Kellan leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest. “Did he now? I doona suppose Dennis told you how he beat and tortured your sister?”
“You’re lying,” Kyle said angrily. “I saw Lily myself this morning. She looks amazing.”
“Because she left Dennis a year ago,” Kellan said.
Darius let Kellan talk since he didn’t know all the details about Lily. Not that he cared to know. It was enough that Rhys claimed her.
Kyle grunted, his face detailing exactly what he thought of Kellan’s statement. “Dennis is the one who has been trying to bring Lily back to her family.”
“Actually, Dennis is threatening no’ just your family, lad, but yourself as well. He’s using her to get onto Dreagan land without being detected,” Kellan said.
“Dennis would never do that,” Kyle argued. “He loves Lily.”
Darius blew out a breath. “You’re wasting your time, Kellan. The lad isna going to believe a word we say.”
“You’re right.” Kellan pushed away from the door and walked to Kyle.
The lad shifted the gun to Kellan. “Stop right there.”
“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” Kellan chuckled and jerked his thumb to Darius. “You see how that worked out for Darius, aye? Besides, Kyle, you are no’ a killer. No’ yet at least. You stay in association with Dennis, and all of that will change.”
Darius took a few steps to the side in case he needed to tackle Kyle. Kellan was able to easily take the gun away from Kyle and toss it aside.
“It’s time you see Dennis for what he really is,” Kellan said.
*
Lily was a nervous wreck. She was tired of waiting. She wanted it over with. Done. Finished.
Twenty minutes ago she’d sent Dennis a text telling him everyone was in a meeting, and that it was the perfect time to get him through the hedges undetected. She touched the knife she had up her left sleeve. It was the only weapon she’d been able to find in the store, and she wished it was a gun. Lily wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to rid the world of Dennis if it came her way.
The door to the shop suddenly opened, causing Lily to jump. Dennis entered, looking around. His cocky smile, the one she used to think was charming, made her stomach roll.
“Look at this place,” he said with a whistle. “I bet those bottles in the glass cases are worth quite a bit of money.”
Lily moved to stand in front of him. “You didn’t come to steal whisky.”
Dennis’s blue eyes narrowed. “I didn’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t take some.”
“You have enough money to purchase a bottle if you want.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked with a sneer. “I take what I want. You know that.”
She swallowed, the old fear slowly returning when she saw that tic in the corner of Dennis’s left eye. He always got it right before he hit her.
Lily fought to keep hold of her courage. She touched the still sensitive skin on her forearm, remembering the quote. “Do you want to stand in here? Or do you want me to get you onto the grounds?”
Dennis closed the distance between them and grasped her chin in his fingers, cruelly squeezing. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
“In this instance I do. I work here, remember. I’m to get you in unobserved.”
He released her with a smirk. “So you are. Let’s get moving.”
“You’ll need to go out the back. Thirty feet beyond is a row of hedges. If you go to the right about a hundred and fifty yards you’ll come across the concealed entry.”
Dennis chuckled and turned her so that she was standing beside him. He put his arm over her shoulders and started walking with her. “You’re coming with me.”
“I can’t leave the store,” she protested. “If any of them come back early they’ll know I’ve helped you.”
He paused and looked down at her. “Did you really think you would be able to stay here after all this was over? That’s incredibly na?ve.” He started walking again, forcing her to go with him. “Did you really think I was going to take your word for everything?”
Lily knew Dennis would make her show him the entrance. If she’d appeared too eager, he would’ve questioned it. He was doing just as she’d expected. Dennis was nothing if not consistent.
She put in just enough resistance while they walked to continue making him believe she didn’t want to go. In fact, she wanted to run to the hedgerow and show him the entrance.
Dennis shoved open the back door and pushed her through. Lily immediately looked up at the sky. It must have been all her dreams about dragons that made her search for a hint of yellow in the thick clouds.
“Where?” Dennis challenged as they reached the hedgerow.
Lily pointed to the right. “There.”
“Take me.”
She wondered where Rhys was. He was near. Of that she was certain. If only she knew his exact location. She wasn’t the only one preoccupied. Dennis was so excited to get to the manor that he hadn’t noticed there were no visitors at Dreagan.