by Haven Rose
“Then what are you going to do about it?”
“I want to make her dreams come true. She should never have to sacrifice a day in her life. She’s already had to give up so much because of her parents.”
“So, how do you fix this? Do you continue as you were with the goal of taking down her dad and the others? She has her issues with him, but he is still her father. Have you thought about how it’ll impact her?”
“My plan was to ask what she wants me to do. Nothing is more important than her.”
We chat a while longer, then he asks, “Shouldn’t she be here by now? I can’t imagine she’d want to spend a lot of time there.” I check my watch, realizing he’s right, then glance at my phone. She texted an hour ago that she was on her way. Going inside, I start looking in each room, calling her name. “Emerson? Where are you, baby?” What if something happened? She could’ve fallen, she might need me. My search turns frantic, then I do it all over again just in case. It takes me longer than it should to realize things are missing in our bedroom.
Hitting speed dial, I wait for her to pick up, needing to know why she came home then left. It rings once then goes to voicemail. She swiped me. What the fuck? Emerson wants to take that route, huh? I’ll find her ass than tan it. Shouldn’t take me but a few minu…Popping up the app we have to track each other for our mutual peace of mind, I want to yell when hers doesn’t show. She must’ve turned off her GPS. Grabbing my keys, I move to plan b. She’s either with Edison or he knows where she is. Those two are thick as thieves.
Yet again, I’m thwarted. There’s no car in the driveway and I can’t see in the garage. Nobody answers the door and I don’t have his number.
I can traipse all over town, hoping I come across her and risk continually missing her. Or I stay here and wait, knowing at the least Edison will eventually come home. Texting my dad, I apologize again for rushing out on him, though he’d understood when I quickly explained what was going on, and let him know I’m camping out in front of Edison’s.
“You have what you need?” Dad drilled in to me to always be prepared in the winter, and that meant having supplies if I got stuck or my car wouldn’t start. I have a few blankets, gloves, hat, and a scarf, as well as a spare tank of gas. Thankfully, I’d recently topped off, so I shouldn’t need the latter.
Maneuvering my Bronco, I park at the optimal position allowing me to see yet not be seen from the house. Then I burrow under the covers, knowing I’m not cold now, but it doesn’t take much for that to change. My best bet is to save what body heat I already have, warding off any chill that might set in.
This is either my stupidest idea so far or my sweetest.
Chapter Fourteen
Emerson
February 16th…
I did a lot of thinking last night, Keller’s words circling inside my mind for hours. As much as it hurt, he’s right. I’ve never had to sacrifice, not a true one anyway. But I can change that, be someone that puts others first. Granted, I did that for years where my parents are concerned, letting them dictate things when I disagreed, but that all seems so petty now.
My love for Keller is real, I know that, and while I believe, need to, he actually feels something for me, perhaps love as he claims, I have to wonder if that’s enough. He shared with me the story of his conception, and I realized how deeply seated his hatred of the well off, is. And I honestly can’t blame him for that. That had to be traumatic for Cora, and the aftereffects would be, too. Then her struggle as a single mom, fear of being hurt again, or worse, Keller experiencing it. They were both rejected simply because some rich asshole wanted to play with people’s lives. I can’t say I wouldn’t be jaded if that had happened to me. Maybe what he said was just done so in the heat of the moment, or he and his dad had been reliving a particularly bad one and it fanned over to include me.
“Stop making excuses for him, Em,” I caution myself. “You’re stalling. You know what you must do, how to prove Keller wrong.” I do, but I’m reluctant to do it. I guess Keller is right after all. With that thought crushing down on me, I leave the pool house, where I’d snuck in and stayed the night, knowing the heat would be on to keep me warm and march the distance to my parents. They might know I was there, but I doubt it. They can’t be bothered with little things such as who enters the property. Dad pays others to deal with that so they don’t have to.
“Emerson,” mom says after the maid asks calls for her. The greeting is cool and polite.
“I need to talk to dad.” I can forego the niceties, too.
“He’s in his office. You know the way,” she says. I stomp through the entrance and toward his office, but force my feet to slow down and act proper. I need to make sure my decision doesn’t come off as rash, though that’s exactly what it is.
“Have you made your choice?” Dad wants to know, skipping any greeting, letting me know I’m not important to him, but my answer is.
“I’ll do it.” I can’t have the only man I’ll ever love, so what does it matter anyway? At least I can save Keller and his career. Perhaps his life. One of us should be able to live our dream. I have ground rules, though, and I will not budge on them. “This will be in name only. He touches me and I will rip that appendage off.” Crude? Hell yes. But after knowing what it’s like to be with the man you love, the idea of another makes me want to vomit.
Never sacrifice a day in my life? No, just my future.
My mom, obviously having eavesdropped, informs us everything is in place and Rupert will be here at three. How the hell did she plan that quickly? I just told Dad I’d do it.
“Emerson, you twit, it was already taken care of. We knew you’d cave, and, if by some chance you didn’t, we were fully prepared to get you here by any means necessary.”
I know I agreed to do this, however, not even fifteen minutes later, I’m having second – third, fourth, and twentieth – thoughts. I want to protect Keller, even if he never knows, but is this truly the only way I can? Determined, I head downstairs, my old bedroom having grown suffocating, intent on talking to my father. I’m not doing anything wrong, yet I realize I’m walking as quietly as possible, having learned long ago it’s less stressful if I blend in here.
Hearing men talking, I’m surprised when I recognize Rupert’s as he’s early along with my dad’s, and figure that’s a good sign as it’ll let me deal with both at the same time. Raising my hand to knock on the door that’s slightly ajar, allowing the hushed tones to reach me but keeping me out of eyesight, I once more eavesdrop. Unintentionally, of course, and I wonder if it’s a smart idea based upon how the other instance backfired. I remind myself whoever else is inside can’t hurt me as much as Keller did.
“He’s snooping. My source says he’s close to having what he needs to ruin us.” Is that the mayor? He who?
“Stop being clandestine, Tim. We all know you’re talking about your nephew, Potter,” my dad says a bit harshly. Wait, one of the academy instructors? That’s the guy that interrupted me and Keller my first day, that caused Keller to act how he did.
“That moron is who we’re trusting to watch our backs?” Rupert asks. “He’s too busy trying to get his dick wet to pay attention.”
“He pays plenty attention,” Dad chimes in, “to all the female students.”
“You’d think he’d get tired of doing that shit by now. Why does he care if there’s a woman cop?” The mayor mumbles something, and my dad, Rupert, and two others voices I didn’t notice before demand he repeats it.
“My sister-in-law, his mom, was a cop. She was gone a lot when he was younger. One time she never returned, having gotten shot in the line of duty protecting a little girl.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? This is all because he has ‘mommy issues?’”
“What a pussy,” a voice that sounds like Judge Harper states, derisively.
“Can we get back to the matter at hand, gentlemen?” The one I don’t recognize suggests.
“How do we get rid of Ke
ller?” What the hell?
“Well, punishing him by making him teach didn’t work. Not to mention he’s actually damn good at it. Fucker.” Oh shit. The voice I couldn’t place? That’s the police captain.
“Rupert and I have it covered,” my dad smugly informs them.
“And that’s why we’re all here today, I assume?”
“You could say I’m buying Keller’s silence by taking away his toy,” Rupert adds.
“Love is nothing but a weakness to be exploited,” Dad clarifies, “and apparently, according to the other pain in the ass that is Dexter Charles, Keller told him Emerson is his future wife.” Groans follow, all with various comments tacked on.
“Pathetic.”
“Pansy.”
“Moron.”
“He’ll adhere to our wishes when he learns I control her,” Dad chuckles.
“You mean we, don’t you, Anthony?” Rupert corrects him.
“Of course,” Dad agrees, as if not wanting to upset the man controlling the purse strings. “The trap has already been set, now we just dangle the bait.”
I’m sick to my stomach when I realize that’s me.
**Keller**
A car pulls in the driveway, and I instantly see the resemblance to my phoenix when the man steps out. His clothes are rumpled, as is his hair, and I can’t help but shake my head in disgust. Is he really the stereotypical rich boy that plays hard while daddy pays for everything? From what Emerson said, he didn’t sound like it, but why else would he be coming home this early in the morning looking as he does?
When he reaches the door to open it, I’m on him. “Where the fuck is she?”
He turns and glances at me, not at all intimidated, which kinda pisses me off. “You must be Keller.” Huh? “My sister showed me a picture of the two of you. You know, back before you ripped her heart out by admitting you think she’s a useless princess.” Ahh, no wonder he didn’t flinch at my attitude or size. Big brother is on the warpath.
“What the fuck are you talking about? And choose your next words wisely. I don’t give a flying hell who you are. If you don’t start making sense, I will beat it out of you.”
“She said you were an arrogant ass that wouldn’t know happiness if it bit you on the ass,” he tells me with a bitter chuckle, finding Emerson’s insult funny, and seemingly accurate.
“Explain how you think I hurt her,” I demand.
“Not me, her.” I shake my head, not understanding the words coming out of his mouth as they make no sense. Edison either takes pity on me or relishes the thought of rubbing it in my nose that I lost her and explains what happened.
“Fuck no.”
“So you’re saying she misheard you?”
“Yes and no. I said some of that, as did my dad, but not in that context. Aside from my mom, my phoenix is the strongest woman I know. She deserves to be a cop and will rapidly rise through the ranks. Hell, she’ll probably rule the whole damn department within a few years.”
“Then why…?” Now Edison is stupefied, so I fill in the blanks. “Well, shit,” he states when I’m finished. “Quite a situation you have on your hands.”
“Are you gonna fucking help me now?” I want to know.
He opens his mouth, hopefully to agree, otherwise, I just might hurt him, but his phone simultaneously rings and gives an alert. “Excuse me.” Then he answers, though he never gets a word out except for a greeting. When he hangs up, I ask what’s wrong. “That was my mom, informing me to come to the house dressed appropriately.”
I scan his disheveled appearance, feeling my face morph to a judgmental expression, and suggest, “Probably a good idea.”
“Really? Fashion advice from you?”
“Your appearance screams all night bender or hours with a woman you don’t even know the name of. ” Okay, so my biased is showing, making me picture him as being like my father.
He glares at me, taking a step forward, saying, “What are you implying?” I merely raise a brow; fully aware he knows exactly what I’m getting at. “I spent all fucking night at work to help a client.” I scoff. “My boss handed me a case Friday afternoon and the court date is tomorrow. This is the first time I’ve been home since that morning.”
I don’t know what to do with that. “Sorry. I jumped to conclusions.”
“You do that a lot?”
“More than I should, I’m sure.”
“In your defense, Em shared a bit of your history with me, wanting me to understand you before we met, so I get it. You have every right to be a bit jaded.”
“Jaded, yes. Blaming everyone in a certain tax bracket due to one man’s actions? No. I apologize.” He nods, accepting it, so I ask, “Any idea what your mom wants?”
Edison shrugs. “It’s not unusual for them to demand when to be there and why.” Then he seems to remember he’d also received a text and checks that. “What the hell is going on?”
He holds up his cell, letting me see the message, and my mind registers that it’s from Emerson, but the one word stops my heart.
Help!
Edison runs inside and returns in five minutes, the hangar still attached to his shirt. We both hop in my Bronco. He seems just as scared and worried as I am which isn’t reassuring. He fears Emerson’s plea has to do with his mom’s call. As do I. Thankfully, with him in the car, we’re buzzed right through the gate. We rush toward the door, me right on his heels, and a woman I can only assume is his mother frowns, stating he didn’t listen to her wishes. Her gaze skates over me, then immediately returns to him, finding me not worth her time, I guess.
Likewise, I’m sure.
“Where’s my sister?”
“She’s getting ready, I assume,” Mrs. Malone answers.
“For what?” He asks harshly.
“Her wedding,” Mr. Malone, the pompous prick, states as he joins us.
“The fuck you say,” I growl, grinding my teeth so hard it’s a wonder I don’t chip them all. He glances at me, then turns his back on me. Seems he and his wife have the same opinion of me. As if I give a shit. “Either get out of my way or I will make you,” I warn him.
“Do you know who I am?” He asks, expecting me to be impressed. Maybe scared. Perhaps both. I repeat his question, wanting to make sure he knows he should fear me instead.
Done with this charade, I look at Edison and he tilts his head toward the stairs. “Second door on the right is her old room.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“Not necessary. Make her happy, that’s all I need.” Then I storm up the steps, taking them two at a time, shouting her name as I go.
“Keller!” She responds. Grabbing the knob Edison indicated, I’m pissed it doesn’t open.
“Let me in, phoenix.”
“I can’t,” she sobs. “They locked me in here.”
“Stand back, baby.” I wait until she gives me the all clear, then raise my booted foot and kick the door, satisfied when it shatters at the impact, leaving a size thirteen hole, and bounces against the wall where it splinters even more.
“You came for me,” she says, but the tone is more of shock than confidence.
“Of course. I love you,” I assure her.
“But…”
“Your butt will be so pink you won’t be able to sit for a week. My handprint will be on your ass for days to come.” She moans, and I quickly explain what she thought she heard before I carry her out of here. Her face drops when she realizes she doubted me. “Emerson, you have to trust me. I am not the sorry excuse for a dad you were saddled with. We do have to talk about you agreeing to this debacle.”
“He threatened you.”
“That asshole downstairs?” She nods, tears in her eyes.
“I couldn’t let him ruin you. He said they’d manufacture evidence to send you to prison and he’d make sure you never left it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She whispers, “I was going to, but you were talking to Dexter when I got hom
e.”
“And misunderstood what I was saying.”
“Yeah.”
“Honey, the majority of the force is corrupt. I was moved to desk duty then the academy as punishment because I refused their bribes. I couldn’t look the other way when they were breaking the law.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asks, throwing my earlier query back at me. I sigh because she’s right. If I had, we probably could’ve avoided this shitshow. “Trust goes two-ways,” she reminds me.
“Does love?” My heart is in my throat because her reply will make or break me.
“When it comes to us? You bet your tight ass it does.” Then she kisses me, starting with my forehead, moving to my cheeks, my jaw, and lastly, my mouth.
“Why were you locked in?” Edison asks his sister when he comes upstairs.
“I’d changed my mind almost immediately, not that I think I ever could’ve went along with it to begin with, and dad informed me I didn’t actually need to verbally agree, that they’d planned for that possibility. I went to tell dad to do his worst and overheard him and a few others talking. Oh,” she adds excitedly before rushing toward her bed and lifting something from under the pillow. “Not the greatest hiding place, I know, but it was only temporary.” She hands me her cell, eyes clear, no doubt or hesitation in them, and tells me, “I taped them. There’s enough on here to incriminate my dad, Rupert Everett, the mayor, the police captain, Judge Harper, Potter, and so many others. I know if they’ve done this there’s probably so much more to dig up, but it’s a starting point.”
“Damn right it is. And with what I’ve already gathered, they’re going to get quite the shock.” Texting my dad, I tell him to take the next step. “I asked my dad who he trusts implicitly in the department. Sadly, the list is very short.”
“Are you on it?” She teases, making me and Edison laugh. That’s my girl.
“He was just waiting for the word from me to send them up here to clean house.”
“That’s what you were furiously typing about at each red light?” Edison asks.
