Chapter Eight
Lily
My phone pings just after seven am. A message from Martin.
Change in schedule. New co-actor wants to meet you. Come to the theater.
It wasn’t unusual. Martin sometimes set up early morning or late-night introductions when new cast members came in.
I turn to see Will snoring softly near me. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps. I rarely get to see him asleep, I usually fall asleep with him watching me and wake up to see him still looking at me. That should freak me out, but it just makes me feel safe. I had noticed he was an insomniac and I felt bad about waking him up. It was daylight and the theatre was ten minutes away. A short trip to the theatre would be fine. I had not seen or heard from my stalker in days. Maybe he finally got sick of me.
I write him a note so that he won’t worry and go to the theatre without waking him up. It is not one of my finer ideas, but I don't have a choice. Waking him up will make me feel selfish, and not going could cause me to lose my role. I can’t risk it.
The theater is dead silent when I arrive.
I don't hear Martin’s distinctive voice or any other voice for that matter. There is no stage crew setting up or any other actors. The theatre is dark and there are no lights glowing from behind the heavy curtains. The doors creaked as I pushed them open.
I frown at my line of thinking. I was becoming paranoid. Of course there would be no stage crew or any other actors. It was just a simple meeting between two co-stars.
It is Martin's philosophy that co-stars had to be friends first to create chemistry. I swallow a wave of annoyance. I'm always mostly quiet through the meetings anyway, social anxiety making it hard for me to speak. They were pointless.
This is the third co-star I am getting in the span of five months for one play.
Another co-star means that we would have to rehearse till we are in sync with each other and we develop chemistry. I hated it so much and I liked my new co-star, Dante. He makes me feel at ease and he would not have had me padding about an empty theatre by myself.
Maybe they were in the backrooms. I reread the text from Eileen, the casting director to be sure I had not somehow missed the occasion.
I walk past the aisle of seats and head for the stage. “Hello?”
I hear nothing in return. I clutch my script tighter.
I begin to feel scared, this is stupid. I shouldn’t have come without Will. I turn towards the doors, meaning to leave when I hear the rustling of fabric against skin. The sound is faint. Dread immobilizes me before my fight or flight instincts kick in.
My heart slams into my ribs. I force myself to move, walking faster and faster till I found myself running across the theatre. A page of my script rips off as I run. I race for the exit, already taking out my phone to call the police. I don't have Will’s number. There's a convenience store nearby. I plan to stay there till the police came and then they could take me back to Will.
Cold air hits me the second I step outside. I make it to the sidewalk and move to cross the road. The call finally connects and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“911, what's your emergency-”
A hand clamps around my wrist. My phone clatters to the ground. He leans down and quickly scoops it up, smiling at me. His eyes make my skin crawl. They look like dead fish eyes.
A scream rips from my throat as I twist out of his grip, but it is useless. The grip on my hand is an iron vice.
I look up and the blood in my veins turn to ice as I recognize who I'm looking at.
“Hello, Lily,” he murmurs, smiling.
I know this face. I know this voice.
It is a voice I had heard for several months in rehearsals, in dressing rooms, on the stage–
His grip tightens and I feel myself growing lightheaded. My lungs close up, making it hard for me to I breathe.
“No,” I manage to choke out. “No, no, no—”
He yanks me forward. I look into his ice blue eyes to see that they look nothing like the eyes I see on stage. It’s Ken, my old co-star. He had been laid off by the theater weeks ago. Why is he here?
My scream echoes through the empty street. The only person on the side street leading out of the theatre is a teenage boy bobbing his head to rock music. Still, I don't stop screaming on the off chance that someone would hear. He keeps bobbing his head to the music. I look over at the store across the street to see that the cashier is not standing there. I was alone, completely at the mercy of a lunatic.
He shoves me through the door of a car and slams it shut. I immediately reach for the door but I have a hard time opening it. The glass rolls down to chest level and I try to remove my head and bite his hand. He beats me to it and sticks a needle in me. I feel a prick in my neck and the edges of my vision blur as I grow groggy. Black seeps into my line of vision and everything goes dark.
I wake up with a pounding in my head and wrists raw from rope. I look around to see myself in a small shack.
It smells like damp wood and mildew here and from what I can see from the small window on the left side of the room, we are the only ones here. The only other thing outside the window is a patch of grass that seems to drag on forever. He has no neighbors, there is no sign of human life anywhere.
My throat is dry and parched. I must have screamed myself hoarse.
He sits across from me, elbows resting on his knees, watching me with dark eyes and such intensity that it made me want to throw up. It was nothing like how Will looked at me.
I jerk against the restraints but it's of no use, he tied them securely to the chair.
“You betrayed me,” he says, shaking his head. He looks devastated, like he could burst into tears at any given moment. He drops his head in his hands.
I swallow hard.. My body shaking so badly, my teeth clacked together. “I don’t—”
His hand shoots out, gripping my chin. “I love you. I told you. I showed you but you would rather go off with someone else. I saw you first. I loved you first!”
I gasp, feeling a bruise already forming from how hard he is gripping my face. I shake my head violently, trying to move back.
“I saw you with him.” His lips curl back into a snarl, voice dripping with venom. “ You let him touch you. ”
I let out a harsh breath. He had seen Will. I keep shaking my head, hoping to distract him from talking about Will. If Ken somehow gets to Will, I don’t know what I would do.
I force my face into a blank mask, trying to shove the terror down. “Please,” I rasp. “What do you want from me?”
He lets out a harsh laugh. The sound sends bile creeping up my throat.
“Oh, Lily,” he murmurs. “Just you. I love you so much, it hurts. You have no idea-”
He leans in, his breath hot against my face. He looks like he's about to kiss me. I don't trust myself not to bite his mouth. “I’ve watched you for months. I’ve waited . I’ve been patient.” His grip on my chin tightens. “You were supposed to be mine. You belong to me! Why was he touching you?!”
He throws a chair across the room, jerkily pointing between me and him.
My stomach twists. He is a lunatic. He is absolutely, completely insane.
I force my voice to stay steady. “People will look for me.” I whisper.
He grins. “No, they won’t. I made sure everyone at the theater knew you were feeling sick and wouldn’t be in for a few days, thanks to this,” he pulls a phone out of his pocket and I instantly recognize it as Martin’s thanks to the full size picture of his terrier, Jazzy, on the back of the case. Fuck. He’s playing a long game.
His fingers trail down my jaw. I flinch, bile rising in my throat. I shake my head.
“You don’t get it, do you?” He cocks his head, watching me with amusement. “We’re going to be together forever.”
The words send ice down my spine. “No one will ever find you here.”
Tears pricked my eyes. My throat is closing up and I can feel the beginning strains of a panic attack.
I need Will .
As though I conjured him up, the door swings open and I hear a gruff sound of rage.
“You made a mistake,” Will whispers, eerily calm.
My entire body sags in relief before my heart rate kicks up again in apprehension. He is going up against a lunatic who had no qualms about kidnapping me, God only knows how he would feel about killing someone standing in the way of the one thing he wants—me.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Ken spat, his hands curling into fist.
They are in a silent standoff, broken by the sound of a click . My heart stops. Ken has a gun.
Will flips a table and a round of bullets go off. I don't think I have any more screams left but one tears out of my throat. A body slams into the wall and the gun comes skidding next to me.
They go at each other like animals. I sit frozen in a mix of shock, fear and awe. Will fights like a machine. Within a minute, he manages to bloody Ken’s nose and give him a black eye.
I see the glint of a knife in Ken's hand. He slashes Will’s leather jacket and I scream. Will twists the hand holding the knife until I hear a sickening crunch and he drags him outside by that wrist.
For the next ten minutes, all I hear is screams and wet, gurgling noises that make my stomach lurch.
“You made a mistake touching what’s mine,” I hear Will say before he returns to the room.
I hear the sound of sirens as he bends down to untie my wrists before pulling my face into his hands.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you this morning, honey. You’re safe now,” he says, planting kisses all across my cheeks, my forehead, my chin, my lips, every inch of me he can get to. I can’t help it, I burst into tears at the sweetness, at the fact that he somehow found me.
“I’m so sorry for leaving without waking you up, baby,” I say through choked sobs. “I knew it was a mistake before I even left, I don’t know what I was thinking.” Tears continue to pour down my face and he just pulls me closer.
Chapter Nine
Will
I run my hands over her back, her arms, her hair and anywhere else I can reach. She’s here. She’s alive. She’s safe.
I’m never letting anyone take her from me again. I came very fucking close to losing her.
“I’ve got you, honey,” I murmur against her temple. “I’ve got you. I’m never letting you go, I love you.”
She lets out a broken sob, burrowing deeper against me. Her breath is ragged, her entire body trembling from fear.
I tighten my hold. I want to fucking kill the bastard who thought he could take her away from me all over again. He had been stupid enough to leave her phone on and I had the best hacker in the entire city on my payroll.
It had taken me less than five minutes to find her. My source had run his number plates and the security footage through the system and in three minutes, I had an identity.
Her stalker had been her former co-star. That is why she is so shaken. It hadn't been a stranger. He is someone she knew and to a certain extent, trusted.
I wish she had listened to me and let me track him sooner. I would have prevented this heartbreak.
She pulls back slightly, just enough to look up at me, her eyes glassy with even more unshed tears. “Will…” Her voice is small. “I love you, too.”
I pull her back to me and seal her mouth to mine, just as we hear a throat clearing by the door. We both turn, but I don’t release my hold on Lily. We see a cop standing in the doorway, he looks young and fit, like he could handle everything we’ve been through.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he says gently, looking to Lily with sympathy in his eyes. I feel a surge of jealousy, I can’t help it. I don’t want anyone looking at my girl unless she’s on stage. “I’m Officer McKay. I assume you’re the one who called us?” he asks, looking to me.
“Yup. Will Bracco. This is my girlfriend, Lily, and the shithead outside is the man who has been stalking her for months.” I take Lily’s hand and guide her towards the officer.
“I’m sorry for all you’ve been through, Lily. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Officer McKay asks her.
She sniffles before telling him to ask away. He asks basic details, like how long she’s been being followed, how she knew Ken, and what happened today. She recounts the strange gifts, the weird messages, and the text that lead her to the theater today. She tells them about Ken stealing Martin’s phone to convince her to go there, and his other messages misleading her co-stars and the crew so they wouldn’t come in today.
Officer McKay tells her that they have taken Ken into custody, but that Lily will likely need to testify in his trial for him to be convicted of the stalking, kidnapping, and attempted murder. She tells him she would do anything to make sure he never does this to anyone else again.
I’m so proud of my strong, beautiful girl I could explode. She’s changed me this last week, made me want to build a safer, more secure life. For her. For us. For the family I sense we both want.
The officer turns to me and asks me about Ken’s injuries, I tell him about the gun and the knife, how it was clear he was out for blood. Officer McKay is understanding and thanks me for showing up for Lily before they could get here. I’m glad I sent Ken’s info to my hacker contact, he was able to track him through CCTV security footage and lead me here. He also called the cops while I was on my way, ensuring Lily would have help coming no matter what. Thank God for my contacts.
Officer McKay gives us his card and tells us someone from the station will be in touch if they have any more questions before he heads outside. We walk out to see Ken in the back of the police cruiser, screaming and banging the window with his head. Fucking psycho.
We wait until they drive off before I turn to Lily, needing to get these words off my chest. I’ve told her I love her, but I haven’t properly conveyed what she means to me.
“You've changed something in me. I will be whoever you need me to be and my life would go back to emptiness without you. Only this time, it would be worse because I already know what fullness feels like.” Her brows pull together. I cup her face again, brushing my thumb along the soft curve of her cheek. “Lily, you’ve changed my life.” My voice is raw, the words scraping against my throat. “I’ve been living an empty day-to-day existence. I didn’t think I was capable of caring for anyone.” My jaw tightens. “But for you I’d burn the whole goddamn world. Whatever you want, honey. Just say the world.”
She presses her forehead to mine, exhaling shakily. “Let’s go home.”
Relief surges through me. Home. Home is wherever Lily is.
We ride home in silence. The second we step inside, I lock the door, turn the deadbolt and pull the blinds.
She reaches for me with shaky hands, standing on tiptoes to press her lips to mine.
“You were gone,” I growl, shoving her shirt off her shoulders. I need to touch her skin. “You were gone, and I—” My voice breaks on the last word, and I crush my mouth to hers before I can say something fucking stupid.
She moans, her fingers tangling in my hair. I lose my patience and rip the thin shirt from her body, buttons flying everywhere. I push her against the wall, my hands everywhere at once.
“Mine,” I growl, dragging my lips down her throat. “Say it.”
She gasps, back arching. “Yours.”
I groan, my hands tightening on her hips.
She shoves at my jacket, pushing it off and letting it hit the floor with a soft thud.
Her eyes dart to the spot of dried blood on my shirt and she pauses for a minute.
I expect her to back out. Instead, she swallows hard and pulls the fabric over my head.
My sweet goddess.
She runs her hands down my chest, her nails digging into my skin, her body pressing into mine in the same way she usually does. I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist instinctively. She gasps when I slam her against the door, my hands gripping her thighs, my mouth hot and desperate against her skin.
“I need you,” I rasp, voice wrecked.
She grabs my face, forcing my eyes to hers. “You have me.”
The words unlock something primal in my brain. I claim her the way I’ve wanted to since the moment I saw her on that goddamn stage. I take her like she’s mine to keep.
We barely make it to the bed and by then we're both naked. I grip her hips and toss her back.
“I don't want to have to tie your hands, angel, but I will if you push me to. Scratch me, claw me, make me bleed from how close you’re holding me.”
She nods, eyes bright with desire.
“Good girl. My good girl.” I groan, locking her legs around me. I start to move. I put her legs over my shoulders and thrust so deep, her hips drove into the mattress.
She screams my name, bucking and groaning under me but she does not let go of the headboard.
“Eyes on me, honey. Don't look away.” I rasp, watching her hazel depths fly open. I grab her two hands in one of mine and keep thrusting whilst our eyes are locked on each other.
She comes so hard, tears pool on both sides of her cheeks. I don't stop thrusting until her throat is hoarse from begging and her legs are shaking from the aftershocks.
I follow right after, calling out her name as I come and thrusting softly as we both come down from our high.
“Yours” she whispers, holding on to me and I know with all certainty that she’s it for me. It is beyond infatuation. I am irrevocably obsessed with her. She owns me.