He’d urged Lily to join the school paper, and they’d spent countless hours together, working on stories. Hearing her bubbly, infectious laugh, getting to know and love her almost made up for having to listen to her prattle on about that idiot boyfriend.
“Wes this” and “Wes that” and “Isn’t he amazing?” Rick would nod, pretending to care. It drove him insane. He’d wanted his name to be the one she spoke of with lust and longing in her eyes. As the year came to an end, he made the decision that she was the one. She had to be his.
He knew Lily’s twin sister as well. Abby was in his other English honors class, but there was something about her, a harshness, an underlying edge to her personality he found unappealing. Besides, he wasn’t selfish. Lily was more than enough.
Rick realized that taking her would be a challenge. There was the possibility that the right moment might never present itself. But that didn’t mean he shouldn’t be prepared. “Luck is preparation meets opportunity,” was one of Missy’s bullshit catch phrases, but Rick figured it couldn’t hurt. What if he got lucky? He’d spent months working on the cabin. The construction of Lily’s new home, all the shopping he needed to do, convincing Missy that his writing space was sacred, and it was best that she not visit and interrupt his work. The preparations took months of planning and thousands of dollars to orchestrate. But he’d done it all for Lily. And now here he was. She had made him into a fool.
He hadn’t reacted when they arrested him. That’s what they were expecting. Some sort of freak-out or emotional tell that would prove his guilt with a capital G. He knew that defying expectations would play in his favor.
In a measured tone, he’d ordered his students to sit down. “Guys, get back to work. I’ll be back in class soon, and I expect you to have read the last three chapters.”
They didn’t listen. He knew they wouldn’t; they were teenagers after all, total shits who loved a circus, but it was important that he appear unfazed by all of this.
That was easier said than done when the heavy one came at him, hitting, kicking, and biting. Abby was disgusting—a whale of a woman—and looking at Lily, he realized what a smart choice he’d made. His Lily would never let herself go like that.
But the more Abby hit him, the more excited he became. Her actions reminded him of Lily’s in the beginning, during her training. When the cops pulled the beast off him, Rick wondered if he’d chosen the wrong sister. Maybe that one wouldn’t have betrayed him. How was he to know? He’d given Lily a wonderful life. He had given her a child, one of the hardest decisions he’d ever made. He’d spent the entire seven months thinking about what he was going to do with it. Drown it. Drop it at a fire station. Bury it in the woods. In the end, he realized this baby was a part of him, his seed, his creation. And they’d built a life together. In fact, he almost liked the child. She was a mini Lily, and he’d enjoyed watching her grow up. But that didn’t matter now. Like Brutus turned on Caesar, Lily had betrayed him.
He sighed inwardly. Too late for regrets. He had to be smart. Strategy was an important part of any plan. He’d known the risks all along, and he’d figure something out. Yes, he’d been caught. But if Lily thought she had the upper hand, she was a fool. Rick saw two guards approaching his cell, both of them wearing black leather gloves and stoic expressions. He recognized the look in their eyes. They wanted him to suffer.
Bring it, Rick thought, needing to feel something, needing some kind of distraction. As the officers came at him, readying their assault, Rick couldn’t help but laugh. There wasn’t anything they could do that would hurt more than what Lily had done. His heart was already broken. That stupid bitch had torn it in two.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ABBY
Get these fucking things off me,” Abby demanded as she fought against the arm restraints that bound her to the hospital gurney. “I’m not going to hurt anyone. I want to see Lily. I need to see my fucking sister.”
The nurses ignored her. She knew the staff was used to crazy people yelling at them and that she wasn’t helping her cause. But she wanted to be with Lily and they wouldn’t listen. Why wouldn’t they listen? Abby saw Dr. Amari approaching, and she forced herself to lower her voice, to maintain some semblance of calm.
“Dr. Amari, tell them I’m okay. I’ll be okay.”
Dr. Amari sighed as she leaned over Abby, her hand gently resting on her restrained arms.
“You’re not okay though, are you?”
Abby knew how this bullshit worked. No matter what she said, the doctors always found a way to twist her words. If Abby said she were fine, Dr. Amari would reference Abby’s freak-out at the school. If Abby expressed how angry she was, they’d keep her in the crazy ward and she’d never get back to Lily.
So Abby remained quiet. Dr. Amari gently unhooked the restraints and sank down beside Abby on the bed.