by Marie Skye
"Don't you dare chide me, Ruska. You, of all people, know better than that. You want to make idle threats, then let’s go there. How's your wife? Still fucking sultans?"
His smile diminished. I always aimed when I brought up his wife leaving him for a fucking sultan. The ultimate blow. I pointed to the picture. "I'm not your enemy. He is. Are you going to help or not?" His eyes narrowed. He opened his drawer and pulled out two Cubans, handing me one. After lighting his, he leaned back in his chair.
“Tell me more about this enemy that’s betrayed us. And then I’ll tell you all the ways that person will suffer before I finally see his brains splattered on my beautiful Persian rug.”
I watched as he blew a perfect ring of smoke. He was small but a deadly motherfucker. “I have a name in mind. Dale Ferguson.”
Two hours later, and slightly inebriated, I walked in the apartment. Russians can fucking drink. I took a deep breath, hoping I could smell Emmalin’s lavender scent and scope out where she was. Nothing. I checked my watch. Fuck, was it really after two in the morning? I walked in the bedroom, and Emmalin was laying down, fast asleep, the TV still on with some infomercial about the world’s best nonstick pan. I stripped and got into bed behind her. She mumbled something about needing the pan, and I silently laughed. “I’ll get you a million pans.” I pulled her tighter to me. As long as she was with me, I could keep her safe. Ruska was right. I was doing a shitty job of protecting her. I failed her, not once, but twice. Fuck, now that I think about it, more than that. I’ve done nothing but fail at protecting her. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.
Chapter Nine
Emmalin
“You’re looking better. You have more color in your face.” Grayson moved a strand of hair from my eyes as I stood at the fridge deciding on breakfast.
“Yeah. I think whatever I had finally passed, and I’m excited to be going back to work. I was going crazy being here.” I finally shut the fridge and grabbed some grapes. Grayson cocked a brow.
“That’s not enough.”
“I know, but I’m meeting Tyler for an early lunch today.”
Grayson stiffened. “Are you actually meeting him, or is that an excuse?
Of course he would question me. I’ve basically lied about everything else. I probably wouldn’t trust me either. “I’m actually meeting him. I can arrange lunch in your office if you prefer?” I gave him a small smile.
He studied me a moment while sipping his coffee. He finally got up and placed a kiss on top of my head. “Have a good time with Tyler, and I’ll see you for dinner.” I stared after him as he walked out of the kitchen. Long gone were the days of having to fight with him about Tyler. I smiled.
Being out of the office for so long, my work had piled up. If Tyler hadn’t knocked on the door, I almost would’ve missed having lunch with him. Luckily for me, lunch was cut short since Molly showed up. I was knee deep in financial reports when Grayson texted.
Grayson: I have a dinner meeting in Indiana. Come with me.
Me: I can’t. My jerk but sexy boss suspended me last wk and now I have too much wrk to do.
Grayson: What an ass.
I giggled as I continued typing in reports. My phone rang.
“Please.”
I sighed. “Grayson, I would love to, really, but I can’t. Besides, these are for your benefit.”
I heard him sigh. “I know. Damn you for being a hard worker. It’s an hour away so I’ll be home late tonight.”
“No problem. I’ll probably be staying a little late, then heading to Tyler and Molly’s for her birthday.”
“Fine. Make sure Hawkins is with you.”
“I know, I know.”
I was so engrossed in numbers I didn’t realize it was nearing 7 o’clock. The whole floor was quiet since I was the only one on it. Poor Hawkins was out in the lobby doing whatever. Didn’t he have a family? The lights above flickered. I got up and stretched, figuring I could stay at least one more hour. Things seemed to be going smoothly. I hadn’t heard from Carson, and there hadn’t been any threats from him. Maybe he left after all. I walked out into the lobby where Hawkins sat. He stood up immediately.
“Ma’am?”
“If you want to take a break, you can.” He stood there, not moving. “Really. It’s fine. You’ve been here all day. I can tell you work hard, and you could probably use a really good meal at the diner that’s across the street.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “You don’t have to, but twenty or thirty minutes away from here would do you some good. I’ll be here about that long, and by the time you get back I’ll be ready. I just feel bad.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t mind taking a few minutes. Can I get you anything while I’m out?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Okay then. Lock your office door. I’ll be back.” I nodded. He made sure I was in my office before he left. I got right back to work. My eyes were starting to hurt from staring at the screen for so long. The lights flickered again. This was starting to get creepy; that’s never happened. I quickly hit save on everything, in case there was an outage all of a sudden.
I looked at my watch. I still needed to get to Tyler’s and started to shut everything down then put my coat on. I froze when I heard a scratching sound, then what sounded like a key being inserted into the door. Was Hawkins back already? I started walking to the door and before I got to it, it opened and in walked Carson, shutting the door behind him.
There wasn’t any way for me to get around him, with him blocking the door. “How did you get in here?”
"That was quite a show you put on at the club. Hell, even I was believing it.” I pulled my coat tighter around me. Just being in the same room as him made me want to throw up. I swallowed the bile that was rising. "Just tell me what you want and leave,” I whispered.
He grabbed my hair, pulling my face toward his. "You're a pathetic little girl, you know that? Always have been. Always will be.” I watched as he chewed the piece of tobacco in his mouth, then spat it out to the side. "Surprised you haven't figured it out by now. Money, of course. Lots of it.” He walked back over to his briefcase.
"How much?” My voice wavered. He looked up at me and smiled. I took a step forward. "How much, Carson? How much to make you go away?” He smiled and opened his briefcase then began taking out pictures. “I already told Grayson about the pictures; he’s seen them. He knows.”
Carson laughed. “Oh you thought those pictures were threatening? You think anybody is going to give a fuck about him having sex with other women? No one is going to care about shit like that. That’s nothing new. Now these, they’ll care about.” He pointed to the pictures I hadn’t seen before. At first I thought they were similar, but as I looked closer, they weren’t just pictures of Grayson with other women. They were pictures of Grayson with other women tied up, using whips, paddles, floggers, and ball gags. These women were screaming and had tears in their eyes. Skin reddened and blistered. They looked like they had pure pain in their eyes, not the lust from before.
"But this one is my favorite.” He pulled out his laptop and pressed play on a video; a child in a hospital bed came on the screen. The child looked familiar. As the video played, I gasped and recognized the child as one of the kids from the charity events.
"Can you tell us what happened?" The child sniffed, clearly crying. "Does he visit you a lot?" The child nodded. "And what happens when he visits?" The child looked up at her mom. "It's okay, sweetie." She kissed her forehead.
"He... Sometimes touches me here, and down here." The child pointed to her chest, then beneath the covers.
I gasped, turning to Carson. "That's not true!"
He shrugged. "Looks pretty evident to me. A sick child. Grayson giving them lots of charitable contributions to keep them quiet. The evidence is pretty damning. He basically wrote this himself." He threw his head back laughing. I saw red. I lunged forward, attacking him with everything I had. It didn’t matter that
he was twice my size. He overpowered me easily, flipping me over. My head hit the floor hard, but the pain didn't even register.
He picked me up and slammed me against the wall by my neck. I was barely standing on my toes as I struggled to breathe. "Don't you know I could fucking kill you right now? I could snap your fucking neck!" I clawed at his arms, struggling to breathe. My vision began getting hazy. His grip got tighter, and I began to panic. He really was going to kill me. My last vision was going to be my stepbrother smiling up at me, choking me to death. He finally let go, and I slumped to the floor like a rag doll, gasping for air. Just when I took my second breath, I was met by the steel toe of his boot in my rib. "That's for interrupting me." He walked past me back to his briefcase.
"Money. I know you’re loaded. You have that trust fund, and I know there’s millions in it. You have one week. Otherwise all this goes live."
I started coughing, trying to catch my breath. I tried standing but the pain was almost unbearable. He crouched near me, and I ducked my head, pleading with him. "I don't have a lot of money."
"Bullshit. Your boyfriend is a billionaire. Get me the fucking money, and you never have to see me again." He grabbed his briefcase and got up and left.
I don't know how long I sat there, at least a few minutes, until I deemed it safe enough to move. The pain soared through me. I was sure I had a broken rib. I finally walked over to my phone and took a few deep breaths before dialing. Grayson answered on the first ring.
"Hey, you."
My heart melted at hearing his voice. "Hey. Getting a lot of work done?" I winced as I grabbed my side.
"What's wrong?"
I cleared my throat. "Nothing. I stayed late to catch up on work." I heard movement in the background.
"Who stayed with you?" I shut my eyes.
"No one." I heard him mutter a curse, then more movement in the background.
"I told you, I didn't want you anywhere alone. Why can't you take your safety seriously?" There was a loud bang in the background. I slowly eased myself down in my chair. The pain made my head throb, and my side was hurting. I needed some pain relievers.
"I'm sorry, Grayson. Hawkins was here, but I made him take a dinner break. I didn't think that was a bad idea. The man needs to eat."
"Well, that's the last time he’ll be listening to you."
I sighed. I didn't have the energy to argue. "I didn't call to fight with you," I whispered. "I just wanted to say hi.”
He exhaled. "I miss you." His voice softened, rid of the hardness from before. "I'll be home in two hours. They'll go quick.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. "Wait for Hawkins. Please?"
"I will."
"Alright, I gotta go. I love you."
"I love you, too." Before I could complete the word, my voice cracked. He heard it.
"Emmalin?"
I cleared my throat. "I'm fine," I tried laughing it off. "Just needed some water."
He was quiet. "Hey, get some rest. I'll talk to you later."
I hung up, and went to the bathroom and almost freaked. My hair was in disarray. My makeup was smudged, my lip was busted and when I looked closer, a little swollen. It was a good thing Hawkins wasn't back yet. I tried making myself look as presentable as possible and hoped I had my sunglasses. I couldn't explain this. I still had to get to Tyler's.
I heard the elevator ding and grabbed my coat. Trying to walk as straight as possible wasn't going to be easy with a possible broken rib. Hawkins walked in and narrowed his eyes, and he quickly scanned the room, reaching for his holster. My eyes went wide.
"Are you alone?" I nodded. "Walk toward me slowly. What happened here?" I looked at the broken glass. I'd been so worried about trying to make myself look presentable I'd forgotten about the damn glass. "I must've knocked it over by accident." He turned to look at me. Then he stepped closer, and I bowed my head, trying to hide the busted lip and not scream from the pain in both my rib and my head as I leaned down to get my purse.
"Ms. Ross, if something is going on, I need you to be honest with me. And if I feel your safety is in jeopardy, I'm under strict orders to do everything necessary to protect you."
"Thank you, Hawkins. I appreciate it." He gently squeezed my shoulder, then frowned at my lip, and I instantly felt remorse. In fact, I would probably get a call from Grayson about it soon. "Did you need to go anywhere else before home?"
"Just one stop."
The ride to Tyler’s apartment was silent. I grimaced with every bump on the road. I felt like my head was splitting in two, and I was trying hard not to throw up all over the back seat. Every time I looked up, Hawkins was staring at me judgmentally in the rearview mirror. He knew something was up, but I couldn't focus on that now.
We finally arrived at Tyler’s, and I slowly got out, with Hawkins escorting me into the brownstone. "I'll wait out here, Ms. Ross." I nodded, smiling. I sighed and clutched my coat tighter, finally greeted by Molly.
"Hello!" She pulled me in for a hug, and I flinched, tears springing to my eyes as the pain radiated from my side up my spine. She pulled back and studied me a moment before gasping and pulling me inside.
"I'm sorry I'm late. I lost track of time with work, but I wanted to drop off your gift. Happy Birthday!" I held up her bag. She didn't make an attempt for it.
She was still staring at me. "What happened to you?"
I tightened the belt around my coat, which of course shot a jolt of pain through my system. If I looked this bad, I can't imagine what I would look like in front of Tyler. Tyler. Shit. I had to get out of here. No wonder Hawkins was so suspicious. My phone started ringing. I peered at the screen. Grayson. Dammit. I walked gingerly to the table and set the bag down.
"I probably shouldn't stay long. I'm sorry for that. Will you give Tyler my love?"
Just then, the front door opened and Tyler walked in smiling carrying a dozen roses. "My two favorite girls."
Molly gave him a smile before walking over. "They’re beautiful, thank you. I'll put these in water." I watched as she leaned up and whispered in his ear. Tyler's smile slowly disappeared as his eyes narrowed and his face hardened. Molly didn't make eye contact with me as she left the room. By now, the pain was shooting daggers throughout my body, and I felt like I couldn't stand much longer. Tyler slowly walked toward me. I started to rub my eyes, because I swear there were two of him.
He spoke quietly. "Emmalin?" I avoided his eyes, but he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. I jerked my chin away. Big mistake as the room started to spin, and I grabbed the table for support. "Fuck, Emmalin. The fuck did that bastard do to you?"
I steadied myself as the room started to come into focus. I was vaguely aware that my phone started to ring again. "Is that him?" Pain radiated through my body like pure fire. "Is that him?" Tyler's voice came back through again.
I clutched my head and looked at him. "What?"
I could see the rage pouring from Tyler. He reached for me, undoing my coat, and I winced from the sudden movement. He lifted my shirt and froze. I pushed him off of me. "Stop it, Tyler. It's nothing." My phone rang again, and Tyler grabbed it before I did.
"You've got some fucking nerve! I will fucking kill you." He hung up the phone. "You aren't going back there, Emmalin!" I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. Before I reached it, Tyler gripped my arm, swinging me around. The sudden movement had my body exploding. My vision started to cloud, and I no longer heard what he was saying. He was shouting, but none of it mattered. I didn't hear a word. I watched as his expression changed from pure anger to concern in a matter of seconds. I wanted to laugh because it was almost comical, but then I realized I couldn't feel my face. I couldn't feel anything. Then everything turned black.
Chapter Ten
Grayson
"The fuck do you mean she had a busted lip?" People stopped eating and looked my way. I excused myself and walked out of the restaurant, signaling the valet for my car. I could already feel my blood pressure rising.
I gritted my teeth. "I'm heading back, where is she now?"
"We stopped at Mr. Langer’s, sir."
"I'll be home in a few hours. Keep her in your sight at all times." I hung up and kept calling Emmalin. Finally, after the fifth time, she picked up. Only it wasn't Emmalin.
"You've got some fucking nerve! I will fucking kill you." Click. The fuck? What the fuck was Tyler doing answering her phone, and what the hell was he talking about? I called Hawkins back. "Go in there now, and keep me on the line."
"Yes, sir."
I waited on the line. I hated that I was still over an hour away. I let Emmalin play her little game far too long, but all this shit ended now. She was no longer playing with fire.
"The ambulance is on their way."
I honed back in on the phone conversation.
"Listen to me, Langer. Tell me exactly what happened?" My heart started to pound. They were talking about Emmalin. I gripped the steering wheel tighter as I accelerated faster on the highway, straining to hear what Tyler was saying.
"I freaked out over the bruises, and told her she wasn't going back home to that fucker. When I stopped her, she passed out. Molly called 911."
"Talk to me, Hawkins."
It was quiet for a moment.
"Possible head injury. Bruising on her ribs. I would even say they're broken, sir." I almost smashed into the car in front of me, slamming on the brakes at the last minute. I didn't need another accident, which would delay me reaching her.
"That fucker did this; I know he did." Tyler's words had me itching to do what I've been wanting to do to him since that very first night I ever saw him. Commit murder. I kept quiet, trying to simmer my rage. But I couldn't, knowing someone out there had their hands on what was mine, and yet again, I failed to protect her.
