Page 19 of Keeping Lilith

Little by little, she was opening up to Julian. Two hours ago, there was no way she would’ve said what she’d just said. And if he asked how she’d gotten involved with Staunton, would she tell him her truth?

Yes!

Yes, she would, because it was time.

“I thought I was going for a job interview. I thought I was getting a better position than the ones I currently had. A chance to work in a better environment, where I wasn’t on my feet for hours and earning a pittance. Serving people meals and drinks, being upbeat, friendly, and polite to them, only for them to tip me a measly five dollars on a hundred-dollar meal. I was going to live in a great cabin of my own. Have my work appreciated. I believed every word of the advertisement. The pictures. Even the words Staunton spoke to me at the interview. And when he offered me the position, I didn’t hesitate. I was ready for a new start. To become someone.” Throughout her monologue, Lilith had kept her gaze fixed on the ocean. Watching as the waters swished in and out.

If only it were that easy to wash away the hurt and humiliation she’d gone through when she’d realized her mistake. The humiliation seeping through her bones right now after she’d explained her naivete to Julian.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he said after a moment, his hand covering hers. She hadn’t dropped her hand from his arm when she’d placed it there. “If the pictures and the place looked legitimate when you arrived, it’s easy to believe what Staunton said.”

Lilith shifted her attention from the hypnotic motion of the water to Julian, who held pity in his gaze again. God, she hated it being there, but instead of getting angry, she accepted the pity because if someone had relayed the story she just had, she’d pity them too. “The second I walked into the cabin that had been allocated to me, I knew I’d been duped. That I’d fallen into a trap, but when I tried to leave . . .” Lilith pulled her hand away from Julian’s warm flesh and rubbed her arm where it had been injured. “Well, let’s just say I wasn’t allowed to. When I came to, I had a broken arm.”

“Fucking asshole,” Julian growled.

“Yeah, but at least I got treatment for my injury.”

“At what price?”

Trust Julian to know that there had to be a catch to her receiving medical care. “I didn’t ask. My fate had been sealed. I didn’t argue or try to escape. I accepted that I’d made this bed, and I had to lie in it. My car wasn’t where I’d parked it. My handbag with my wallet and IDhad disappeared. I had nothing, and well, you know how far away the commune was from anything resembling a small town, so any chance of escaping to go for help was slim.”

“I—I, fuck, I wish things had been different. And those words are so pathetic. I don’t even know why I said them.”

Lilith chuckled. “There’s nothing you need to say. If anyone knows what I’ve been through, it’s you. But I’m not there now, and I really need to make sure that I don’t end up back in another place like that again.”

“You won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

Julian’s words sounded like an oath. A promise. But he couldn’t make that happen, unless he watched her twenty-four-seven for the rest of her life. But him sticking around like that seemed unlikely, even if the idea sounded more appealing than it would’ve a short while ago.

Chapter Ten

The driveback to Irish’s house was thankfully made in silence. Julian needed the time to digest everything that Lilith had told him.

Luring people in with the promise of a new job and opportunity wasn’t unusual, just wasn’t one that was normally presented when enticing people to join a cult. Normally, it was the promise of wealth. Or believing that the person had the ear of the Lord and could provide salvation and the eternal future promised in the Bible. Other times, it was simply words that the person needed to hear to boost their confidence. In the end, it didn’t matter what they were saying or selling. Their words were effective, and their power grew.

For people down on their luck, or like Lilith had been, looking for a better job on the limited skills they had, whatever Staunton had been advertising had been enough to draw them into his web.

Well, that web had been ripped to shreds, but the aftermath was going to be felt for a long time. He would contact Mac and let him know how Staunton had built up his following. They were always adding things learned from each case to a database of things to look for.

“Thank you for today. I think I needed it,” Lilith said quietly as they pulled into Irish’s house. The lights were on, indicating the owners were home. Although Julian already knew that because he’d received a text from Cass as they’d been walking back to the car at the beach, asking where they were and if everything was okay. He’d fired off a quick response to let her know they were heading in that direction.

“I’m glad.” How he wanted to reach over and pull her into a hug. To have her arms close around him. When she’d touched him at the beach, his whole body had lit up, as if he were a fireplace, ignited to life. The touch had been spontaneous and free, and he’d cherished it, although he hadn’t really deserved it. “Come on, let’s go.”

Should he tell Lilith to wait for him to open the door? He swallowed the words down. No way would she see it as him wanting to make sure she was safe. She would see it as him taking away a bit of the control she was getting back. Instead, he waited until she’d exited the car before he did the same and was surprised to see that she had waited for him and hadn’t headed into the house herself.

They reached the front door, and Lilith paused, turning to look at him. “I don’t have a key to get in. I didn’t see one on the table on our way out.”

The door opened before he could say anything, and Cass stood on the other side. “I’m so sorry, Lilith. I said I’d leave a key for you but got to work and realized I hadn’t. I wasn’t thinking when I left.”

Julian chuckled. He almost blurted out that not only was Cass skilled with the keyboard, but it seemed she had mind-reading skills as well. Saying that, though, was likely to freak Lilith out. “Good to see you, Cass.”

She rolled her eyes, but stepped back, allowing them to enter. He’d seen Lilith home. He should leave and let Lilith havesome time to herself without him hovering. Yet he followed her through the house toward the kitchen. “Dinner’s almost ready. I assume you’re staying, Julian?”

Was Cass throwing him a lifeline here? Could she tell he didn’t want to leave Lilith just yet? He wanted to stay, but he couldn’t do that without asking if Lilith was okay with it. “Are you okay with that?” He directed his question to the woman he’d spent the day with.

Lilith shrugged. “It’s not my house.”

“I know, but this is your space too. I don’t want to intrude. If you want me to leave, I will.”