The Bodyguard (18+)

TWENTY-FIVE

Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you, where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, you found me
࿎

She looked just as shocked as I was.

Her eyes trailed from my face down to the blood dripping from my naked bottom half.

"Lay her on the bed, now!" She jumped up and the young man quickly laid me down on the bed.

"Go get mother!" He rushed out of the room.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

"Nevermind that. We'll discuss that later. Right now, I need you to tell me what happened."

I could hardly speak after all the screaming and Mark's torturous abuse to my throat.

"Mark," I croaked.

Her face contorted into anger.

She ran into the bathroom and came out with a damp white towel.

She began cleaning the blood off my legs, careful to avoid the other area.

"Once Mother gets here, we'll get you into the shower okay?"

I nodded.

Soon enough, Mother burst through the door with the young man behind her.

Her eyes widened in fear. "Lyla," her voice cracked. Tears pooled in her eyes and for a second, I believed she cared about me. That thought quickly vanished.

"Who-"

"Mark," the woman interrupted Mother. "Mark did this to her."

"Did he-?" She cut herself off but I understand what she was asking.

I shook my head. "I kneed him in the balls before he could. I'm sure he's still there." My voice was raspy and cracked. It hurt to speak.

The man behind Mother snickered. "You kneed him in the balls? I like her."

"Johnny, go get Mark. Take him to Shane."

Johnny's face paled. "But Mr.-"

"You heard me. I don't give a shit what my husband will think. That man raped my daughter."

"Yes ma'am." Johnny stepped out of the room.

Mother rushed to my side. She and the woman helped lift me to my feet and guide me to the shower. Mother turned on the warm water and I groaned as it hit my body.

"Who are you?" I asked the woman.

"I guess I'm your twin. Although, I never knew of you." She glared at Mother.

"I had to keep it a secret. If you knew the truth, you would've sought her and your father out."

"Why do you hate my father so much?" I rasped out.

"I don't. I really did love your father."

"How did he not know you had two daughters?"

"He did. Until I told him the other one died."

"What?" My sister screeched. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"He was so stupid back then. He hardly had the common sense to take care of one child better yet two. So I sent you away to live with my mother and left Lyla with Chad. Not long after, I left Chad. I left him because I felt I was in his way. He was the Mafia boss and he couldn't afford to have weaknesses. However, I couldn't bear to take Lyla from him." She looked at me. "He loved you so much. So, I sacrificed my love for him so that he would have only one weakness. You."

I looked over at my mother and really took a minute to observe her.

Her nose was pointed and cheekbones were high. Her skin was pale and dark circles rimmed her eyes. She looked old. Stressed.

"Why are you doing all of this?"

"I married a man involved in the Mafia. I did it to get attention on me so your father would take me back. Marcus, on the other hand, had different plans. He wanted to keep me out of the public eye. He wanted me all to himself. His personal toy. The plan backfired fast. I never saw your father. I never got to explain everything to him."

"Explain what?" My sister asked.

"When I went back to him, I really wasn't after his money."

Mother rinsed the soap off my body and handed me a towel. As I dried my skin, she continued.

"I realize the time was convenient but I had run into some trouble. I knew your father was in the Mafia and so did others. They knew I was his ex-wife so they came after me. I went to your father for protection for Elizabeth."

Elizabeth. That's her name. My sister.

"I told him that his second daughter had been alive all along. He didn't believe me. He sent me away, thinking it was a ploy for money. When he did, I had to find protection elsewhere. That's when I ran into Marcus. He was a massive man and I got involved with him not knowing his career. But, when I learned of his involvement with the Mafia, I married him to publicize our relationship as well as Elizabeth in hopes of your father recognizing her."

I tried to wrap my head around what she was saying. All along, she didn't want my father's money? She really just wanted him back?

"That still doesn't explain why you kidnapped me."

"So that he would come after you. When he did, he would find Elizabeth and I with you and realize I had been telling the truth."

"Does Marcus know about me?"

"No. He doesn't know I kidnapped you. This was something I created on my own. I hadn't known of Mark's involvement with you. I only knew he worked for Marcus along with the rest of the men here. That explains his readiness to help me."

"How have you kept it from Marcus?"

"I told them men I recruited that if they spoke a word of it, I would cut their tongues out. But, since I just ordered Mark's death, Marcus will soon find out."

"How?"

"Mark works for Marcus personally. He runs the company that Marcus owns."

"Damn," Elizabeth muttered. "Mom, Marcus will kill you."

"I'm hoping Chad will get here before Marcus finds out."

I pulled the towel tighter around me. All this talk about my mother loving my father made me think of Jaxon.

Tears pooled in my eyes again.

"Lyla?" Elizabeth called.

"I'm fine," I wiped at my eyes.

"I'm sorry," Mother whispered. "I never meant for this to happen. I just wanted our family back."

She pulled me into a tight hug and the dam broke. I cried for Jaxon, for my mother, for my sister, for myself. I wrapped my arms around my mother and allowed myself to feel comforted by her.

I wouldn't be able to trust her until she proved herself but I could forgive her.

"It's okay, Mom. I forgive you. Mark, however, was not your fault."

"He never would've raped you had I not kidnapped you."

"Mark is a sorry excuse for a man, Mother. His actions have nothing to do with you. You had no way of knowing his intentions."

Gunshots rang in the air and Elizabeth screamed.

I barely flinched, having become used to the sound.

"Where is she?" I heard a roar.

"Jaxon?" I whispered.

He burst through the door and his eyes found me easily. I couldn't move.

He's alive. He's alive. He's alive.

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Song: You Found Me
Artist: The Fray