for bed, but I can’t risk Lilly seeing my healing wound. Or my dick, for that matter. The general’s been on camera more than any other part of me. I climb into bed and flit my eyes to the ceiling, wondering how long I can keep this up. I’ve been a fucking idiot.
Climbing into bed, I check the phone.
I’m fine. Staying with my brother-in-law.
If you need anything, just let me know. I wish I was there to hold you.
Me too.
Sweet dreams, nightingale.
Turning out the bedside lamp, I stare at the gap in the blind where a slither of moonlight peeks through, like a slither of hope in my chest. Only light can measure darkness, and just the tiniest amount of light can vanquish despair. I know I don’t deserve her, and making her fall in love with me is wrong because I can never give her the things she desires.
I close my eyes, hoping sleep will come, willing it even, but my mind’s too wired to relax. I can’t tell if it’s having her in the next room or tonight’s events that keeps me restless.
In the still of the night, my bedroom door creaks. More light pours into the room from the hallway, and Lilly’s silhouette steps into the room like a fucking angel bathed in an illuminating glow.
My heart stutters. I sit up. “Everything all right?”
“I can’t sleep.” She closes the door behind her and pads towards my bed barefoot with nothing but the slither of moonlight through the gap in the blind to guide her. “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
I pull the duvet back and slide over so she can get in. I can never deny her anything she asks. “I’m here.”
The bed dips as she climbs in, and she immediately rests her head on my arm that’s stretched out for her. “Couldn’t you sleep either?” Her palm tentatively slides over my chest as she shuffles her body closer to mine, making herself comfortable.
I lie on my back, pulling her close to my side. “I rarely sleep.” My muscles relax with her in my arms, as if remembering how she’s able to put me at ease with one touch. My knuckles glide down her spine, over her soft flannel pyjamas.
“You don’t have to be alone.” I take a deep inhale, catching the scent of her honey and almond shampoo. So much meaning in one sentence. Does she know I mean forever and not just tonight? I want to keep her here with me and wrap her in cotton wool. Keep her safe and by my side. Grow old with her. Lock her away for my selfish needs and handcuff her to my bed for my selfish pleasure.
“Thank you.” Her head burrows into my shoulder as her palm caresses my chest, sliding across as if trying to straighten out the creases in my old t-shirt. Slowly, her hand slides lower down my abdomen and settles over the wound there under the fabric.
Before she can feel anything, I take her hand in mine and pull it back to my chest over my heart and hold it there, my thumb circling the back of her hand in small soothing strokes.
Her head tips back, her breath fanning my neck as she gazes into my eyes. Our mouths inches apart, sparks of electricity tingle my lips.
I search her eyes for any sign of what she’s thinking. My heart beats faster under her palm. I grit my back teeth as blood rushes from my head to the growing bulge under my shorts, willing the fucker to stand down.
Her knee rises against my thigh, the soft flannel fabric of her pyjamas glides against my leg as she reaches higher, pressing her delicious weight against me until she reaches my groin. Her eyes sparkle. Even in the dimly lit room, I can see the glimmer shining in her eyes, shining like diamonds in the sky as she realises I’m growing harder by the second.
She moves her knee back and forth as if needing confirmation. Her hand grips my shoulder as she pulls herself closer to me, lifting her head so our lips are a whisper away.
“Lilly,” I growl, almost in pain at keeping the beast in me at bay. It would be so easy to flip her over and take what I need. Take what’s mine, what’s always been mine. This girl that I’ve cherished and protected her whole life. It wasn’t just the big brother in me. She’s the other half of my soul. It’s all become clear now as I gaze back into her crystal blue eyes. I’m hers just as much as she’s mine. I’ve always been hers, waiting in the wings for her to grow into the woman she is now.
“I’m sorry.” She cowers at the sound of my voice. Her head turns away from me and she rolls over, curling into a ball on the opposite side of the bed, taking all the heat with her.
Fuck. Was that my chance? She’s not thinking clearly after she was attacked. She’s vulnerable and scared and she needs a protective hand, not some sick fuck who wants to take advantage of her.
With a groan, I roll onto my side, slip my arm around her waist and pull her back to me, burying my face in her hair. Her back presses against my chest. Our fast beating hearts in sync as I hold her against me.
“I’m sorry. It’s just been a while since I had a woman in my bed.” I press my lips against her neck, where her hair has fallen. “Get some sleep, trouble.”