For Everything (13 page)

Jacob glanced at Clay, “we need to take a walk.” 

Clay noticed Jacob’s tenseness, but he didn’t want Lily out of his sight. “Why?”

“This is not the place,” Jacob answered.

Jacob saw Amy and Kevin walk into the restaurant. “Ask Melissa and Amy to stay with Lily, we will go into another room.” 

Clay looked at Jacob, his agitation visible. “That bad?”

“Yeah,” Jacob replied.

Clay grimaced, motioning Amy and Kevin over.

When Amy and Kevin stopped in front of him, Clay glanced at Kevin. “Amy, I need a favor, Kevin, you too.”

Amy tilted her head surprised. “Sure.”

Clay smiled tightly. “I have to go talk with Jacob. Will you stay with Lily until I get back?”

Kevin’s eyes snapped to Clay’s, his request unusual. “Is there a problem?”

Jacob answered. “Yeah, don’t leave her alone.” Clay and Kevin stiffened.

Kevin glanced between Clay and Jacob. “Is she in danger?”

“She might be,” Jacob replied.

Clay whipped his head around glaring at Jacob. “You had better have one hell of an explanation.”

Jacob cleared his throat. “I do. Kevin, don’t leave Lily alone, but don’t let her know anything is wrong. Tell her I needed to talk to Clay about next week.”

Kevin exchanged a glance with Clay, nodding. “You got it.” He wrapped his arm around Amy’s shoulders. “Let’s go babe.”

Amy and Kevin walked over joining Melissa, Scott, and Lily. Kevin whispered into Scott’s ear. Scott looked over at Clay, nodding.

Amy kissed Lily’s cheek. “Lily, Jacob said he and Clay will be a little while, so you are stuck with us.”

Lily liked the girls so she didn’t mind. “Okay.”

Melissa exchanged a glance with Amy when Lily looked over at Clay.

Scott stood behind Lily. “Let’s go sit down.”

They all walked over to the table, sat, drinking some wine. Tom and Sara came in joining them. Tom asked where Clay was. Kevin told Tom Clay was meeting with Jacob. Tom’s eyebrows shot up and he started to ask questions.

Scott shook his head slightly toward Lily and Tom realized quickly something was amiss. He waited with the others to see what was going on. All of them keeping an eye on Lily, making sure she was enjoying herself and completely unaware of the conversation taking place in the next room.

Chapter 19

“Jacob,” Clay growled as the others walked away.

“In a minute,” Jacob watched the others surround Lily and sit down.

“Come on.” Jacob walked into the bar, Clay behind him. He went over to the corner motioning for Clay to sit down.

The server came over and Jacob ordered Clay a shot of whiskey and one for himself.

Clay stared at Jacob, his fingers lying on the table. “Jacob, what is going on? And I don’t need a drink.”

“You will.” Jacob glanced at Clay as the server brought their drinks.

Clay fingered his drink. “What did you find?”

Jacob cleared his throat. “Clay, are sure you want to know?”

“Yes, I am sure,” Clay snapped, “why are you asking?”

Jacob looked Clay right in the eye. “Because the person who hurt Lily is someone you know.”

Clay stared at Jacob for a full five seconds. “What?”

Jacob ran his fingers over his chin. “He is a friend of the band.”

Clay arched his neck, glaring at Jacob. “That can’t be.”

Jacob rubbed his eyes. “Unfortunately, it is, and what he tells people happened is very different from the truth.”

Clay stared, waiting.

Jacob looked down at the table. “Actually, we have all talked about Lily in the past, laughed at her, and been angry with her.”

Clay’s hand gripped the edge of the table. “You are kidding.”

Jacob shook his head, wishing he wasn’t the one who had to explain this to Clay. He knew Clay, knew how Clay felt about Lily, and knew this was going to get ugly. The man who hurt Lily was joining them tonight.

Clay glared at Jacob, the tendons in his neck stretching, “I never heard of Lily from any of our friends, I never….”

Jacob held up his hand, waiting for Clay to stop. “Yes, Clay you have.” Jacob grimaced, knowing the hurt his statement would inflict on his friend.

“How?” Clay snarled.

Jacob fingered the top of his shot glass. “Because we call her Lizzy.”

Clay froze. His eyes on Jacob as the name crashed through his brain. He gulped a few times closing his eyes. Oh my god! Jason hurt Lily. He had been mad at her, joked about her with Jason. The story Jason told created it, not the truth, not Lily.

The story Jason told slammed through Clay’s brain. A girl from high school had a crush on Jason, and she needed a place to stay so Jason let her stay with him. She constantly made passes at him, trying to get into his bed, but Jason hadn’t been interested.

Jason said he gave in to the girl once, but she had turned him off. The girl became jealous of his girlfriends and began making scenes. When Jason told her she had to leave, she stabbed him in a fit of rage.

”Are you serious?” Clay gasped, his hand balling into a fist on the table, his other clenching his shot glass.

“Yeah.” Jacob watched Clay’s fingers on the shot glass.

“He is a mother fucking liar,” Clay snarled.

Jacob clenched his teeth. “Yes, he is. The case against him is open.”

Clay let out a deep breath. “What do you mean the case is open?”

Jacob shifted in his chair. “They have been looking for Lily afraid Jason had done something to prevent her from testifying.”

Clay leaned his head back, staring at Jacob. “They thought he did something to Lily?”

“They thought he might have gotten rid of her.” Jacob glanced up watching the impact of his words on Clay, “and in a way he did.”

Clay came forward in his seat, his fingers gripping the table. “You mean killed her, they thought he killed her.”

Jacob frowned, but nodded.

Clay took another deep breath, his fingers easing on the table.

“Clay, he had beaten her many times, witnesses will testify to it.” Jacob stopped, taking a deep breath hesitating.

Clay shifted, his fingers on his shot glass, waiting.

Jacob leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Lily almost died the last time. The doctors thought for sure she would. The beating, the blood loss, the broken bones and then the infection she developed was so severe.”

Clay swallowed hard, his Adams apple bobbing. “Infection?”

“She developed an infection. She couldn’t fight it off. Her body couldn’t heal which is why she scarred so badly. She had lost so much blood, had so many injuries the doctors struggled for weeks to save her life. She was a mess, Clay. It was two months before the doctors were sure she would even live.” Jacob gritted his teeth seeing the look of horror on Clay’s face. “She had to have a police guard outside her hospital room door. Jason tried to sneak in twice to finish her off.”

“Finish her off,” Clay whispered, his fingers clenching over the top of his shot glass.

“The case against Jason is solid, he would be found guilty, serve time.” Jacob watched Clay’s face, his anger vibrated.

“Why haven’t they tried him in Lily’s absence?” Clay’s fingers eased on the shot glass.

Jacob shifted in his chair, “Lily sent a letter saying she didn’t want to press charges.”

Clay’s eyes snapped to Jacobs. “Lily did?”

Jacob twisted his head, picking up his shot glass. “They are not sure, they didn’t have her handwriting to compare the letter too, they couldn’t move forward until they found out or until they found her.”

“When did they get the letter?” Clay twisted his shot glass on the table.

“The day of the trial,” Jacob stared at the liquid in his shot glass, swirled it. He drank the shot, setting the glass on the edge of the table.

Clay grabbed his glass, took the shot, closing his eyes as the liquid burned his throat.

Jacob motioned for the server to bring them another.

After the server placed the second shot in front of them Jacob continued, “Lily probably realized Jason was a friend of yours and was afraid to tell you who he was.”

“He is not my friend,” Clay growled, his hand wrapping around the shot glass. “What else did you find out?”

Jacob held his shot glass in his hand, taking a deep breath he continued, “Her trustees have a trial against Jason next month to get her parents house back.”

Clay swirled the liquid in his shot glass. “What are the chances of winning?”

Jacob smiled slightly. “Very good. She had just turned 17, her parents had been dead only two weeks, and her guardian had not signed. Until Lily turned 18, she didn’t have the right to give away her parents house.”

“She will get her home back?” Clay asked.

“Yes, they are confident. Clay, I talked to them. They have been really worried, afraid Jason may have murdered her or she needed medical treatment.”

Jacob took a deep shuddering breath. “Lily spent three months in the hospital then nine months in a rehabilitation facility. Her leg was broken so badly she had to re-learn how to walk on it. She had months of rehab left when she disappeared.”

“She had to re-learn how to walk?” Clay whispered closing his eyes tightly, his heart hurting. No wonder she was so afraid. Clay glanced over at Jacob, “she needs to go back doesn’t she?”

Jacob shifted again, his fingers holding his glass tightly, “Yes. When they released Lily from the rehabilitation center she was by herself, she has no family left. Her only protection was a restraining order against Jason which is still in affect.”

Jacob glanced at Clay, shrugged slightly. “I spoke to the detective on the case, told him I knew where Lily was. I expect him to be here sometime tonight, wasn’t my intent, but he wanted, no, he needs to verify Lily is alive. See for himself Jason hadn’t killed her.”

Clay’s mind whirled. “Jason is still looking for her, isn’t he?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“He is always talking about finding Lizzy and making her pay,” Jacob said softly, “and he is supposed to be here tonight.”

“I will handle him,” Clay growled.

Jacob leaned forward, placing his shot glass on the table. “That is what I am worried about.”

“Why?” Clay asked.

Jacob glared at Clay. “I am not stupid, you love Lily.  She is a wonderful woman and didn’t deserve what happened. But you can’t kill the man.”

“Can’t I?” Clay said quietly, too quietly.

“No,” Jacob snapped, leaning back in his seat, “not if you want Lily.”

Clay looked into Jacob’s eyes, his boiling with anger. “I want Lily, forever.”

Jacob relaxed a little. “Lily needs to go back and testify. Will you stand by her?”

“How could you even ask?” Clay snapped, his hands clenching into fists.

Jacob leaned forward again, his eyes on Clay’s. “A trial will be public. The media will swarm around it. Jason from
Tinsley
and Clay from
Distracted
on opposite sides of the courtroom, add in your brother three of the biggest names in the music industry, it will be spectacle.”

Clay glared at Jacob, his lips drawn tight, “Do you think the media matters to me? Do you think I am afraid the image of the band will be tarnished? This band, my friends are important, but not more important than Lily. I will never walk away and leave her alone.”

Jacob smiled slightly, inclining his head. “I am happy to hear you say that, but I had to ask for Lily’s sake.”

Clay stared at Jacob. “For Lily’s sake?”

“Yes, she deserves that much,” Jacob met Clay’s eyes, “once you go down this road there will be no turning back.”

Clay nodded, easing back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “No, there won’t, but I will do whatever I need to do to make sure that bastard never hurts the woman I love again.”

Jacob watched as Clay quickly took the other shot and stood. He was worried over what would happen when Jason showed up tonight. How would Lily react? Clay?

Chapter 20

Clay stood in the doorway, watching Lily laugh with his friends, a smile playing on his lips. She was so young, so much had happened to her, yet she was so sweet, kind, and loving. He wasn’t friends with Jason, not like he was with the guys from his band. They had toured together, laughed, joked, and about Lizzy/Lily.

Clay struggled with the knowledge his Lily was Jason’s Lizzy. He had seen the scar on Jason’s chest, but Jason’s scar paled in comparison to the ones on Lily. Jason deserved his. Lily did not.

Clay sensed Jacob to his right.

“She is beautiful,” Jacob watched Lily laugh with Melissa and Amy.

Clay rubbed his fingers over his chin. “Yes, she is.”

Jacob glanced at Clay. “We can’t let her go back to where she’s been living, too many people have seen her, pictures of her have been taken. He will find her.”