Chapter 40 Cold to the Bone
"Lily," she said. "Come to me. Slowly."
Lily did not need to be told twice. She slipped out of the kidnapper’s slack grip and walked toward Veyra. Her legs were shaking. Her face was wet with tears.
But she was smiling.
Veyra wrapped her free arm around the little girl and pulled her close.
"You’re okay," Veyra whispered. "You’re okay. I’ve got you."
Behind her, she heard footsteps. Dorian’s voice. Li Wei’s shouts. The bodyguards swarming.
But she did not turn around.
She held Lily and pressed the pistol against the kidnapper’s head and waited.
The situation was under control.
The pistol was still pressed against the kidnapper’s head.
Veyra’s arm was shaking. The cold had seeped into her bones. Her fingers felt numb around the trigger. But she did not lower the gun. She could not. Not yet.
Then she heard Lily’s voice.
"Veyra."
The sound was small. Broken. Wet with tears.
Veyra looked down. Lily was standing beside her, her small body trembling, her face streaked with tears. The brave front had crumbled. The daughter of the Thorne family was gone. In her place was a frightened little girl who had been held at knifepoint and locked in a dog cage.
"Lily," Veyra said.
Lily’s face crumpled. A sob tore out of her chest. She rushed forward and threw herself into Veyra’s arms.
The pistol wobbled. Veyra almost dropped it. But she held on. She wrapped her free arm around Lily and pulled her close. The little girl was shaking. Her whole body was shaking.
"I’ve got you," Veyra whispered. "I’ve got you. You’re safe now."
Lily sobbed into her shoulder. Her small fingers clutched at Veyra’s wet shirt. She was crying so hard she could not speak.
Veyra held her tighter. She pressed her cheek against the top of Lily’s head and closed her eyes.
The kidnapper was still kneeling in front of her. His hands were still raised. His whole body was trembling.
But Veyra was not looking at him anymore. She was holding Lily and whispering soft, meaningless words and trying not to cry herself.
Dorian’s voice cut through the night.
"Secure him."
The words were cold. Sharp and commanding.
No one moved.
Veyra opened her eyes. The bodyguards were frozen in place. Li Wei was staring at her with his mouth open. The other guards looked like they had seen a ghost.
They had been so focused on the kidnapper, on the knife, on the countdown. None of them had noticed Veyra swimming across the lake. None of them had expected a pregnant woman in a wet dress to emerge from the darkness and put a gun to the kidnapper’s head.
"I said secure him!" Dorian’s voice was louder now. Impatient.
Li Wei snapped out of it. He gestured to the other bodyguards. Two of them rushed forward. They grabbed the kidnapper’s arms and wrenched them behind his back. He did not resist. His whole body had gone limp.
Li Wei pulled out zip ties and secured his wrists. Then he looked at Veyra. His eyes were wide with something that looked like awe.
"Mrs. Thorne," he said. "That was... I’ve never seen anything like that."
Veyra said nothing. Her arm was still shaking. She was still holding Lily. The pistol was still in her hand.
"How did you—" Li Wei shook his head. "You swam across the lake. In the dark. With a gun. While he had a knife to the young miss’s throat."
"Someone had to do something," Veyra said.
Li Wei nodded slowly. "You’re braver than anyone I know."
He turned and walked away, shouting orders at the other bodyguards. The kidnapper was being dragged toward a car. Another bodyguard was reading him his rights.
But Veyra did not move.
Her body was stiff.
She could not lower her arm. The pistol was still in her hand. Her fingers were locked around the grip. Her muscles had frozen.
She tried to move. Nothing happened. She tried to lower the gun. Her arm would not obey.
Lily was still crying against her shoulder. The little girl’s tears were warm on Veyra’s cold skin.
Footsteps approached. Slow.
Dorian.
He stopped in front of her. His gray eyes moved from her face to the pistol in her hand and back again.
"You can put the gun down now," he said.
"I know."
"Then put it down."
"I can’t."
He looked at her for a moment. Then he reached out. His hands closed around hers. They were warm. So warm.
He pried her fingers open. One by one. Her thumb. Her index finger. Her middle finger. Her ring finger. Her pinky.
The pistol came loose. He took it from her. He checked the safety. He tucked it into his waistband.
Then he looked at her again.
"You’re shaking," he said.
"I’m cold."
"You’re in shock."
"I’m fine."
He did not argue. He just looked at her with those gray eyes, and for a moment, she saw something there. Something soft. Something that looked almost like gratitude.
Then he turned away.
Dorian knelt in front of Lily.
His hands were gentle as he cupped her face. He tilted her head up. He looked at the cut on her neck. The blood had stopped flowing, but the wound was still red and raw.
"You were very brave," he said. His voice was quiet. Soft. The voice he used for no one else.
Lily sniffled. "I was scared."
"I know. But you didn’t cry. You didn’t scream. You stood up to him. That took courage."
Lily shook her head. "Veyra was brave. She swam in the lake. She had a gun. She saved me."
Dorian glanced at Veyra. Then he looked back at Lily.
"Both of you were brave," he said. "Now let’s get you home."
He scooped Lily up. She was small in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
He stood up. He looked at Veyra.
"Can you walk?"
"I think so."
But when she tried to take a step, her legs buckled. She stumbled. Her knee hit the ground.
Dorian sighed. He shifted Lily to one arm. Then he reached down, wrapped his other arm around Veyra’s waist, and lifted her.
Not gently or tenderly. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.
Veyra’s breath left her in a rush. Her wet hair hung in her face. Her dress dripped lake water onto his back.
"Dorian!" she gasped. "Put me down!"
"No."
"I can walk!"
"You can’t. You just fell."
"I tripped!"
"You’re in shock." He started walking. His strides were long and confident. "Stop arguing."
Veyra’s face burned. She could feel the eyes of the bodyguards on her. Li Wei was staring. The other guards were pretending not to stare.
She wanted to die of embarrassment.
"This is mortifying," she muttered.
Dorian said nothing.
He carried her to the car.
It was a black SUV. Large. Dark windows. He shifted her weight, opened the door, and deposited her onto the back seat.
She landed with a wet slap. Water dripped from her dress onto the leather seats.
"Sorry," she said.
Dorian did not answer. He climbed in after her, still holding Lily. He settled the little girl on his lap. She curled against his chest, her eyes half-closed, her breathing finally slowing.
Li Wei got into the driver’s seat. The engine started. The heat came on.
The car pulled away from the lake.
Veyra leaned her head against the window. The glass was cold. Her teeth were chattering. She could not make them stop.
The air conditioning was blowing. Cold air. Why was the air conditioning blowing? She was soaking wet. She was freezing.
She hugged herself. Her arms were covered in goosebumps. Her dress clung to her skin.
Lily looked at her from Dorian’s lap. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," Veyra said. Her voice came out shaky.
"You’re shivering."
"I’m just cold."
Dorian reached over. He pressed a button. The air conditioning turned off.
But Veyra was still shivering. The wet fabric of her dress was like ice against her skin. Her hair was dripping onto her shoulders.
She could not stop shaking.
Lily reached out and took her hand. Her fingers were small and warm.
"Thank you," Lily said. "For coming to get me."
Veyra squeezed her hand. "Always."
The car drove on through the darkness. The heater was taking too long to warm up. Veyra’s teeth chattered. Her body trembled.
She was soaked to the bone, and with the air conditioning running cold inside the vehicle, she couldn’t help but shiver.