Chapter Twenty-Two
Lilly
"I've scheduled our massages, facials, and pedicures," Rachel says. "What should we do now?"
We're in our room, which is beautiful and overlooks the ocean. As I gaze out the window, I notice a pathway that runs along the back of the hotel. It's lined with flowers and small trees.
"You want to take a walk?" I ask.
"I'd love to." Rachel joins me at the window. "Oh, look at those flowers. They're beautiful."
"That's why I suggested it. I knew you'd like the flowers." I point to the bright pink ones that are just below us. "Reed gave me some just like those. It was to celebrate being done with finals."
My heart clenches as I think about Reed. I miss him so much. It's only been a few weeks since I saw him but it feels like a few years. I talk to him on the phone but it's not enough. I want to see him. He's only an hour away and yet I can't drive down and see him.
"Honey, I know you miss him." Rachel smooths my hair.
"I don't know why Dad is doing this. I know he's worried about Dean but why is he punishing me for that?"
She lifts my chin up so I'll look at her. "He's not punishing you. He's just trying to keep you safe."
"You and Dad keep saying that but then nothing ever happens. It makes me think you guys only say that stuff to make me do what you want."
"Lilly, no. That's not true. We would never do that. When we say we're concerned about your safety, it's because there really are threats that could be dangerous to you. Or to all of us, even Jade and Garret."
"Why? Just because we're rich? Lots of people are rich and not everyone lives like this. I went to prep school with kids whose parents had a lot of money and they weren't treated like this. They weren't stuck at home all the time. They didn't have to constantly check in with their dads if they left the house. They could do whatever they wanted."
"It's different for us."
"But why?"
She sighs and glances away. "It just is."
"I need a better explanation than that. Dad won't tell me anything. Garret won't. You won't. Why is everyone so secretive? What are you guys not telling me?"
She looks at me. "There are bad people out there. That's all it is. That's why we act this way."
"But who are these people and why are they coming after us and nobody else?"
"They come after anyone with money. We're a bigger target because your father is well known. These bad people might target you and me in order to get to him. That's why we always have to be careful."
"That's why those bad guys took you? To get to Dad?"
I never ask Rachel about the years she was gone because it's something she doesn't like to talk about. But I need to know the answer.
"Yes." She gazes out at the ocean. "Some bad men wanted to get your father's money and thought they could do it by taking me."
She wouldn't look at me when she said it, which makes me think she's lying. But why would she lie about that?
"And they never found who did it?"
She turns to me, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry, honey, but I can't talk about this. I know it's been years, but being taken from your husband and child is something you just don't get over. And I can't..." She sniffles. "I can't talk about it."
I hug her. "I'm sorry."
She lets me go, her smile back. "Let's get out of here. It's a beautiful day and we're missing it."
"Let me grab my sunglasses." I go to the nightstand where I left them.
"Ready?" she asks, standing by the door, her giant purse hanging off her shoulder.
"Why are you bringing your purse? We're just walking along the beach. You don't need it."
She shrugs. "You know me. I always need my purse."
It's true. She brings it everywhere. I try not to carry one. When I do I tend to forget about it and leave it behind.
We go out on the path and find that it continues past the hotel. The stone path becomes all sand and the flowers are replaced by tall grass, but it's still a path, worn down by people walking on it.
"Look how far it goes," I say. "Let's keep walking and see where it ends."
"Not now. We need to turn around."
I see her worried expression. "What's wrong?"
She fakes a smile. "Nothing. I just think we should stay on the property." She does a scan of the beach. There are some people off in the distance putting their feet in the water, but other than that it's just us, which I like. It's calm and peaceful, the only sound being the ocean waves crashing along the shore. I love that sound. It's loud and powerful and yet I find it soothing.
"Come on." I grab her hand. "It'll be fun."
"No. We're not going any farther."
"Why not?"
"Because I...I have sand in my shoes. It hurts to walk."
"Then wait here. I'll go check it out and come back." I continue along the path, breathing in the fresh ocean air.
"Lilly, wait!" Rachel catches up to me and takes hold of my arm. "Stop."
I turn back. "Why?"
"It's too isolated. It could be dangerous."
I roll my eyes. "It's the beach. It's not dangerous. Now you sound just like Dad."
"Lilly, I mean it. We're going back to the room."
"Why can't we stay outside?
"We can, but let's go back to the hotel. We shouldn't be out this far. It's probably private property."
I sigh. "Fine."
As we turn to go back, we hear a voice behind us.
"Rachel." It's a man's voice, and it's loud.
Rachel doesn't turn around. She looks at me and whispers, "Run!"
But instead, I turn and look at the man. My heart takes off, panic alarms going off in my head.
The man has a gun. And it's pointed right at us.
"He has a gun," I say to Rachel, my body shaking.
"Go!" she says, clutching her purse and still not turning around. "He doesn't want you. He wants me."
"I'm not leaving you," I say, grabbing her arm.
"You'd be wise to listen to her, little girl," the man says. He's older, maybe mid-fifties, with brown hair and a thick beard. His eyes are dark, almost black, and he has a scar running down his left cheek. I try to memorize his features to tell the police later because I know we're getting out of this alive. We have to. I'm not dying here, and neither is my mom.
"Leave us alone!" I scream, hoping someone will hear me, but a wave crashes, drowning out my voice.
The man laughs. "You're quite a screamer. Why don't you run along, little girl, before you get hurt?"
Rachel whips around, dropping her purse in the sand. "Don't you dare even think about hurting her!"
The man smiles at Rachel. "Look just like your picture." He raises his gun, aiming it at Rachel's chest.
"No!" I scream, but again my voice is lost in the sound of the ocean.
"Don't move," Rachel says quietly to me as she shoves herself in front of me.
I glance down and see her hand behind her back. Holding a gun. What the hell? Where did she get the gun?
"Let her go," Rachel says to the man. "You want me, not her."
"I told her to leave," he says casually. "The little brat wouldn't listen. So I guess it's the two for one special today." He cocks his gun.
Rachel's arms fly out in front of her, her hands locking on the gun, and then she shoots. It's loud, but the waves drown out most of the sound. The man falls to the ground, blood leaking from his chest, but he's still moving, the gun still in his hand.
Rachel reaches down to her purse and takes something out and quickly attaches it to her gun. Then she walks over to the man, stands over him, and shoots him again, right over his heart. I didn't even hear the gun that time, and then realize she attached a silencer.
I fall to my knees, not believing what I just saw. Did it really happen? Did some guy try to kill Rachel? And she shot him? Killed him?
Rachel's voice wakes me from my shock. "Lilly, you need to help me.
"
I look up and see her behind the man, lifting up his shoulders.
"Grab his feet," she tells me. "We need to hide him behind the grass."
"Is he...is he dead?" I ask as I approach him, my body still shaking.
"Yes." She cringes as she struggles to lift him.
"Let me help." I pick up his feet and we set him down behind the tall grass.
Rachel takes his gun and her own and stuffs them both in her purse, then yanks me into her arms, hugging me so tight I can't move. "I'm so sorry. I should've been more careful."
"It's not your fault. We didn't see him. He came out of nowhere."
"He could've hurt you." She squeezes me tighter.
"Mom!" someone yells in the distance.
I feel Rachel look up. She lets me go and waves her arms in the air.
"Over here!" she yells back.
I turn around and see Garret running toward us. He's wearing jeans and a t-shirt but also has a jacket on, which is odd because it's hot out today.
"Are you okay?" he asks when he reaches us. He's out of breath from running.
"Yes," Rachel says.
"Dad called and told me to check on you. He said—" Garret stops suddenly, his eyes going to me. "He said I should check on you. He had to go to L.A.."
L.A.? Why is he in L.A.? My mind is racing trying to piece all this together. Somehow, some way, everything that's happening is connected. I know it is. I just don't know how.
"A man tried to shoot Mom," I blurt out.
Garret's eyes dart to Rachel. "Is she serious?"
She nods. "He's over there." She points to the tall grass.
Garret runs over there and sees the body. "Holy shit." He runs his hand through his hair. "This just happened?"
"Yes." Rachel walks over to him. "We have to call the number before someone finds him."
Number? What number? What is she talking about?
She gets her phone out but doesn't call anyone, her eyes going to Garret. "I can't do it. Only your father can. It has to come from a—" She stops, briefly glancing at me.
Garret seems to understand whatever it is she meant. "I'll do it," he says, getting his phone out.
"Honey, you can't. You're not really a..." She doesn't finish the thought.
"I don't know if it'll work but I at least have to try." He makes a call. "Yes, this is member 1525. I need a clean-up at..." He gives the name and address of the hotel and describes the area where we're standing. Then he ends the call.
"Garret, you shouldn't have done that," Rachel says. "You're not one of them. You could get in trouble."
"Mom, we can't leave him here. If someone finds him, there'll be an investigation. They'll link it back to you. You'll get arrested."
"Your father would take care of it."
"Not if they gathered enough evidence." He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. It's done. They'll be here in a few minutes. Let's get out of here." As he moves around the dead guy, his jacket catches on the tall grass and I see a gun attached to his side.
"You have a gun?" I ask, breathless. I feel like I can't catch my breath, my heart beating out of control.
He zips up his jacket, covering the gun, then comes in front me, holding onto my shoulders. "You okay?"
"No, I'm not okay!" I say, my emotions finally catching up to me, tears streaming down my face. "Mom almost got killed!"
He brings me into his arms. "She's safe. He didn't hurt her."
"He almost did. He had a gun. He pointed it at her."
Rachel stands next to Garret. "It's over, honey. He didn't hurt me."
I sniffle and yank away from Garret. "Why are you two acting so calm? It doesn't make sense! None of this makes sense!"
"Let's go back to the hotel," Garret says. "They'll be here any minute."
"Who? Who are you talking about? Who did you call?"
"Come on." He grabs my hand and starts walking. "We can't be out here."
I follow beside him with Rachel next to me. None of us talk until we're back in the room.
"Tell me what's going on," I demand. "Why do you both have guns? I know you practice with them, but since when do you carry them around?"
"We have to," Rachel says. "In case something like this ever happens."
"But why did it happen? Who was that guy?"
"We don't know. It was probably—"
"Mom," Garret says interrupting her. "We can't talk in here. We have to wait until we get home."
"Then let's go." She hurries over to her suitcase and zips it up.
"We have to wait for Dad," Garret says. "He's meeting us here."
"We need to call him." She gets out her phone.
"It won't work," he says. "The signal here is shit. I tried calling you before I got here and I couldn't get through."
She walks to the window. "I can't see anything. Do you think they're coming?"
"They said they were," Garret answers.
"Who's 'they'?" I ask.
"Lilly, I told you. We can't talk here."
I sink down on the bed. "But you'll explain when we get home?"
Neither one of them answers so I give up asking and just sit quietly. Garret and Rachel sit at the small table by the window, occasionally glancing at each other like they're giving each other secret messages. Why won't they just tell me what's going on?
A half hour later, my dad shows up. Garret was waiting for him in the hall and must've told him what happened because my dad runs in the room and up to Rachel, hugging her. "Thank God you're okay." He sees me in the chair. "Lilly, get over here."
I jump up and run over to him. "Dad." I hug him. Even though I've been mad at him for weeks and have barely talked to him, having this happen today makes me want my dad back. He always makes me feel safe and secure and right now I need that more than ever.
"It's okay, honey," he says in that reassuring tone that always puts me at ease. He gives me a tight squeeze and kisses my head. "Wait here with Garret and your mom. I need to go take care of something." He heads for the door.
"Dad," Garret says. "I already called them. They're on their way. Or maybe they already came."
"How?" he asks, seeming confused. "You're not allowed to."
"I gave them my number."
My dad sighs. "Garret, you shouldn't have done that."
"I didn't have a choice. We couldn't leave him out there."
"Pearce," Rachel says as she opens the door. "You should go check."
"I'll be right back." He leaves, I'm guessing to see if the body is gone. But who took it? Who did Garret call?
A few minutes later my dad returns. "Everyone in the car. We're leaving."
"Is it gone?" Garret asks.
"Yes. But I need to get home and make some calls. And Lilly, when we get home, you are not to tell Reed about this, or anyone else. No one can know about this."
"But I can still call Reed," I say.
"No. You are not to see that boy anymore. Or talk to him. Now get your things. We're leaving."
"Wait. Why can't I talk to Reed? What does he have to do with this?"
My dad storms up to me. I can feel his anger and see it on his face. "Reed's father is the one responsible for this."
"What?" I feel my heart beating faster, my chest tightening. "What are you talking about?"
"The man you saw today? The man who almost killed Rachel?"
"Yeah? What about him?"
"Reed's father hired that man. He hired him to kill Rachel."
I sink to my knees in disbelief. Reed's dad tried to kill my mom? Why? Why would he do that?
"Lilly, come on." Garret holds his hands out to me. "We have to go. You can ride with me."
I take his hands and he helps me up. My dad and Rachel are waiting at the door with our suitcases.
This all seems like a dream, or a nightmare. Either way, it's like I'm not fully awake. I'm still in shock.
What is going on here?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Garret
Lilly rode back with me to the house and didn't say a word for the entire forty-five minute drive. I didn't try talking to her because I didn't want her asking questions until we got home. I'm not sure what we're going to tell her. I know my dad doesn't want her knowing about the organization but I don't think he has a choice now. She's seen too much and there's no way to explain what happened today other than to tell her the truth.
When we get to the house, Lilly races to her room. My parents go into my dad's office and shut the door. I remain in the living room and call Jade.
"Hey," I say when she answers. "I'm at my parents' house. I need to stay here for a while."
"Why? What happened?"
"I can't tell you over the phone."
"Did anyone get hurt? I saw your gun is gone."
"Nobody got hurt. But they could have." I sit down on the couch and take a deep breath. "It was bad, Jade. They could've been killed. He had a gun."
"Oh my God," she whispers. "What happened to him? Did he get away?"
"No." I pause. "That's all I can say."
On the off chance that anyone's listening, I don't want them hearing me say that my mom killed that guy. Even after being away from the organization all these years, I'm still paranoid.
"So all of you are at home now?"
"Yeah, my parents are talking and Lilly went in her room. I think they're going to have to tell her the truth. She saw what happened. She knows too much."
"When are they going to tell her?"
"I don't know. I have to talk to my dad. But if they tell her now, I want to be here. And even if they don't, I still feel like I need to be here."
"I understand. Stay as long as you need."
"Make sure everything's locked up at the house. Keep an eye on the security cameras. And keep the kids inside. I'm not saying you're in danger but when something like this happens I can't take any chances. I need to know you're safe. And get Grace over there too. I want all of you to stay together in the house until I get back."
"Okay. Call me later."
"I will. Love you."
Lilly and Reed: A Kensington Family Novel Page 22
