Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 323(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“Come on, girls.” I keep my hand on Lily’s back as we make our way down the alley toward the SUV.
Lily slides into the back with Teddy. In the rearview, I can see that she’s staring at her hands. The drive back is quiet, which isn’t normal for the two of them. They’re shaken. Seeing them that way only pisses me off more, knowing it’s partly on me and Killian for not protecting them. My only solace is that those two motherfuckers that attacked them are going to pay.
I pull up to the house and kill the engine. In the mirror, I watch Lily meet my eyes for one second before she looks away.
I get out and open her door. “Go inside,” I say. “Both of you. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I can tell they are sorry. It’s all over them, but right now I’m still pissed and don’t trust myself. Lily was almost abducted or worse, and all I can think about is pinning her down and fucking the hell out of her so I know she’s still here with me. All of it is building up inside of me. I need to release it.
She nods, and she and Teddy enter the house. Once the door is closed, I can finally take a full breath. I know where I’ll be taking out that frustration. Killian and I are going to do a little gardening.
Chapter Twenty-Two
LILY
Well, that plan blew up in our faces. I wrap my arms around myself. Tristan is big mad at me. Not in the usual way, either. This is different. I could see a rage simmering underneath that he was trying to control.
Teddy jerks on my elbow, making me drop my folded arms. She grabs my hand. “Come on. We’re going to the vault.”
“Right now?” I’ve heard of the vault before, and there have been jokes; honestly, I didn’t know if it was a joke or if there really was one. With Teddy you never know.
“Yeppers. It’s my happy place.” She pulls me through the house, past the kitchen, down a hallway I haven’t explored. “You can even pet Reginald.”
“Who the hell is Reginald?” Does she have someone locked in her vault? Again, not fully shocked by this.
She doesn’t answer me. Instead, she punches a code into a wall panel, says, “Open sesame seed,” and the heavy door clicks open.
“You know it’s just open…” I trail off because it doesn’t matter and because the vault door is now all the way open and I can see inside. Holy Scrooge McDuck! A small laugh leaves me. I almost don’t believe my own eyes.
The vault is bigger than my bedroom at Tristan’s, which is saying a hell of a lot because that room was crazy big. It’s lined with shelves that hold pure chaos. Velvet crowns in pinks and gold. A gold bar sitting on a velvet pillow like it belongs in a museum.
On another side are first edition romance novels with covers featuring bare-chested pirates. Antique handcuffs in a glass case. A single orchid under its own tiny grow light. And in the corner, staring at me with glass eyes, is a taxidermic peacock. I honestly cannot make this shit up. I blink a few times to make sure I’m seeing what I’m seeing.
“Was that ice cream laced with shrooms? And none of this is really here because all of it is crazy.”
“That’s Reginald,” Teddy says, hopping over to the bird, and she starts stroking his feathers. “Don’t be rude. Say hello.”
“Hey, Reginald,” I say because not saying hello to the peacock is not the hill I’m going to die on today. There are bigger birds to grill around here.
“He’s very comforting.” She moves to a mini fridge. “I’m excited about this part because I’ve never gotten to do it. Ready?” she asks, and I simply nod. “The emergency supplies.”
She opens the fridge to reveal champagne.
“I think I might actually need a glass at this point,” I say, elbowing Reginald. “You want one too?”
“Don’t be rude.” Teddy gives me a look. “He’s been sober for eight years.”
“When did he die?” I ask.
“Eight years ago.” The cork pops, and I scream when it flies over my head.
She pours it into two crystal flutes, handing me one. I don’t even know if I like champagne. Only one way to find out.
“To not dying,” Teddy says, raising her glass.
“Guess I’ll cheers to that.” We clink the glasses together and drink. The bubbles burn going down.
Teddy sinks onto a velvet settee that has no business being in a vault. I sit beside her. The champagne hits fast, probably because I haven’t eaten since breakfast, before I decided to flee my captor and nearly get kidnapped. What’s with all these men trying to steal me? I’m popular.
I stare at a painting hanging on the wall with a light over it. “Is that a…” I trail off.