He’d then enlightened both women on how to turn off the gun’s safety and held Cody’s trembling hands steady as they found a new aim for the barrel.
He’d ripped out her heart with the pull of a trigger. He made her murder a woman she loved.
Then he tied her, face down, to the dining table, allowing anyone and everyone who walked into his home the chance to fulfil their perverted fantasies for days on end before he sent her through his revolving door.
“You haven’t always been this way, have you?” Lilly whispers. “I’ve heard stories.”
I stiffen, well aware of the tale she’s referring to. The one where I foolishly thought my tactics were far better than anyone else’s.
“It’s been a long time since Luther has seen any weakness from me.”
She pulls back to look at me with tear-soaked eyes. “But you—”
“Yes, I tried to kill myself. But that was out of strength, not instability.”
It was how I planned to win this game.
A final fuck you.
All it took was a hair-dryer and a warm, soothing bath.
I don’t even remember what it felt like. The electrocution. The death. One second, I was lying in the scented water. The next, I opened my eyes to Robert’s angry face looming over me as he paused chest compressions while I lay on the chilling wet tiles of the bathroom floor.
“Did Luther go easier on you afterward?”
“No. It never gets easier. You need to remember that.”
“Then how did you survive?” She punishes me with her sorrow. Kills me with her pained tone. “How could you…?”
I shrug. “Luther gave me no choice.”
He kept me on a leash for weeks, dragging me everywhere he went. There was no reprieve from his horror. No respite from the constant onslaught of mental and physical torture. “But right now, you have a choice, Lill. You can either give him exactly what he wants or you’ll be sent some place far worse than this.”
Her lips tremble as her tears fall. “I’m not strong like you.”
“You are. You have to be.”
She sniffs and nuzzles back into my shoulder as heavy footfalls approach along the hall.
There’s more than one set, the deep pound resembling a pack of men.
Robert, Luther, and Chris pass the open doorway, not glancing in our direction before they continue out of sight, the front door slamming shut moments later.
“They must be going to get Luther’s son.” I kiss her forehead and slide from the bed. “We need to get ready.”
She doesn’t budge. It’s clear she doesn’t have the strength to appease Luther’s depraved fantasies, and my heart breaks at the imminent goodbye. She might last another week. Maybe a few days.
“Come on, Lill. Get dressed. Do your hair. It’s better to fly under the radar than draw attention by being unprepared.”
She sinks farther under the covers. “In a minute.”
The ache in my chest grows arms, squeezing me from the inside, painfully compressing my ribs.
I can’t let her weaken me. I can’t soften for her.
I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.
“Okay, beautiful girl.” I swallow over the lump in my throat. “Come find me if you need me.”
As much as I want to—as much as I’ve tried with other women—I can’t save her.
I can’t save any of them. I can only provide guidance to help lengthen their stay. And right now is one of those moments when leadership is key.
I stalk from the room, going in search of my friends—my sisters—finding Abi, Chloe, and Nina in the living room, each of them sitting on different armchairs.
“Morning,” I offer in greeting.
They turn toward me, their eyes questioning. They won’t ask how my night of horrors went. Not verbally, anyway. But I see the need for answers in their matching expressions of concern.
“Did you know Lilly is still in bed?” I ask.
Abi lowers her gaze to the floor.
“She didn’t want to join us.” Chloe slumps into her chair. “She’s given up.”
“And I don’t know what else to do.” Nina pushes to her feet and comes to my side, lightly wrapping an arm around my waist to snuggle into me. “Nothing I say seems to sink in.”
“We’re all wasting our breath.” Abi continues to stare at the carpet. “She’ll be gone soon. We’re better off getting used to—”
“Stop.” I warn. “Don’t talk like that. Ever. Do you hear me?”
They all react in their own defensive ways.
Nina nestles closer into me. Chloe weaves her arms around her waist, self-soothing. And Abi scowls, strengthening her resolve to distance herself from the emotional loss.
“We stick together. Always.” I stare at Abi until she meets my gaze. “Always.”
She winces as Nina nods against my shoulder, the room filling with silence for a few beats before Abi sighs. “Did you hear about Luther’s son?”
“Yes. And I think Luther left a few minutes ago to retrieve him, so we need to prepare.”
“For what?” Chloe asks.
“Anything.” I inch away from Nina so I can look her in the eye. “We all have to expect the unexpected. Sometimes visitors come and go without drama. But other times…” I let the sentence hang. They’ve already lived through enough torment to come to their own conclusions.
“What should we do?”
“Start tidying up. Make sure the house is clean. At least that way Luther won’t have an excuse for additional punishment.” It will also give my sisters something to occupy their minds.
“Fine.” Abi huffs. “I’ll vacuum.”
“I’ll dust.” Chloe pushes from the sofa.
Nina’s tired eyes turn my way. “I guess I’ll clean the bathrooms.”
“And once I get ready, I’ll tidy the kitchen.” I attempt to smile and hope I’m exuding calm instead of the nauseating anticipation twisting my stomach. “Don’t worry. We’ll be okay.”
They don’t respond to the placation as they leave the room. We all know a threat looms close. It’s only a matter of the severity.
I try to follow my own strategy to keep myself occupied as the sand in my mental hourglass dwindles.
I grab a pair of shoes. I do my hair, finger-combing the long strands into a messy plait. The make-up I put on is understated and simple. I don’t want to accentuate my features any more than necessary. Only enough for Luther to think I’ve made an effort.
I’m in the kitchen, wiping down the counter when the faintest sound of an approaching car brushes my ears.
“They’re here,” Tobias calls from another room. “My brother is here.”
I stalk into the living room, finding Abi, Nina, and Chloe frantically scrambling to pack their cleaning supplies.
“Don’t panic.” I maneuver around the coffee table, then the sofa, and squeeze by Nina to get to the curtains and gently glide them an inch aside. “Take a few minutes to breathe.”
I listen to my own advice and slow my inhales, expelling the air from my lungs gradually as Luther and Chris stride toward the house. But it’s the men climbing from the parked car who steal my attention.