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)
She clutches me as if trying to tell me something, and I frantically try to unknot the strip of fabric around her mouth as I look back at Liam. “Look at her. She’s fucking terrified. She’s crying. How the hell could you think this is what she wants?”
“I . . . I didn’t know. Lots of women react differently to this kind of stuff. I just assumed . . . Annie said—”
Getting frustrated with the fabric, I grab the ends and tear it down the center, watching as she claws at it to get it off her face. “Annie,” she rushes the second her mouth is freed. “She’s here. That’s who—”
“I know, hellcat. We got her. You don’t have to worry about her again. She’s detained and will spend the rest of her life behind bars for what she did to you. I promise you that. I won’t let her get away with this.”
Tilly collapses in my arms, and I hold her tight as Liam continues to shake his head. “But—”
“Annie is a fucking psychopath who tried to kill her two weeks ago,” I say, barely able to look up at him as I focus solely on my girl, desperately needing to get her home as guilt slams down on my shoulders for even asking her to come here. “Annie just used you to have her raped.”
Liam shakes his head as I cradle Tilly in my arms, holding her tighter than ever before, my hand clutching the back of her head against my chest.
“No. That can’t. But . . . fuck,” Liam grunts, his face turning white as he drops to his knees, his gaze locked on Tilly as her soft cries echo through the room. “Is . . . Is that true?” he asks her.
Tilly clutches onto me as though terrified of letting go, her chest heaving with heavy sobs, and when she lifts her head, I let her have the room, knowing she’s about to deliver the final blow. “Not one of you even attempted to get my consent,” she growls, a ferociousness in her tone that demands every fucking ear in the room pay attention. “You didn’t bother to ask if what she had said was true. You didn’t ask me if it was okay to whip me. You didn’t ask if I was comfortable. If I wanted any of this. You just put your hands all over me and took while tears streamed down my face. How could you think that was okay?”
“I’m sorry, I . . . I didn’t know. I—”
“She might have lured you all into this room under false pretenses, but as far as I’m concerned, each one of you had a responsibility to check with me if any of this was okay, and it wasn’t. Not even a little bit. As far as I’m concerned, had Caesar not come bursting in here when he did, every one of you would have been guilty of rape by the end of the night.”
Tilly scoffs with disgust, her gaze sailing over the unconscious man on the floor before focusing on the third guy who was trying to tear her thong off her body. “You better put in a call to your lawyer. You should be expecting sexual assault charges by morning.”
The guy just clenches his jaw, shaking his head with regret heavy in his eyes. He knows he fucked up. “Shit.”
Izaac orders his team to start dragging the men out of the room, but Liam simply drops to his knees, unable to come to terms with what he’s done. “I’m so sorry,” he says, his whole world crumbling to ashes. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
Tilly shakes her head and holds his haunted stare. “Do you have a daughter?”
“Yes,” he says. “She’s seven.”
“And what would you do if she were in my position?”
“I’d fucking kill any man who put his hands on her without her consent.”
“Yeah,” she says, blowing out a heavy breath.
“You good, Tilly?” Izaac asks as he approaches us, her favorite strapless dress in his hands. Though something tells me that she’ll never wear that dress again. If she wants to burn it, then so be it. I’ll buy her a million new dresses if that’s what she wants.
She shrugs and awkwardly clutches his shirt that’s barely held together around her body as she takes her dress from him. “I don’t know,” she tells him. “To be honest, I just want to go home and never think about it again.”
“I understand,” he says. “I get that you’ll want to bring charges against the men who touched you, and please know that I’ll happily supply you with all the information you need to do that. Video surveillance as well. But I also understand if you want to bring charges against me as well. I won’t hold it against you—”