Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 127201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
“What?” Tilly rushes out. “Why the hell would I do that?”
He gives her a sad smile, and it doesn’t go unnoticed how much distance he puts between them. “I appreciate your reluctance, but you were assaulted in my club. This should never have happened, and I’m so sorry for that. I’ve always prided myself on the high standard we have for the safety of my members, and they pay the astronomical fees for the peace of mind that they can do what they like within the walls of my club, knowing that they’re free to explore their desires without the risk of being harmed or lines being crossed. What happened here is not okay, and I won’t blame you if you need to seek damages.”
Tilly steps into Izaac and throws her arms around him, holding him tight. “You’re family, Izaac. I would never do that to you. I’m reluctant to file charges against these other guys simply because they didn’t know that I hadn’t consented, but they also had a responsibility to check that for themselves, which is why I think I need to do this. But not you, and certainly not this club. You wouldn’t know, but Vixen has given me so much. It’s allowed me to explore things I never would have been able to do out in the real world, and it brought me to Caesar. I don’t blame you or the club for what happened here tonight. It was a one-off attack orchestrated by a woman with a vendetta and a hard-on for my boyfriend. All that matters to me is that she is dealt with, and that the three men who came in here pay for their part in this.”
“They will,” I vow to her.
Tilly nods, glancing up and meeting my eyes. “I know.”
“Okay,” Izaac says a moment later. “In that case, why don’t we head into my office while we wait for the police to arrive? I’ve got some sweats you can change into if you’ll be more comfortable in that, and I’ll get you all the details and whatever video surveillance you need to make a solid case.”
Izaac turns on his heel and stalks out of the room, and as Tilly follows, I pull back on her hand, bringing her back to me. “Are you really okay, hellcat?”
Her lips press into a hard line, trying to keep her tears at bay, but they break through the surface and roll down her cheeks. “No,” she finally says. “I thought—”
“I know,” I say, pulling her in tighter against my chest, not able to bear hearing the end of that sentence. “I’ve got you now. You’re safe with me.”
“It’s my fault,” she says with a whimper. “I should have waited for you at the bar like I always do, but I thought you were in here. I just walked in without even checking, and when she turned out the lights and closed the door, I just waited. I didn’t even turn around. I was so certain that it was you that I didn’t even think about the possibility of it being anyone else.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Tilly. This is not on you.”
“I know, I just . . . I can’t help but go through all the what-ifs.”
“That’s fine. We’ll go through every what-if question you have, and I’ll knock every single one of them out of the way until you’re satisfied,” I tell her, hoping like fuck she truly hears me. “This is on Annie’s shoulders. It’s just like you said; she orchestrated every inch of this, set you up to be brutally gang raped, and tried to steal your light. I will personally ensure that she suffers the most horrific fate for that.”
Her gaze lifts to mine, those tears still staining her cheeks, and I sweep them away with my thumbs, hoping like fuck that she’s going to be alright. Then a small smile pulls at the corners of her lips, getting wider by the second. “You called me your wife.”
Well, fuck.
“You caught that, huh?” I ask, realizing that this little she-devil is going to be more than alright.
32
TILLY
My gaze remains locked on the countdown timer that’s called my phone’s lockscreen home for the past few weeks, counting down the exact second until it’s officially been six weeks since Jordan swung a baseball bat against my head and almost killed me.
That night, the doctor told me that it could be up to six weeks for my body to fully recover from the ordeal, and after Annie almost had me gang raped at Vixen, Caesar decided to take that six weeks seriously, not only to give my body a chance to heal, but to give my mind the time it needed as well. Though, truth be told, I don’t know if any amount of time is going to magically erase the fear I felt during both of those instances, but just knowing that Caesar has my back and will always hold me through whatever I need has helped more than he’ll ever truly know.