chapter eighteen

"Why in the world are you following me? Didn’t you say you were letting me go?!"

Lilly’s voice sliced through the empty road, sharp and defiant. She threw her hand in the air, attitude dripping from every movement. Her eyes cut toward Ave, Victor, and Kane sass practically glowing off her like armor.

"You’re not afraid of death, are you?" Victor muttered, rolling his eyes with a tired kind of menace.

"If you wanted to kill me," Lilly said coolly, "I’m sure I’d be long gone by now."

Her tone was flat, careless like she’d grown bored of the whole idea of dying.

Ave tilted his head, lips twitching. "Okay, Miss Pretty Face," he said dryly, "how exactly are you planning to get home in the middle of nowhere? You gonna hike?"

Pretty Face.

He thinks I’m pretty.

A small spark flared in her chest, but she buried it fast. He’s cute, sure. But not my type. She rolled her eyes again, hiding that flicker of warmth beneath a wall of sarcasm.

"Wish you’d just kill me already before your annoying faces do," Lilly muttered, folding her arms.

"My pleasure," Kane growled, hand brushing against his gun.

"Kane. No," Ave snapped , his voice sharp as a whip crack.

"Yeah, Kaneeee," she dragged out his name in a sing-song tone, playful and mocking, "you should listen to your boss. And what kind of name is Kane anyway? Were your parents thinking of sugarcane when they named you?"

Her smirk was pure trouble. Ave and Victor tried to hold it in, but small laughs slipped out anyway.

"And what kind of name is Lilly?" Kane shot back. "Sounds like an expired daisy."

"The only thing expired here is your looks," she fired without missing a beat. "What were you born in, 30 B.C.?"

"Ave, I swear‐" Kane’s teeth clenched tight.

Ave’s mouth twitched , he tried to stay serious, but the corner of his lips betrayed him, cracking into laughter.

"Alright, that’s enough! Both of you!" he barked. "You’re like Tom and Jerry , cut it out!"

"Yeah, but this Tom’s ten times dumber," Lilly muttered under her breath.

That did it. Kane snapped. He lunged forward, but Victor grabbed him, muscles tense as he held him back.

"You’re getting on my last nerve, I swear‐" Kane hissed.

"Calm down, dude. She’s just a girl," Victor said firmly, voice steady but stern. "Go cool off."

"But‐" Kane started, fists still balled tight.

"Take a walk before one of us loses it. What are we, kids or grown men?" Victor pressed harder now.

Something in Kane’s shoulders slackened. The anger began to fade, just enough.

"What’s she gonna think of us now?" Victor added, shaking his head. "Next time she kidnaps us, she won’t even take us seriously."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m just tired of her," Kane muttered, clicking his tongue before stalking off into the dusk.

"Take a walk, little doggy maybe you’ll cool off," Lilly called after him, voice sharp as glass.

That did it. Kane spun around fast, pure reflex hand moving before thought.

He raised his gun and fired.

The shot cracked through the air

so loud the silence shattered.

Lilly froze. She hadn’t even seen him move.

But Ave had. He pulled her aside just in time. The bullet tore through empty space, slicing the wind where her head had been a heartbeat ago.

"Dude?!" Victor shouted, eyes wide.

"Warn her," Kane said flatly, lowering his gun. He turned and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Lilly stood still, heart pounding against her ribs like it wanted out.

I shouldn’t have gone that far, she thought, her breath trembling. That idiot really would’ve killed me.

"Next time, it’ll go through your head," Ave warned, voice low and heavy.

He reached a hand to help her up. She slapped it away and pushed herself to her feet.

Without another word, she turned and walked toward the black SUV parked a few meters away.

Its tinted windows gleamed under the dying sun. She yanked open the door and slid into the back seat, jaw tight, refusing to look at anyone.

"Rock, paper, scissors," Victor muttered, glancing at Ave both silently debating who’d risk sitting next to her.

Ave sighed, rolled his eyes, and climbed into the driver’s seat.

The car filled with silence.

Only the hum of the engine and the faint whisper of wind through the cracked windows.

Ave drove, face unreadable.

Victor sat in the back, half watching Lilly, half afraid to speak.

And Kane earbuds in, jaw tight stared straight ahead.

Because if he heard her voice one more time,

he might not stop himself next time.

If these people also kidnapped my sister, Lilly thought, then why haven’t they released her yet?

Or maybe they already have… then why not kill me? What’s the point of kidnapping me only to drive me home?

Her thoughts tangled like thorny vines.

She’d met many mafia men before spies, liars, killers but never ones so absurdly goofy.

Goofy, yet perfect at what they did.

Dad probably doesn’t even know where I am. Who I’m with.

All he ever cared about was Bella his beloved, perfect, mute daughter.

If only Bella knew the truth.

If she saw him for what he truly was the cunning, black-sliding snake he is maybe she couldn’t love him so much.

He’s a monster. A complete monster.

And Bella… instead of being a good sister, she always blamed me.

She got the attention, the praise, the halo while I hid the secrets that could destroy her.

One day, Lilly thought bitterly, when she learns the truth, she’ll crawl and beg for forgiveness at my feet.

I bet I don’t even cross her mind.

After all, why would I?

She’s the perfect church girl everyone adores and loves.

Why should I care about her when she never cared about anyone but herself?

I hope she never comes back.

Wherever she is, I hope she stays there forever , lost, gone.

Then Dad will only have me left.

He’ll be forced to love me. To treasure me. To take care of me.

Otherwise… I’m just the living copy of Bella.

The thought made her chest tighten.

"Arghhh…" she muttered softly, pressing her hand to her forehead.

Sometimes it makes me feel free , and ugly all at once.

Her heart grew colder with every thought, frost crawling into the spaces warmth used to live.

Kane’s eyes flicked to the side mirror.

Lilly was staring out the window, deep in thought, her face unreadable but something about her looked… hollow.

For a heartbeat, his chest tightened. Sympathy?

He didn’t like that word.

She looks sad, he thought, then rolled his eyes, forcing the feeling down.

Whatever. I don’t care about her.

But his gaze lingered a second too long before he looked away.