After all the horror she’d endured—the fear, the agony, the scars—she might actually have some true happiness again. She couldn’t wait to see her family again, to hug her parents, play video games with her brother, and spend all night talking with her sisters.
With a smile on her face, Lily got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later she dried off from her shower and wrapped the towel around her as she turned on the blow dryer.
It had been so long since she’d styled her hair with the blow dryer that it took her a few tries to remember. With her hair so thick and long, it took a while to dry. As she was doing her hair, she was thinking over all her new clothes, trying to decide what to wear and what Rhys might enjoy.
Once her hair was done, Lily returned to her room and opened a drawer that held all her pretty new bras and underwear she had taken the time to put away the night before. She chose a light gray cotton set with a band of aqua lace around the waist of her underwear, and a matching band of aqua around the bottom of the bra that reminded her of Rhys’s eyes.
She was about to put on her clothes when she remembered she’d also bought makeup. Lily hurried back into the bathroom and applied just enough to accentuate her eyes and cheeks. She looked in the mirror, pleased with the outcome and the fact her bruise was quickly fading.
Then she was standing before her small closet with her new clothes bursting out of the small space. Lily decided on a pair of black skinny jeans and an emerald green long-sleeved tee beneath a black sheer button-down. After putting on the same black boots as the day before, Lily checked her reflection.
As she walked from her room into the kitchen, she touched the diamonds still in her ears, thinking of her parents. Lily hadn’t gotten two steps when she came to an abrupt halt. Her heart pounded with dread and her blood turned to ice as she looked at Dennis sitting in her living room. How she detested the smug look on his face.
She desperately wanted to tell him what she really thought, but she remembered at the last second that she needed to continue to play her part as the frightened and weak person he believed her to be.
“You look nice,” Dennis said as he stood. “It seems that trip to Edinburgh did you good. I told Kyle you needed some time away to prepare to see your family again.”
Lily frowned, wondering what Dennis was up to this time. She didn’t have long to wait as the front door opened and Kyle walked inside. Lily took a step back; she was so shocked. Then she ran to him, throwing her arms around her brother and holding him tight.
“It’s so good to see you,” she whispered.
Kyle enveloped her in his strong arms and held her tightly. “It’s good to see you, sis.”
She blinked away her tears and leaned back. “Let me look at you. Goodness, you’ve filled out even more. I think you’re taller than Dad for sure now.”
“I am,” Kyle said with a lopsided grin. His dark eyes were crinkled at the corners. “You look amazing.”
Dennis came up beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from Kyle. “Doesn’t she? Your sister has always been quite the looker.”
“I can’t wait to catch up. It’s been too long,” Kyle said, glancing at Dennis. “How about breakfast?”
Lily fisted her hand as pain shot through her from Dennis pinching her waist. “I wish I’d have known you were coming. Unfortunately, I’ve got to leave for work. How about dinner?”
Kyle’s smile was wide as he nodded. “Looking forward to it.”
“I’m going to drive Lily to work. I won’t be long,” Dennis said as he shoved Lily toward the door.
Lily looked back at her brother with regret. She had no choice but to go with Dennis. It wasn’t just Dennis that wanted her to go, it was Rhys as well. She climbed into the passenger seat of Dennis’s BMW and stared straight ahead. He started the car and drove away from her flat and Kyle.
“That bruise is fading. Did you tell people how clumsy you were to fall and get such a mark?”
Lily looked for the strength she’d found in Edinburgh, the courage of the girl she’d once been, and held it within herself. She looked down at her arm and her tattoo covered by both her tee and the sheer shirt. “Of course,” she replied meekly.
“You shouldn’t have made me angry. You know how I hate to be angry.”
She wanted to roll her eyes. How had she ever thought she loved Dennis? Dennis, however, had a golden tongue. How else would he have convinced her that she loved him enough to ignore the warnings of her family?
“How are you going to get me onto Dreagan?” Dennis asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Lily took a deep breath. How she wished she and Rhys had gone over everything down to the last detail. Rhys trusted her enough to let her sort out her parts. She had to trust him to stop Dennis.
“There’s a hedgerow behind the store that blocks any visitors from seeing the manor. I found an obscure entrance that will take you to the manor.”