Page 66 of Silver Linings

“Well, look what we have here.” Lily’s heart jumped into her throat as she tried to place the deep voice. “If it isn’t the whore who’s married but doesn’t wear a ring. You know, the boss wasn’t so happy with me when I turned up empty-handed. Whole fucking family came after me for messing up their plans.”

It clicked in her mind, and her stomach dropped. She hadn’t seen the man who’d tried to take her at the park, but she’d have known his voice anywhere. He stepped into the light streaming out from the bar and Lily tried to memorize everything about him in case she got away. He was her height, heavy-set across the middle, dark black hair, and he had a port wine stain over the right side of his face. Lily wasn’t sure if it was just the lighting, but it almost looked like Crater Lake. Some distant part of her mind wondered if Sloane would agree.

“Lily, who is that?” Gunner’s voice boomed into the phone, snapping her brain out of its fear-induced spiral. The man started making his way towards her as her eyes darted around, looking for an escape.

“Y-you need to leave me alone.” She backed up to the sidewalk, trying to keep herself facing towards the man.

“Enjoying the view, you little tease?” he asked before he lunged at her.

“LILY!!!!” The call with Gunner ended as the man grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her. When her phone fell to the ground, he stomped on it, cracking the screen into a million pieces.

“Listen here, bitch. You’re going to walk calmly over to my car and then we’re going to get out of this god forsaken shit-stain town.” Something cold and hard pressed into her side and she barely allowed her mind to register that it was a gun.

Lily nodded, frantically trying to loosen the man’s grip on her arm. Her shoulder was throbbing from how hard he had her arm twisted behind her body. A million scenarios went through her mind, but she knew there was no way she could get into that car with him.

“Hey!” a voice called out from behind her, jarring the man to a stop for a fraction of a second. And that was all she needed. She threw all of her weight into twisting out of his hold.

Gunner’s boss stepped between her and the man.

“He has a gun.” Lily barely got out the words before he was pounding his fist into the man’s face. Only when the man’s head tipped to the side as he fell into unconsciousness did Sebastian stand and turn towards Lily.

“Are you okay?”

“Mr. Montgomery,” her breath pulled at her chest as the adrenaline roared through her body.

“Please, Lily, call me Sebastian.” The worry in his eyes as he reached for his phone almost made her lose her composure.

“I’m fine. I promise. That’s the second time that guy has tried to grab me, though.”

Sebastian’s eyes instantly flew to the man unconscious on the ground.

“Reap. Yeah, I figured you were on your way to Davney’s…No, she’s fine. Would you fucking listen to me? I’m looking right at her and she’s fine. So get your head on right and don’t get into a fucking wreck on your way here. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

“You should have let me talk to him.” Her arms, now wrapped around her waist, provided little protection against the cold seeping into her body.

“I think with the way you’re shaking like a leaf, you’d have only made him worry more.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve said that. And I’m sure under the surface you are. But your body has activated its fight-or-flight response, which means you’re going to crash. And I think your husband should be here for that.”

“Oh…”

“Let’s get you back inside with the girls. Gunner is less likely to destroy the place if he sees you’re safe with them.”

“You’re probably right. But what about him?”

Sebastian turned and pulled what looked like zip ties from his pocket.

“Do you always carry those around with you?”

“No,” he smiled. “I was teaching Emma how to break free from them earlier today. We got a little…distracted. I meant to take them out before we drove over here, but I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t.”

Lily’s face flushed at the implication of what he was saying. From the short time she’d been around Emma, and now Sebastian, it was clear the two of them had a very feisty love life.

“He’s secure for now, and I’ll just make sure you get inside. Then I’ll come back out and wait for Gunner.”

And true to his word, Sebastian did just that. Except when she went inside, he stood at the door and demanded to speak to the manager. Lily didn’t know what else he said as she walked back towards the girls, but a few minutes later, someone made an announcement for everyone to clear out. When Lily grabbed for her purse, Emma explained the announcement wasn’t for them.