Page 54 of Sharp Lies

And before I could pull away or scream, that hand was dragging me around the side of the truck as well.

CHAPTER 24

LILY

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I JERKED AGAINST THE hand like my life depended on it, a part of my brain telling me that this might very well be the truth, but whoever was holding me was too strong—or too determined—to let me go that easily. And when I tried to turn around and see who it was, he twisted my arm behind my back and marched me forward rather than letting me see.

Dammit. I was mere feet from Warren and a bunch of freaking firemen, and I was—

Wait.

I opened my mouth to scream but didn’t manage to get it out before my kidnapper slapped a hand over my face and held it there. And no matter how much I bit and squirmed, trying to get away, he wouldn’t let me go.

I was stuck, and dammit, I’d thought I was through with this part of my life!

He dragged me around the cars and into the woods that bordered the other side of Warren’s property, and then finally spun me around and threw me back against a tree.

“Tony!” I gasped, his face confirming what I’d already suspected. “What the fuck are you doing? You can’t just come around, grab me, and force me to—”

He slapped his hand over my mouth again and backed me up, his body pinning me against the tree. “Shut up, Lily. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m the one with the power here. You’re the prisoner. And I’ve got some things to say, so you’re going to keep your mouth shut like a good girl and listen.”

Like hell I was. The minute he let me go I was going to start screaming so Warren could find me. But to get to that point, I had to at least pretend I was going to be reasonable. So I narrowed my eyes, wishing I could kill him with a look, and then nodded.

His hand dropped, as I’d known it would. Because he thought if he said something, it was law, and that anyone in her right mind would obey that law.

He was wrong.

I screamed as loudly as I could, using every last ounce of air in my lungs to screech so that Warren could find me. And when Tony’s hand came back over my mouth, his face furious, I knew he knew exactly what I’d just done.

That didn’t seem to eliminate his need to tell me things, though.

“You stupid, stupid girl,” he hissed. “What are you doing, screaming for your boyfriend? You should know better than that. I control this town, Lily, and that means I control what happens here. Which includes you. You belong to me, just like everything else in Oakville, and I don’t want you seeing other men, you got it? I don’t want you sleeping with anyone else, either. No one else is allowed to touch you. Leave Warren alone or you’re both going to regret it.”

I shook his hand off. “Are you fucking crazy? You don’t own me, Tony! I’m not even with you anymore!”

He slapped me so hard I found myself facing the other way, my cheek stinging and tears coming to my eyes.

“You like that?” he gasped. “You say things like that just to make me hit you, don’t you? You know you deserve it. Need to learn to keep your mouth shut, Lily. You left before I could teach you that.”

“Teach me that?” I asked on a gasp. “You think it’s your job to teach me? You really are insane.”

He was raising his hand to hit me again and I was stealing myself for the blow when a body came flying from our right and took Tony off his feet. I barely had time to register what had happened before they were flailing on the ground together, leaves and dead grass flying up around them. I shuffled to the side several steps to keep from getting pulled down with them and stared, trying to figure out what was going on. Tony was there, in an expensive suit, whereas the other guy was only half-dressed in jeans and boots, his muscles bulging in his back as he wrestled Tony to the ground, straddled him, and started punching him repeatedly.

When he turned his face to the side and caught the glow of the fire, I realized it was Warren.

Warren had heard me scream and had come to my rescue. Just like he’d promised he would.

And now he was beating the crap out of Tony, one blow after another connecting with the other man’s face. I heard punch after punch and grunts that told me Tony was still conscious, though that didn’t seem like it could possibly last for much longer.

And then a thought occurred to me. Tony had just burned Warren’s house down, kidnapped me, and threatened both of us. His father had threatened us earlier tonight. They both meant trouble, and Warren knew all about it.

He was going to kill Tony if I didn’t stop him.

I hustled forward and grabbed at his shoulder. “Warren, stop!” I cried.

He turned toward me, a shocked and betrayed look on his face like I’d just chosen Tony over him. “What?” he snapped. “You want to save him? Want to make sure he’s okay?”