Vile Flower
Thane didn’t want to end Lilly’s life, which Durov strongly advised he do. However, he agreed with his friend that she would remain a threat to Brie until her dying breath.
Before he could make a decision, Thane needed to assess Lilly’s mental state himself. Although he was not strong enough to stand for long periods of time, he decided to go to the Tatianna’s Legacy Center, known as the TLC, where Lilly was being contained. It was the facility for survivors of human trafficking Durov had funded, run by Stephanie Conner, the girl he had saved in Russia.
Thane had asked Wallace to drive him, but planned to sit there alone and secretly listen in on Lilly for several hours. It was critical that he evaluate the situation himself, without the influence of others.
What he hadn’t anticipated was how difficult it would be for Brie—this visit with Lilly. When the doorbell rang, Brie looked at him nervously as she went to answer it.
“It’s good to see you again, Wallace,” Thane called out, pushing his wheelchair forward to greet him.
“Likewise, Sir Davis,” he said, shaking Thane’s hand. He glanced at Brie and asked, “Hey, you don’t mind if I steal him away from you for a few hours, do ya?”
“No, of course not,” Brie replied, but Thane didn’t miss the way she fiddled with her hands, her body giving away her true feelings.
The two of them had already discussed this at length beforehand, and Brie understood and agreed with the necessity of Thane doing this. However, she was left having to fight against her justifiable fear of Lilly and her concern for Thane’s safety.
“I won’t be gone long,” he assured her. “And you know there will be no contact with Lilly. I’m just there to assess.
She laughed self-consciously. “I know I shouldn’t worry.”
“Brie, it might make it easier if you call one of your friends to keep you company until we return,” Wallace suggested.
Brie shook her head, smiling. “I can handle this. Really.”
Thane gestured to her to kneel beside him.
He caressed Brie’s cheek tenderly, feeling her pain. “It’s normal for you to be worried after all that has happened. I have similar concerns about leaving you, babygirl. But you and I must work through our fears, so they don’t end up controlling our lives.”
“I understand in my head what you are saying, but I don’t know how to convince my heart, Sir.”
He smiled, leaning forward to kiss her. “I don’t either, but we’ll figure it out as we go.”
When Brie stood back up, Thane advised her, “Call a friend. It will help pass the time.”
Brie pursed her lips and looked at him thoughtfully. “I should probably call Mary. She’s got some explaining to do about the way she’s been acting.” Brie gave Wallace a sympathetic glance. “And I’m certain she will keep me distracted.”
Thane knew that Mary was spending the evening at the TLC dealing with Lilly. However, he could tell no one, not even Brie, about Mary’s involvement. That information had to remain a closely guarded secret for Mary’s own protection.
“If not her,” he said casually, “then I’m sure there are others who would be happy to help you pass the time.”
Brie nodded, adding a smile to ease his concern for her. “Well, if Mary won’t talk to me, there’s always Lea or…even the infamous Ms. Clark.”
He chuckled. “I’m sure either would prove entertaining for completely different reasons.”
Brie turned her attention back to Wallace. “Please take good care of him,” she pleaded.
“You know I will, blossom.”
Thane appreciated Wallace keeping things light. There had been a time when he’d had his suspicions about the man, but now he had complete confidence in Wallace—until he tried to touch Thane’s wheelchair.
“No!” Thane lashed out. He pushed himself toward the door, but slowed to a stop and turned, needing to explain himself. “Look, I’m not going to recover unless I do things for myself.”
“Got it,” Wallace said. “No harm, no foul. Last thing I want is people accusing me of making Sir Thane Davis soft.”
When the doors to the elevator opened, Thane wheeled himself inside, turning around awkwardly. “I can’t wait to get out of this damn chair.”
“Why not get a motorized one?”
“I’m determined to build muscle.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
As the elevator doors closed, Thane changed the subject, “I never fully thanked you for what you did for Brie in my absence.”
“No need. I owed you both.”
“I don’t think you appreciate what it meant to me.”
“You’re wrong there,” Wallace stated. “I would feel the same if our roles were reversed and it was Kylie.”
“Point well taken. Nevertheless, it’s important you know how grateful I am. Having Brie safe both physically and emotionally during an extremely stressful time when I was unable to take care of her is…priceless to me.”
Wallace pressed the stop button on the elevator and turned to him. “Do you ever get the feeling that things play out exactly how they are meant to? That events happen in our lives in order to prepare us for what’s to come? Take Brie as an example. I loved her, I really did, and I changed the course of my sorry life so I could claim her. As you are well aware, I was devastated when she chose you. However, that closeness she and I shared allowed me to care for her after Durov was taken. I would have been clueless as to how to help Brie if I hadn’t known her so well. The fact is, Kylie was my destiny, but I wouldn’t have met her if Brie hadn’t made that documentary. Looking back on it, it all seems to fit together, even though I couldn’t see that at the time.”
Thane understood what he was saying, but shared his own take on things. “While I appreciate your perspective, I come from the standpoint that we suffer and learn through our circumstances in life. But, in the end, it’s our choice whether we use those experiences for good or not.”
“You don’t believe in a higher power?”
“I’ve vacillated and still remain unsure. But I will say this, I should have died and was given a second chance. It’s hard not to feel gratitude toward God, Fate, or whatever it was that was responsible for bringing me back.”
Wallace nodded, pressing the button to continue their descent.
“What are your thoughts concerning Lilly?”
Wallace answered him with a frown. “She is a hard case. Mary has told me that she, herself, has been deeply affected by learning about the tragic experiences the girls at the center have suffered. However, when she’s shared them with Lilly, the woman appears unmoved.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“You’re right to reserve your judgement until after you’ve observed her yourself. You know Lilly better than any of us.”
Thane growled under his breath. “If she is anything like my mother, there may be no hope. However, the consequence, if that proves true, disturbs me on a level I can’t express.”
“I don’t envy your position.”
When the doors opened, Wallace insisted Thane go out first.
“I don’t need special treatment,” Thane grumbled as he pushed his wheelchair out.
Wallace snorted. “I wasn’t giving any to you. I respect you, Sir Davis, and would have done the same regardless whether you were in a wheelchair or not.”
Thane sighed irritably, frustrated with himself. “I suppose I need to stop thinking others see me as helpless.”
“‘Helpless’ is not a word I would ever use to describe you. We all admire your strength and determination.”
“Funny…I would have said the same about you.”
Wallace clapped him on the shoulder. “As far as I am concerned, you will always be my superior. You did train me, after all.”
“Frankly, I had no idea then just how far you would come.”
“I owe my growth to you and Brie, as well as Marquis Gray and Nosaka. I’ve made it a point to never forget where I came from. It helps me keep the right perspective.”
“Yet again, I find myself impressed, Wallace.”
Wallace shook his head, grinning as he opened the car door for Thane and waited while Thane attempted to maneuver himself into the car. He struggled to lift himself from the wheelchair into the seat, but found his muscles were still too feeble. It was humiliating, but he finally asked for assistance and suffered the indignity in silence.
Once they reached the TLC, Thane was forced to bear a second humiliation as he struggled to get out of the old Mustang. “This is ridiculous,” he growled in frustration, having to request Wallace’s help again.
“Give it time,” Wallace said, lifting him into the wheelchair.
Thane only growled in response.
Once inside, he pushed his wheelchair toward the elevators, stating, “I’ll take it from here, Wallace.”
“You sure you don’t want me to walk you to the room?”
“I know the number, so I see no need,” he replied irritably. Thane suddenly realized how he must sound, and explained, “Listen, I don’t want Lilly to hear anyone outside her door. I fear it might influence her conversation with Mary.”
“Suits me. Meet you back here in two hours?”
Thane nodded.
As Wallace walked out the door, Thane called to him. “Wallace, I don’t mean to take my anger out on you.”
“Don’t give it a second thought. Frustration is part of the healing process. Believe me, I know.”
Thane watched as Wallace left the building and made his way to his old Mustang. When the car drove off, Thane turned his wheelchair around and pressed the elevator button.
For all his bravado with Wallace, the truth was Thane felt nervous about this encounter with Lilly, and what he would discover.
Following the numbers in a maze of hallways, he finally reached the back of the building where Lilly was being held. He wheeled his chair along slowly, careful not to make a sound. He could hear the girls were already talking as he pulled up to the door.
Mary’s voice floated down the quiet hallway, speaking with a slight Middle Eastern accent to keep the ruse that they being held somewhere overseas.
“Go ahead, hit me with another one,” Lilly insisted.
“Well… there’s this girl, Jael. She said they tied her up, legs spread apart. The man who owned her thrust a brush with steel bristles into her repeatedly so she would never have children.” Mary’s voiced caught for a moment when she shared, “The girl was only twelve, Lilly. She told me that she bled for weeks afterwards. Almost died because of what he did.”
“Well, I totally blame the parents,” Lilly said dismissively. “If they were too weak to protect their own child, their bloodline needs to end with her. Probably for the best.”
“You’re a callus bitch, aren’t you?”
“Look, I don’t understand why you care so much.”
“It’s pure evil to abuse children. Pure. Unadulterated. Evil.”
“And you think any of it matters?” Lilly laughed sarcastically. “Don’t you get it? We live in a dog eat dog world. I really don’t give a shit what happens to other people. There’s only one person I care about—maybe two.”
Mary growled with disgust. “The first being you, of course.”
“Goes without saying.”
“Then let me ask you, because I’m really curious.”
“Go on,” Lilly encouraged her, sounding as if she was enjoying the direction their discussion was taking.
“If you have so little sympathy for people, why would you ever expect anyone to give a crap about you?”
“Got a rise out of you, did I? Too fucking easy…”
Mary grumbled angerly and fell silent.
Since Mary knew that Thane was there to listen in on the conversation to assess Lilly’s mental and emotional state, he had to trust she would get Lilly to open up if he remained patient.
“And I thought I had a cold heart…” Mary complained with a sarcastic tone, finally breaking the silence.
“It has nothing to do with the heart, sweet cheeks, and everything to do with the mind. The strong get what they want, and the weak get what they deserve.”
“You really believe that?”
“I don’t just believe it, I live it.”
It was Mary’s turn to laugh. “Okay. Then, how do you explain being locked up in here?”
“A bump in the road. I’ll figure things out and when I do—people will pay.”
Thane felt a chill course through his veins. It was painfully obvious Lilly had no sympathy for others, and had zero remorse for her own actions.
Lilly’s tone suddenly became serious when she asked Mary, “Do you know what makes it so easy for me to manipulate others?”
“No.”
“People like you.”
Mary growled irritably. “Don’t be a bitch. I thought we were friends.”
“‘Friends’ is a stretch. But it’s true—I like you. And I would like you even more if you helped me get out of this fucking place. I have business to take care of.”
“What? Finding that Russian dude?”
“Yes, he definitely needs to go first. I won’t be able to think straight until he’s out of the picture, and I plan to make that fucker pay big time for what he did. I’m thinking a little filleting of the skin would be a nice start, done to a backwards rendition of “You Are My Sunshine”—that bizarre song he was obsessed with. For all his masculine swagger, that song proves he’s just a big man-child.” She chuckled harshly. “Hell, he proved what a coward he was when he failed to finish the job. Now I get to turn the tables, and I always finish what I start.”
“But you’re alive because he spared you.”
“Which only proves I’m stronger than he is. He deserves to die.
“So if the Russian’s first, then the girl must be next.”
Lilly answered with venom in her voice. “Was there ever any question? Fuck…I dream about torturing her.”
“I know you do.”
“But my newest idea may be my best yet.”
“Okay, what now?”
“I’m thinking of playing a game of cat and mouse. I’m going to make her think that I’m sorry for what I’ve done to her. I’ll play the repentant wimp for as long as it takes to get that self-righteous cunt to trust a lowly worm like me. I’ll beg her to tell me what I can do to make it up to her.”
“And this serves what purpose?”
“It’ll be entertaining, for one thing, and will get me in the good graces of my lover.”
Thane felt an icy chill, knowing she was talking about him.
“Just when she feels safe, I’ll turn the knife on her. I will twist and pervert everything she wanted me to do, so that, by the end, she will beg to die. And the best part?”
Mary hesitated for a moment. “What?”
“I won’t lay a hand on her.”
Mary blew her a loud, audible raspberry. “That’s got to be the lamest idea you’ve had yet.”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
Thane closed his eyes, the blood throbbing in his head, certain he already knew what she was going to say…
Lilly’s tone became ominous when she said, “Everything I want to do to her, I’m going to do to the baby while she watches.”
Mary’s growl was low and menacing.
“What?” Lilly laughed. “You got a problem with that?”
“You know how I feel about hurting children.”
“Yeah, I know it is a sensitive subject for you.” Lilly added with a cruel laugh, “…Daddy’s girl.”
“Fuck off and die!” Mary yelled.
After several minutes of silence, Lilly couldn’t take it anymore and called out. “I was only teasing. Still friends, right?”
Mary said nothing.
Time passed. Eventually, Lilly broke the silence again. “You know, neither of us are getting out of here alone.”
Thane knew it was the only reason Lilly was interested in continuing a relationship with the girl on the other side of the wall. Relationships meant nothing in Lilly’s world. People were commodities, their value marked only by what they could provide for her.
He knew this because he could have very easily fallen into that same mindset. It was disturbing how similar they were. While he understood her line of thinking, every aspect of it sickened him.
Thane looked at his watch and realized Wallace must be upstairs waiting for him. Not needing to hear more, he silently wheeled himself back to the elevator. When he arrived upstairs, he found Wallace standing in the lobby.
Thane growled angrily. “We will need to set up a time for all of us to talk.”
“What the hell happened tonight?”
“Based on what I heard, Lilly is beyond saving.”
Wallace looked concerned. “What are you planning to do then?”
“I’m not sure, but we are doing no good keeping her here.”
“I am sorry to hear that.”
Thane looked at him with compassion, knowing this had been Wallace’s idea. He assured him by saying, “Trying to rehabilitate her was the right approach. I do not regret that we tried. It eliminates any doubt about what needs to happen now.”
“Sir Davis.”
Thane met Wallace’s gaze, noting the gravity of his tone.
“What one man can live with is not the same as another man.”
“Please elaborate.”
“Durov is someone who could put Lilly down and not give it a second thought. I am not and, I suspect, neither are you.”
“Yes, therein lies the quandary. Even if I had Durov end her life, the blood would be on my hands—the decision mine.”
“Exactly. You must decide what you can live with.”
“I am not a killer, but I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on Lilly to protect Brie and the baby.”
“I understand that.”
Thane reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Babygirl, it looks like I’m going to be a little late, and I didn’t want you to worry.” He heard the concern in her voice when she replied, and told her, “We’re heading back now. You and I have a lot to talk about.”
After he hung up, Wallace asked, “I don’t mean to step out of line, but this might be more than Brie can handle with her due date coming up.”
Thane sighed heavily. “I made her a promise. She deserves to know the truth.”
“Well, she’s certainly tough enough, but it’s a damn shame she has to bear this burden.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Thane stated, pushing himself angrily toward the door.
When he found himself struggling to get into that goddamn fucking car he wanted to rage on something. However, Thane forced himself to breathe, holding back his frustration and mounting anger.
This was a waste of energy.
Self-pity was a luxury he could ill afford. Thane needed to concentrate on every movement he could make and build on it—every day. The rest would have to fall to the wayside.
Brie needed a man who could protect her and their little baby from any threat.
He was determined, come hell or high water, to be that man.