Page 9 of Dark Consequences

I once lived my life with carefree abandon, never fully appreciating my freedom and independence until it was too late. That girl has long since been beaten down to the point where she hides behind walls I can’t break through. But my daughter deserves to have the chance to live her life as she wants.

And maybe…maybe somewhere along the way, I’ll find that girl again too.

5

Raphael

Somewhere along the drive to the penthouse, Mei falls asleep curled up against her mother’s side, but Lily remains quiet. Not surprising, really. Yes, I got her and her daughter out of Xiao’s abusive hold, but I’m still a stranger to her. For all she knows, I’m as deadly and terrible as he is. Which, in a way…I am. I just like to think that I have better morals than Xiao. Morals that include not beating the mother of my child, for instance.

I have so many questions. Probably the same, if not more, than Enzo and Dominic. I saw them swirling in their eyes when we safely arrived outside to the cars. But they’ll have to wait—even my father, who is currently blowing my phone up, will have to wait. At a red light, I shoot him off a text letting him know I’ll come by tomorrow…or later today, I suppose, since the clock on the dashboard blinks 3:00 a.m. He’s not happy, but after tonight’s epic failure, who is?

Every step forward to catching Xiao results in two steps back, and I’m beyond frustrated. But now that we have Lily and Mei, Xiao’s daughter, we may just get two steps ahead of the bastard. Finally.

My eyes flick to the rearview mirror…again, and passing streetlamps illuminate Lily’s face…and her slightly swollen cheek. She can claim she fell into a dresser all day long, but I know the signs of abuse, and it’s more likely she fell right into the path of Xiao’s shoes instead and his hand shortly afterward.

Lily doesn’t move when we pull into the underground parking garage. Dominic and Enzo pull up next to me, but they remain in the car, listening to my message to give Lily and her daughter some space for the night.

I twist around in my seat and meet Lily’s piercing blue gaze. She’s trying hard to look strong, but it’s easy to see the uncertainty still lingering there, too. I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel the need to ease her fears.

“We’re here.”

“Where is here exactly?”

“My home. I live in a penthouse upstairs. There’s plenty of room for you to stretch out and have your privacy. But most importantly, it’s safe.”

“Who are you?” Before I can repeat my name, she continues. “Are you like former military or something?”

My lips twitch. “Something like that.”

Lily bothers her bottom lip between her teeth before dropping her eyes to her daughter’s sleeping face. “You don’t know Xiao. He will kill anyone who stands in his way of getting to her.”

She means his daughter. Their daughter. “That’s kind of the point, Lily. Because when he comes for her, for you both, we’ll be ready for him.”

“And then what? What else do you want?”

It takes me a moment to decipher what she truly means. “I don’t want anything else, Lily. No favors, no expectations, nothing like that. I only want to take your husband down.”

“My husband?” She rears her head back as though I had slapped her, something that leaves me feeling uneasy.

“Xiao?”

“Xiao is not my husband. He is a cruel and evil, narcissistic man who enjoys abusing and raping women. Yes, he is Mei’s sperm donor, but that is it. I told you I would help you take him down, and I meant that, but I don’t care for the bastard. He can rot in hell for all I care.”

The passionate intensity of her voice matches the blazing blue fire in her eyes. It’s said that blue fire burns hotter than red, and it’s easy to understand why. “Tell me how you really feel.”

Lily huffs, her lips curling into the faintest hint of a smile. Leaving me to wonder how a genuine smile will transform her face, and what it will take to make one appear.

“You must be tired. Come on. Let’s get you two inside.”

Turning the car off, I climb out and open the door for Lily. She gathers her sleeping daughter’s body in her arms and slides out of the car, when the briefest of winces pulls at her face.

“I can carry her, if you’d like,” I offer before the words even register in my brain.

For a quick second, I think she actually considers it before she shakes her head. “That’s okay. I’ve got her. She’s not that heavy anyway.”

Liar, liar, pants on fire. But if she wants to deny help and intentionally remain in pain, then fine. Let her be stubborn.

That resolve only lasts for half a minute. By the time we get to the elevator, it’s clear from the way she clenches her jaw and carefully shifts Mei in her arms that she’s in more pain than she expected to be.