Chapter 37
Thirty-Seven
“ H ello again, Lily.”
Lily’s entire world spun on its axis.
“James?”
“Your ex?” Sloane’s eyes went wide as Lily nodded. Her friend took a step closer to Lily’s side and intertwined their fingers together.
The damp basement odor overwhelmed Lily. She’d been hyper-focused on what happened to Sage and listening to Sloane’s directions, she hadn’t allowed her senses to focus on the stench. But now that her brain was trying to understand what was happening, all she could focus on was the way it smelled. Her stomach rolled violently as he stepped closer to her.
“What did you do with my baby?” she swallowed down the bile as she tried to keep her voice level.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I left her behind on purpose. My mother has her, probably already on a plane back to Connecticut.”
They’d taken Sage. Flown her halfway across the country without her or Gunner. She wanted to rage, knowing how her little baby had to be terrified, but Lily’s resolve to stall James from whatever plan he had put in place until Gunner and the guys found them spurred her forward.
“You won’t get away with this. Gunner won’t stop until he finds us both.”
“It’s sweet that you have so much faith in him Lily, but legally I’m dead, and soon you will be too. You know, it’s funny that the best day of my life was actually the day I died.”
“What does that mean?” Sloane spit out.
“It means, firecracker, that it’s not every day that my father offers me a way to get my daughter and wife back after they were taken from me.”
“Taken from you?”
“Yeah, Lily. He stole you from me and I’m here to get you back. You were supposed to be my wife. I love you. I always have.”
She was going to throw up. Her mouth watered and her stomach cramped painfully.
“You love me? That’s why you stole all of our money from our accounts before I had the baby? That’s why you tried to break into the bathroom where I was hiding, half scared to death of you? Why did you have a gun with you that night, James? Was it because you loved me?”
“I DO LOVE YOU! I-I was messed up then, Lily. But I-I’m better now. I’ve got a plan, and this is how I get you back.”
James was sick. It wasn’t just the amount of weight he’d lost, or the gray color of his skin that made her realize it. No, this was more than something physical. He’d lost his mind.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m going to fuck you, Lily. I’m going to fuck you until you beg to become my wife. And then I’m going to take you back to Connecticut with me, where you belong. You’re mine. He’s made you sick. He’s made you forget what you promised me. But you’ll come back and we’ll make things right. We could have a home like this again. Wouldn’t it be nice?” James held his arms out and gestured around the space.
The reality of the situation slammed into her. “James, I don’t…I don’t love you.”
He covered his ears with his hands.
“Yes. Yes you do, Lily. We’re supposed to be getting married. You fucked it all up, and I was mad. I was mad for a while, but now you’re here and I got you back. I got you back so we can go home and be a family together.”
Lily understood. “James, you need help. You’re not thinking straight. I love Gunner. He is Sage’s dad. Not you. I can’t go anywhere with you because we aren’t a family.”
“I did EVERYTHING for you! Do you know I learned how to build a bomb for you? I fucking tracked that asshole waiting for the perfect moment. You needed to get away from his lies and his brainwashing, so I followed him for you, Lily. I tried to set you free over and over again.”
“You almost KILLED HIM.” She lost control, tears streaming down her face. “James, please. Listen to me. Listen to reason. I love Gunner. I love him with my whole heart and I will never love you.”
“Stop it!” James lashed out, smacking her across the face.
“Fuck you, pencil dick.” Sloane glared at James.
James laughed. “Christ. I almost forgot you were here. The Captain is going to have fun with you.”
“What does that mean?” Bile surged in Lily’s throat as she held her throbbing cheek.
“He should be here any minute, Lily. Thought I’d be the only one having fun tonight? Can’t leave dear old dad out of it. What do you think he’s doing half the time on those boat charters? He loves to give it rough. Is that what you like, firecracker?”
Sloane didn’t answer, but Lily saw the way her body shook. This whole thing was Lily’s fault, and now her sweet friend was in danger because of her.
“Gunner will never let you get away with this.”
“You know, I thought going up against an entire team of Navy SEALs was going to be challenging, but they never even suspected me, did they, Lily? How pathetic. As soon as I found out where you were, I tried to leave him out of it. Fucking paid my idiot friend from college a shit ton of money to grab you from the park. He botched that up good, didn’t he? And then he got fucking arrested at the bar. I had to resort to setting up appointments with the feisty bitch here to meet your friends. Oh, and that pretty little thing behind the desk. I really enjoyed messing with her. I hadn’t even come up with a real plan about how to take you, just waiting for an opportunity to present itself. So imagine my delight when I’m just watching the building and I see you walk into my shrink’s office with our baby this morning. It was as if the universe was handing you to me like a Christmas present.”
“Did you…were those people who shot Gunner a part of all this too?” she asked.
“My fucking cousins. Can’t even count on family to get things done. Always have to do everything myself,” he mumbled.
Two sharp knocks came from upstairs. Lily prayed it was someone there to rescue them, but from the grin on James’s face, she knew they weren’t that lucky.
“Upstairs. Now.” He walked to the back of Sloane and Lily, shoving them towards the stairs. Her legs shook violently as she climbed each step until she reached the top.
“Over there.” James pointed to an old mattress on the ground and both women moved towards it. “Don’t even think of moving.”
The door opened and James’s father Paul walked in. His eyes lit up when he saw Lily .
“Very good, James. I didn’t think you’d be able to do it.”
“I told you I would.”
“Yes, son. You did. And I’m proud of you.”
“Does mom have the baby?” James asked.
Paul’s eyes danced darkly over Lily’s whole body. “Not yet. The sheriff is giving her the runaround. But don’t worry. Judge Lonjik is working with our lawyer to get her temporary custody. She’ll be home in Connecticut in no time, son.”
“My family won’t be complete without her, dad. That fucker cannot keep my daughter while my wife and I are in Connecticut.”
“You won’t even have the baby when you are back home, James. Don’t you remember what we discussed? Everything that went into faking your death, all this bullshit here that we’ve done, it’s been so your mother can get custody of the baby.”
Lily gasped. “No one is taking my baby from me.”
“You don’t get a say in it, I’m afraid. Corrine’s one stipulation when she found out about my extramarital…recreations…was that I make sure she could raise the baby. A divorce would ruin me, and so I made sure she’d get what she wanted. Now, enough talking about Corrine.” Paul licked his lips and turned towards Sloane. “Is this the bitch that was giving you so much trouble, James?”
“Yes, sir. I think she’d like you to teach her a lesson.”
Paul leaned into Sloane’s face and pinched her chin between his fingers. “Oh, I bet she would.”
“Fuck you.” Sloane spit in his face. Lily would never have believed it if she hadn’t seen it for herself. And damn, she was so proud of her for being so tough.
The next second, though, Lily cringed as Paul brought his hand down across Sloane’s face.
“Oh yes,” he said. “It’s going to be fun breaking you.”