Chapter Fourteen
Jackson
My baby girl’s head was buried in my chest, and I felt her hot tears wetting my shirt as her body heaved with heart-wrenching sobs. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her tight and making soothing sounds. Whatever this was, she needed to let it out. And when she was done and able to let me know what happened and who hurt her, I would sort it out. I would hurt the person who hurt my little girl.
“Lily, what happened?” I finally repeated as the sobs began to subside a bit. “You can tell me anything. You know that.”
I kept my tone soft and gentle. She didn’t need the darker side of me right now. She was vulnerable, even more so than when I found her on the edge of the road the other week. She didn’t just need comforting right now. She needed a daddy. Someone to be there for her, take care of her, promise to keep her safe. Chase away all the monsters under the bed.
She pulled back, eyes shining with moisture. “I’m sorry…I know I was only supposed to bring you the toy. I think I put it in here before I left if you want to get it.”
She gestured toward her purse, and I frowned and shook my head. “That’s not important right now, baby girl. Tell me what happened. Who upset you?”
Her next words shook me to my core.
“My….my mom.”
I almost didn’t hear it. She was speaking so softly, head facing the ground.
“What?” I said sharply, certain I was mishearing her.
“My mom,” she said, louder this time. “She wrote me a letter. It’s really bad.”
My stomach plummeted and my heart began to pound. Rage filled my body, clouding my head and tightening my chest. It was fucking terrible enough what Karen Rubio did six years ago, but to come out of the woodwork and contact Lily with whatever insane shit she was no doubt spouting now….that was a whole other level of bad. No one hurt my girl.
No one.
“Come inside,” I said, trying to mask my anger. “I’ll make you a white hot chocolate. I remember you used to love that when you were a kid.”
“Still do,” she choked out, a fresh set of tears springing to her reddened eyes.
She meekly followed me into the kitchen and sat down at the table, watching me with her watery gaze as I made the drink for her. I put two pink marshmallows in it, just like I remembered she always wanted, and then I set it down in front of her.
“This is a nice change from all the coffee I’ve been drinking to stay awake this last week,” she said in a soft voice, warming her hands on the mug.
“I guess Kaye and the others have been working you pretty hard,” I said with a nod. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much.”
Truth be told, I’d been teasing her over the last week. Making her sweat, keeping her on her toes. I wanted to see just how much of a good girl she was; just how much she’d want to please me, and she had followed through amazingly—not one complaint, not one incident of her showing up at my house demanding to know why I was barely talking to her. She was so well-behaved. So perfect.
Such a good girl.
But now my good girl needed me.
“Tell me what happened,” I went on. “How did your mother contact you? A phone call? Those can be traced, you know.”
Lily shook her head and wiped her tearstained cheeks with one hand. “She didn’t call. She wrote me a letter.”
Reaching down into her purse, she pulled out a piece of paper, and she handed it over to me. I took it from her, but before I read it, I grabbed her hand firmly and looked her right in the eye. “Are you sure you want me to read this?” I asked.
She nodded. “I…I trust you,” she said. My heart soared at that. “You’ve looked after me so much in the last couple of weeks. I know you won’t do anything crazy like reporting me to the cops for having contact with a wanted felon.”
“Of course not. You didn’t ask for this in any way. But you do need to take this to the police, Lily. There’s things they can do to possibly figure out where the letter was written, like analysis to find out where the paper was purchased and so on.”
“I know,” she said softly.
I lowered my eyes to Karen’s letter and began to read, and my blood boiled with each word. It was fucking shit. Just a pile of excuses for killing Jenna and abandoning Craig and Lily afterwards, all to save her own hide. She even tried to say Jenna’s death was an accident, but we all knew Jenna’s death was a violent homicide. The four bullets pumped into her proved that.
Nothing in the letter gave away where Karen was right now or where she’d been hiding all these years, and there was also nothing to suggest she intended on coming back to turn herself in. Ever.
Fuming, I looked up at Lily. “What does she mean about how Jenna hurt you?”
Lily cast her eyes down to her mug. “She used to make rude comments, that’s all.”
“Oh, I remember those sorts of comments well,” I said. “I was often on the receiving end of them as well.”
“One day she implied I was chubby. I didn’t eat properly for a while. Just a few weeks. That’s what Mom was talking about. I know it was bad, but that doesn’t mean Jenna deserved to be hurt. I’m so sorry, Jackson.”
She began to sob again, and I stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Shh, baby girl. It’s not your fault. Your mother has a mental illness. She’ll probably never realize that what she did is on her and her alone.”
“I just don’t get it. Why now? After all these years, why contact me now?”
I sat down again and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’s like she said in the letter—she wanted to write to you for a long time, but didn’t feel safe enough to do so until now. Perhaps she finally found a good enough hiding place where she knows she won’t get caught.”
Lily was silent, and she began to chew on her fingernails. I frowned. “There’s something else you’re not telling me, isn’t there?”
She shook her head. “No.”
I leaned forward, voice laced with a warning tone. “Part of being my little girl means telling me the truth at all times, Lily. You tell me everything. It all stays between us. I won’t talk to anyone else about you or the things you tell me, and vice versa.”
She gazed at me, eyes wide with worry. “There’s some things I can’t tell you,” she murmured before looking down again.
“It’s a rule. Rules are there to protect you, baby. So you need to tell me. I need total honesty, Lily.”
She jerked her head back up, defying me with her eyes. “Why?”
I sighed, not wanting to get into this issue, but knowing I needed to if she was ever going to understand. “I suppose it helps me feel more in control, knowing I know everything.”
“But why? Why do you need to be in control? Why do you need to know everything?”
I was silent for a moment. “Jenna cheated on me, Lily,” I finally admitted. “Back at the very beginning of our relationship. She got drunk and met a man at a bar….one thing led to another. I broke it off when I found out. But she chased me, begged for another chance, and I eventually forgave her. I figured it was just one slipup. I thought we could get past it, and we did. We were together for years, as you know. Until she…well, you know what. I think a part of me never really got past the cheating, though, even though she swore up and down it was the biggest mistake she ever made and would never do it again. So I need to know things, Lily. I can’t be with someone who hides things from me, no matter what they are. No matter how bad they are. It’s my most serious rule—never keep anything from me, and never lie.”
“I see,” she said softly. “I get it. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just tell me what you’re keeping from me. I can help, Lily. I’ve told you a hundred times. I’m here for you, and I can make things happen. You know I can.”
It was her turn to be silent. She chewed her lip nervously, and finally she began to speak, stammering out her words. “I’ve been thinking sometimes that I….I think maybe I hurt her. Jenna, I mean. I think I was there. So maybe Mom was just covering for me, and that’s why her letter makes no sense as to why she did it, because she didn’t really kill her—I did. She just doesn’t want me to know, because she knows I blocked it all out somehow. She’s just continuing to cover for me. So the letter could be another way of doing that; of making herself look guilty, when maybe I’m the guilty one.”
My eyebrows shot up. “What? Why on earth would you think that?”
Lily haltingly outlined some nightmares she’d been having recently, and went over what she thought it all meant. What her therapist thought it might mean. I listened intently, and my heart broke as I saw the look in her eyes. She’d been holding on to this pain for weeks, holding on to this ridiculous notion that she had anything to do with Jenna’s death.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you, not with all this going on. I don’t remember, but if I really did it….”
Her sentence trailed off.
“Baby girl,” I said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it hard. “You didn’t do anything. I think your therapist’s original thoughts on the matter were correct. It’s just bad dreams conjured up in your mind because of all your unresolved issues. Your mother, you feeling guilty, and so on. That’s it.”
I looked into her eyes again, looked at that shade of hazel-brown that had entranced me so much the first time I laid eyes on her as a young woman. I was amazed that someone could be so beautiful even when their face was puffy and tearstained.
Lily stared back at me, eyebrows furrowed. “No, Jackson. I honestly think I had something to do with Jenna’s death. I really do. I was there. I know it. It’s so clear in my dreams. I was in the house. This house. I saw the blood…saw her body. I had the gun in my hands...”
I knew it wasn’t possible, but Lily was clearly very upset by what she thought she knew.
“Lily—” I began, but she put her palm up.
Usually I wouldn’t allow someone to shush me. Usually I’d want to give a girl like Lily a good hard spanking for trying to defy me in even the smallest way. But I knew how important this was to her; how much she needed my support in this moment.
“No, you have to believe me,” she said, her voice shaky and soft. “Please, Jackson. I was here that day.”
“Okay. I believe you,” I said taking her hand in mine. “I believe you were here that day. But I also believe that you had nothing to do with Jenna’s murder. You were simply here for some other reason, and you saw what went on. Then you must’ve blocked it out. I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but I promise you, we’re going to get to the bottom of this. We’re going to figure out exactly what happened.”
“Thank you.” She nodded, and I wiped the stray tear from her eyes. “Can I use your bathroom, please?”
“Of course. You remember where it is?”
“Yes.”
She stood up, and I watched her leave the kitchen, my mind racing as I went over everything that’d just happened. If I’d only known what Lily was bottling up, I could’ve helped her sooner. Could’ve helped her more.
She returned five minutes later, face still wet, but this time from water. She’d obviously splashed herself to freshen up after all the crying. “Sorry I took so long,” she said. “I remembered the house wrong. I thought the bathroom was upstairs and down the hall on the left, but the door was locked. I forgot it was on the right instead, but I found it eventually.”
“No problem.”
She gave me a curious glance. “What’s in the locked room?”
So my little girl was a curious kitten. How dearly I wanted to tell her. Show her. But now was not the time to be taking trips to my toy room.
“That’s just my home office,” I said smoothly. “I keep it locked because there’s important documents in the filing cabinets.”
Seemingly satisfied with that explanation, Lily gave me a watery smile and sat down again. “I’m sorry for coming over here and unloading on you like this,” she said. “You must think I’m nuts.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you came. I’m glad you trust me enough to let me be here for you. You aren’t nuts at all. You’re just a girl who’s gone through a lot. A girl who deserves some TLC. I know…” I cleared my throat and went on. “I know your dad isn’t around as much as he could be.”
I knew this from things she’d said in the past, and also just from simple observation. Craig’s car was rarely in the drive when I drove past the Rubio house, and my hours were wild. Sometimes I’d leave at five in the morning and his car wouldn’t be there, or I’d come home at ten P.M. and he wouldn’t be there. I knew he was working damn hard to keep his business afloat, and that wasn’t his fault, but I also knew how much it could affect Lily. She needed a strong male presence in her life to guide her and help her through her issues, and she wasn’t getting that at home.
Lily nodded. Then she yawned and put a hand up to stifle it, and I gave her a gentle smile. “You must be exhausted after letting all that out. Why don’t you go lie down on the couch while I make us some dinner? I have Netflix on the TV so you can relax and watch a movie.”
Lily nodded gratefully. “That’d be great. But you don’t need to make me dinner.”
“Nonsense. It’s the least I can do. And I told you, I want to take care of you.”
“Thank you,” she said softly before padding over to the couch. My house was open-plan downstairs, so even though it was big, the main lounge room was visible from where I was in the kitchen. I watched her get onto the sofa and lie down, and I smiled to myself as I busied myself preparing dinner. This was exactly how I wanted life to be—a gorgeous girl in my house, letting me take care of her.
Once dinner was prepared, I took a plate over into the lounge. “Here, Lily. Chicken piccata,” I said proudly. She didn’t respond, and I peered closer before grinning. She was completely zonked out on the sofa. I bet she hadn’t even lasted five minutes of the Netflix movie before falling asleep. She’d had a very rough day, after all.
I wrapped the plate in cling wrap and stuck it in the fridge in case she got hungry later, and then I went back over to Lily and leaned down, gently picking her up. She moaned but barely stirred otherwise, and with her in my arms, I took her upstairs and into one of the spare bedrooms. Once in there, I lay her down on the sheets and pulled the duvet over her. She’d been so light to carry, barely weighed more than a feather. I was tempted to lean down and kiss her goodnight as she snored gently under the blanket, and I was even more tempted to run my hands over the smooth contours of her body. But not now. Not while she was asleep and unable to say no. I wasn’t that kind of guy.
“Night, baby girl,” I murmured before turning around to switch off the light.
“Jackson?” I turned back around to see Lily’s eyes fluttering open. She stuck an arm out of the sheets slightly, beckoning to me. “Could you…could you text my dad from my phone? Tell him I worked late and am staying at a friend’s house closer to the city. My cell is downstairs in my purse.”
I hesitated. I’d very nearly forgotten how we were supposed to be hiding everything from everyone, especially Craig. “Sure thing.”
She immediately fell back asleep, and I went and did as she asked. Rummaging through her purse, I found her phone and texted Craig pretending to be her, and when I put the phone back, I made another discovery. A little pink bag. Grinning to myself, I pulled it out. This was the reason I thought she’d come over today, before I realized all the other shit was going on. Lily must’ve stashed the toy in here before she discovered that letter her Mom wrote.
I carefully fished the toy out of the bag, and I was rock hard at the thought of her using it. I knew she did; I could smell her on it. I groaned and slid the toy back in the bag, desperate to relieve the growing tension. She was such a good little girl, always following my orders. Always doing what she was told.
I put the toy away, ate some dinner, then went and jumped in the shower upstairs, across from the spare room Lily was in. I didn’t bother closing the door—I was used to living alone and not needing to, and besides, she’d been fast asleep for half an hour now. Picturing her writhing on the bed as she experimented with the pink toy, I closed my eyes and wrapped my fist around my cock, stroking furiously. I imagined myself between those lithe legs of hers, slamming hard inside her tight little pussy, coming deep inside her.
I tipped my head upwards and groaned, hot water spilling over my face, and I jerked my head back down a second later, certain I’d heard a noise. Something coming from the bathroom doorway. Water was in my eyes, making it hard to see, but I was sure I caught a glimpse of dark curly hair whipping over a shoulder. I rubbed my eyes and called out.
“Lily? Was that you?”
She returned to the bathroom and shyly peeked inside, carefully averting her eyes from my nakedness. “Sorry. I woke up and I wasn’t tired anymore. I was just….just looking for you. That’s all. I didn’t mean to—”
“Didn’t mean to spy?” I said, lips quirking into a small smile.
Her cheeks turned pink. “I wasn’t spying.”
“Why were you looking for me, Lily?” I asked, an edge to my voice. I was so horny I thought I might explode right now, just from looking at her sweet little face.
“I wanted to find you,” she said hesitantly. “To ask you to make everything better. To make me feel better…daddy.”
We stood staring at each other for what felt like hours, even though it was mere seconds. I was all too aware that I was still stark naked under the running water, and the blush on Lily’s cheeks was driving me wild. I knew she’d seen what I was doing before she came in. I knew she could still see how hard my cock was, even though she was pretending not to look.
And now she’d said the magic word again.
“Baby girl,” I finally said, my voice hard and commanding. “You worked hard today. Probably got yourself quite dirty. Get in.”
I gestured to the shower. Lily stepped closer and stared up at me through her eyelashes. Then she smiled and spoke up, ever-so-softly. “It’s about time, daddy...”