Page 90 of Liberating Lily

“Yes. She was frazzled. She didn’t look perfect.”

Really? That was really unusual.

“I suppose being in trouble with the police might do that.”

“And having all her plans unravel,” he added. “We just need to figure out exactly what those plans were and how they involved you. So I can ensure that there is no danger to you.”

“I don’t see how I’d be in any danger,” she said. “I’m here now with you, away from Mother, away from Doctor Wallace, from Rick.”

“That’s right,” he said. “I also saw Rick today.”

There was a slight change of topic, and she wondered if he didn’t intend to tell her exactly what happened with her mother. Although perhaps that was all of it, she’d just been desperate and frazzled and demanding Lily back. She could imagine that was probably how the conversation had gone. Her mother didn’t like anyone going against her.

“You saw Rick? How did that happen?” she asked.

She probably should have waited to have this conversation until after lunch, because now they’d both stopped eating. Although at least he’d taken a few bites of his sandwich.

“We went to the country club to talk to him,” Harvey told her. “He was surrounded by friends and having a great time. I managed to have a few words with him. I wanted to gauge whether he’d had any knowledge that you’d been given those drugs.”

“Do you think he knew?” she asked.

Harvey shook his head. “I actually don’t. I don’t think that Rick could have kept that sort of thing a secret. He’d probably have wanted to try the drugs if he’d known you had them on you.”

She nodded. That actually made a lot of sense.

“What now?” she asked.

“Just as I got home, I had a voicemail left on my phone from the doctor asking if I intended to bring you in today.”

A shiver ran through her. Her whole body seemed to turn cold. She didn’t know why she was so frightened all of a sudden. It wasn’t like Harvey was going to take her to the clinic. She knew that he wouldn’t. He’d done everything he could to protect her. Why would he turn around and betray her like that?

No, this seemed to be a reaction of her body to the idea of going back there. It didn’t matter that her brain tried to impart that they were safe now. Her body had broken out in chills, and she felt the urge to flee.

That scared her. What had happened in that clinic that her body just knew she shouldn’t be going back there? What had been done to her by that doctor while she was out of it on those drugs?

And what did her mother know about it all?

“Are you going to reply?” she asked in a quiet voice.

He studied her closely. It was as though he could read her every thought and fear.

“Why do you look so scared all of a sudden, baby?”

“I just . . . just the thought of going back there makes me feel like I want to vomit.”

His eyes narrowed. “You know that you’re not ever going back there, though, right? You’re aware that under no circumstances would I ever allow it, not even with me by your side the entire time.”

That was the Harvey she was used to, bossy and demanding. Relief flooded her.

Maybe she hadn’t ruined everything. Maybe it wasn’t too late to get them back on the right path.

If only she knew that this was the right path.

Wait. Did she want this? To be in a relationship with him?

Shit. She was so confused.

Yeah, a therapist would probably have a field day with her. They’d probably claim that she saw him as her hero because of everything he’d done for her. But he wasn’t entirely a hero, was he?