Page 23 of Honest Neglect

“Yes, you can move her out of the clinic now,” Grace agreed as she supervised Leroy doing the dishes beside her. “She’s doing a lot better now. I imagine it’ll do her good to be with the two of you again.”

I helped Lily to her feet, slipping an arm around her waist so we could make our way back to our bed. When I had woken there earlier without her, a million panicked questions had burst into my brain—but then I’d heard her and Grace outside, and I reminded myself that we were okay here.

For now, at least.

The dinner had been delicious, and Leroy had caught me as we were clearing up to tell me he wanted to talk to me later. I was sure it was going to be a heavy conversation, and I wanted to spend a little time with Lily before I dived into it.

Silver followed us back to the room and hopped up on the bed the moment we stepped through the door. Curling up on the covers, she put her head down on her paws and fell asleep in a matter of seconds.

“Do you think Grace is going to mind her sleeping on the bed?” Lily fretted, and I shook my head.

“Not at all,” I replied. “She’s an animal lover. She’d probably give up her bed to Silver if she wanted to sleep there.”

Lily smiled, and it soon turned into a yawn as she sank down onto the edge of the bed, her eyes bleary.

“I’m so tired,” she muttered as she lay down next to Silver. She ran her hand through her dog’s fur and watched her for a moment as her eyes drooped shut. Within a few seconds, she had passed out too, and I gently shifted her around so her head was on the pillow and she could sleep peacefully. I needed to go and talk to Leroy, but I couldn’t resist just looking at her for a moment—looking at her in front of me, safe and sound, feeling comfortable enough to actually get some sleep.

I hoped she rested well. I wanted her to get back on her feet as quickly as possible. She had shared some of the truth of what Mark had done after we’d slept together earlier in the day, and hearing all of that made my blood boil. I had been so stupid, going after Tony when it was clear his father was the one who wanted Lily dead. If Lily hadn’t been brave and resourceful enough to make a break for it, I might not have gotten to her in time.

I petted Silver before I got up to head back inside the house. I had a lot to thank this dog for, too. She had been the one to find Lily and bring her here, and this place felt like a miracle to me right now. I was going to spoil the hell out of Silver when I got her home, when things had calmed down a little.

I headed to the door and shot a look over my shoulder to stare at Lily one last time. She was the person I was doing this for, the one I had stood beside from the moment I had found out about what she’d been through. And even after everything that had happened, my resolve hadn’t wavered for a moment. When it came to her, I knew it never would. I trusted her deeply and completely, and I wanted nothing more than for her to be safe and happy.

Making my way back to the house, I found Leroy sitting in the living room with two glasses of scotch on the table. He nodded to the armchair opposite him.

“Take a seat,” he told me. “I want to talk about our next move.”

I nodded. I had been considering it all day—even dreamt about it, it was buried so deep in my mind right now. I knew how I wanted to approach this. I knew it was a big swing, but it was our best chance of connecting Tony and his father to the mess they had been making.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” I replied. “And I think the best course of action is to look into the murder of the girl they tried to pin on me.”

“Which one?”

“The ex of Tony’s, the one who got the restraining order out on him,” I explained. “Marcy. They had to have something to do with the fact she vanished at all, and then her turning up dead like this after so many years...there’s no way that wasn’t them.”

“You think they kept her alive all this time? Or they just kept the body on ice until they needed it?” Leroy wondered aloud. I had been trying not to consider the logistics of it like that, but both answers were about as horrible as each other. I grimaced.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But we’re going to find out. Marcy deserves justice—I don’t know what those bastards did to her, but they’re going to pay for it.”

I clenched my fist at my side. It was so, so hard thinking about what had happened to Marcy. Not just because an innocent woman who had fallen victim to an evil abuser was dead, though that was part of it. But thinking about how easily it could have been Lily, if she hadn’t managed to get herself out of there. I hadn’t been sure if the McCarthys were willing to kill to protect themselves, but they had shown their hand—and they were much more dangerous than I had ever thought they were.

“Aren’t you still connected to that case, though?” Leroy pointed out. “The cops might think you’re just trying to throw them off the scent.”

“It’s a risk I’m going to have to take,” I replied. “I doubt they’ve done much work on the body yet, but they have it now. If we can get Frank or someone else on our side in there, then we can make sure they’re not planting more evidence to frame me.”

“But you have an alibi...”

“With the way the police are in Oakville, that doesn’t mean anything,” I replied, shaking my head. “They’re all wrapped up in the McCarthys. We can’t rely on them, and I’m sure as hell not going to start now. The closest we have to someone on the inside is Frank, but even then, they know what kind of guy he is and what side he’s on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re already finding ways to push him out.”

Leroy sat back in his seat for a moment, hand on his scotch, considering what I had just said. I reached for my own drink and took a long sip. The taste of the alcohol on my tongue numbed some of the emotion in me, which was what I needed right now. I had to be clear-headed if I was going to find a way to handle them once and for all.

“Do you think they’ll go after Lily again?” Leroy asked.

My jaw tightened, and I nodded. “I overheard Tony and Mark having a conversation yesterday,” I replied. “Didn’t catch much, but it seemed like Tony was telling his father to fix something before it ruined everything. Wouldn’t surprise me if they were talking about the fact that Lily managed to get out.”

“But they won’t look for her here,” Leroy reasoned.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” I agreed, taking another sip of the scotch. It was good stuff, the kind that burns a little at the back of your throat. I wondered how long Leroy had been holding on to this for a special occasion. And only a soldier would have seen the brink of a battle like this as a special occasion.