Lily: Captive to the Dark

by Alaska Angelini

Zain

  My uncle had never been a good shot, but this time, he hadn’t missed. Fire engulfed the top of my shoulder and I stayed perfectly still as I listened for his footsteps on my wooden floor. My gun still rested in my hand and I was taking a chance by being a sitting duck, but if I wanted not to risk injury to Mary, I’d have to continue to play dead until he at least got far enough away from her for me to do anything.

  His voice filled my ears and I tried making my breathing as light as possible.

  “Your husband has been nothing but a nuisance since he came into our lives all those years ago. Things were never the same after he took Lily. Her actions when she returned ruined everything. You have no idea the pleasure I’m going to get out of this.”

  Footsteps had one of my eyes opening the slightest amount. Saul was still behind Mary, even more out of my sight. He moved in on the side of her, his fingers gripping her hip from behind. “And we’ll get there very soon. But first…” He moved around, his face coming into view. My eye lowered, closing, and I knew he’d probably missed it. One footstep. Another. On the third, I opened my eye the smallest amount again and let them fly open as I caught his gun trained on me only a few feet away. I rolled more toward the wall closest to Mary and pointed away from her as my hand flew up and I pulled the trigger. Blood oozed from the wound in the front of his thigh and he buckled, falling to his knees. I shot at the gun, watching it fly from his hand and slide a few feet away on the floor.

  “You were always pathetic when it came to anything but beating slaves. Now, I’m going to be the one to enjoy this.”

  I stood, keeping my weapon aimed at him as I grabbed his gun and put it at the small of my back. I walked over, untying the rope that restrained Mary. Her arms dropped and I caught her as her legs gave out. Grunts of pain left my uncle, but I ignored them as I steadied Mary.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I think so,” she said, sniffling.

  “Good. I need you to listen to me and follow my orders. Do you understand?”

  Blonde hair swayed as she nodded and I untied her hands. She cried out as she tried to lift her hand to wipe away the tears.

  “I need you to go sit down against the wall and not move until I come back out and get you. Do you think you can do that?”

  Her eyes went to the back wall and then to my uncle. At her glare toward him, she nodded, confidently. “I’ll be waiting. Take your time.”

  I almost smiled, but instead, I handed her the gun. “If anyone you don’t know comes up, feel free to shoot them.”

  “Gladly.”

  I left her side and grabbed the rope. At me stalking forward, removing my shirt, Saul tried to crawl away. I placed my gun in the lining of my pants and weaved my fingers through his hair, jerking him up.

  “No, don’t do this. Zain, we’re family. Zain.”

  I stuffed the bloody part of my shirt into his mouth, more punching my fingers into his mouth than anything. Saul gagged while I tied the cloth around his head.

  “Yeah, we’re family. Can you taste it, Uncle? They say blood is thicker than water, but I’ll take water over bad blood any day.” My palm flattened on his back and I pushed him toward the restroom with everything I had. The door exploded open at his force and he fell to the ground, catching his head on the sink on the way down. I stormed forward, grabbing for his shirt as I tossed him in the bathtub.

  “Speaking of blood, I do believe you owe me some. Did you really think you could take my child away from me and live? Did you think I wouldn’t find you and make you pay?”

  I pulled out the knob, cranking the water to as hot as it would go. With his head toward the drain, I waited for the temperature to increase.

  “The pain you’re about to experience is nothing compared to what you’ve done to me or Lily, but I’m sure as hell going to try to make it as even as possible.”

  His shoulder-length hair floated in the pooling water, mixing with the blood that seeped from the deep laceration on the side of his head. I reached into my waistband and pulled out my knife, clicking it open. As I rose higher on my knees, my other hand grabbed at the shirt he was wearing. The blade slid easily through the material until his chest and stomach were exposed. His eyes went wide and I could tell he was still somewhat out of it from the fall. Muffled sounds filled the room and he began to thrash.

  “Why don’t we start where you caused the most pain for my slave.” I slammed my hand over his mouth and plunged the tip of the blade into his lower stomach, slicing toward his navel. He screamed and I pushed harder on his mouth. “Do you think that’s the sensation she felt when you repeatedly kicked and punched your fist into her stomach?” I narrowed my eyes. “No? How about this?”

  Before I had only used maybe a half inch of the blade, but this time, I pushed in deeper, dragging up the other side. Scorching water burned my fingertips and I lifted my lip in disgust as I stared down at his struggling body.

  “Perhaps I’m getting a little closer. If I remember correctly, which, trust me, I haven’t forgotten a single bruise you placed on her body, I do believe you made sure to get her entire midsection. Let’s take care of that area, too.”

  The constantly low-pitched screams surrounded me and I didn’t take my eyes off of his while I lightly cut my way higher up his stomach. The blood made my hands slippery and I gripped tighter, using his body as resistance to get better grip.

  “Oh, yes. This is definitely making me feel better. How do you feel, Uncle? Are you beginning to regret hurting Lily and all those poor girls? I hope what I’m doing to you isn’t shit compared to what you’re going to experience in hell.”

  “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Hands were suddenly gripping my arms and pulling me to stand. I jerked against the restraint from behind, not ready to be finished. Gaige’s voice barely filtered through, but all I saw was my knife floating in the water. Slowly, I lifted my gaze and watched Saul’s eyes roll. He wasn’t fighting anymore. Crimson soaked his stomach and chest. Spray littered the side of the tub. He’d bled so much that the little amount of water surrounding him was a mixture of light and dark red.

  “Fuck,” Gaige breathed out. “How the hell am I going to explain this?”

  “You’re not going to have to.” Blake walked around the edge of the door, a smile pulling at the edge of his mouth as he stared down into the tub. “Nice work. I’m impressed. Although, I’d say you got a little carried away and made him bleed out a little too fast.” He tilted his head and followed the steam up to the ceiling. “But the hot water was a nice touch.”

  Gaige let go, shaking his head. “Okay, we can compare later. Blake, call who you need to and…do your thing. Me, I’m getting Zain and Mary out of here.”

  Pounding footsteps had all of us looking over. Slade broke up the stairs, barely looking at us as he turned and rushed deeper in the room. Crying told me he made it to Mary and I was about to turn away when I saw Lily rush through the opening. Dark hair hung loosely from the pins and she wasn’t wearing shoes. I could barely process what I was seeing before she was throwing herself into my arms.

  “I thought you were hurt or…” She held me tighter and I wrapped my arms around her, wincing at the pain at the top of my shoulder and my side. Both were just nicks, but the stinging was hard to ignore.

  “Wait.” She pulled back, looking at my body. “You are hurt. Jesus.”

  “Shh.” I pulled her back to me, but she looked up and into the tub.

  “Oh…my God.” A strangled sound left her and my stomach flipped. My hands spun her back to face me and I pulled her from the restroom as fast as I could.

  “You don’t need to see that. Come here, let me hold you. I was so scared when I heard about the shootings.”

  Lilian melted into my arms and I glanced up to see Slade holding Mary, but looking at me. I couldn’t read his face. Couldn’t even begin to decipher what he was thinking. In that moment, he could have hated me or been grateful and I wouldn’t have been able to distinguish the emotion he
was so good at hiding.

  “Let’s go home,” Mary said, pulling back to glance up. It was enough to break Slade’s stare.

  “Of course. We’ll get you home and have the doctor come over to check you out. Are you sure you’re okay?” His finger traced her face and she nodded.

  “I’m fine. I just want to go.”

  “The moment Marcio arrives, we will. Brace had to ditch the car we came in.”

  Gaige emerged from the restroom. “Come on, I’ll take you. Blake needs to take care of things here and we shouldn’t be in his way.”

  “It’s okay. I’m responsible. I can stay.” I held Lily tighter, giving her a squeeze before I stepped back.

  “No,” Slade ground out. “You’re going. The doctor needs to check you out, too. Apparently, someone doesn’t listen very well when they’re told to wear their damn vest.” At that moment, I knew. Slade didn’t hate me. His expression softened and he shook his head, breaking his gaze and wrapping his arms around Mary as he buried his face in her hair.

  As I looked down, Lily’s eyebrows drew in and I could have cursed Slade for ratting me out. He’d probably done it on purpose.

  “We’ll talk about that later. Let’s get you home.” I looked over, nodding to Blake, a silent thank you I knew he caught. He returned the gesture and I grabbed a shirt, sliding it on. Gaige led the way down the stairs and I knew it was probably the last time I’d ever go down them. Lily wouldn’t want to live here. She wouldn’t want to take a shower in the only tub I had, where my uncle had been killed. I was going to have to start over again, but this time would be the last. No more rentals. No more prolonging what I knew I wanted. The next house would be purchased and it would be the one Lilian and I would come home to after our marriage. It would be the one we raised our children in. It would be the one we’d build the foundation of our new relationship on. My past was history now. It was time to start a new beginning. One with the woman I loved.

  Chapter 47

  Lily

  Three months later.

  Air burned my lungs as I raced through the crowded streets in my heels, dodging couples emerging from the packed Italian restaurant. No more guards. No more protection. In this moment, I was free. Unafraid of being hurt or alone. I’d come so far in the months that followed Saul’s death. I felt unstoppable when it came to my confidence, but that barely registered in my impatience to make inside.

  I slowed enough to weave around a man exiting and broke into the entrance, nearly sliding on the tile floors as I came to a stop. Stands of hair fell from my bun and I reached up, trying to pat it back.

  “Robert’s party, please.” My breathless request was greeted with a smile from the hostess. I followed while she began to lead me through the tables, toward the back. Work...I’d been so caught up in the details of closing this newest deal, I’d completely forgotten to check the time.

  We stepped through a door and a table of women looked up. Zain sat in the corner with Slade, Blake, and Gaige. My brother and boyfriend both smiled as I gave an apologetic expression. They had an all too knowing look on their face and I couldn’t stop the guilt from making me rush forward. Mary stood from the table, her rounding stomach visible as the dress fell loose.

  “I’m sorry I’m late. I tried to hurry.”

  She laughed while I came around to sit beside her. “You’re only a few minutes late. It’s okay. We were keeping ourselves occupied with stories. Elle was just telling us about her adventures with Connor when he was a toddler.”

  My smile grew as our eyes connected. Elle and I had become very close while working together at the foundation. Even Kaitlyn was present for the baby shower, although we were only just getting to know her. Our pain had brought us all together and it hadn’t taken long for Mary or Blake’s wife to want to help in any way they could. A chapter was being opened in Texas and we were determined to bring in more awareness in whatever way we could to what we all knew needed to be stopped.

  “So, where do we begin?” I asked, grabbing a strawberry from the platter of fruit on middle of the table. “I’m dying to know if I’m having a niece or a nephew. The anticipation is killing me.”

  Mary glanced over to Slade, but turned back to all of us. “I was told we had to play a few games before we cut the cake. Don’t worry, though, it’s been driving me crazy, too. Slade and I have had to wait a week already. I can’t believe we decided not to know until we saw the color inside of the cake. Whose idea was that again?”

  “Mine,” Kaitlyn said, laughing. “And it’s a great thing to do. The torture will be well worth it when you learn what you’re having.”

  “Agreed,” Elle said, standing. “So, let’s get started. I can’t wait to find out either.” She reached into a small bag and pulled out a clothespin, opening and closing it. “This, will be our first game. She grabbed what looked to be an old milk bottle from the table and walked over, setting it on the ground. “What you’re going to do is hold the clothespin against the middle of your stomach, like so,” she said, demonstrating. “And then, see if you can make it in the bottle. The one with the most wins a prize. Mary,” she said, gesturing, “you’re first.”

  Slade laughed as Mary walked around, took a handful of clothespins, and began letting them drop. One bounced off the rim and she closed one eye, trying to aim.

  I grabbed another slice of fruit and leaned over the table to see better. One by one, she let them fall and everyone cheered when she dropped the fourth one inside.

  “Great job!” Elle took out the clothespins and we all waited as the other nine women went. When it became my turn, I couldn’t stop staring at Zain. The hunger in his eyes was undeniable. The last few weeks consisted of nothing but hello and goodbye as we both stayed extremely busy. But not by Slade’s choice. By mine.

  Something happened to me the day I saw Saul’s stomach shredded. Zain’s brutality hadn’t scared me, but my curiosity regarding my brother’s concerns did. I’d been in denial for so long about what Zain really did, I’d shut myself off to the possibility that he’d possibly need that sort of lifestyle. I knew I could accept it if he did. It was just who he was, but not knowing for sure was what held me back. Was he done with the darker side of his life or was killing something he had to do? So far, he’d buried himself in work at Slade Industries, and deep down, I knew it was going to last. The more I saw him learn and grow from the corporate world, the more I believed he’d found his passion. His determination was quickly moving him up the ladder, but no faster than anyone else putting in just as much work. He fought for everything. Stayed the long hours right beside me, volunteered for assignments…he was quickly making a name for himself.

  “Three! Good job, Lily.”

  I laughed, glancing back up at my Master, who never broke his stare. It sent my heart thudding and my body burning for whatever he wished to do.

  Elle pulled out a box and I tried to focus as the next game began, but I couldn’t stop taking quick looks over to the table where Zain sat. He was leaned back in the chair, his dark suit accentuating his light eyes. The intensity had me blinking and glancing up at Elle as she had me draw a number from the box she held. I glanced down, repeating it as she moved on to the next person.

  I grabbed a glass of water, sitting before me and took a big drink. The coolness traveled all the way down my stomach and I shivered. More from the sensitivity within me than anything. Even when I wasn’t looking, I could feel my Master’s eyes on me. My hand came down, pulling at the black, knee-length dress and I paused, gripping at the hem. Flashbacks of Zain cornering me in the kitchen had me shifting in my chair as I remembered back.

  “You’re avoiding me.” The top half of my body was pushed over the top of the counter from the flat of his palm. I had immediately moaned as his fingers traced up the back of my thigh, pushing under my dress until he teased over the lace covering my pussy. “You keep doing that, by the time I get my hands on you, you might come to regret it. Fuck, slave, I want you so bad.”
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  Talking through the hallway had cut our episode short, and that was four days ago.

  “Is it almost time?” Mary glanced over at the cake and Elle handed Kaitlyn a length of string.

  “Almost. Last game. Now,” Elle stretched out the length in her hand. “I’m going to walk around and everyone needs to cut the string where you think it’ll wrap around Mary’s stomach. The closest to the actual fit will win.”

  I grabbed the scissors as she came to me first and stretched the string out, looking over at Mary and trying to imagine the perfect size. I moved closer in, seeing that she wasn’t that big. Not yet.

  “There.” I smiled placing the rope on the table while everyone else had their turn. Squeals and heavy laughter had me feeling lighter. I watched while everyone came to wrap their piece around her. There were a few that came close, but when I moved in to check mine, my jaw dropped and I raised my eyebrows.

  “Winner,” Elle said, handing me a baby rattle. “Great job, Lily.” She handed me a lighter. Would you like to do the honors? I think we’re all ready to see the big surprise.”

  I took the lighter as Slade came over with Mary to stand beside me. The flame flickered and I watched the wax melt from the wick, sliding down toward the icing. My stare became trapped for the slightest moment as memories of Zain and I with the wax exploded in my mind. Just as I glanced up, he stood, coming forward. Slowly, I lifted, stepping back so my brother and Mary could take their place.

  “Again,” Zain whispered, coming in behind me and pulling back against him. “Tonight.”

  Swallowing was almost impossible as I nodded and stared ahead. Slade and Mary both lowered, blowing out the candle. Their hands connected over the knife and I smiled while they eased it down. Laughter shot out and Mary giggled as her excitement shone through. They drew the handle back and wedged the slice. Silence filled the room and Mary let go, letting Slade lift the piece.

  Cheers erupted and my hand shot to my mouth as I laughed. “Pink!” More than one person yelled it and Mary began clapping as Slade’s eyes widened in shock.