Trusted Fate

by Lara Jones

  John smiled and looked over Lily’s shoulder at Alec.

  “She’s out, Alec.”

  “Oh, God. I’m wiped.”

  “Yeah, I know how you’re feeling. I’ve never had an orgasm like that in my life.”

  “If it gets any better, it might just kill us.”

  John chuckled.

  Alec gently pulled out of her.

  “I’m going to get washed up and get a cloth to clean her. I’ll be right back.”

  He was back with the cloth a few minutes later.

  “Lift her leg a bit, John.”

  John lifted her top thigh, murmuring to her when it disturbed her in her sleep and she started to act distressed.

  Alec threw the cloth toward the bathroom, turned off the lights, and lay down behind her. He looked toward the bedroom window where he could see the night darken and moonlight glance off the house next door as he let the peace of the moment fill his soul.

  “Jesus, John, I don’t have the words to explain how I’m feeling right now. She touched a deep-seated part of me I never knew existed.”

  “I get it. It’s the same for me. We’re never going to let her go,” John whispered groggily.

  “Never,” Alec agreed before he wrapped an arm around her from behind, kissed the side of her head, and then slept.

  Chapter 17

  The bell over the diner rang. It was automatic for people to turn to greet their neighbor.

  The small woman stood just inside. She was dressed in bulky old clothing and wore a wide-brimmed hat down over her ears.

  Her eyes scanned the restaurant. They widened when she caught sight of the two policemen sitting at a booth. Fear raced through her at the idea of them calling her father. Her only option at this moment was to stay because if she turned and ran like her mind was telling her, too, they would definitely give chase.

  Joe and Adam looked at each other and then back at her. They could tell she was exceedingly nervous and tried to hide it, and all their instinct yelled for them to keep an eye on her. They watched her walk to the counter.

  “What can I get ya, honey?” Carol asked and frowned and became concerned at how pale she was.

  “Um, I’ve been looking for my friend, and she stopped here. It was several weeks ago. I’m not sure if she moved on or not.”

  “What’s your friend's name, sweetheart?”

  “Lily. Her name’s Lily, and she’s about my size.”

  Joe and Adam instantly stiffened. They’d been told all about this Lily and how she had been claimed by Alec and John, two of their friends. They hadn’t had a chance to meet her yet, and this might be their chance. They could also figure out what this girl was so afraid of.

  They both stood, dropped some money down on the table, and walked to her slowly. They could tell the instant she was aware of them.

  Grace stiffened when two men, the police, stood behind her. Bile crept up her throat as alarm and then panic tried to take hold.

  “What do you need help with, sweetheart?”

  Grace gritted her teeth. She didn’t like having male attention. Most males terrified her. She turned slowly and took a hasty step back when she realized how large they were. Her gaze swept the diner for an escape of any kind.

  “We know this Lily you’re talking about, and we can take you to her,” Adam told her.

  Grace’s mouth dropped open in shock. She never would have guessed Lily stayed where the truck driver let her off. There was so much she didn’t know, and what she did know, she needed to warn Lily.

  “Can you take me to her?”

  “Sure,” the darker of the two said and grabbed her upper arm and started for the door.

  Grace dug in her heels and tried to pull his hand from her arm.

  “No. Wait. I could stay here. Could you bring her to me instead?” Grace said frantically.

  The other cop nudged her from behind.

  “No. You’ll come with us.”

  They pulled her along between them the few blocks to the police station.

  A panic started in Grace’s stomach. If they tried to get in touch with her father, she wouldn’t have a great chance of getting ahead of him, and the thought of putting Lily in danger sickened her.

  “Wait. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Joe nodded. “We know that.”

  “Then why am I being arrested?”

  The men stopped suddenly on the sidewalk on their way into the building.

  Adam looked around then back at her. “You’re not be arrested, sweetheart. We’re trying to help you find your friend.”

  “No, I’m sorry I bothered you. I can find her on my own…”

  “No. You’re staying with us,” Joe said as he tried to soften his tone. He didn’t like the fact they were scaring the poor girl, but no one knew a lot about Lily, so it was suspicious for someone to show up in the same town asking for her.

  Adam used his thumb to caress her arm through her shirt.

  “Easy. No one is going to hurt you.”

  Grace shook her head and blinked back tears. That’s what all men said.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Both men turned, and Grace jumped and tried to wrench herself away from them again.

  “Boss, this girl came into the diner asking for Lily.”

  Liam’s eyebrows shot up. “How do you know Lily?”

  “Listen, I don’t think it’s a crime to find someone you know, is it?”

  “No, ma’am, it isn’t, but in this town, we protect our women.”

  Grace froze and something inside of her relaxed.

  “You’re protecting Lily?”

  Liam turned and waved his arm.

  “Guys, let’s get her into the conference room.”

  “Wait. You can’t keep me here against my will.”

  Liam answered without turning. “Sure, we can.”

  Grace sputtered in distress and kept trying to pull away from the men.

  They released her when they came through a doorway into a large room with a long table and several chairs. She turned abruptly, ready to run, and bounced off a massive chest. Grace swallowed and then gritted her teeth against the shakes that started deep inside as the men stood in front of the doorway, their legs spread and their arms crossed over their chests. Grace moved several feet away from them and tried to calm the fear that was taking her breath.

  “What’s your name?”

  Grace pulled her eyes from the men and turned to face the boss.

  “Listen. I just need to talk to Lily for a moment, and then I’ll move on.”

  “Move on where?” Joe asked.

  Grace turned her head to answer one of the cops at the door.

  “I don’t know.”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed at her.

  “Would you go back where you came from?”

  All three watched as a shiver of revulsion shook her, and all the color leached from her face.

  “No. I’m never going back there.”

  “Why?”

  Grace looked at the mean looking one. Well, they both looked mean but the darker one especially.

  “It’s of no concern of yours. I just need a few minutes with her, and then I’ll leave.”

  “Why?”

  Grace turned back to the boss.

  “I need to talk to her about something.”

  Liam crossed his arms over his chest. He wanted answers, and he was determined to get them.

  “What?”

  Grace took a few more steps back so she could easily see all three at the same time. This question came from the less scary of the two.

  “It’s about family stuff.”

  Liam stood and walked a few steps away and called Dylan, telling him to come with John and Alec, briefly explaining the circumstances.

  Chapter 18

  “Hey John, it’s me. Liam just called. He says there’s a woman here looking for Lily.”

  “No shit. Who?”

  “She won’t t
ell them her name. Where’s Lily?”

  “She’s with Mora uptown.”

  “Good, call her and have her take Lily to the department, and I’ll meet you there. I’m close.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Mora stuck her phone back in her purse and faced Lily.

  “Hey, sweetie, we have to come back to look at the plants.”

  “But why?”

  “That was John. It seems we have to go to the police station. There’s a young woman here looking for you.”

  “Who?”

  Mora didn’t like the fear in Lily’s eyes.

  “Lily, there is nothing to be afraid of. We’ll be in a police station so you’ll be surrounded by cops with guns.”

  Lily relaxed. “I am being silly. What can one woman do to me? It just startled me that someone they didn’t know asked for me.”

  “Well, I for one am curious. How about you?”

  Lily smiled and nodded. “Yes.” She couldn’t imagine who was waiting for her. Although she was still a tad apprehensive, a feeling of excitement shot through her.

  They walked the two blocks to the station.

  Mora pointed. “I bet that’s where she is.”

  Lily tried to look through the chiseled glass for some sign of a woman but couldn’t see anything but the shadows of several large men.

  In the conference room, Liam’s gaze went over Grace’s shoulder.

  “Shit.”

  Everyone turned to see two little figures headed their way. All but one knew who it was and were instantly on alert.

  Mora grabbed onto Lily’s hand.

  “Stop shaking. Everything’s going to be okay.” Mora pushed the door open a little more forcefully than she planned and stepped into the room. Besides her knucklehead men, Lily’s men were here and Joe and Adam.

  “Grace?”

  Mora moved aside when she heard Lily gasp then watched as Lily pushed through the bodies and met Grace at the end of the table. They both embraced, crying and whispering silently.

  Mora studied the woman in Lily’s arms that wore god-awful clothing that clearly was too big for her, and the hat on her head camouflaged a lot of her face. As a social worker, Mora knew something had happened to make this woman try to hide under drab clothes and hat. Mora just wondered what. If you just glanced at her, you might have expected she was a small man, but when you got a good look at her delicate features, there was no doubt she was a female.

  Lily grabbed onto Grace and held her tightly in her arms as they both cried and laughed. She never expected she’d see her again, and to have her here was truly a gift. She thought of Grace often and prayed every day she was being protected and was well.

  Lily backed away a step, gripped Grace’s shoulders, smiled, and wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “I see you still have that ugly hat,” she whispered.

  Grace looked self-consciously over at the men, then back at Lily, and nodded. Lily knew why she wore it. Grace had to use whatever she could to protect herself, and if it meant hiding in big clothes and an ugly hat, so be it.

  Lily smiled. “Why are you here? How did you find me?”

  “Bobby Joe saw you get into a truck the day you ran. He knew the guy and helped me find him to talk to him. He said he dropped you off here but had no idea if you moved on. The same truck driver brought me here.”

  Grace looked at everyone in the room and whispered to Lily. She didn’t want to give too much information to these people she didn’t know and couldn’t trust.

  “Listen, Lily, I came for a reason. You need to watch for the sparrow.”

  Lily gasped. “Why?”

  “He’s the one that wants you, and he has people looking for you. It’s only a matter of time before he talks to the truck driver.”

  “But he’s already got a wife.”

  “Yes, but he’s beat her down so much, she hardly has anything left in her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was gone and buried already.”

  “You came all the way here for that? To warn me.”

  “Of course. I’d do whatever I had to do to protect you.”

  “I want to protect you also,” Lily said. “Are you going back?” The thought of her friend being on the mountain made bile crawl up her throat.

  Grace shook her head. “No.” She lowered her voice. “He wants me, too.”

  “Oh no, Grace.”

  Grace gripped Lily’s hands tightly.

  “Listen, I don’t have much time. I needed to warn you he will most likely be coming for you.”

  Lily’s eyes widened in confusion and anxiety.

  “Where will you go?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s not important. If I can, I’ll try to get his attention off you.”

  Lily’s stomach twisted at the thought.

  “You can’t, Grace. What if you’re caught?”

  Grace bit her lip and shook her head. She was unable to look Lily in the eyes.

  Lily scrutinized her friend and saw the truth. Grace would rather die than be with the most ruthless man they’d ever known. Lily couldn’t remember how many wives he’d had. They all seemed to give up, and some were beaten to death.

  “Grace, you can’t.”

  “Lily. I need to protect you at all cost.”

  “But, I want to protect you, too,” Lily cried.

  “No, I’m not worth your getting caught. It seems like you have a lot of people who are willing to protect you and will watch out for you. I feel better knowing you’re safe. If I can, I’ll get in touch with you later.”

  “Wait a damn minute.”

  The men groaned but stepped out of Mora’s way. They watched her make her way to the other women and lift Grace’s hand.

  “Grace, my name’s Mora. Now you’re going to listen to me carefully. You’ll stay here.”

  Grace looked horrified. “Oh, God no. He’d be sure to find her then.”

  Mora gritted her teeth. “We won’t let anything happen to either one of you. The men in this room are good at protec—”

  Grace shook her head sharply. “I’d rather all your attention be on protecting her.”

  “Why?” Mora demanded.

  Grace looked at the men and then back at Mora and lowered her voice.

  “She’s the best part of our people. She’s everything nice and beautiful. She’s got a gift of healing and brings peace to people. I’ve got nothing like that to give.” Grace raised her hand when Lily cried out and opened her mouth. “No, Lily, please I’m not upset about this.”

  Her voice held so much conviction that no one in the room doubted her.

  “I’ve been told by my father my whole life that my purpose is to lay down for my husband, and that’s all I’m good for.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Mora mumbled, thoroughly pissed.

  Lily whispered, “But that’s not true, Grace.”

  Grace straightened in aggravation.

  “But it is, Lily, and you need to come to terms with that.”

  Mora growled and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I won’t come to terms with it because it’s bullshit.”

  Grace looked at Lily in confusion.

  “I think it means it’s not true. Right, Mora?”

  Mora shrugged her shoulders and ignored the looks her men were giving her.

  “Close enough.”

  Grace turned fully to face Mora.

  “Mora, you don’t know the ways of the mountain people.”

  “Yes, I know. But Lily was born on the mountain, right?”

  “Yes,” Grace said, confused again.

  “She’s not on the mountain anymore, and neither are you.”

  Grace looked at Lily.

  Lily clenched Grace’s hands and pulled her back to face her.

  “I’m learning things, Grace. Learning things the men on the mountain would have never let me. I’m working a part-time job at the library in town, and I’m in a relationship I want to be in with two wonderful men.”

>   At first shock and then happiness spread through Grace. If anyone deserved double the love, it was Lily. A tear slid down Grace’s cheek, but her smile widened in true blissful happiness.

  “I am so glad for you, Lily. You deserve to be happy.”

  “So, do you, Grace.”

  Grace nodded, but everyone in the room knew she didn’t believe it. Grace hugged Lily.

  “I am so glad I got to see you, cousin. I will miss you desperately.”

  Grace turned to the other people.

  “Thank you so much for letting me talk to Lily. I’ve really got to get on my way…”

  Eight different ‘no’s’ sounded around the room.

  Grace looked around, wide-eyed, and then her chin lifted as she made her way through the crowd of people only to be stopped at the door when two large bodies blocked her way.

  “Excuse me please,” she spoke to their chests.

  “No,” they said in unison.

  “You can’t keep me here against my will.” Panic was starting to tighten her chest. Every minute that passed brought Mr. Sparrow closer.

  “Sure, we can,” Joe replied.

  Grace stomped her foot in frustration but then became aware of the people behind her talking about where to place her to keep her safe until they had a plan.

  She whirled. “Aren’t you listening to me?” she yelled. “I’m putting Lily in harm’s way being here.”

  Alec took a step forward.

  “We love Lily, Grace, and we’ll all do whatever we need to do to keep her safe. But you’re a part of her, and so you’re our family now, too, and we keep our family safe.”

  Grace’s feelings were so mixed up she couldn’t comprehend what he meant. Her hands were gripped together against the front of her chest as she raised earnest eyes to Alec.

  “You can’t…”

  Alec nodded. “We are.”

  Lily pushed through the bodies to get to Grace. “Grace, look at me.” She waited until she had her full attention. “If you leave here, I’ll never stop worrying, ever.”

  Grace shook her head. “You’ve got such a good thing going on here, you’ll forget about me eventually.”

  “I’ll never forget you, Grace. You were the only other person besides my granny that was nice to me my whole life.”