Always & Forever (45 page)

He smiled and quickly obeyed. “I really wasn’t sure you’d be in to this. You’re a wild woman, aren’t you?”

Lilly straddled him, trying to contain her nerves. “All your research on me didn’t teach you that? I guess I’ll have to show you.”

She kissed him as she worked her way down his body, trying not to gag on the smell of his rich cologne. She dropped off the end of the bed, pulling Crandall’s underwear down with her and kissing the inside of his thigh.

“Oh yeah, baby, yeah.” Crandall grabbed her hair and yanked on it. “That’s what Daddy likes.”

Lilly slipped her hand under the bed cover with Crandall lost in the throes of rapture as her other fingers tickled over his legs. The hard handle slipped into her hand and she found the power button.

This will be easy, girl. You can do it.

“Do you like this?” She yanked the stun gun from beneath the bed and depressed the head of the weapon against Crandall’s soft belly, flicking on the power. Crandall thrashed around as he tried to escape the stinging bites of the metal contacts. The acrid smell of electricity filled the air. His elbow jerked against Lilly’s hand and yanked the gun away from his skin.

Her fingers released the power button and she spun around, clutching the stun gun in her hand as she raced for the door. She didn’t dare look back. Hearing Crandall’s pain-filled curses motivated her to sprint.

A hand closed around her ankle just as she reached the outer room and jerked her feet out from under her. She fell toward the table, knocking her head against it.

“You bitch!”

He flipped her over, fist raised behind his right ear. Stars danced in Lilly’s vision and she tried to orient herself.

“You’re gonna pay for that.”

Nearly mad with anxiety, Zach cried out in relief when they burst through the little clearing in the forest. Their headlights splashed against the bumper of Crandall’s car.

“They’re here,” he said, as if McMann couldn’t see that for himself.

He leapt from the cruiser as soon as it rolled to a halt and bounded up the stairs, McMann close on his heels. He fumbled his key into the lock of the deadbolt and tried to turn it.

“Come on,” McMann urged. “Hurry.”

Zach wrenched against the key, but it refused to turn. “Bastard must’ve changed the lock.”

A scream of fear emitted from within the cabin. Zach beat furiously against the door. “Lilly, Lilly. I’m here.”

Lilly screamed again, and a male voice grunted.

Zach backed up, tears streaming down his face as helplessness overtook him. He was this close, and he couldn’t save her. Maybe he could break into a window on the side of the cabin, but the house sat up on stilts and he didn’t know how to reach it.

McMann slapped him against the shoulder. “Snap out of it, Zach. We’ve got to break the door down.”

Zach looked up, a glimmer of hope forming. Maybe together they could.

“Put your shoulder into it,” the officer said. “On three: one...two...three.”

They both lunged and the sound of splintering wood drowned out Lilly’s cries, but the door held fast.

“Again,” McMann shouted. “One...”

***

Lilly strained for the stun gun, but it was just out of reach. She could hear Zach pound against the door while Crandall’s rage beat against her. He landed blow after blow to her face and body.

Incoherent grunts flowed from his lips and frenzied spittle flung from his mouth across her face with each downward swing. He grimaced and grunted with every punch.

Lilly fought to retain consciousness as pain wracked her body. Zach might not get through the door before Crandall managed to kill her. She might never see Zach’s face again.

Come on, Lilly. You said you wanted to save yourself. Now
do
it!

She renewed her efforts, lunging for the weapon every time Crandall shifted back to land another blow. Her questing fingers closed around the strap on the end of the gun.

Yes!
Lilly yanked it into her waiting hand. She delighted in the tangy smell of electricity that filled her nostrils as she thrust the tines into Crandall’s fleshy leg.

He cried out and tried to jerk away, the pain penetrating his rage.

Lilly pursued, maintaining contact. She didn’t stop even when Crandall’s body twitched and fell across her.

Footsteps crossed the hardwood floors, and Crandall’s heavy weight lifted. She dropped the stunner to the floor, hands shaking too bad to hold it any longer.

Zach was on his knees beside her. “Thank God you’re alive,” he rumbled against her neck, kissing her softly. “You were so brave.”

She sagged in relief. Zach made it. Everything was okay now. He gathered her in his arms. The movement woke fresh spasms of pain, but she smiled anyway. “I knew you’d rescue me.”

“I didn’t do anything. You rescued yourself.” He gently kissed her forehead.

She shook her head slightly. “It
was
you. He would’ve killed me if you hadn’t given me the stun gun, ‘cause I wouldn’t have had sex with him no matter what.” Her vision blacked out around the edges. Maybe she could do the sensible thing and pass out.

Zach rocked her back and forth. Fresh flares of pain broke out across her entire body, and she put her hand against his chest. “That hurts really bad, baby. Please don’t move me anymore.”

He looked stricken and stopped rocking immediately. He pressed his forehead against hers and his tears fell on her face.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“S’okay.” Talking took a lot of effort, but even through the pain, Lilly was delighted to be safe in her true love’s arms. “Did I kill him?”

Zach craned his neck over his shoulder and said something to someone. “No, he’s knocked out, but alive. Another few seconds might have stopped his heart though.”

“Too bad.” She didn’t know if she was sorry he lived, or sorry for almost killing him.

“You were very brave, honey. I’m so proud of you.”

“Savannah?” she asked, feeling too tired to speak.

“Scared and angry, but fine.”

“Hmmm.” She reached out and rubbed her hand across his lip before allowing herself to chase unconsciousness. “Love you.”

Sarah tapped on the doorframe, startling Zach from his light sleep. “Sorry,” she whispered. “I came to check on Lilly.”

The hospital whirled with activity. Nurses hurried back and forth, taking care of one emergency or another. The horrible smell of antiseptic and sickness filled Zach’s nostrils. He wished he could take Lilly home.

“She’s okay,” he said. “Her doctor is hopeful she’ll have no lasting damage. He says being moved out of intensive care is a good sign.” Zach looked at Lilly’s bruise-covered face and began crying again. “I failed her.”

Sarah crouched in front of his chair. She looked up at him and patted his knee. “She knew what she was doing, Zachie. Lilly went with Crandall in order to save Savannah. You’ll have to share the burden of guilt here, because I feel awful.”

“You both need to stop that,” Lilly croaked from her bed. “I lived. Everything’s fine.”

Zach glanced at the clock. “You want me to see if you can have more morphine yet, honey. How bad is the pain?”

Lilly reached toward him, and Zach gently captured her hand, lowering his lips to kiss it without disturbing the rest of her battered body.

“As long as you’re here every time I wake up, my world is perfect.” Her eyes fluttered closed again. Zach couldn’t tell if she slept or not.

Sarah pulled a second chair up to the bed.

“How is Princess Savannah?” he asked.

“She was pretty excited about her trip to the emergency room,” Sarah said as she sat, “but she checked out fine.”

“That’s great. Lilly will be pleased to hear it.” He cocked a sideways look at his sister. “One of her first questions was whether Savannah was okay.”

Sarah had a few tears of her own sliding down her cheeks. “She’s a good woman, Zach.”

“She told me once she didn’t think she’d be a good mother,” he said. “Said she never had any role models, but I think she’ll be perfect.”

The only reason she’d ever be in a hospital after this would be to give birth to their children, Zach vowed. He’d never allow anyone to hurt her again.

Silence stretched between them. The only sounds were the slight beeps of the machinery monitoring Lilly’s vital signs and people talking in the hallway.

Sarah shifted around in her seat and looked over at him. “Sounds like Crandall made a full recovery.”

“Pity.” Zach couldn’t motivate himself to care. It would have solved a lot of problems if the bastard had the decency to die.

Sarah bit her lip. “They took him to lockup, but McMann said he’d probably ship him off to New York for murdering Lilly’s dad. After hearing that Crandall confessed to Lilly, the detective there looked for evidence to link Crandall to the crime. McMann said they traced the disposable phone to the retailer it was bought from. Crandall’s on the security tape making the purchase.” She shook her head and shrugged. “Stewart’s personal assistant confirmed Crandall was in New York at the time of the murder. With Lilly’s testimony, the text message, and more evidence piling up, there should be enough for a conviction.”

A tear slipped from the edge of Lilly’s eyelid. So, she wasn’t asleep. He squeezed her hand and she returned the pressure.

“They’re looking for Charles’ bones,” Sarah continued in a soft voice.

Zach nodded. Crandall actually did Lilly a favor in that instance, but Zach couldn’t bring himself to feel grateful.

“Do you think Savannah is still up to being our ‘flowering’ girl?” he asked. “’Cause I’m marrying Lilly as soon as she gets out of this place.”

Lilly’s eyes flew open. “Zach, we have to talk before we go forward with our marriage.” Tears dripped down her face. “I haven’t even told you what I had to do. I kissed him and I...I made him promises. I pretended I was going to...” She shuddered, looking away.

“None of that matters.” Zach eased himself onto the bed. He avoided her wires and gathered her into his arms. He knew it was painful for her, but she snuggled right up against him. Her body curled up against his was the best feeling in the world.

Sarah left without a word, shutting the door behind her.

“It doesn’t matter one bit.” Zach stroked her arm and closed in on her mouth for a soft kiss.

Lilly strained against him, opening her mouth, her tongue flicking out to touch his. He loved the way she responded to him. Never would he feel the sting of humiliation in the bedroom again. Lilly enjoyed his lovemaking, and he knew she sincerely loved him. She shifted under him to reach her arms around his body, but her gasp of pain stopped them both short.

He pulled back from her a little. “I don’t care
what
you had to do to survive this, do you understand? You survived. That’s all that matters.”

Lilly looked up at him with round eyes. “It was so awful.”

“I know it must have been.” He snuggled carefully closer to her, mindful of her injured body. “You saved Savannah’s life. You saved yourself.”

“I led him on. I made him think I was going to...do things with him.” She shuddered against him. “Also, I’ve done something else, and I don’t know if you’ll forgive me that easily.”

“Hush.” He soothed her hair against her head. “Everything’s fine.”

“But I know how much you value honesty.” She shook her head. “I’ve been lying to you for weeks. Crandall’s the one who beat me at your parents’ house—I never fell down the stairs. He trapped me at work another day and kissed me, and I let him. I made him believe that I would leave you for him and I—”

“Shh...” Zach put a finger against her lips to stop the torrent of information. “I know what you did. But Crandall threatened you, didn’t he? I’m thinking he also threatened Sarah. Isn’t that why you called her after you got that text message?”

Lilly nodded as more tears slipped off her chin to splat against Zach’s chest. “He threatened you, too. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was so afraid of what would happen.”

He patted her back soothingly. “I understand, honey. Everything’s okay between us.”

“You forgive me?”

The hopeful look in her eyes broke Zach’s heart. She must have thought he wouldn’t want her if he found out about her lies. Two months ago, he thought honesty was the only thing that mattered in a healthy relationship. Now, he was just glad she lived through this ordeal, and he was able to be with her.

“There’s nothing to forgive. You did what you had to.” He kissed her tenderly, and her eagerness in returning his kisses filled his heart with joy. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

“That’s a good idea.” She laughed weakly. “I’m a magnet for trouble.”

Zach smiled. There was no chance he would ever have to worry about Lilly’s faithfulness. Perhaps she didn’t always tell him the truth, but she had proven her integrity beyond a shadow of a doubt.