𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 | 𝟏𝟖+

LILY

048. THE GAME

His warm hand remained in mine after we left the room. He found me and had no plans of letting me go. "Celeste said she has a friend that works here. She told us the way to go," I say. As our steps echoed in the halls of hell, I explained the interactions I had with Celeste. She came whenever she could. How she knew how to maneuver through the building using vents. Mother grew cocky, along with the Russians when it came to withholding her. Security had always been tight when Celeste had been stored away for blackmail, but in recent years it was slacking and I wondered if my aloofness with the engagement had conjured this. Celeste said she was kept on the top level with where mother resided, and said it was to keep close watch over her while my mother engaged in activities.

I relayed the plan to him and explained everything Celeste had told me. I could tell by his face he was wary, but we didn't have any other choice. The colored walls and bright lights made the bowling ball-heavy sensation in my stomach grow. I swiftly gaze towards my heeled-covered feet that clacked against the tile floor. "Celeste said it's best to shut down the cameras before the guards switch shifts. Most are on the main floor for the ball, but they'll be here soon. And once she loops the cameras, we should be in the clear."

Suddenly, a loud alarm started blaring throughout the hallway, blowing my eardrums. Royce pulls me into his chest protectively. He drew out his gun and shot the speaker, canceling the noise.

"Lily Cortez, how I am delighted to have you," a voice cuts through the tense air like a butter knife.

A dreaded tingle shoots to the back of my skull and my hands grow clammy. I clench Royces' shirt and shot my sight around for the origin of the noise. The voice continued, "Although I would love to watch you run away and reunite with your lover, that's no fun! No, no, no, no. How about we play a game, everyone!" The voice said enthusiastically.

My chest constricted as panic began to set in and grab Royce's wrist, tugging him to our destination with small hesitant steps.

"A game of hide and seek we shall play. Lily and her little friends hide, and everyone has a chance to find them. If you find them, you get a price! But there's one tiny condition."

A TV screen I didn't notice beside us lit up and showed pictures of Celeste and me when we first entered the ballroom. My eyes widened in horror, and I could hear my blood pumping as the lights flickered. "Royce?"

The distorted voice spoke again, but this time with malicious intentions, its voice lowering significantly.

"Bring me her heart."

The TV went black, and Royce wastes no time pulling me beside him hurriedly to the security room. "They know we escaped. My mother likely knows too, and Xavier...."

"Hey, mio amore. Listen to me," Royce shushes me gently with an affectionate kiss. Pulling back, he says, "No one's ever going to touch you, amore. If they did, their head would be sent to their families."

"Or I could use them for fertilizer," I mumble deliriously.

He chuckles. "Anything you want mio amore, you get."

"Lily!"

I shoot my gaze behind me and see Celeste sprint toward us. She still had remnants of makeup from earlier, but her tattered grey shirt was littered with blood and the sweatpants would've fallen if not for the strings, being several sizes too big. No shoes, only socks. She comes to a screeching halt, eyes widened as she gaped between us. Royce picked up her voice the moment she stepped around the corner, and I wanted to tear up at his expression. He looked bewildered, angry, sad, and confused. He drops my hand, and with an open mouth, he whispers in astonishment, "Celeste?"