"I saw him detonate the bomb. I saw him do it. I thought you were dead," I cry, the tears falling even harder now as I catch my breath.
"No baby, Jacob got us out before the bomb went off. Everyone is fine. You need to rest, Lilly flower, please relax and go to sleep." His eyes never leave mine as I feel him rubbing my arm and then see Emma step behind him and then Jacob. The sobs that are choking me are from joy. Everyone I love and care about is right here with me.
"We're not leaving you, baby, please close those beautiful eyes and sleep," he says again. I feel so happy that I do what he says and let sleep take me.
Chapter 3
"Hey, Lil." I look up to see Emma. She's blurry, but she is a beautiful sight. "You hungry? I would like you to eat," she says, pointing to a tray on the table next to me. I feel a hundred percent better from the last time I woke up.
"How long have I been asleep? Where's Luke?" I panic thinking I might have dreamed the whole thing.
"He'll be right back. He's talking to his parents in the hall. You have been asleep for two days and he has not ventured farther than just outside the door since we found you," she assures me, and then all of it comes back to me like a horrible nightmare. She must see the terror in my eyes and the realization of what happened because she quickly moves to reassure me I am safe.
"It's okay, Lil. You need to get your strength back first then we will tell you everything. Right now you need to eat and relax, okay?" I nod at her to let her know I understand and turn when I hear the door open. Luke is walking toward me and I feel my cheeks burn as the smile forms on my face. Even my cheeks are sore.
"I love you, I love you so much," Luke says, pressing his soft lips to my forehead. "I'm so sorry, baby." He pulls back looking deep into my eyes.
I shift my gaze to Emma, confused. "Why are you sorry, what's wrong?" I see Emma shoot Luke a warning as I try to sit up, but it hurts too badly. Sharp pains shoot through my side. I try to hide the wince, to not let the pain show.
"I told Lilly we would explain everything when she has her strength back up." Emma moves to help me sit up, adjusting the pillow behind me so that I can sit without pain. "She needs to eat."
"No, if something is wrong I need to know. Why are you sorry?"
"Baby, nothing is wrong, I swear. I am just sorry that you had to go through this," he says, bringing my hand to his lips brushing my knuckles with gentle kisses. "Let's try to get some food in you." He grabs for the tray and pulls it to me.
Emma grabs some red Jell-O, opening the lid and dipping the spoon in, she tries to feed me a bite. I grab the spoon from her. "I can feed myself," I snap and they both laugh, laughter that is choked as if it is a long time coming.
"There's my feisty girl, God I love you," Luke says, his eyes beaming at me. I give him a smile and his face lights up even more. "God, that is the most beautiful sight in the world."
I eat my Jell-O gone. I never thought red Jell-O could taste so good and I ask Emma if I can have more. She rushes out the door and returns seconds later, her arms full of little red Jell-O cups.
I laugh aloud as she dumps the cups on my tray. "I meant one more, Em." She just shrugs and opens another cup for me.
"Where's Jacob?" I ask them as I take another bite.
"He's with Lucy. She is still admitted for observation," Luke answers. He must see the worry on my face and answers me before I can get the question out. "The Ketamine he gave her was too much for her tiny body. It is taking longer to get out of her system. He gave you a much smaller dose. We think he didn't anticipate her being there and gave her a dose he would have given Jacob," he explains and I feel instant guilt for her and what she had to go through.
"If it wasn't for her, we never would have found you." Luke chokes and I can see his eyes watering. "As soon as she woke up she asked for a laptop and found you using the tracking system she developed." I remember her sticking the small square on my back.
"She put it on me, I forgot all about it."
"Yes she did, thank God. She's smart. It was something she came up with. We had to wait for her to wake up so she could track you." A single tear rolls down his cheek making my heart break. "Lilly, if we didn't find you. . . ."
"Luke, please, we can get into all of this later." Emma speaks up no doubt feeling the tension in my body.
"No, I want to know. Did you catch him?" I can't believe I am just now thinking of this.
They both look at each other and their eyes tell me that it is not good. Oh my God, he’s still out there. I can tell by their hesitation to answer.
"No, no, no." I can't breathe again. I feel myself start hyperventilating as I try to catch my breath. Luke wraps me in his arms, my head resting on his hard chest. I feel his heart beating fast. This only makes me more anxious.
"Lilly, you need to calm down, baby girl." I hear Jacob’s voice and look up to the concern on his face. "We'll get him, with your help," he says and I can tell he is barely holding it together.
"My. . .my help?" I stutter.
"You are the only one who knows what he looks like, we have nothing. He wasn't anywhere when we found you and he did a good job covering his tracks. The dogs followed his scent to a road, but that's where it ended," Jacob explains and he looks tired, they all look tired, as if they haven't slept in days.
"He was hired by Jane to kill me." I blurt out just remembering what he had told me.
"What?" Emma, Luke, and Jacob all say simultaneously.
"He said he was to kill me before my eighteenth birthday, but he fell in love with me. He couldn't do it so he took care of her." Repeating his words, emotion takes over me. I start to laugh. I'm laughing so hard it hurts, all the muscles in my body screaming at me to stop. It only makes me laugh harder.
"Lilly, baby," Luke says, the look of confusion on his face makes the tears start flowing. Now I am laughing and crying at the same time, like a mental patient. Holding my red Jell-O in one hand and holding my side with the other as all the emotions rip through me.
"What do you mean, he took care of her?" Jacob says, sitting on the edge of my hospital bed, giving me a look that tells me he thinks I might be losing it. I wipe my cheeks with the palms of my hands finally able to control my emotional outburst. Emma is standing on one side , Luke on the other, both of them with amazing concern on their faces.
"That's what he said." I reach for a tissue to blow my nose, cringing in pain at the slight movement. Emma hands me the box, rubbing my shoulder.
"He said he killed Jane?" Emma asks.
I nod as I blow my nose.
"So, it wasn't an accident? The crash wasn't an accident?" Emma glances at Jacob then Luke.
"That's what he said," I repeat myself.
"Why was he hired to kill you?"
"He just said that Jane told him that I had to be dead before I turned eighteen and everything changed." I shrug, maybe I seem nonchalant, but I'm tired and the whole thing is just crazy.
"Did he say why?" Luke now speaks up, grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his lips.
"He didn't know why, but he fell in love with me so he couldn't do it."
"Well thank God for that at least. The stupid bitch was going to have you killed. Why the hell for? As soon as you were eighteen she was going to exile you." Luke glances at Jacob.
"When you're ready we will bring in a sketch artist so we can at least see what he looks like. We don't even know if he knows we have you. There have been Feds staking out the place since we found you and he hasn't returned."
"He said he was going to leave me there until the coast was clear." I tell them remembering the words he uttered before he left. "How long has it been since I've been gone?" I have no idea what day it is other than Emma telling me I had been asleep for two days.
"He took you five days ago, baby." Luke finally speaks, letting me go from his embrace and I see him shudder.
"What do you remember?" Emma leans in asking me softly.
"I remember you, Jimmy, and Jacob
leaving to get your clothes, and then he was there behind Luke and he went down. I was so scared you were dead," I choke through the sobs. Luke moves to sit on the bed with me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, kissing the top of my head, and giving me the strength to go on.
"Lucy came in next and she put that thing on my back, and then he put the needle in her neck and she went down too." The tears are rolling again, and even though Emma looks as if she is going to stop me, I continue.
"He had a bomb. The only reason I went with him so easily was because I thought he would use it if I fought." They all seem to understand. I was afraid they would think me weak for allowing him to take me so easily.
"He had a blue van, a big one, and the windows were blacked out." I recall my memory and Jacob takes out his phone telling someone on the other end about the blue van.
"After he put me in the back he put the needle in my neck and everything went black, but I saw him push the detonator. I thought you were all dead," I choke out, burying my face in Luke's neck.
"Jacob got us out, he saved our lives, baby. He dragged us out and to safety before the bomb went off." Luke kisses my forehead comforting me. "The house is gone, though," he tells me gently, like I am going to be upset. I don't care about the damn house. All I care is that everyone I love is okay.
"Do you think you are ready to talk to the sketch artist?" Jacob tenderly asks, trying not to push me. "If not it's fine, baby girl."
"Yes, bring him in. I'm ready," I assure them and Jacob leaves the room.
Chapter 4
Matt Henning
I ditched the van after I heard on the scanners there was a BOLO out for it. I was home free. I was out of Louisiana on my way to Mexico. I had a bag full of cash, enough cash to have lived comfortably for the rest of my life. But instead of driving toward freedom, I turned around heading back toward Lilly. I hated how rough I had to be with her, and leaving her where I did. I just had to hide her where I thought no one would find her. How did I get here?
I was a good kid, got straight A's in school, was popular, played sports, and got laid every weekend. That was until I graduated and enlisted in the Army. It was only a few months in when I was recruited to the Rangers. My nick name was Dead Shot because I never missed my target.
I was one of the top snipers in all of the U.S. Military. I had two skills, both I did extremely well. Kill people and be invisible. I lost count of how many I had killed over the years. The number was high. I was numbed to it eventually. You had to be when you did what I did.
It all changed when I had my orders to kill Abu Sameer, an influential man in Iran's government. Once I had completed my assignment, there was a huge backlash. My people turned on me to save their asses, saying I was a rogue agent and was not following orders. I was dishonorably discharged within a month.
What does a man do when his only skills are killing people and staying invisible? Well, for the first few months I drank at strip clubs and fucked a lot of women. I was a little rough in the sack, some liked it some didn't. I didn't care either way. If a woman left my bed crying it just made it better for me.
I probably would have drank myself to death, but one day an old buddy contacted me telling me he knew someone who had a job for me. That's how I got started in contract killing. All my kills were clean, one shot and dead. The more I did, the more money I got paid, and eventually was on the books of some very bad people.
I was in Louisiana for a job, to kill a Supreme Court judge. I had finished and was on my way out of the state when I was contacted. She must have had a lot of money, because no one got my number unless they paid for it. She wanted me to kill her daughter before she turned eighteen.
Now, I'm a frosty son of a bitch, but even I thought that was cold. It would be a day or two job at the most, with a million dollar pay day. After she transferred half in my account, I started. The mother wanted to be gone the day it happened.
On that day, I waited till dusk. I had scouted out a good spot about 200 yards away from the girl's window. Settling in on the sturdy branch of the giant live oak, I waited. That was the worst part about the job, the waiting. It could really mess with your mind. There were some tricks they taught you to use, like imagining yourself in the life of your target. Like a daydream, to make the time pass.
I didn't have to wait too long. A little after the darkness had set in, the girl's light turned on. The blinds were open and through my scope it was as if I was in the room with her. I waited while she moved around the room, hoping that she would come by the window so I could finish the job that night.
She was half in my sights when she removed her shirt. The first thing I noticed was how smooth her skin looked, wearing only her jeans and a lacy bra. I looked away from the scope, shaking my head of its thoughts. I had never noticed things like that. I was a robot who had one thing on his mind, waiting for the kill shot.
Taking my place again, I had her in my sights. Her hair was soft brown, brushing over her shoulders. I could hardly believe the girl was only almost eighteen. She's a woman, a gorgeous woman like nothing I had ever seen. I shut my eyes tight to get the thoughts that were racing through my head out of my mind. Opening them again, she was staring out the window. It's like she could sense me there, even though I knew there was no way she could see me. Looking through my scope, I felt as if she was staring right into my eyes.
Her eyes were sad, but beautiful. I had the perfect kill shot. One tiny squeeze of my index finger, the girl would be dead and would have never felt a thing. My job would be done. I could leave this state before the heat on me with the judge got too bad.
She ran her hands through her hair still staring out the window directly at me, telling me she saw me and that she didn't want to die. She was telling me to come to her, to be with her. Then she was gone from the window and out of my sights. Soon after, the lights turned off.
Jumping out of the tree, I hunched down staring at the house so confused about what had just happened. Why didn't I take the shot? It had never been such a perfect shot, ever.
Needless to say, that is how it was the next two nights I tried to kill Lilly Sumnor. It wasn't long before her fucking bitch of a mother was on my ass. I also knew that I was never going to kill Lilly ever, that the only thing I was going to do was make her mine and take care of anyone that got in my way.
Chapter 5
I sit on the edge of the bed with Luke on one side and Emma on the other as I try to explain the face of the man. After my explanation, as best as I can remember and with a little coaxing from the tall, skinny police officer holding the pad and pencil, he turns the paper around to show me his sketch.
"That's him." I tremble seeing the picture. I can't believe by the few words I used to explain him that he was able to capture him so well.
Jacob grabs the picture from the officer and rushes out of the room.
"Now what?" I ask the officer as he gets up to leave the room also.
"We'll put out an APB and his picture will be in every police station in the state and all surrounding states. We'll get him, Miss Sumnor," he reassures me with a nod and exits the room.
Emma helps me lay back in bed, the pain from my broken ribs stabbing as I move. The door opens again, and in a wheel chair looking frail and tired Lucy rolls in with Jacob pushing her toward the bed. She looks as if she has lost weight and looks very tired. I don't know how I am ever going to repay her for what she has gone through for me.
"Lucy," I say, beaming at her and trying to get up again so I can give her a well-deserved hug. Both Luke and Emma hold me down not wanting me to get up again. Hot tears start rolling down my cheeks when I look in her eyes. "I'm so sorry." I sob seeing the worry in her eyes.
"She had to come see you with her own eyes," Jacob says lovingly as he rubs her shoulders.
"Thank you, Lucy," I say between sobs, "I'm so sorry you had to go through this."
"I'm sorry it took so long to find you, I tried so hard to wake up. I heard everyth
ing for so long, but couldn't wake up." Her tears are rolling faster and harder. Jacob kneels in front of her reassuring her that it is okay. I can hear the love in his voice as he strokes her face and mumbles words to make her calm down.
Luke holds me, his arms around me and his lips in my hair as I cry. "Everyone is alive and is going to be okay," he sooths, "we are all going to be okay."
Lucy and I exchange a gaze and it’s as if I am telling her it’s okay and she is telling me the same. Jacob takes her back to her room saying that she needs to get some sleep and she will rest easier seeing for herself that I am fine. The doctor tells her he will discharge her as soon as she gets some rest.
My doctor also tells me that I will probably be discharged in the next couple of days as long as I have plenty of fluids, can eat solid food, and they are sure that the cuts I have are not going to get infected.
That night Emma went home to her parents with Jimmy and had police cars situated outside their house. Luke stayed with me and held me in his arms while I slept very well. Jacob stayed with Lucy and there were police guarding both our rooms. It was pretty much like this for the next few days before I was finally discharged. Luke handled me with kid gloves. Even though he never left my side, I felt a distance that I didn't like. When I tried to ask him he would distract me and change the subject. I tried to tell myself he was just worried that they hadn't caught the man yet.
Once the sketch circulated, it didn't take long before they were able to put a name to the face, Matt Henning age thirty-two was found and apprehended at the Louisiana state line.
It wasn't a day that he had been held captive when I was visited by two FBI agents in my hospital room.
"Ms. Sumnor, I'm Agent Givens and this is Agent Westchester." The taller of the two men introduce themselves. They are both wearing black suits and are very serious looking.
"What's this about?" Luke says, standing in front of my bed almost like a human shield between me and the agents. The agents move farther into the room which makes Luke more nervous. He orders Emma to get Jacob, which she does with a mad dash out of the room.
Unbreakable 2, The Mystery of Lilly (Cypress Grove Series) Page 2
