Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(85)

“You just want to show off your queen.” I pointed the brush at his reflection in the mirror.

He grinned, pecked me on the side of my mouth, and nuzzled my nose. “I am the king.” He winked, smacked me on the ass, and left the bathroom. He hollered out over his shoulder, “Be back in a couple hours.”

“I’ll make dinner!” I yelled out.

“Sounds good. Love you.”

“Love you too!”

I finished getting ready, taking my time to curl my hair just so. I wanted to drive my man’s mind away from any cardio bunnies when he arrived home later. About fifteen minutes later I made my way into the kitchen, looking for Lily and Matisse. I hadn’t heard from my girl, and she was not usually quiet.

The second I entered the kitchen, I knew it had all gone to hell. A person can plan for and anticipate the worst, but when it came knocking at the door, or in this case, was sitting in the living room, all that planning went to the wayside. I knew in an instant that I was wholly unprepared.

Sitting in the one cozy chair in the living area off the kitchen was none other than my ex-husband, Kyle. Only, he wasn’t alone. He had Lily on his lap with a knife pointed at her neck.

Oh please, God. No. Not my baby.

“Mommy…” she said in a broken, frightened voice.

Everything in my world narrowed down to one focus. This small space. Matisse sitting opposite Kyle on the couch, her legs bouncing up and down nervously. Her fingers twisting in her lap. The TV had a cartoon playing on it. Dora the Explorer, I think. The clock on the wall dinged loudly, announcing it was four o’clock in the afternoon. Clayton had just left fifteen minutes ago. He wouldn’t be home for at least two hours. If I went for the phone to call for help, Kyle would kill my daughter.

“I suspect you’ve deduced how bad this situation is by now.” Kyle spat his venom-coated words.

Now was not the time to freak out. I had to be smart. Find a way out of this. For Lily.

“How did you get in here?” I clenched my teeth tight, trying to think of a way out of this for all of us.

He huffed and glanced at Matisse. “Walked right through the front door, didn’t I, Matisse?”

Matisse glanced down at her lap. I couldn’t tell if she was being submissive to him or hiding her shame.

“Mommy,” Lily cried again and wiggled.

“Baby, don’t move. It’s going to be okay. Kyle. Let her go,” I ground out through my teeth. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. Wouldn’t. I was scared out of my mind, but this bastard wasn’t going to see that. Not in front of my daughter.

Still, fear like no other slammed over my body as if an entire vat of acid had been poured on me. My fight-or-flight instincts were pumping wildly under the surface, but it was nothing compared to my mothering instinct raging like a tornado of energy in the room. I locked eyes with Kyle. I sent over hate, disgust, and retribution in my gaze.

“Let. Her. Go,” I warned again.

“Or what, Monet? What are you going to do about it? It seems that I’m the one who holds all the cards here. Isn’t that right, baby?” He grinned evilly and glanced at Matisse.

I focused on my sister when she said, “Yeah, that’s right.” Her entire body shifted, and a calm seemed to have settled over her. No more bouncing of the legs, twisting of fingers. Oh no, Matisse had put on a mighty act. Her best performance yet. And I’d fallen for it. Her dark eyes lifted and locked on mine, her lips turning into a sinister smile.

“Why?” I gasped, not being able to contain this level of betrayal.

She tipped her head back and laughed. The sound bounced off the walls and pierced my ears. Lily cried out.

“Mommy… I want my Mommy.” Lily tried to kick off her captor’s legs, but he held strong.

My heart practically exploded in my chest with the need to go to her. “Baby, don’t move,” I urged again and fell to my knees, barely catching myself with my hands.

“Why are you doing this to me? We took care of you. Took you in!” I demanded, my anger barreling to the surface needing a target.

Again, Matisse laughed and shook her head. “You’ve always had it all. Beauty, brains, money. And you took it all for granted. Our father chose to be with your family. Hid us away for years. Years!” Her voice rose to a screech as she proceeded. “Until my mother gasped her last breath, he chose you and your mother. Then, of course, your mom just offed herself like the weak fucking bitch she was.”

I wanted to cry, lash out. I trembled with the anxious energy to do just that, but I couldn’t. Show no fear. Don’t give them anything more to use against you. I had to figure out a way to get Lily away from Kyle.

“He hurt you. Cut you like he did me. Raped you!” I desperately tried to remind her of the attack she suffered three weeks earlier.

Never in all my days would I forget the look on her face as she smiled, looking like a villain from a horror movie.

“Kyle would never hurt me.” She thrust both arms out so I could see her forearms almost perfectly healed, barely a line to see. Nothing like the knifing I’d suffered.

“I did this to myself with a steak knife, not the hunting knife he’s got held to your daughter’s throat.” She grinned. “And the rape?” She scoffed. “Never happened. Just a hot round of hard fucking with a little breath-play action, and voilà! You got a certifiable rape.”