by A J Manney
Chapter 19
After dinner, Madison helped her get settled into a room for the night. “Kyle and I will be staying here with you for a little while if that's okay,” she said.
Emma almost laughed. “Of course it’s okay. It’s not my house. Besides I would hate to be alone.”
“I get that. All right. Well, why don’t you get some sleep. What time do you have to be at work again, unless I can talk you into staying home for a day or two to let your body heal?” Madison asked hopefully.
Emma was already shaking her head. “Nope, I need to help Helen.”
“That’s what I thought. Okay, what time do you have to be at work again?” she asked.
“Four thirty,” Emma said.
Madison frowned and shuddered. “That’s such an ungodly time. I probably won’t be seeing you in the morning. One of the guys will be taking you—Liam, Levi, or Kyle. I’m not sure who drew the short straw,” she said with a grin.
“Well, I hope it’s not Liam. He’s not a morning person,” Emma said and grinned.
Madison laughed. “I’m going to tell him you said that.”
“Please do,” Emma responded.
“Let me get out of here so you can get some sleep. I left more clothes in the bathroom for you. Let me know if you need anything else,” Madison said and stood up.
“Hey Madison, I’ve been wondering, do you think maybe Kyle would be willing to train me to fight better? I learned how to fight for survival, but I want to be better trained to defend myself,” Emma said.
Madison nodded. “I know he would, but I’ll ask him. Maybe I could help too.”
Emma looked at her in surprise. “You know how to fight?”
Madison laughed. “I’ve trained quite a bit over the years.”
“That’s awesome. Would you be willing to train me?”
“Of course. Let’s start tomorrow when you get home from work,” she suggested.
“That would be perfect.” Emma paused for a moment. “Thanks for everything you’re doing for me,” Emma said.
Madison nodded, looking sad once again. “I’m sorry for what you’ve been through.”
Emma choked up at her words. “Thank you,” she finally said.
Madison reached out and gave her a hug, then left the room. Emma changed into the pajamas Madison left for her and worked on getting ready for bed. A few minutes later, she crawled into bed and smiled. “This is so soft,” she muttered out loud. Snuggling deep under the covers, Emma sighed and relaxed. Images of her attack in the woods came to mind, but she stubbornly pushed them away. She knew it was from rehashing everything tonight. She hoped the nightmares wouldn’t plague her in her sleep.
No such luck. Emma screamed when someone shook her. “Emma, wake up. It’s okay.” Emma sat up, wild-eyed, trying to figure out where she was. “Shh, it’s okay. It was just a bad dream,” she heard someone say. After another moment, Emma finally realized it was Madison.
She took several deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. Madison put her hand on Emma’s back and rubbed it soothingly. “Just breathe. Everything’s okay,” she said in a calm, soothing voice.
“I’m sorry,” Emma said quietly.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. I heard you screaming and knew I had to wake you up. I couldn’t let you endure that,” Madison said in a voice that spoke of her sadness for Emma.
“I’m okay now,” Emma said.
“Do you want me to stay in here?”
“No, I’m okay. You go back to Kyle. Thank you for waking me up,” Emma said sincerely.
Emma felt the bed shift as Madison stood up. Emma lay back down and tucked the covers around her. She heard Kyle’s low voice in the hallway and Madison responding to him. A few minutes later, it was quiet again. Emma glanced at the clock and groaned. It was only a little after midnight. It was going to be a long night. She felt too scared to go back to sleep, but she didn’t want to keep Kyle and Madison up. So, she just lay there quietly, trying to think about anything but her nightmares.
She thought about the shop, about Helen, and about trying to turn business around. She thought through her cinnamon rolls and what she needed to do in the morning. Her mind finally landed on Garrett. She wondered where he had disappeared to and when she would see him again. It shouldn’t bother her that he wasn’t around, or at least that’s what she tried to tell herself.
The time passed slowly; Emma dozed off and on. Finally, it was time to get up. Emma slipped out of bed and got dressed for the day. She tried on a pair of jeans Madison had given her, but they were too big. She settled for black leggings again. She paired them with a long-sleeved gray shirt of Madison’s. She undid her braid and fingered her hair. Then she pulled it up into a high ponytail for the day. She finished getting ready and made her bed. She made her way out into the hallway and down the stairs into the living room. It was still dark out, but the light over the stove was on in the kitchen so Emma could see where she was going.
“Good morning, Emma,” she heard and jumped. She hadn’t heard Kyle come downstairs. “Sorry to startle you,” he said.
“Whew, no worries,” Emma said, still trying to catch her breath.
“Do you want coffee or breakfast or anything?” Kyle asked.
“I’m good. Thank you,” Emma responded.
“Okay, let’s go then. Levi’s out front,” Kyle said and pointed towards the door. Emma walked towards the front door. “Hold up. Let me go first,” he said.
Emma stepped back and let him go first before following. She closed the door tightly, making sure it was locked behind her. Outside, she shivered in the cold and walked quickly towards the car. Kyle opened the back door for her and she slid in.
“Morning,” she said to Levi in the front seat. He just grunted in response.
Kyle turned to Emma. “He’s not a morning person,” he said with a grin and slapped Levi on the back.
Emma smiled. “Neither is Liam.”
Kyle barked out a laugh. “No, he’s definitely not.”
“But you are?” Emma asked, curious.
“I have to be. Madison hates the morning and sleeps like the dead. One of us has to be able to function in the morning,” he said with a grin. Emma could hear the affection in his voice. She wondered what it would be like to be loved so wholly by someone. She shook off those thoughts and started thinking about the day ahead of her.
“Thank you for the ride,” she said.
“Sure,” Kyle said easily, and Levi nodded.
It was quiet the rest of the way into work. When they pulled in front of Sip and Drip, Emma opened her door and slid out. Kyle came around and stood next to her. “Next time, wait for me, okay? Always want to make sure it’s safe before you climb out.” Emma just stared at him stupidly before nodding and following him into the store. They sure take their security seriously, she thought to herself.
“Good morning,” Emma called out to Helen and heard her response in the back room. “All right, well I’m going to get to work. Thanks again for the ride. Uh, will you pick me up from work or do I need to find a ride?” she asked lamely.
Kyle looked at her oddly. The door opened and Levi stepped into the shop. “We’re staying,” Kyle said and moved through the shop towards a back table. She noticed that he had a laptop bag hanging from his shoulder. Levi had the same. Emma just stared at the two of them before she made her way over to their table.
“You don’t need to stay here all day. I’m perfectly safe,” she said. “You can go back home or whatever.”
“Can’t,” Kyle said, not looking at her. He was busy getting his laptop out. “Boss’s orders.”
Emma didn’t know what to say to that, and she needed to get to work. She tried one more time. “Really, it’s not necessary. I—”
Levi looked up at her. “Boss said we stay here all day. So, we’re staying,” he said in no uncertain terms.
“Well, okay then. I’ll get you guys some coffee in a little bit.” W
ith that, she turned away and made her way back behind the counter and into the back room to get an apron and get to work.
About two hours later, she took two black coffees and two plates of cinnamon rolls to the guys. They were both working when she approached but looked up and watched her place the rolls and the coffee on the table. They both took a deep breath, and Kyle grinned.
“Enjoy,” she said with a smile. She smiled until she got to the front of the shop. She was going to need to start a tab with what she owed Helen. She pushed that thought away. Hopefully, she was getting paid soon. Fingers crossed.
The day flew by. Emma took her break at the library. The guys insisted on going with. She tried to argue with them but found it pointless. They asked her what she usually did for lunch. Emma grinned when she remembered their look of horror when she said she didn’t usually eat lunch. They grabbed sandwiches on the way to the library and got one for Emma too. She offered to pay, but they declined.
When she finished her shift, Kyle and Levi walked her to the car. Emma climbed into the backseat with a contented smile on her face. It had been a good day. It was busier than usual and sales were up. She had sold all her cinnamon rolls and felt good about that.
They drove for a little while. Emma wasn’t really paying attention, so she was surprised when they pulled into a shopping mall. “What are we doing?” Emma asked.
“Madison is meeting us here to take you shopping,” Kyle said with a pained expression. It was clear what he thought about shopping. They pulled into a spot, and Kyle climbed out. She saw Madison climb out of the car next to them. She watched for just a moment as Kyle pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Emma looked away and gave them a moment before getting out of the car. When she stepped out, Levi stood right next to her. Apparently, he had been waiting for her.
Madison stepped out of Kyle’s arms and came towards Emma. “You ready to go crazy?” she asked with a sparkle in her eye.
“Uh, what’s going on? I thought we were going to start training,” Emma said in confusion.
“I know. We were, but plans changed. We’re going shopping instead. You need clothes. Then, we will train,” Madison said, hooking her arm through Emma’s.
“But I don’t have any money,” Emma whispered to Madison. Madison pulled something out of her pocket. She flashed a black card at Emma. Emma just looked at it. “What is that?” she asked.
“Garrett’s black card,” Madison said with a huge grin. “With an unlimited budget, so let’s go,” she said.
Emma let Madison pull her towards the entrance. Kyle and Levi followed behind them. Emma wasn’t sure what to think, but Madison was so happy and Emma didn’t want to ruin it for her.
Madison dragged her into the first store. “All right. We have an entire wardrobe to build. My thought is to start with the basics and then go from there.”
“I don’t know about this. I can’t spend Garrett’s money,” Emma said. She had no idea how she was going to get out of this. Madison didn’t listen and began looking through jeans.
“What size are you?” she asked.
“I’m not telling you,” Emma responded.
Madison didn’t listen. She was like a whirlwind. Soon, she had a stack of clothes and was heading towards the dressing room. “Let’s go,” she called out over her shoulder. Emma followed her slowly, wondering how in the world she had gotten herself into this mess.
Chapter 20
“Madison, I really can’t do this,” Emma said.
“Just try stuff on,” Madison said. “Come on. We don’t want to keep the guys waiting.”
That motivated Emma to get moving. She walked into the dressing room. “Try on everything,” Madison ordered as she left the room.
Emma looked around the room, overwhelmed. She decided not to think and just get to work. She started with jeans. She tried on several different pairs until Madison liked a pair. “That one. It’s perfect. Keep those. We’ll see what other colors or cuts they have in those.”
Emma headed back into the dressing room. The time passed as she tried on item after item. Every time she got done, Madison brought her something else to try on. Finally, Madison told her she could be done. Together they worked on putting everything back that they weren’t keeping. Then they walked out of the dressing room with everything they were getting. The guys were standing on either side of the dressing room when they came out. Madison dumped all the clothes on Kyle. He took them without a word. Madison led the way and they all followed. When Emma noticed they were heading to a checkout counter, she panicked.
“Wait. Stop. We can’t buy all of those,” she said in a panicked tone.
Kyle stopped and Madison turned back to look at her. “What do you think you tried them on for?”
“I mean I can’t get all of those. That's going to cost a fortune,” Emma argued.
“It’s fine,” Madison said.
“It’s not though,” Emma said feeling miserable. “I can’t spend Garrett’s money. This is way too much, and he’s not even here to approve it.”
Madison looked at Kyle. Kyle pulled out his phone and was talking to someone a moment later. Emma was still trying to figure out what in the world she was going to do when Kyle handed her his phone. “What?” she asked, confused. Kyle motioned her to put it up to her ear.
“Hello?” she said.
“Emma,” Garrett’s deep voice sounded in her ear. “Use the card. Get whatever you need. There’s no limit.”
“I can’t do that,” Emma said.
“Why not?” Garrett asked.
“Because, because it’s not my money,” Emma sputtered.
“Exactly. It's my money, and this is something I want to do,” he said. Emma didn’t know what to say. “Just use the card, Emma,” he said, his tone gentler this time.
Emma was already shaking her head. She couldn’t afford to be in debt to him, and she would never be able to pay him back. “I can’t,” she said.
It was quiet for a moment. “Fine,” he said. There was a rustling sound in the background. “Okay. What size are you?”
“What?” she asked, bewildered.
“I'm going to need your shirt size, pant size, dress size, and shoe size,” he said.
“Why?” Emma asked.
“So, I can go shopping for you since you won’t use my card to get what you need. Or better yet, maybe I can get Max to do it for me. Oh, what’s your bra and underwear size?”
Emma felt her face heat up. “Okay,” she said quickly. “I’ll do it.”
She heard his deep chuckle. She didn’t waste a moment handing the phone back to Kyle; she practically dropped it into his hands. Madison turned towards her. “Your face is red. What did he say to you?” she asked mischievously.
“Nothing. Let’s get the clothes,” she said quickly, walking towards the checkout, Madison’s laugh following her.
Madison dragged Emma to store after store. Emma went along with everything, not wanting to have to deal with Garrett following through on his threat. But she had to put her foot down when Madison pulled her into Victoria’s Secret. “I can’t shop in here,” Emma whispered.
“Oh, come on. I shop here all the time. Got to keep my love life interesting,” she said with a grin.
“Ew,” Emma said. “That’s TMI.”
Madison just laughed. “Come on, or I’ll make you talk to Garrett again.”
Emma felt her face heat up. “No way.” There was no way she was having Madison call Garrett and tell him she refused to shop at Victoria’s Secret. She had no idea what he’d say to that, and she didn’t want to find out. Emma let Madison help her pick out some bras and underwear. She drew the line at some of the crazier pairs Madison tried to talk her into. They finished and checked out.
When they came out of the store, the guys were waiting for them. Kyle was on the phone, but when he spotted them, he came over and handed the phone to Emma. Emma took the phone and put it up to her ear. “I used the card and bought stu
ff, I promise,” she said.
“Good,” Garrett’s voice sounded. “Did you find everything you need?”
“Yes, thank you,” Emma said.
“Did Madison take you into every store in the entire mall?” he asked dryly.
Emma smiled. “That’s exactly what happened.”
“I figured. That woman loves to shop. Where did you just shop?” he asked.
“I can’t tell you that,” Emma blurted out and felt her face heat up once again.
She heard a low chuckle in the phone that warmed her insides. She didn’t think she’d ever heard Garrett laugh before today. He was always so serious. “Then I’ll have to just imagine what it was,” he said in a low voice. Emma had no idea how to respond to that. “I had a question for you,” Garrett continued, oblivious to her struggle. “If your step-brother were to disappear for an extended period of time, where would he likely go?”
Emma gripped the phone tightly. “Are you trying to find him?” she asked as panic flooded her. “Garrett, don’t do that. He’s dangerous and his friends are dangerous. Please don’t.”
“Emma, there’s nothing to worry about. Your brother is not a threat to me,” he said.
“No, you don’t understand. He’s, he’s different, not like normal. I don’t know how to explain it,” she said in a low tone, not wanting to draw attention to her conversation.
“Emma, listen to me,” Garrett said in a deep voice. “I need you to trust me. I can take care of myself. I work out for hours every day. I’m not worried about your punk of a step-brother. Have some faith.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you,” Emma blurted out, then continued awkwardly. “Or anybody else, of course.”
He chuckled again. “I appreciate your concern, but there’s nothing to worry about. Now, any ideas?”
Emma listed off some of the places her brother would frequent for long periods of time. “Thank you,” he said. “Emma, one more thing before I let you go. If he’s not here, there’s a very good possibility that he’s trying to track you down. I want you to be super careful. Pay attention to your surroundings at all times. Don’t go anywhere without the guys. Let them always go outside first or step out of the car first. They’re highly trained and will protect you from anything, but you have to let them do their jobs okay?”
