Loving Lilly

by J. M. Madden

  “You’ll be right there with her,” Grif told him smoothly. “She will be perfectly fine.”

  But he didn’t know if he could be right there with her. At first, maybe, when there were fewer people at the party, but later he’d have to leave or chance cracking up and turning into the night’s entertainment.

  Rosella was thrilled to be a part of the ‘op’. What were a few more people added to a sea of over a hundred coming for her birthday celebration? Brenna Pierce was a definite yes but Donna Gilmore dragged her feet a little when they called her on speakerphone.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready to create a spectacle of myself like that. And what if he goes off the deep end and starts screaming or something?”

  “Security will be tight at the party, both uniformed and plain clothes. You will be safe,” Grif assured her.

  “Okay,” she agreed reluctantly. “I’ll be there.”

  “Would you like me to send a car to pick you up?”

  “No,” she sighed. “I’ll drive myself.”

  Once the women were agreed it came down to the waiting. Diego could see Lilly’s anxiety climbing but he didn’t know how to ease it. They spent as many hours together as they could and he loved her to sleep every night, but the shadows still haunted her eyes.

  As they were lying in bed one night, her hand running over the lines of the dragon tattoo on his chest, she asked him if he thought it would go as planned.

  “I honestly couldn’t tell you, Lilly, but we’ll do the best we can. There will be three Vail detectives in the crowd circulating. We’ve rigged Rosella’s house with the most cutting edge surveillance equipment we can get our hands on. Every room is covered. Because the party is in her home, we will have more of a challenge when people circulate, but that’s why we have back-up coming in.”

  She nodded against his chest. “Okay. I just don’t want him getting away with what he did.”

  Diego sighed against her. “I know, honey. None of us do.”

  * * *

  In spite of the dread weighing on her mind, Lilly basked in Diego’s attention. He truly tried to take her mind off what was coming at the end of the week and for the most part he succeeded. Twice he took her on surprise dates to quiet little cafes. She could tell he didn’t like going out in public but he made the effort for her. She quickly learned that he always had to have his back to a wall, but that didn’t bother her. And nowhere they went did she ever feel even a hint of danger. Diego would kill to keep her safe. Literally, if need be.

  On Saturday afternoon, the day of the party, they all converged on Grif and Kendall’s new home to get ready. Grif answered the door himself, waving them in. “Kendall just put the baby down and is getting dressed. She’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  There were two men waiting for them in the den that Lilly had never met before but Diego greeted them like long lost friends, which meant he was more excited than she’d ever seen him. He laughed as the men pounded him on the back and did those manly hand shake, shoulder bumps before pulling away. Grinning, he turned to her.

  “Lilly Carmichael, this is Terrell Wilson.”

  The African American had kind brown eyes and a beautiful, broad smile, and topped Diego by several inches. He nodded his head at her and shook her hand. “Lilly, we couldn’t believe it when Diego told us he had a girl.”

  The big man to her right moved in a little, his terribly scarred face cracked into a harsh grin. He was taller than both of the other men and had longish, dirty blond hair. “W-we had to come s-s-see. I’m Zeke Foster.”

  Lilly allowed her hand to disappear into Zeke’s but he was exceedingly gentle when he shook it. Lilly laughed at the obvious size difference. “You guys make me feel tiny.” She snugged into Diego’s side, one arm around his lean waist. Their bodies fit together as if they were made for each other.

  The two men looked at the movement, then at each other, grinning. Lilly felt like she’d just done something that they couldn’t believe. She gave Diego a look out of the corner of her eye. “Were you that hard to get along with?”

  Diego winced a little sheepishly. “Not exactly. It took a while for me to acclimatize when I got out.” He shrugged and his face closed down a little. “I have problems dealing with crowds.”

  Lilly squeezed her arm tighter around his middle. “And I have problems with you being uncomfortable. When you need me, find me.”

  Diego’s lips quirked and he leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “I will.”

  She and the new guys travelled in a Suburban to Rosella’s house. If she hadn’t have been so stressed with anxiety she’d have enjoyed the coarse banter that swirled around her in the interior of the car, and probably have been a little shocked. Lilly knew the men were trying to keep everything light-hearted and she appreciated their efforts. It wasn’t enough to make her lose focus of what was coming though.

  Rosella looked radiant when she met them at the door wearing the peacock blue dress. She’d paired it with gold heels and emeralds and looked absolutely stunning. Lilly could only shake her head in appreciation, sending Rosella into delighted giggles. “You look sensational,” she told the older woman.

  “As do you,” she replied, stretching Lilly’s arms out so that she could see her dress.

  Lilly had chosen a dress she’d worn before, a red silk creation by a designer that she loved. With a fitted bodice and a mandarin collar, it should have appeared demure, but the slit up her thigh and the long cutout between her breasts, running from her chest down the length of her stomach, nixed that idea. The dress was daring yet subtle in its sexiness. She’d manipulated her hair into a complicated, headache-inducing twist held with a couple of jeweled combs.

  Diego’s jaw had clamped tight when he’d seen her come down the stairs and he’d walked toward her. His loose-hipped, deliberate stalking had been enough to raise her body temperature. If they hadn’t just made love before her shower, easing that unrelenting need, they probably would have ended up on her couch. But he stopped in front of her and pressed the most delicate of kisses to her bright red lips. “You look ready to kick some serious ass. Let’s go catch a bad guy, then,” he’d swirled his thumbs over her already beaded nipples, “we’re going to come home and play some more.”

  Those words had been a promise in many ways, one she planned on cashing in on.

  As Zeke handed the keys over to a valet and the Suburban disappeared from the drive, she had a moment of panic. If she needed to leave in a hurry that had been her ride.

  Diego eased up beside her, clasping her elbow as he greeted Rosella. Moving in a fog Lilly tried to focus on what was in front of her. Diego would never let anything happen to her and because she was now Diego’s woman, his buddies wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her either.

  They had to have faith in what they were doing otherwise it wouldn’t work.

  Lilly recognized Brenna as soon as she walked in the door. It had been several years since she’d seen the younger woman but it was obvious she recognized Lilly as well. When they hugged, Lilly found herself hanging on just a little longer than was polite, but she couldn’t help herself. When they pulled apart, Brenna had tears in her eyes but also a healthy amount of determination. “We’re going to get that asshole,” she promised the younger woman.

  Donna arrived a few minutes later and as Diego made the introductions, Lilly hoped the woman would be strong. There was fear in her eyes. As Diego and Grif led the three women into a private room for a last minute briefing before the guests officially started arriving, Donna was the last to enter. She folded her arms over her chest and looked around the palatial home, her eyes turned cagey. “I don’t know if I should be here,” she murmured.

  Lilly didn’t like the sound of that. “You have to be here,” she insisted. “Ray Chambers is a dirty, depraved old man. He’s molested girls for years and gotten away with it. Are you seriously considering walking out and possibly risking letting him get away with molesting more little
girls? What happens when your daughters have kids and they run into him on the street? Or at a party?”

  Donna winced at the visual, looking away.

  “If there were anyone else to ask, I would,” Lilly promised. “But the three of us are the only ones that we know of right now that have been wronged by him. When it goes public, I dread hearing how many girls he’s possibly assaulted. His niece was in dance for a long time and he was always there rooting her on. We never thought anything of it. He’s been one of the benefactors of the dance group for years, probably still is even though Amy is long gone. Do you truly think he’s better? I can tell you for a fact, if I had drunk that glass of champagne that he’d drugged, and Diego hadn’t been watching out for me, I’d be curled up in my closet right now trying to get my head on straight after being raped.”

  Lilly shook her head, anger bleeding into her voice. “I’ve been in that position before and I’m old enough and wise enough to recover from it if it happened again, but a little girl? With no reason to believe she has to protect herself from someone she knows? She would be devastated. We have to get Ray off the streets. I don’t care how well liked he is or how much money he has, he has no right to treat women and girls the way he has.”

  Donna sighed, looking chastened. “You’re completely right. I need to stop thinking of just my girls and me. We’ll get him,” she promised.

  Lilly heaved a breath. She had thought Donna was going to bolt, but there was a new determination in her eyes. “Thank you,” Lilly told her sincerely.

  Diego walked them through the house, showing them where the cameras had been located. Lilly was surprised at how tiny they were, no bigger than thumbtacks.

  “Brian is upstairs monitoring all of the feeds from these cameras,” Diego told them. “I will be circulating through the house and upstairs monitoring. If you need something let us know in front of one of these.”

  They all nodded.

  “As long as it doesn’t look strange, try to stick together. Zeke will be on the front door and he will let us know when Ray gets here, so that you can get into position. We will then all move in so that we can have eyes directly on the suspect.” He made a motion to three people standing across the room. “Those are Vail PD detectives.”

  The blond female in the long green dress walked over to join them. “I am Detective Eileen Wright. If you ladies will follow me we’ll get you wired for sound.”

  All four women trooped into the nearest bedroom and if it had been anyone’s house other than Rosella’s there wouldn’t have been enough room. Detective Wright moved quickly and efficiently, tucking wires into creases of dresses and beneath bras. It chafed at first but Lilly eventually got used to the strange feel of the wire against her skin. Each of the women tested to make sure their microphone was working. Another detective would be upstairs with Brian monitoring every sound.

  Detective Wright gave them a smile. “We will be circulating through the crowd but we’ll try to avoid you unless you need us. We want Ray to think he’s just crazy like a fox and nobody will ever catch him, but we know better, right?”

  The woman winked and they all chuckled as they exited the bathroom.

  It was six forty-five and guests were due to begin arriving at seven. Lilly drifted over to Diego and he draped his arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You’re going to be fine. I have the utmost faith in you.”

  She sighed and sagged into him, loving the easy, willing support. “You’re a handy guy to have around. I love you, Diego.”

  His strong arms tightened around her before he pulled away. “I love you too, Lilly. You’re going to save a bunch of little girls by doing this, do you understand me?”

  She nodded, appreciating the pep talk. Then he was walking away, tuxedo-clad shoulders broad and implacable.

  “He’s a sweetheart,” Brenna murmured. “Not nearly as scary as I thought when I first met him. The eye patch takes a little getting used to.”

  Lilly smiled at the other woman. “I don’t even notice it any more. Just his heart.”

  People began arriving then. Rosella had hired plenty of staff to circulate and disburse champagne and hors d’oeuvres, but she still tried to greet as many people as possible at the door. After about twenty minutes arrivals began to lag so she moved into the main entertainment area. The space was perfect for parties and get-togethers, rustic and homey with several seating arrangements yet massive enough that the people that were already here barely took up any room. A fire blazed in the massive river stone fireplace, large enough to park a small car inside it. She, Brenna and Donna stood together, sipping water. Lilly knew enough of the people coming in that they were able to circulate a little and chat.

  Lilly did notice she was getting some probing looks as she wandered the room, but nobody asked her outright what was going on. Nobody asked her if she was okay, either, which told her exactly how many friends she had in this shark pool. The charges she had filed against Ray were gossip-worthy, but nobody else wanted to get involved.

  At seven twenty-five people began whispering and turning toward the front door and Lilly realized he had arrived. She took long enough to confirm it was him, then nodded to direct the other two women into the kitchen.

  Ray hadn’t seen her—she was positive of that. The plan required that they hang out in here for a while, long enough for him to get some champagne in him and relax, then, when Detective Wright came for them, they would exit together and find a spot to talk amongst themselves, where he could see them. Lilly was to make eye contact with him and smile. That was all. Then lean over to tell the other women something.

  That was how the plan had been laid out. Whether or not it actually worked that way they would have to wait and see.

  When Detective Wright entered the kitchen twenty minutes later, she gave them a smile. “He’s drinking scotch like it’s going out of style. I think he knows you’re here,” she pointed at Lilly, “because he’s acting a little squirrelly. There’s a very real possibility that he will bolt when he sees all three of you together. And he recognized one of the detectives, so Anderson pulled back and is waiting outside the house. Let’s go.”

  They left the bustling kitchen and merged into the crowd in the main entertainment area. The crowd had swelled even more while they’d been secreted away. Wright led them to a spot in front of a huge window overlooking the glittering lights of Vail, then faded away into the crowd. Lilly knew the other woman would stay close, though. She also caught a glimpse of Diego through the crowd and her heart caught in her chest. In spite of his anxiety in crowds, he was there to protect her.

  Lilly realized they had been positioned in a perfect spot. There were two cameras hidden on opposite sides of their little clutch, covering the entire room. And the room itself was central. As people circulated, they eventually had to flow through this area.

  Her heart racing she watched the two doorways framed in natural pine logs. A hand clasped her elbow and she looked at Brenna. There was fear in her eyes. The same fear Lilly herself was fighting. “It’s okay. We’re fine. He can’t hurt us here. We just have to make eye contact with him. That’s all.”

  The other woman nodded and looked away. Then her eyes widened in panic.

  Lilly knew before she looked up what she would see. Following Brenna’s line of sight, she looked toward the left and the man walking through the doorway.

  Ray Chambers wasn’t a very big man but even from here she could sense his personality. People looked up when they walked into the room and smiled, because he made everyone feel at ease. But she knew it was all a lie.

  “He’s here,” she whispered so that the mic could hear.

  Lilly glanced between Donna and Brenna. Each woman had the memory of horrors in her eyes but their mouths were pursed with determination and their chins were up.

  “We will not be cowed by him,” Lilly whispered to them fiercely.

  For several heart-thudding moments Ray greeted people as
he walked into the room, then, his gaze searching for the picturesque focal point of the room he turned his head to look at the window.

  Lilly met his gaze and forced her lips into a fake runway smile. Ray looked a little surprised, then his smile deepened. He started to walk forward when his gaze flicked to the right. A puzzled frown crossed his face, then awareness. His smarmy smile faded and his steps slowed. When his gaze snapped to her left to Brenna, he stopped completely. Something slid through his eyes—could it be fear?

  Lilly’s smile deepened as she watched his gaze dance between the three of them and his steps stopped completely. Some sly thought crossed his face and his smile returned, spiking her nervous fears. Lilly was shocked speechless as he walked forward, stopping just in front of them. For a long moment he looked between the three of them, scotch glass held casually in his right hand, left shoved into his pants pocket.

  “Ladies,” he greeted. “Brenna, I’d have brought you a Coke if I had known you were going to be here.”

  Brenna gasped and her eyes went glassy. Lilly curled her hand around Brenna’s trembling elbow. Ray turned back to Lilly.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Lilly. How is your property search going? I heard you had had a few credit refusals.”

  Lilly forced breath into her lungs. She needed to keep her wits to her right now. Passing out would not be good. “Nah, nothing major. I’m still looking for my perfect spot.”

  His faded blue gaze shifted to Donna. “I didn’t know you knew my sweet ex-wife, Lilly. Her girls used to be beautiful, but I bet her grandkids are even more beautiful.”

  Disgust curled her lip but Donna leaned forward furiously. “How’s that little issue you had, Ray?”

  Donna lifted her glass but wiggled her curled pinky slightly.

  Lilly would have howled in laughter if the situation had been different. Ray’s face darkened with anger and he leaned into their space, grabbing Donna’s arm. The woman winced but continued to smile in the face of his anger. Ray shoved Donna, making her trip on the long tail of her dress. She fell against the arm of a couch, but pushed immediately back to her feet.