immediately pulled her mind from his, nauseated. “I’m sorry, but who are you? Where did you get that picture?”
She quickly but carefully scanned the second man’s thoughts, which were easier on her senses. “Stephan’s description was exactly like the picture shows. She’s the right one. She’s obviously lying about her name. Why are we wasting our time here?”
Neither man replied to her questions, but it was obvious they intended to get her to confess her real name. However, she was spared any further attempts with the arrival of the biker gang.
“There you are,” the biker leader called out. “Come on, we’ll be late.”
Lilian and the suited men looked over at him. His friends flanked the leather-clad man, and despite the friendly tone he’d used, all were tense. She quickly scanned the surface thoughts of the leader. “Help her. Those men are up to no good. Don't trust them.”
As she stepped toward him one of the suited men grabbed onto her arm. A mistake. The biker gang exploded into action and rushed toward them. The suited man released her and she was pulled into the arms of the gang leader. He led her some distance away.
“Let go of me.” She struggled to free her arms.
“That’s not very nice,” he quipped. She could hear the amusement in his tone. “I just saved you from who knows what and I don’t even get a thank you.”
Lilian found herself blushing, yet again.
“Thank you. Now, let me go.”
He chuckled before changing the subject. “What’s your name?”
The distinct sounds of fighting emanated behind her, but a quick glance over her shoulder revealed nothing. Deciding they must have dragged the fight into the alley, she turned to look back up at the man.
“Lilian Quinn. Who’re you?”
He grinned at her. “Matthias.”
She heard a loud snarling sound from the alley, but when she turned to look, Matthias used his hold on her and kept her from looking. Was he trying to distract her from seeing something?
“Why are they harassing you?”
Lilian looked back at him, frowning. “Why do you want to know?”
He lifted a brow at her. “I asked first.”
She studied his face. Every logical fiber told her not to trust him. Still, he and his friends did come to help her when she needed it.
“I can’t tell you. I don’t even know who you are. Please let me go.”
Matthias released her and she took a step back from him.
“Thank you.” She rubbed her arm.
“You know why those men are after you, don’t you?”
She sighed. The man is infuriatingly persistent.
“Yes, but I’m not going to tell you why.”
She could feel him studying her, but those sunglasses hid his eyes. What color were they? Lilian tilted her head slightly as she studied his face.
“Why are you staring at me?” Amusement colored his tone.
“You were staring first,” she said.
“Was I?”
“What color are your eyes?”
A faint sense of satisfaction came over her when she saw his brows lift over the rim of his shades.
He was spared from answering by the return of his friends. The men joked a bit back and forth, teasing one another about their lack of practice, but the words didn’t sink in. Instead, her attention was drawn to the crimson color. A couple of them had bloody noses and others had scraped knuckles. Even from where she stood, in the darkened parking lot of the diner, the blood stood out like a bright beacon. Time seemed to slow, and then stop as she stared at them.
Long buried memories crashed down on her and she couldn’t help but relive the night her stepfather had murdered her mother. All she could see was the crimson splatter left in the wake of his brutality.
Lilian backed away from the approaching group, but ran into Matthias. Feeling weak and lightheaded, she turned to face him.
Her knees threatened to buckle and she stiffened her muscles. She had to get out of there, away from the blood and the reminders of her past.
Matthias reached for her, but she jerked back from him. He frowned, but before he could speak, Lilian turned and bolted for the entrance of the diner.
* * * *
It had taken a couple more hours before she braved leaving the diner to head home. She’d gotten a ride with a customer who lived near her home. As they left the diner, she glanced around for signs of the suited men or of Matthias and his gang, but neither were to be seen. Overly cautious, Lilian knew, but she had to remain vigilant.
Once home, she checked and locked the doors and windows before taking a hot shower to soothe her frazzled nerves. She took her time, washing off the taint of fear and loathing from her skin. By the end she relaxed, her mind clearer.
Twenty minutes later, she was enjoying a cup of chamomile tea when her phone rang, shattering the peaceful silence.
“Hello?”
“My pretty Lilian. I’ve missed you.”
Lilian’s heart jolted and then pounded back to life as pain coursed through her chest.
Stephan.
She didn’t believe in coincidences, just as she didn’t believe Stephan’s call had nothing to do with the presence of the suited men in Hawk’s Point.
“Miss me?” he asked.
Goosebumps rose along her skin and the hair on the back of her neck tingled with chilling fright. Lilian said nothing in reply. She couldn’t. There wasn’t enough air in her lungs to say anything.
“Do you remember the last time we were together, my darling? Do you remember how much I hurt you? Do you remember the blood?”
Lilian slammed the phone down. Her stomach heaved and threatened to empty its contents as she struggled to breathe, to keep from panicking.
Memories flooded into her mind’s eye, reliving every moment in supersonic speed. Stephan’s smile, cold and unfeeling, superimposed over the memories, the physical abuse, the hospital visits, the blood stained towels. He’d been so kind in the beginning, but slowly changed. He’d begun to abuse her, mentally, verbally, and at the end, physically. She had planned to run away and leave him. Once he discovered her plans, he took away all her money and the ID she had, and threatened to turn her over to the police for murder.
The final straw had been when she found the printed email giving him
