Princess of Hollywood (The Glitterati Files #2) - Maggie Dallen Page 0,53

as I took three giant strides to close the distance and drop down to my knees in front of Lila, running gentle hands over her hair, her face, trying to figure out the extent of her pain. “Who did this? Are you okay? When did this—”

“Jack.” She cut me off with a hand on my shoulder, and I could feel Brandon’s heavy gaze on me.

I’d interrupted something.

But I had so many questions. For hours now, I’d been frantic. Panicked. First Devereaux had thrown bombshell after bombshell at me, but even worse than that was the moments after, when Tess and I had set out to find Lila only to discover that she was missing.

Tess had been halfway to a club to see if she’d gone to some afterparty with Siobhan and Evie when I’d gotten Brandon’s text. I’d told Tess that she’d been found so she could go home, but the entire drive here I’d been wired, my heart pounding with fear and worry and…

For good reason.

Her perfect pale skin was bruised. Someone had done this. I tried to swallow. I tried to think.

Next thing I knew, it was Lila soothing me rather than the other way around.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Lila wrapped her arms around my shoulders and tugged me toward her until I had my head in her lap like a child. “I’ll explain everything,” she said as she leaned over so she was whispering in my ear, stroking my hair.

I lifted my head, some of that panic easing in the face of her calm.

“I’ll just, uh…” Brandon scooted away from Lila. “I’ll give you guys a minute.”

For the life of me, I couldn’t read Lila’s expression when he went to leave. It almost felt like she didn’t want to be left alone with me.

But that couldn’t be right.

“Lila. Sweetheart. Princess—”

“Don’t call me that,” she said with a wince.

“Sorry. I—” It had been something I said to tease her, but tonight, hearing her father talk about his little princess. I cringed at my callousness. “I had no idea.”

She nodded.

I reached out a hand and stopped short of touching her. “Did he do this?”

She nodded again, and my rage had my outstretched hand shaking and fire spreading through my veins. I’d never understood the phrase ‘seeing red’ until just this moment when vision was lost in a haze of anger that nearly knocked me over.

I took a deep breath and lowered my hand to her knee. “I will kill him.”

This is about her, I reminded myself. This wasn’t about me and my need for revenge.

Not yet, at least. It was about Lila. My gut did a flip that had nothing to do with this all-consuming rage and everything to do with nerves.

I had to tell her.

I knew this.

But telling her meant putting my father at risk. And more importantly… I eyed this face which had become so damn precious to me. This person I loved more than myself.

Telling her might very well mean breaking her heart.

And yet…

No more secrets. That was what I’d demanded, wasn’t it? That was what we both deserved.

I cleared my throat. “Lila, there’s something I need to tell you.”

She tugged her hand away when I went to reach for it. Her gaze grew wary, or maybe that was disbelief I saw there.

But how could it be when I hadn’t even told her yet?

“Lila, your father… he’s been keeping a secret from you,” I started. “He should have told you, or your mother should have.” I dropped my head for a second and braced myself for her shock. Her hurt. “I’m sorry that it’s me telling you this, Lila, but you should know that your father—”

“I know.”

My head snapped up. “What?”

Her eyes were wet with tears. “I know. I heard everything. But I thought…” Her expression grew tight, those tears spilling over as she pressed her lips together and drew in a shaky breath. “I can’t believe you told me the truth.”

She leaned forward and kissed me, her lips pressing against mine hard, like she was sealing this moment. Her tears wet my cheeks as they spilled, and I tugged her down onto the ground beside me so we were both kneeling as we held each other tight.

“You told me the truth,” she said when she pulled back. “Thank you, Jack. Thank you for telling me the truth.”

I let my gaze move over her face, so uncharacteristically filled with emotion, and that was when I realized. She’d overheard everything. Her father’s cruel words, his threats toward me