Page 95 of Lilly

It's going to be difficult for her to give him up. She really does love him and he loves her. It's just like Jade and Garret. I can't believe we're having to relive this scenario all over again. After all I did to keep Garret out of it, I never thought they'd attempt to get Lilly, and they wouldn't have if it weren't for Katherine.

On Saturday morning, we all have breakfast before Rachel and Lilly leave for their girls' weekend. During breakfast, Lilly talks to Rachel but not me. It reminds me of when Garret wouldn't speak to me all those months I tried to keep him away from Jade. I didn't like that time in my life. I felt like I was losing my son and would never get him back and I'm starting to feel that way with Lilly. We've had a close relationship ever since I divorced her mother and I don't want to lose that.

After breakfast I carry their bags to the car. Lilly goes around me to get in the car but I stop her and give her a hug. "Have a good time." I hug her tighter. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispers, then pulls away. She looks at me and I notice her eyes are wet. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She doesn't want to be mad at me. It hurts her to do so. But she feels that she has to. She's angry and frustrated and all that negative emotion has to be aimed at someone, so I'll take it. I just hope it doesn't last. I miss my daughter and want her back. I want all this to be over and for her to be happy again. But it may take a long time before that happens.

Chapter Twenty-One

Pearce

I open Lilly's door and wait for to get in the car. "Wear your seatbelt."

"I will, Dad." She rolls her eyes and gives me a slight smile.

She's excited about this weekend. I'm glad Rachel suggested this. It'll be good for Lilly. She needs to get out of her room and do something fun.

I go around the car to where Rachel is standing. I bring her into my arms. "Thank you for doing this."

"You don't have to thank me. She's my daughter. I love doing things with her. I've been looking forward to this all week."

I kiss her. "I love you. Be careful."

She smiles. "We will. I'll call you when we get there."

As they drive off, I start to panic. What am I doing letting them go off together without me? For an entire weekend!

They'll be fine, I tell myself. They go places all the time and nothing happens. So why am I feeling this sense of dread? This heaviness in my chest? This intense urge to go after them and stop them and make them turn around?

I take a long, deep breath. I'm overreacting. Nothing is going to happen. I need to calm down.

Back in the house, I go to my room to change clothes. I think I'll go golfing. It tends to relax me and will keep my mind occupied for at least a few hours.

My phone rings as I walk in the closet.

"Hello, this is Pearce," I say.

"Pearce, it's Dean. I need to talk to you right away." His words are rushed, his voice panicked.

"What is this about?"

"I can't tell you over the phone. They'll—" He stops. "Just tell me you can meet me."

He's talking about them. He was about to say they'll overhear our conversation because they've bugged his phone.

What does he not want them to hear? And what does it have to do with me? Why is he calling me? Is this about Lilly?

"Where and when?" I ask.

"Right now. At..." He gives me the address of a building in Santa Monica. He said one of his bands used to practice there. It has soundproofed walls and no windows.

His attempt at secrecy is pointless. If they want to hear our conversation they will. Once they even went so far as to drug one of our freelancers so they could implant a listening device under his skin, allowing them to hear his conversations. They were convinced he was telling people our secrets. It turns out he wasn't. But they killed him anyway.

"I'll leave right now," I tell him.

But when I get there, I'm not going in that building. Instead, I'll meet him in the parking lot and we'll talk in my Mercedes with its bulletproof glass. And I'll have a loaded gun around my waist.

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