Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Christian
I was worried last night when Louise told me Lilly wasn’t coming in.
But when we got no call from her tonight, I thought it was odd. It’s reasonable to assume that if you have a bad cold you might be away for a few days. I just pegged her to be the cautious type who would check in.
It just seemed weird.
I haven’t called because I don’t want her thinking I care about the money because I don’t, and I don’t want to disturb her if she’s sick.
I also don’t want to overstep boundaries.
I try not to, and I even decide to head home for the evening at eight.
Since it’s still early I swim in the pool for half an hour doing some laps. When I get that nagging feeling come back to my mind, so I decide to be Christian Giordano and call her.
When the phone goes straight to her voicemail that nagging feeling comes back and along with an uneasiness that settles in the pit of my stomach.
Something feels off and I’m a man of instinct. There’s no point assuming this doesn’t feel right when it doesn’t. it’s truth. I haven’t known her that long, but this doesn’t feel like her.
I switch on my computer and I know that what I’m about to do makes me look like some obsessed bastard, but I accept that I am.
I log in to the employee files at the club and pull her address. I then frown when I see where she lives.
I never expected her to live in a shit hole like that. A dangerous shit hole and on the twentieth floor too. Drug dealing and all kinds of shit happens in that apartment complex she lives in. A few years back there was a gang that settled there and every week there was a murder of the worse kind.
That’s enough for me to get ready, jump in my car and head out. I don’t care what I look like or if she thinks I’m crazy. I am crazy, but that’s what makes me tick.
Like fuck am I gonna be okay with my girl in a dump like that. If she’d told me where she lived, I would have moved her fine ass somewhere else.
I get there and the first thing to hit me is the stench of urine in the elevator. Fucking hell, I have to clear my throat to get the smell out and I opt for the stairs too. I’ve had to endure some type of shit smells in my lifetime but if I have a choice, I’ll take the easy way out.
I take the stairs two at a time, grateful for the rigorous way that I work out and barely bust a sweat when I get to the twentieth floor.
As I open the door leading out of the stairwell though that feeling of unease comes back to me when I see a can of pepper spray on the ground. It looks like Lilly’s.
I wasn’t going through her things; I just saw her bag open one night on the floor of the suite. When I saw the pepper spray, I had a fleeting thought that maybe it could be for me. I didn’t actually believe that but I was glad she had street smarts.
Now I see why she had it. She lives here. why would Lilly drop her pepper spray though? Did she have to use it?
Fuck.
I reach for my gun and hold it by my side marching to her apartment door. There’s a noise behind me so I turn and look. Someone was there, and I just caught a glimpse of them retreating into the shadows.
I’d check it out, but I need to see Lilly first and make sure she’s okay.
There’s no doorbell so I knock on the door. A minute passes and there’s no answer.
I knock again and still no answer.
“Lilly it’s me,” I decide to call out. I’m aware I’m being watched. There’s someone in that corner watching me, watching intensely trying to figure me out. Who I am. In a place like this all I’d need to do is give my full name and I know it would be enough.
But I won’t do that yet. Not until I know what’s happening.
“Baby it’s Christian. Are you there?” I add and that’s when the door opens.
It swings open and my hand grips my gun hard when I see her face. She’s been beaten so badly I only know it’s her because of her crystal blue eyes. One eye is nearly shut, and her face is messed up with black and blue bruising within the swelling of her skin.
She’s shaking, terrified. her lips tremble and she tries to speak but doesn’t seem to be able to.
I’m about to ask her what the fuck happened and for a name when the patter of little footsteps behind her catches my attention. A little blond girl comes out of the bedroom. A baby. There’s enough babies in the family for me to guess that’s she’s about three. Maybe younger.
“Mama,” she says rushing up to Lilly and grabbing on to her leg. “Who’s that Mama?”
Lilly has a child. When she said she had people who depended on her I didn’t think. I kind of thought maybe she meant her parents or siblings. I never thought she meant she had a child.
“Are you here to save us from the monsters?” The little girl asks.
There’s that word again. Save.
She has brown eyes, but she’s exactly Lilly. A little angel who just asked me the playboy if I was here to save them.
I crouch down to her, tucking my gun in my back pocket at the same time so as not to scare them even more.
“Yes, baby girl,” I answer. “I am.” I nod and I know the fuckers behind me can hear every word I say.
Either they know something, or they did this.
I rise to my feet and glance over my shoulder. Looking back to Lilly I see the tear running down her cheek.
She reaches out and takes the edge of my shirt, holding on. She hangs her head down and then breaks.
I reach for her, holding her close and move inside where I can keep both of them safe.
I hold Lilly and she seems to cry her whole soul out.
* * *
I managed to get her into bed.
I got the two of them next to each other and held them both until they fell asleep. I get the feeling that Lilly only drifted off to sleep because of the drain of breaking down. I could see her fighting to stay awake.
Her little girl curled into me and fell asleep straightaway.
Will I save them from the monsters?
What did this child see?
I’ve always grown up on the principle that we don’t do violence to women. Not at all so I’ll be damned if I’m gonna walk out of here without spilling the blood of whoever did this.
I watch Lilly and again I think of what her story is.
She said she wanted to change her life and find herself. Make her life better. The passion with which she spoke that day now makes sense when I look at the baby next to her.
She’s dancing in my club for her. She agreed to do anything to make life better for her child. As I look at her I see it.
I see and I wonder when it was that I became so self-absorbed that I chose to ignore my instincts. Those gut instincts that told me she was in trouble.
But where did she come from? It doesn’t feel like she’s always been here, i don’t know that though so I shouldn’t assume.
What about her little girls’ father? Where is he?
I guess that’s a stupid question. Clearly, he’s not around.
Possessive as I am of her when I think of her with a guy, I imagine someone who loved her fiercely. Someone who wanted to protect her from everything. Someone who would make sure she gets her dreams, but most of all someone who made sure she knew how much she was worth.
I can’t believe some fucker messed her up like this.
I wait a little while then I fire off a message to Vincent asking him to bring the boys at about nine tomorrow morning. I don’t know what I’m getting into but I’m gonna need back up.