Chapter 26Lily felt sick to her stomach as Chloe waved that gun back and forth between her and James. The shiny metal barrel seemed to swell until it filled her whole vision. "Drop it right now, you psycho!" Louis bellowed, his voice booming with rage. "Or I'll blow your crazy head off myself!"But Chloe just laughed, high-pitched and unhinged. Her wide eyes were almost glassy looking as she jerked the pistol from Lily to James and back again."I wouldn't try that if I were you," she said in an unnervingly sweet sing-song voice. "Unless you want your boss's little bride leaking blood and brains all over the floor."A wave of nausea rolled through Lily. She could almost smell the metallic tang of gunpowder within the air. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run, to somewhere and break out from this nightmare before it went any further.Then James shifted to place his big frame in front of Lily, shoulders board and body coiled like a panther equipped to strike. His chiseled fac
Chapter 27Lily was totally freaking out as she watched Louis bleeding out right in front of them. The huge, tough guy who always looked like he could take on anything was now a broken mess, guts practically spilling onto the floor. It was crazy messed up.James shifted, blocking her view of the gruesome scene. His jaw was clenched so tight Lily thought his teeth might crack. She could see the muscle in his cheek twitching like crazy. "Talk to me, Louis," he growled in that deep voice of his. "What the hell is going on out there?"Louis sucked in a wheezy breath, eyes glazing over. But he managed to rasp out, "Ambush... Chloe's men... hit us hard..."One of the other tactical guys leaned in, trying to put pressure on Louis' massive wound. But it was no use - the blood just kept pouring out. Lily felt sick watching it soak through the guy's gloves."We're getting outnumbered and outgunned, sir," the tactical guy said, looking to James with poorly concealed fear. "They've got us surrou
Chapter 28Lily was completely freaking out about her dad after everything that went down with Chloe's crazy ambush. She kept imagining him hurt or worse because of that psycho's threats."James, we have to find my father right away!" she said urgently, grabbing his arm. "Who knows what Chloe might try to do to him?"James nodded grimly. "Don't worry, baby. We'll surely get to the bottom of this and make sure your dad is safe and sound."He motioned to one of his staff. "Mike, get the team ready. We need to sweep that clinic and surrounding areas on the double.""You got it, boss," the guy said, hurrying off to mobilize the search.Lily felt a little better knowing James was taking action, but she was still a nervous wreck. Her mind kept flashing back to Louis and how badly he was hurt because of Chloe's games. She hoped her own dad wasn't paying that same price.Just then, Lily's phone started ringing. She fumbled for it, her heart leaping into her throat when she noticed it turned o
Chapter 29Lily stared at James, her belly tying itself in knots. She had the equal sinking feeling he did - this wasn't over with Chloe, not by means of a protracted shot."You think she's lying? That this is another one of her twisted mind games?" Lily asked, fear creeping into her voice.James shook his head in confusion. "Seriously ,I don't know what to think, I'm confused. On one hand, getting institutionalized by her own family sounds like it could be legit. But on the other..." He trailed off, jaw ticking."You don't trust her as far as you can throw her," Lily finished.He gave a curt nod. "Exactly. That snake would say anything to try and catch us off guard. We can't let our guard down until we know for sure what her game is."Lily felt her shoulders slump a little. Of course it couldn't be that easy to put this nightmare behind them. When had anything with Chloe ever been simple?"So what now?" she asked. "We still need to go get my dad from the police station.""Yeah, we'll
Chapter 30Lily stalked back and forth across the intimate waiting room every bit as jittery as another. However, her dad, being the one in the chair, continued to snore lightly. She couldn't blame him for being so wiped after the crazy kidnapping attempt. She checked her phone again, hoping for another update from James. Radio silence so far. Lily nibbled her thumbnail, stomach churning with worry and impatience. What if this lead on Chloe's location was a dead end? Or a trap?With an irritated huff, she plopped down in the chair next to her dad. Sitting still was impossible right now. Her leg jiggled up and down as she tried to rein in her racing thoughts.That is when her dad began to move, his eyelids opening with a soft moan. "Oops, I didn't realize I slept off Lil," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Any word from James yet?"She shook her head. "Not since he said they might have a lead a little while ago." She bit her lip, unable to mask her anxious tone. "Dad, I'm really worried
Chapter 31Lily withdrew from James's embrace, cleaning her wet cheeks. "I'm so sorry, I look messy right now. It's just...I've been so scared to tell you about my past. That was why I was so scared when Chloe reappeared...I'm sorry."James shook his head. "No need to apologize, babe. We all got baggage." He shot her a wry look. "Hell, you've seen how crazy my family can get. The Watsons aren't exactly Leave It to Beaver material."That startled a watery giggle out of Lily. Leave it to James to find the humor, even in such an intense moment. Her husband had a gift for cutting through the tension with his blunt charm."I suppose you've got a point there," she conceded, feeling herself relax a little. "Your grandmother certainly seems like a piece of work."Michael cleared his throat then, reminding them both of his presence. "Sorry to interrupt this heartfelt moment," he said dryly. "But maybe you could fill us in on what you found out, James? About Chloe's situation?"James's expressi
Chapter 32An hour later, Lily and her dad were settled into a lavish penthouse suite, courtesy of James's security team. The place was like a fortified bunker - cameras mounted everywhere, armed guards patrolling the halls. Lily felt identical elements reassured and unnerved by using the intense precautions."Goddamn, that is a few next-level stuff," Michael muttered as he took a look around the opulent residing region. "Your husband simply does not do something half-assed, does he?"Lily shook her head, sinking onto one of the plush couches."That's an understatement. When James goes into protective mode, he holds nothing back."Her mind drifted to her husband, questioning where he might be now and what he was probably facing. She attempted not to stay too much at the myriad worst-case eventualities.Her dad must have read her worried expression because he settled a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Hey now, don't you start fretting too much. James is a tough son of a bitch - he can
Chapter 33 One Year LaterLily stretched out lazily on the front room chair, soaking up the warm sun. She sighed contentedly as a moderate breeze ruffled her hair. Man, this private seashore within the Bahamas was an absolute paradise."You look entirely too relaxed over there," James's deep voice rumbled from beside her.She cracked one eye open to see her husband watching her with an amused smile, those intense blue eyes of his sparkling. He was shirtless and bronzed from their tropical vacation, looking like some kind of ridiculous romance novel cover model.Lily grinned back at him cheekily. "Well, why wouldn't I be? We're living the dream, babe."James chuckled low in his throat. "Fair point. Still getting used to this whole life of leisure, I suppose.""Better get used to it fast," Lily teased, poking his rock-hard ab muscles playfully. "Because I could get accustomed to this level of luxury and pampering."It was wild to think how much their lives had changed in just one short