Chapter 44 - Lily
Lily
“Are you sure you don’t want to come over?” Rose’s eyes pleaded with me.
“I promised my dad. He has so little free time, and this is our first chance to eat dinner together since...”
“Same here. It’s horrible being alone.” Rose perked up, hiding the lonely woman underneath. “He’ll be home tomorrow. Aren’t you excited?”
“Incredibly.” I clasped my gloved hands together.
Five nights of restless sleep brought the horrid dreams back, with giant waves and overwhelming infernos. I doubted they’d ever fade. Nightmares belonged in the new world with all the rest: hunger and fear.
“You know where I’ll be if you change your mind.”
Rose left, and I entered City Hall to find my father huddled in the conference room with two town council members, and without the sheriff.
Reports brought us more stories of stray families robbed of their food and supplies.
Their description of the perpetrators matched that of the West Lake robbery.
Dad noticed me and shrugged an apology. I waved, understanding, and mouthed Rose’s name. If his meeting extended all night, at least Rose and I could be lonely together. It also put me back in the grocery store, not that it had helped me prove the sheriff guilty so far.
Dad flashed a thumbs-up without pausing the conversation.
“Here for Rose,” I told the guards at the grocery store’s entrance.
One grunted a response and opened the door. Perfect for me, because it allowed a quick sweep before heading upstairs.
I expected another fruitless search, but found two men talking. I wavered at the staircase, telling myself to avoid the risk.
It didn’t work. Dean risked himself for me, and I wasn’t content to live on the sidelines. Partners worked together, and I clung to that word.
“It’s tonight. Get moving before my uncle shows up,” Julian said.
What’s tonight? I tiptoed through the store, closer to the manager’s office.
“It almost worked. If that old woman had shut her mouth like you said she would, we’d have gotten rid of him.”
Frigid lightning traveled up my spine. Wasn’t he dead?
Julian snorted. “I didn’t expect an old woman to turn grandma for that trash. Stop worrying about her.”
“I didn’t even get the full payment.”
“You fucked my cousin, Bud. Knock it off and be happy. You’re alive because of me.”
Poor Rose. Her heartbreak at the town meeting grew more pitiful after this revelation. The rage she let slip made sense.
Bud Northman grumbled as a chair scraped against the floor. I prayed her wrath found him. “Alive and doing your dirt jobs. If your uncle finds out…”
“He won’t. He doesn’t know.”
Panic rose. We suspected the wrong Gustafson. We’d focused so much on the sheriff, with his constant rants about security and chaos, that no other possibilities occurred. Worse, I’d kept my unease quiet, convinced it was the wiser action.
I tiptoed backward. My father needed to know, and we needed to find Dean. The sheriff and Rose might be Julian’s next targets. What else did we miss?
One more soft step. Almost there.
Bud Northman rounded the corner and saw me. “Well, look at this. I know you. You’re Rose’s pretty friend.”
I turned to run, and another man appeared, blocking my path. It was the guard who let me in.
He shoved me to the ground. “What should I do with her?”
“Lily. How are you?” Julian asked. He stood over me and whistled. “Let’s put her in the warehouse until this is done. Use your handcuffs and cover her mouth. We don’t need anyone getting curious.”
I shivered in the cold warehouse.
How much time passed? My numb feet protested as I readjusted to a more comfortable position. The cold handcuffs chafed my wrists. I rested my head against a metal shelf, determined to stay awake. If an escape presented itself, I needed to be ready.
More time passed. My eyelids struggled against my terror.
Where was Dean? He’d rescue me. My father knew I’d left to visit Rose.
A beam of light blinded me, jolting me back to awareness.
“Sorry about that.” Julian tore the tape strip from my mouth. “We couldn’t risk anyone overhearing you. Let’s get this off your legs and go somewhere more comfortable.”
He cut through the duct tape around my ankles and pulled me to my feet. My legs wobbled from so many hours on the cold warehouse floor. Julian half-pushed and half-dragged me to the manager’s office and shut the door, trapping me inside.
“Tell me what you overheard,” he demanded.
“You plan to hurt my father and everyone in this town.” Why lie? I overheard enough to recognize a conspiracy. “Why did you save Bud Northman? Wait, why did you frame Dean?”
“We plan to save everyone.” Spittle flew from Julian’s mouth. “You could help.”
“How? I’m not in charge of anything.”
“You’re the mayor’s daughter.”
I delivered supplies from red children’s wagons. “That doesn’t matter. Plus, you have a mayor.” I rubbed the hairs on one arm before stopping myself. Did we still have a mayor? Oh, God. “I won’t let you hurt anyone. You’ll regret this when Dean comes back.”
Julian squatted in front of me and placed a hand on my thigh. He rubbed it, long strokes, proving his power over me.
My thigh stiffened as I recoiled away from him. “I’m married, Julian. Please don’t.”
His jaw formed an ugly scowl.
“Lily, I have awful news. I wish you had heard this another way, but you need to know.” For a man delivering horrible news, he sounded more giddy than upset.
“There was an ambush tonight. The men who attacked West Lake. They got to our people and took their supplies. We only know because one survived and got away. We have a doctor looking at him now.”
“Who survived?”
His lips formed a circle and quivered before he spoke. “Does it matter?”
“I want to hear it from him.” Dean’s natural distrust made this story impossible to believe. It only sounded plausible if you had never met him or remembered the powerless child he once was. Julian framed him once; what stopped him from doing so again? “I don’t believe you.”
He continued without acknowledging me. “We’ll keep trying to find these thieves, I promise.”
I’d witnessed Dean’s methods firsthand. He attacked first. Always. He didn’t wait to get caught. I held onto that. “You’re lying to me. Where’s my father?”
“He’s with my uncle. They’re deciding how to respond. We’re releasing a public statement in the morning.”
“That’s not true. My father won’t fall for it.”
“Why would I lie? Lily, I have a proposition for you.” Julian cracked his neck and placed his hand back on my thigh. “This town owes us. Our families. We have food and men. Do you want protection? I’m the one who can give it to you. We should form an alliance.”
“An alliance?”
“Think about it. My uncle will be dead soon, and I’ll be the sheriff here. It could be you and me in charge. We’d rule the whole county.”
“He’ll be dead soon?” Julian spoke as if I were an object to further his political ambitions. I wouldn’t believe him unless he showed me Dean’s body, and not even then. “I’d rather take over Dean’s foraging missions than work with you.”
“Careful, Lily.”
“Careful?” Attack first, especially when your opponent believes they’re in control. “You’re nothing but a scared child dressed in a grown-up’s uniform.” I slapped Julian across the face, leaving an ugly red print on his cheek.
His upper lip twitched. “You’ll regret that.”
“Not even a little.”
He struck, and I tumbled onto the tiled floor. My head pounded from shock as I tried to rise.
Julian stood over me and landed another blow. I screamed from the pain as he hit me again.
“You think you’ll get away with that? The bitch who always thought she was too good for me, while mooning over that piece of trash Montgomery asshole. You’re nothing but his whore.”
We traded jabs as his hands slapped at mine. Julian sat astride my hips, grabbing and pulling, while I clawed his face as a zipper screamed in my ears.
“No. No, Julian, please stop. Stop.” I screamed, hoping an outside guard heard me.
“Stay still.” He hissed the words into my ear as I choked from his hot, damp breath.
His heavy body covered mine as one of his thighs forced itself between my legs.
I grabbed, searching and pulling, until my hand found a chunk of icy metal in his holster, and I pulled the trigger.