Protecting You ("The Shadows" Series: Book I)

XXXIV.

Ryan's POV

Lily asked for a cup of coffee from one of the guards and he immediately left. Laura sat wincing as the other guard tied her hands and legs on each arm and feet of the chair. We all had our eyes intently fixed on Lily as she went towards a dark corner. A sudden tension fell on everyone in the room as the seconds passed by.

The guard returned with a cup of coffee and stood beside us. Lily heard his arrival and emerged from the corner, taking the cup from his hand.

"Would you like to stay or..." She trailed glancing at the two guards simultaneously. They shook their heads. Lily nodded at them.

"I'll call you after I'm done with her." She said as they left after nodding at her. They looked...relieved!!??

"What's up with them?" I whispered near Alex's ear.

"You'll see." He said. I looked at him confused. He smirked. Evan and Zach were listening to our exchange so when I looked at them, they rose their brows questioningly at me. I shrugged.

"I know a few things about you." Lily's voice rang in the room. All our attention fixed back on her.

"Good things I believe." Laura choked out, trying to smile but it looked more like she had constipation. Lily smirked at her. But what caught me off guard was that the smirk was humorless and her eyes were hard and cold. I had seen a glimpse of this part of her when she had been in our warehouse. I remember that was one of our early meetings. But she looked a little emotional that day before leaving. Now she was looking very distant and detached from her true self.

"Yeah. Very good things." She said calmly. She walked towards the same corner. Suddenly table screeching was heard. She pulled the table in the light and I heard Zach and Evan suck in a sharp breath as I stood gob-smacked.

The table had sharp nails, pliers, knives, a gun, and wires with spikes. It also had oil and salt along with a baseball bat and a wooden and an iron rod. I had an idea of how these things were used but I had no idea that Lily knew them too. She walked back and stood in front of Laura.

"You know you're gorgeous." Laura nodded arrogantly in agreement.

"I know that. That's why he loved what I did to him." Laura said, winking at me.

"You know you should shut up before she makes you," Alex said nodding at Lily.

"Oh her?? She can't do shit. Just like her mother." Laura said and we all noticed how Lily tensed at that.

"You don't know...Do you? But I know. We all know. Adam knows." She wheezed out and spit out blood before continuing.

"Your mother was one of his toys. Adam's toys...lover...whatever you want to name her. He liked her too. But things went downhill when she got pregnant. She wanted it...Adam...nah. He hated it with passion. She..." Laura's eyes started drooping but suddenly an ear-splitting scream left her throat when Lily threw salt on some of her wounds.

"THE FUCK!!!" Evan yelled, terrified. Zach cursed just like him but in a low voice, their faces pale and I...I shuddered when I saw the look in Lily's eyes. Hurt, confusion, aggression...every emotion was flooding in her eyes for a second and then they turned cold, just like before. Laura thrashed and screamed in agony, cursing Lily and each one of us to the moon and back while Evan winced along with Alex and me. Her voice was a piercing screech that we were not able to handle. Alex pulled out four pairs of earpieces and passed three to us while putting one pair in his own, covering them. We followed his action but were still able to hear her scream while Lily stood like a statue in front of her.

Laura's blood was spilling from her wrist and ankles as the rope cut into them. The stench was making my stomach churn but we all stood there.

"You should continue if you want to survive," Lily said in a hard voice. Laura screamed some more, calling her unknown names in every language she knew but exhaustion enveloped her and her thrashing slowed down to none. She breathed in and out for some time.