Cutting me off, she says quietly, “That’s just it. I’m not pissed. Not anymore. You were right. I’ve moved on. I-” Avoiding my eyes, she admits, “I want to start fresh, too.”
…Say what?
Lily avoids my gaze a few seconds longer before our eyes meet. Her green eyes wide and doe-like. My gut tells me to watch my back. Closely. Narrowing my eyes, I assure, “I don’t know what you’re up to, Delilah. But I’m onto you.”
Shock momentarily forms on her face; just as quickly, it transforms to anger. She hisses, “You’re out of your mind! I’m calling a truce here, Nox. I’m only offering this once, so take it or leave it.”
Against my better judgment, I take her small, outstretched hand and pump it twice. As soon as I let go, she smiles, “See? Not so hard, was it?”
Without answering, I walk over to the breakfast bar, take an apple, and bite into it. From behind me, I hear, “So I was wondering if I could speak to my sister?”
Oh boy.
Turning, I make a show of slowly chewing. Sliding her eyes down to my mouth, her lips part, she swallows hard and quickly looks away.
What was that?
A dark smirk forms on my face, “I see. Truce, huh? So you’ll only cooperate if I do what you want? Nice try, Lily. Not how it works.” Turning my back, I start to walk away when I’m held back.
Lily grips my hand tightly, her eyes plead. “No! That’s not what I meant.” Placing a hand on her chest, she breathes deeply. Swallowing hard, her eyes flutter and she lets go of my hand, placing it on her chest.
I’ve seen this before.
Panic attack.
Stepping forward, I take hold of her waist and guide her to a chair at the dining table. Sitting her down, she wipes the sweat off her forehead with an unsteady hand and heaves, “Sorry…” Pant. “I don’t know what’s…” Pant, “happening to me.”
Feeling like an asshole, I clear my throat and begin, “I think you’re developing panic attacks.”
Still heaving in deeply, she squawks, “What? No way!”
“Yeah. So you need to tell me what’s bothering you so we can fix it.”
Lily looks up in thought, her breathing slows slightly and she replies, “My family. Not being able to talk with them. It makes me…thinky…and…itchy.”
Should’ve seen this coming.
Opening my mouth to answer, Lily cuts me off with, “How about if you let me talk to my dad and sister once a week? You name the day and time and what I can and can’t talk about.” Hope flares in her Granny-apple-green eyes. “I’ll listen. I swear. I’ll do whatever you say. Just knowing I’m not cut off from them helps. I’m feeling better already. Look!” She pats her forehead and shows me her dry fingers.
Doesn’t matter what I do, I’m always gonna be the bad guy to Lily. I know it shouldn’t bother me, but fuck me, it does. Knowing I can’t give her what she needs to feel safe and happy while she’s in my care…it blows. Okay, so she’s the first young woman I’ve had to watch, but there’s something about this girl. I can’t put my finger on it. She’s…different.
“Lily, I-” Her face falls and I explain slowly but firmly why this is complicated. “Listen, there are things you don’t know.” Lip quivering, her eyes shine bright as I continue. “Firstly, your dad and mom aren’t on a secure line so we have to keep calls to them under five minutes. That’s all you get if I allow it. Secondly, Mitch is keeping Terah somewhere safe. Somewhere like this. There’s a reason for separating you. I can’t tell you about it right now, but what I can tell you is that not even I know where she is. I can talk to Mitch and try to pry a phone number out of him, but I can’t promise it’s gonna happen.”
“Who’s Mitch?” she asks quietly.
“Mitch is the guy who recruited me.”
“So, he’s your boss.”
Making a face, I think about how I can put it. Clarifying this may be harder than I thought. “Sorta. He’s higher up on the food chain, but he doesn’t call himself our boss. We’re a team. We work together.” She doesn’t look convinced. “If anyone was looking out for Terah and I wasn’t available, you’d want Mitch. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I thought the threat was targeting me.” She shrugs a little as if she still doesn’t get it.
Sitting, I lean my forearms on the table. “Think about it, Lily. Your mom and dad are dealing with an active threat. Who knows just how serious it is? We get you out and you’re safe. What happens if the people who want you can’t find you? What do they do then? They’re serious enough to mess with one daughter.”
I see the light switch on inside her head. “They take Terah instead.”
Silence forms a thick fog around us. I’m not sure what else to say. Truthfully, I’ve told her too much already. Standing, I tap the frame of the chair with my fingertips. Our eyes meet, a mutual acknowledgement. Turning, I walk only a step before I hear her ask, “But you’ll try, right? Like, really try?”
Walking further away from her, I turn my head back and promise, “I’ll try, Lily.”
And I mean it.
Chapter Seven
Moving house
Lily
It’s funny how much I’ve grown accustomed to eating dinner at a dining table with other people. At home, our schedules are so randomly set that we always miss each other. Terah at college, Dad and me at the warehouse, Mom volunteering for some underfunded organization.
I never really understood what I was missing, until now.
Three days have passed since I spoke to my dad, and my spirits are revitalized. Sometimes all you need is a simple sentence to set you straight.
“Whatever you do, listen to Nox. He’s only got your best interests at heart.”
I really hope so, Dad, because I’m beginning to trust him in a way I don’t trust anyone else.
Boo and I spend the afternoon cooking dinner. You’d think this would be a simple task. The thing is, we cook for twenty. That’s how many people work at the safe house. And with Boo being the only other woman, that’s how many giant soldier-commando men we have to feed. They don’t eat home-cooked meals every night. Most of the time, they settle for take-out. It’s quicker and easier.
When Boo asked me to peel some potatoes, I was all ‘Sure thing. Pass ‘em over!’
How hard could it be?
She handed me a twenty pound bag of potatoes. Then laughed.
My pruney, wrinkled hands will smell of starch for a week. Fo shizzle.
The past few days have confirmed my suspicion that Nox has assigned Boo to watch over me. And it doesn’t bother me. Not in the slightest. I like Boo. We have weird and wacky conversations. If we’d met her under different circumstances, we’d be bffs.
“So, where is Nox anyway?” I ask, stirring the beef and wine goulash that smells divine.
Boo cocks a brow at me questioningly. “Why’d you wanna know? I thought you’d be thrilled to be rid of him.”
I answer way too quickly. “I am!” Flushing, I try again, forcing myself to slow the hell down and act nonchalant. I do this little shrug and tip my head, making me look a little less relaxed and more like a stroke victim . “I mean, he’s been okay the last few days, but he told me I was his responsibility and I was just wondering what was so important that he had to make you babysit me.”
Purposely avoiding the question, she smiles softly, “It’s never babysitting with you, Dee.” Chuckling, she goes on, “I actually feel bad for having so much fun with you. It doesn’t even feel like I’m working. I don’t get to spend time with women a lot and…and I guess I forgot how much I missed it. Rock’s jealous. He wants to take a shift with you so he can teach you how to throw a decent punch.”
No way! Cool!
That certainly draws my attention. Stirring forgotten, I answer enthusiastically, “Would he really? Oh, man. I’d love that. I always wanted to do a self-defense course, but my dad-” My bravado fizzles and I fade out. Regaining a little excitement, I ask quickly, “D
o you think you could teach me stuff, too? Like maybe…” Looking around to make sure Nox isn’t lurking in a dark corner, I’m convinced enough to ask, “Like weapons and gun stuff?”
Boo’s eyes widen and she chuckles humorlessly, “Hold up there, Dee. You don’t need to know any of that stuff, hon. I can, however, teach you how to bring a man to his knees in a second flat. Nothing so permanent, though.”
Widening my eyes to match hers, I yell, “Hello?” Thrusting my arms out by my sides, I whisper shout, “Someone is trying to kill me! The knee thing is all fine and dandy, but what if something happens and I need to…” Swallowing hard, I whisper, “What if I need to make sure someone is gone? Like, forever gone, type-a gone.”
Boo’s face turns sad. Which, in turn, makes me sad. She asks glumly, “This really bothering you? Even with us here?”
My heart palpitates and I nod vigorously, knowing she’ll never understand just how much this is affecting me, even if I wanted to share.
Forcing a smile that doesn’t meet her eyes, she concedes with a curt nod, “I’ll teach you everything I can while you’re here.”
Definitely not the answer I was expecting.
My mouth gapes and I whisper, “Seriously?”
Taking the wooden spoon out of my hand, she stirs the pot and avoids my gaze. “Yep. Seriously.” Her face voids of any emotion and she says almost mechanically, “Every girl should know how to protect herself. That includes you.” Clearing her throat, she adds quietly, “Help you anyway I can, Dee.”
My throat thickens. I don’t know what to say. Boo is the first friend I’ve made in years.
Standing close to her, I bump her shoulder with mine. In my peripheral vision, I see a small smile play at her mouth as her shoulder bumps mine back. I smile big. We both chuckle and Boo says, “God, we’re dorks.”
I agree. Totally.
***
Nox
The office door bursts open and an angry looking Boo strides in.
Not good.
Never good.