30
SHANE
“Did he get away?” Lilly asks the officers downstairs.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get forensics in here, and we’ll examine the cctv footage,” Taylor says.
Lilly looks up at me from the hall, her face pale other than the rosy flush in her cheeks. She doesn’t need to worry. I’ve deleted any footage of myself entering the property, and they won’t have access to the hidden cameras dotted around her house.
“I’m taking her to mine.” My arm slips around Lilly’s waist, needing to hold her close. “I’ll file her statement in the morning.”
“Okay, sarge.”
Lilly bristles in my arms when Taylor calls me sarge. I wonder if she’s figured out my true identity, but when I look into her eyes, I see nothing but adoration for me, the same love and respect she’s had for me since she was a little girl. She can’t possibly know it’s me. She’d never forgive what I’ve done.
I remind myself that it’s over now. She said as much on the live. And after tonight, all I care about is her safety. “Go pack your things, and we’ll get going. No point waking your sister up this time of night.”
Lilly returns up the stairs, and I survey the carnage in her kitchen.
I can’t figure out what the perpetrator was after. He’d even rifled through her bin.
“What are you thinking, sarge?” Taylor asks. “Is it the same guy that’s been terrorising the Bayview estate?”
I shake my head. “This doesn’t have the same MO.” This guy was after something other than money. This seems personal.
Lilly stands at the bottom of the stairs with a holdall in her hands, dressed in leggings and a baggy jumper.
I say my goodbyes to the team, leaving them to secure her broken door. I’ll have to get Kane to sort it out properly tomorrow.
“Ready to go?” I take her bag from her and step outside into the dark winter night.
Lilly follows, grabbing a coat from the hook. She shivers as she takes the few steps to my car.
After placing her bag on the back seat, I open the passenger door and help her inside. Her body trembles as she climbs into the Shogun. I buckle her in like I would when she was a girl. Every cell in my body wants to take her in my arms, as if my muscles have memory and know that’s where she belongs, but I fight the urge as I close the door and round the car to the driver’s side.
“How you feeling? Talk to me, Lil.” I turn the engine over and drive, resisting the urge to hold her hand and bring it to my lips.
“I’m all right. You don’t have to worry.” She gives me a small smile before looking back down at her shaky hands.
“You know I always worry about you.” I think back to all the times I’ve come to her rescue over the years. When she needed a ride home from a party, it was me she’d call. If she was in trouble, it was always me she’d call.
“And I love you for it.” She reaches over and places her hand on my arm. Her touch soothes me like it always does. But today it’s like she’s trying to show me just how much she cares for me. It’s comforting, but torturous.
The rest of the journey falls silent. But it’s not awkward, just us as we’ve always been. My little sister-in-law needing my help, only this time I’m not chiding her for getting herself in trouble. Though I’m sure her online escapades haven’t helped matters. Her perpetrator could be any of her subscribers, pissed that she blocked them.
I scrub my hand over my weary face, tired from work and the night’s events and the knowledge that I’ve probably caused this. Keeping my eyes on the road ahead, I go over everything, wracking my brain for any inkling of who this fucker is.
Headlights light the way up the winding hill to my home. The lake below mirrors the moon as if it’s in the shimmering waters instead of the night sky. A peace takes hold, clearing my head, and I relax, knowing she’ll be safe with me under my roof.
I pull the brake as I park outside the house. The headlights go out as I kill the engine. With only the light of the moon and the starry sky, I guide Lilly to the front door, carrying her bag.
“Thank you for letting me stay,” she says as she steps over the threshold.
“You’re doing me a favour as much as I am you.” I carry her bag into my spare room which is next to mine, making a mental note to lock the door to my office before she sees my set up.
“How so?” She follows me into the room that will be hers for the night.
“Because I can sleep well without having to worry about you.” I drop her bag on the double bed. “Make yourself comfortable. Bathroom’s across the hall. Can I get you anything?”
