Lilly and Reed: A Kensington Family Novel

by Allie Everhart

  "Pearce," she says, stopping me before I say something I shouldn't. I'm not allowed to tell her information about the organization. Doing so could get me in trouble, and even though it's just the two of us in this room, we're both paranoid they'll find out. The fact that we're even discussing this shows how much our relationship has changed the past few years. I can actually talk to her now and even seek out her advice and opinions, whereas in the past, I never would've done that.

  My mother smiles. "Perhaps we should find a new topic."

  "Yes. Tell me what you've been up to lately."

  A few hours later we have dinner, then I decide to stay overnight in one of the guest rooms. I have a hotel room for tonight but if someone is watching me, they'd find it strange if I didn't stay with my mother.

  Before going to bed, I call Rachel but avoid talking about anything related to what's going on. Those things can't be discussed over the phone. But I keep my tone upbeat, so that she knows nothing happened at the meeting that would indicate they want me to be more involved. I was actually surprised no one approached me about that. For the most part, people just watched me from afar, making no attempts to talk to me. Some of them are probably afraid of me because they know I've killed at least one of our fellow members and gotten away with it. They can't prove it so they'll never know for sure, but the rumor has been out there for years.

  The next day, I say goodbye to my mother and head to New York to see William. On the way there, I call up Ezra.

  "Ezra, it's Pearce," I say when he answers.

  "Hello, Pearce." He sounds nervous. He likely regrets what he told me, fearing they overheard. "What do you need?"

  "I was wondering if you'd like to go golfing next time I'm in town."

  "I'm sorry, but my schedule just won't allow it. But it was good seeing you again. Goodbye, Pearce."

  "Ezra, wait." I check the phone. He hung up. I'll have to find another way to talk to him. I need to confirm if my suspicions are correct and Katherine is indeed working with her brother to get her son considered for membership. It makes sense she would do that, but why now? At twelve, he's too young to be considered. He has to be at least eighteen, although twenty is typically when young men find out. Maybe Katherine thinks it will take that long to convince them that her son should be part of it. I just can't believe Phillip would move here for that. Is he going to live here until Katherine's son is officially a member? If so, that's quite a commitment. He's barely spent time with the child.

  "Hello, Pearce," William says, greeting me at the door.

  "You're looking better," I tell him as I come inside.

  "Unfortunately, I'm not feeling that great."

  We walk to the couch and sit down.

  "Are you having headaches again?"

  "Headaches. Nausea. Dizziness. I'm feeling somewhat better today but Friday wasn't good. I had to leave work early."

  "You shouldn't have been at the office. It's too soon to go back there full-time."

  "I had to go in for some meetings. I felt okay in the morning but by the afternoon, I wasn't feeling well. It comes and goes like that. Sometimes I feel fine and then sometimes I don't."

  "Have you told Logan?"

  "Yes, and he's made some house calls and even come to the office. He ran some more tests but still can't find any explanation, other than my blood pressure being lower than normal. He said that can cause headaches and dizziness and in some cases nausea. He's advised me to up my salt intake, which I've done, but so far, nothing has changed."

  Meredith walks in. "Hello, Pearce. Can I get you something?"

  "Not right now, but thank you."

  "Let me know if you need anything." She walks up beside William's chair and kneels down, putting her hand over his. "How are you feeling?"

  "Meredith, please don't do this in front of company."

  She kisses his cheek, then stands up. "Pearce is family. You don't have to be embarrassed. He's just as worried about you as I am."

  "I'll be fine," he says, giving her hand a squeeze. "Why don't you give Rachel a call? Tell her Pearce arrived safely."

  She smiles at me. "I'm sure he'd rather call her himself."

  "Go ahead," I tell her. "I talked to her on the way here. And I know she'd love to hear from you."

  "Then I'll give her a call." She looks back at William, then walks away.

  "I love her to pieces but she treats me like a child," William says. "She's always this way when I get sick, but now it's even worse because we don't know what's wrong."

  "It's not a bad problem to have, you know. A woman who loves you? Takes care of you? Wants you to be healthy?"

  He smiles. "Yes, I'm quite aware of how lucky I am to have her. I just wish she wouldn't worry so much. Anyway, tell me about the meeting."

  I go over in detail everything that happened from the moment I arrived, sharing my theories about what it all means. I end by telling him how I was followed after the meeting so drove to my mother's house.

  "Would you agree?" I ask. "Do you think Katherine and Phillip are working together?"

  "Absolutely. But knowing them, they'll keep it so hidden you'll never find out until it comes up for a vote."

  "That's not entirely true. Katherine has never been good at keeping secrets, as evidenced by whatever Ezra's wife overheard."

  "We don't know what she heard, but yes, I agree that Katherine is the only one who might spill information. But if Phillip is the one coordinating this, he'll do all he can to hide it until the right time."

  "He'll be punished if he keeps secrets from us."

  "It's not considered a secret if it's told within a committee. We don't have to share that information with the group until something's brought up for a vote. Phillip can work on getting her son approved for consideration and then when the time is right, he'll present him to the rest of us. By then, he'll have the committee's support and the others members will likely go along with it."

  "What I don't understand is why they're doing this so early. The boy is only twelve." I pause. "This is all just a theory. I don't trust that we're correct. When it comes to Katherine and Phillip, anything is possible."

  "Then get yourself on the committee. Find out for sure."

  "As I said earlier, Alister will do everything in his power to make sure I'm not on that committee."

  William smiles. "Then crash it. Crash their meeting."

  I smile back. "That's a good idea. I just might do that." I imagine myself walking into the meeting uninvited, then stop, realizing it's not a good idea. "Actually I shouldn't do that. I'm trying not to draw attention to myself and doing that would cause quite a stir."

  "Then show up there on my behalf. Tell them I called you and asked you to sit in on the meeting. They're not allowed to question me, so they'll have to go along with it. I'll even provide you with an official note."

  "When's the next meeting?"

  "Sometime in July. They'll be doing final interviews for the candidates before introducing them to the rest of the members. I believe two men are being considered. Their paperwork was submitted to the higher level members last January. I'm not assigned to that committee so I know nothing about these men but I was told they're both a good fit."

  The higher level members are each assigned a committee to oversee. William is on the Rules and Regulations committee, which he purposely chose to make sure the organization doesn't go back to the strict rules and harsh punishments that existed when I was younger.

  "Going to this meeting won't tell me what Phillip is up to."

  "It might. Phillip may keep quiet, but you never know what someone else on the committee might let slip."

  "Very true. All right. I'll do it."

  "Anything else we need to discuss? Because if not, we should probably have lunch. It's almost noon and Meredith gets very upset if I don't eat at regular intervals."

  "Well, you could stand to gain a few pounds."

  He chuckles, but it's true. He's very thin.


  His phone rings and he takes it from his pocket and answers. "Yes." He nods, his expression growing grim. "I'm sorry to hear that...Yes, thank you for calling."

  "What is it?" I ask as he sets his phone down.

  "There's been a car accident." His eyes lock with mine. "Ezra and his wife were killed."

  Shit. They knew something they shouldn't and were killed because of it. Because Ezra told someone.

  Because he told me.

  I'm the reason they're dead. Ezra made those couple remarks and someone overheard. Now Ezra and his wife are dead.

  If this was really about Katherine's son, why would anyone care if I knew? I wouldn't try to stop it. I don't even know her son. I don't really care if he's a member someday.

  Which means whatever Ezra was trying to tell me wasn't about that. It was about something else. But what?

  Chapter Nine

  Lilly

  "Let's go out," I say, pulling on Reed as he lies on my bed. We just had sex but it was really quick because I didn't want to risk my parents coming home and catching us. They went out to get stuff for the Fourth of July party we're having tomorrow.

  The summer is half over, which I'm happy about because it means that soon I can go back to school and finally have privacy and be able to see Reed whenever I want.

  The past few weeks, my dad hasn't let me drive down to L.A. by myself, saying it's too dangerous, even though I used to drive down there all the time. So now I can only go see Reed if my parents drive me there. It's so ridiculous. I feel like like I'm back in high school.

  This morning, Reed drove up to see me. He's staying the weekend, but in the guest room. There's no way my dad would let him stay in my room, even though I know for a fact that my dad let Jade stay in Garret's room when they were dating.

  His double standard makes me so mad. And the way he's so overprotective? I can't take it anymore. He barely lets me leave the house. I'm so fed up with him right now I'm about ready to stop talking to him.

  He said he's only acting this way to protect me. He claims he's been getting threats from some guy trying to get our money, and that the guy could come after me to get to him. But I don't buy it. I think he's lying. My dad gets threatened all the time and has people he hires to take care of it. So why is this time any different?

  "I think we should stay here," Reed says, standing up to put his jeans on.

  "There's nothing to do here."

  "There are all kinds of things to do." He yanks his t-shirt over his head. "We could watch a movie."

  "We do that all the time."

  "Yeah, but you guys have an actual theater room with a huge screen and surround sound."

  When Reed first saw our theater room, his jaw dropped. He'd never seen a home theater. He thought it was the coolest thing ever.

  "It's the middle of the day," I say. "I don't feel like watching a movie right now."

  "Then let's go swimming. Or we could paint. You have your own studio in the back yard. You know how freaking cool that is?"

  "Yeah, it's awesome, but we can paint later." I tug on his hand. "Let's go out."

  "I'd rather stay here."

  "Why?"

  "Because your dad told us not to go anywhere."

  I roll my eyes. "You're seriously listening to my dad?"

  "Your dad is huge. And a trained killer."

  I laugh. "He's huge but not a trained killer."

  "You said he does all that martial arts training."

  "Yeah, to stay in shape, not to kill people."

  "He goes to the shooting range every week. And he showed me his gun." Reed is totally scared of my dad, which makes me laugh.

  "He was just kidding around. All dads try to scare off the boy who's dating their daughter."

  "I've dated plenty of girls and not one of their fathers has brought out a gun."

  I shrug. "Maybe my dad thought you liked guns. Rachel has a gun too. She and my dad both go to the shooting range."

  "Okay, that's just weird. Why are they both so into guns?"

  "Because crazy people come after us. My parents just want to be able to protect themselves."

  "Do you have one?"

  "No, but if I wanted one I'm sure my dad would get me one."

  "Has your dad ever shot anyone?"

  "Not that I know of."

  And yet I keep having that dream. The one where my dad comes home late at night, covered in blood.

  "Wouldn't he tell you if he had?"

  "I don't know but I don't like talking about this." I stand in front of him. "Are we gonna go or what?"

  He sits down on the bed. "Given that I value my life, I'm choosing to stay here."

  I sigh. "You're seriously that worried about my dad?"

  "It's not just that. I'm trying to be respectful. He told us to stay here and I don't want to disrespect his wishes."

  "You're not disrespecting him."

  "Well, I disagree." He pulls me down on his lap. "And given that I want to marry his daughter someday, I want him to like me. I want him to know I'm a good guy who's respectful and mature and will make a good husband to his beautiful daughter."

  I smile. "You know that's like at least ten years in the future. I'm not ready to get married. Live together, maybe. But not get married."

  "Your brother got married when he was 19."

  "Yeah, and that was crazy."

  "Why? He's still happily married all these years later."

  I turn to face him. "Are you trying to talk me into getting married?"

  "Not right away, but ten years seems like a really long time. I mean, ten years ago we were in grade school. A lot can happen in ten years."

  I kiss him. "I'll still be in love with you in ten years, if that's what you're worried about."

  "How about five?" He's not joking, his face completely serious. "Would you do it in five years?"

  "You really want to get married five years from now?"

  "I'd prefer three, but you wanted ten so I picked something in between."

  "Why three? What's the rush?"

  "Three years is hardly rushing it. By then, we'll have dated for four years. And we'll be done with school, so it'd be a good time."

  "I'll give it some thought but I'm not making any promises."

  He kisses me. "But you promise to marry me, right? At some point?"

  I smile. "You haven't proposed yet so I'm keeping my answer to myself until you ask."

  He thinks a moment, his lips turning up. "Okay."

  "Wait!" I push off his lap and stand up. "I didn't mean you had to ask me right now. Not yet. It's too soon. If you asked now, my dad might actually use that gun."

  "You just promised me he wouldn't."

  "I never promised you that. I just said he wouldn't, but if you propose now, he might."

  "Even though your brother was engaged at 19? And married?"

  "My dad has different rules for me. It's completely unfair but it's just the way it is." I sit on his lap again. "Speaking of dads, is yours still acting strange?"

  "It depends on the day. Yesterday his phone rang and he got all secretive, like he didn't want me to hear what he was saying. He raced into his room and shut the door and when I walked by, he was whispering."

  "Maybe he has a girlfriend and doesn't want you to know."

  "I don't know why he'd try to hide that. I don't care if he has a girlfriend. But I don't think that's it. If he had a girlfriend, he'd be going out at night instead of hanging out with me. Actually, I wish he did have a girlfriend. I'm not saying I don't like having him around but it'd be nice to have some space now and then."

  "What if he's talking to your mom?" I ask, the thought just popping in my head. "What if he knows where she is and he's been talking to her?"

  "Why wouldn't he just tell me that?"

  "I don't know. It was just a theory." I pause. "Maybe I shouldn't ask this, but do you think she'll ever come back?"

  "If she runs out of money, then yeah. She goes wherever the
money is and stays with whoever gives it to her."

  "So you think she's still with that guy?"

  "She may still be dating him but they're not together."

  "What do you mean?"

  "My uncle looked the guy up in the criminal database. Said he's in jail. He got arrested for selling drugs."

  Reed's uncle is on the police force again. He was suspended last year but got his job back a couple weeks ago.

  "So your uncle knows where your mom is?"

  "He knows where that guy is, but he doesn't know if my mom is there."

  "Would you want to go there and find out?" I ask cautiously. This is a sensitive topic. Reed says he wants nothing to do with his mom but I know a small part of him misses her.

  "She left. She doesn't want to see me."

  "But maybe—"

  "Lilly, I don't want to talk about it."

  I nod. "Sorry."

  He threads his hand with mine. "I'm not mad that you brought it up. I'm mad that my mom has to be this way. After all I've done for her, you'd think she could at least act like she gives a damn about me, but instead she takes off with her boyfriend the second I tell her I'm not giving her money anymore." He sighs. "Now I'm talking about her again. I'm stopping now. So how about you? Any new mom stories to share?"

  "She still hasn't called me."

  "How long's it been? Since school let out?"

  "Before that. It was early May. She wanted me to go to some spring cotillion. I told her no."

  "What exactly is a cotillion?"

  "It's just a fancy name for a party where people dress up and dance."

  "Like a prom for adults?"

  I laugh. "Yeah. Kind of. Everyone's cliquey and they stand around gossiping about each other, so yeah, it's just like prom."

  His phone rings and he picks it up, checking to see who's calling. "Hey, Dad. What's up?" He listens. "Yeah, okay. See you when I get home. Bye."

  "Your dad's not coming?" I ask. Dean was supposed to drive up here tomorrow for the party but it sounds like he's not now.

  "He can't make it. He has something to do for work."

  "But tomorrow's Sunday. And a holiday."

  Reed shrugs. "He said he's busy. It's fine. It's probably better if he's not here. Our dads don't really get along."