Conned

by Jessica Wilde

  "We?"

  "Yeah. I'm not going to send her off on her own."

  Luke crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "She okay?"

  He knew damn well she wasn't okay. Who would be? If I had left any sooner, I didn't want to think about what would have happened to her. Seeing the fucker touch her the way he did was enough to make me see red.

  "She'll get through it," I grumbled and started closing all the zippers on her duffel bag. "Let the guys know this is a special situation and they'll have to take her statement another time. Miller will be in contact after I tell him what's going on."

  "Who was that guy? Did he say anything?" he asked and followed me into my bedroom where I threw random things into my bag.

  "Don't know and he didn't really take the chance when it was offered. I was more worried about Emily." I walked passed him and started for the bathroom, ready to grab Emily and take off.

  "You think he's one of Ripley's?"

  I froze in the hallway, the one piece of information I did get from the guy suddenly coming back to me.

  "I have nothing to do with Ripley…"

  "No. He said he didn't work for Lucien," I turned to Luke who looked just as confused as I felt.

  "Who the hell else could he be working for? Does Emily's brother have enemies that might want to use her?"

  I shook my head. From what Emily told me, the only enemy Rayce could have that had the resources for this was Ripley. "I'll have to check with Miller. Call me as soon as you find out who he is."

  "And Emily," he stated firmly. "There's something she isn't telling you, Con."

  Yeah, I got the same feeling, but I didn't want to believe she would lie to me. "I'll take care of it."

  "Well, until you do, keep Ash out of it."

  I couldn't agree with him more. I walked up to the bathroom door and raised my hand to knock. That's when I heard a soft sound coming from the other side and my stomach dropped. I had no idea how to make all of this better.

  "Take this to the truck for me will you?"

  I handed Luke my bag and opened the door, quickly slipping through before he could stop me. I locked it behind me and dropped her bag to the ground when I saw her.

  She was kneeling on the floor with her body hunched over the toilet. Her hands were tangled in her hair, keeping it out of her face as she stared into the bowl. The hair hanging down her back was wet and the blood that soaked into the back of her shirt had gotten into the golden strands.

  "Emily?"

  She didn't move, didn't even flinch. She just stared blankly at nothing. I stepped closer and flushed the toilet when I saw the reason she was hunched over it. She still didn't move and her pale face had lost any sign of coherence.

  I crouched down next to her and put my hand on her shoulder. It snapped her out of whatever world she had been floating in and she finally looked up at me. The whites of her eyes were red and her eyelashes were clumped together where the tears still soaked them. She sniffed and dropped her shaking hands to her sides.

  "Talk to me, beautiful," I whispered, hoping she would tell me anything that would clue me in on how to help her.

  She hesitated and her gaze dropped to the floor in front of me. I moved my hand from her shoulder and cupped her chin, turning her face back to me.

  "I can't do this anymore," she breathed.

  My chest tightened once more and I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright, and never let go of her. But we didn't have time.

  "Come on. Let's get you changed and go. Then I want you to talk to me."

  She took a deep breath and nodded as she slowly released it. The color in her cheeks returned, but it wasn't the same. Her eyes drooped and her lips thinned, she looked like she was about to pass out.

  I grabbed her bag and pulled out a t-shirt, handing it over to her as she stood. "Just change for now, you can shower at the hotel."

  I turned away while she removed her shirt and tossed it in the garbage. The bathroom was silent except for the rustle of cloth as she pulled the new shirt over her head.

  Her gasp made me turn back around and when I did, she was holding her hair in front of her and looking back and forth between the blood soaking the strands and her now stained hand. Like she didn't understand how it had happened.

  "Do you want to wash it out?"

  She looked up at me and something in her eyes told me she was still the same brave Emily Dawson I had come to know over the last couple of months. She wasn't giving up yet. After a deep breath she shook her head sharply, "No. I'll wait. Let's go."

  ***

  "I don't understand how they even found her. Only you, me and Chief Deputy Lee know where she is. Unless your family…"

  I called Captain Miller the minute we walked into the hotel room. Emily had immediately gone to shower and the only thing that drowned out the sound of the running water was the planes taking off every so often from the airport which was right next door. It was after eight and night time had crept up on us, keeping me on alert.

  "No. My family wouldn't do that and you know it. They have no reason to anyway. There has to be someone else. The prosecution?"

  "No. They insisted on not knowing where she was. They still think Stanton is going to give them something and risking their only witness won't help them. They don't know."

  I raked a hand through my hair and dropped down to the bed. The only bed in the room since the only rooms left when we arrived were the honeymoon suite and this one.

  It had been an easy choice.

  "Hold on a sec. What about Sheen? She dropped her off."

  "I already talked to Sheen. It's not her. Her sister is on the prosecution, that's the only reason we sent her with Ms. Dawson. She may be a pain in the ass, but she's a good cop and loyal."

  I couldn't disagree with him. Julia Sheen was a piece of work, but she had more to lose from revealing Emily's location than she had to gain.

  Another plane flew over us and I wasn't aware of the silence coming from the bathroom until Emily appeared in the doorway with nothing but a towel wrapped around her and the steam from her shower billowing out of the door. My boss was saying something, but I was too busy staring at her to listen. Her bare shoulders glistened with drops of water and when the towel opened slightly at her thigh when she bent down, I had to hold back a groan. She didn't look at me as she picked up her bag and dragged it into the bathroom before slowly shutting the door.

  "Brannock!"

  I shook my head and forced myself to focus, "Sorry, Cap. What was that?"

  "I said, I think it's time for her to relocate. If we aren't just dealing with Ripley, then I think it's time to hand this back over to the marshals. They've got more resources available."

  I couldn't stomach the thought of anyone else protecting her. They had screwed up once before and it had been too close. As close as tonight had been. I couldn't argue that she needed to relocate, but there was no way I was staying behind and washing my hands of it.

  "I'm going with her."

  "Conall, there's no reason for you to risk-"

  "No. I'm going. Find somewhere new, but tell them to expect both of us."

  "Fine. Just give me tonight. I'll call in the morning and sort out the arrangements."

  We said our goodbyes and I laid back against the headboard and waited for Emily. She didn't take long and was walking out of the bathroom in the next minute in nothing but a long nightshirt that stopped mid thigh. She was silent on the drive here, but I had been too busy making sure no one was following us that I didn't even attempt to get her to talk.

  I forced myself to keep my eyes off of her legs. "How are you doing?"

  She combed her fingers through her wet hair and sat at the foot of the bed. "Alive, thanks to you."

  I gestured for her to scoot up to me and she only hesitated for a moment before she slid into my arms and rested her head in the nook of my shoulder. It felt like a puzzle piece sliding into plac
e having her there. "You scared the hell out of me today."

  She turned her face to look up at me quizzically. "I scared you?"

  "Yes. You did. When I saw you standing there with a fucking gun pointed at you… I swear I died, Emily."

  Our eyes stayed locked and I threaded my fingers through her hair.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered.

  I pulled her closer until she was almost on top of me and I felt like a God when she melted into me, letting me hold her and taking the safety I could give her. "When you started in on the guy, I was sure he was going to hurt you. He didn't look stable."

  "Speaking of him, I can't get the idea out of my head that I'd seen him somewhere before."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah, I couldn't place him, but he seemed so familiar. Probably because he looked like the guys my brother used to run around with."

  The mention of her brother reminded me that Miller was supposed to give me the report on Rayce Dawson's whereabouts over the last few weeks. I would have to call him back. With everything that happened, it was the last thing on our minds when we spoke.

  I kissed the top of her still wet hair and inhaled. It was so easy to be close to her like this. Natural. I wanted more of it, but I couldn't expect it. We were both in a vulnerable position. I had been scared out of my mind that I would lose her and she was probably sick with worry about dealing with the time that was left between now and the trial.

  The kiss we'd shared had been intense and I was trying not to think about it or I'd be tempted to continue where we left off. It was a moment of weakness for both of us, but it had been worth it for me.

  I wanted to lose myself in her and never look back.

  If Luke could see me now.

  "I'm going to shower," I muttered, needing to fill the silence so my mind wouldn't wander. "I didn't get blood on me like you did, but I feel like I've run a marathon."

  She snuggled in closer and turned her nose into my shirt, inhaling deeply and sighing. "You smell good to me. Like Conall. They should bottle that smell."

  I laughed and felt her body shake against mine with her own laughter.

  "I can't believe I just said that," she gasped and covered her eyes with her hand.

  She was so damn adorable, even when she had been through hell. "Hey," I shifted next to her and pulled her hand away from her face, lifting it to my lips so I could press my lips to her knuckles. "Don't be embarrassed. It's just me."

  She grinned weakly and her eyes glazed, "That's the problem."

  ***

  I took a long hot shower and washed away the stress of the last few hours. My muscles eased under the spray and the anger that I'd felt at the situation simmered down. I knew I was capable of protecting Emily, but the close call had been an eye opener. There were still so many unknowns that I couldn't seem to straighten out and she was at the end of all of it.

  The anticipation to hear what Captain Miller had to say about Rayce was keeping the adrenaline at a steady drip. That kid was the key and I had the feeling that once the answers were found, Emily wouldn't be the same.

  I wrapped a towel around my hips and wiped down the mirror. The sound of the jets taking off and landing was actually soothing and it seemed to have drowned out the anxiety Emily had been swimming in. Anything that made her feel better was good enough for me.

  The look on her face when I'd walked in to find that prick pointing a gun at her popped up in my mind. I'd never been so terrified in my entire life aside from Ash's kidnapping, but that was different. I knew without a doubt we would get her back and there had been four of us who would stop at nothing. This whole thing with Emily was so fucking unpredictable. It was like a constant buzzing that had taken up residence in my head with no way of knowing when I would catch a break. Bringing my family any deeper into the mix was too risky. It was just me and her for now.

  I finished getting ready for bed and took a deep breath before heading back out to the room. I opened the door a crack before my foot caught on the strap of her duffle bag still on the bathroom floor. I picked it up and tossed it into the corner of the room. When it landed, there was a loud cracking sound and I cursed, thinking I had broken something valuable that may have been inside. I took a step toward the bag to inspect whatever damage I may have caused when Emily turned over in the bed and sighed.

  She was already asleep, but she wasn't under the covers and the nightshirt she was wearing had ridden up to reveal the creamy skin at the tops of her thighs. Bag forgotten, I stepped over to the bed and gazed down at her. I'd seen her sleep before. She took naps on the couch once in a while and peace had always taken over her expression. Tonight there were wrinkles between her eyebrows and her lips had tipped down into a frown. The peace was gone for now. Until I could find a way to bring it back to her. She had felt safe with me, she trusted me.

  I reached down and smoothed my thumb over the wrinkles until her expression softened and she sighed again.

  I would do anything for this woman.

  Anything.

  The steady beat of my heart was like a drum in my veins. Every one of my senses was tuned into Emily and the tightening in my chest wasn't as painful as it had been so many times before. I welcomed it and that's when I knew.

  I love her.

  It wasn't a huge explosion like I expected it to be. It had crept up on me and burrowed so deep, my life before her didn't feel real anymore. I knew from the very beginning that Emily was different and my world had shifted somehow. The last several weeks were spent with nothing to do but talk while we were together and I wasn't under any illusions that I knew everything there was to know about her, but the little I did know was enough to pull me in.

  Fighting it didn't do a damn thing.

  I was hers.

  Period.

  I just needed to make her mine. Preferably before I lost her forever.

  I found my bag and pulled on some underwear. Normally I only slept in my boxer briefs and I debated on wearing the sweats I had packed. I glanced down at her figure curled into a ball on the edge of the bed and decided to just crawl in next to her as I was. If she freaked when she woke up next to me, I would deal with it.

  I shifted the covers and pulled them over both of us. She shifted a bit, but settled in with her back to me once I stopped moving. The heat of her next to me was distracting and my staring contest with the ceiling became futile.

  I turned to face her and reached out to smooth my hand gently down her arm so I wouldn't wake her. I just needed to touch her, to know that she was really there next to me. She made a sleepy sound and turned over until she was just inches away from me. I pulled her into my arms and when she was stretched out against me, I wrapped myself around her and felt her settle in until her head was back in the nook of my shoulder and my nose was buried in her hair.

  "Sleep tight, Emily."

  "Hmm, Conall?" she mumbled sleepily.

  "Yeah, babe?"

  She didn't respond, but her hand moved up my torso and stopped on the inked skin over my heart. I covered her hand with mine and promised myself that no matter what happened, when this whole thing was over, I would be the man Emily deserved.

  I would be the family she never had.

  ***

  "Ow! Shit!"

  The shouted whisper pulled me out of a dreamless sleep and I opened my eyes to see a shadow crouch down in the corner of the room by the bathroom. My empty arms alerted me to the fact that Emily was no longer next to me and the shadow was too small to be another man coming to take her away.

  "Emily?" I said groggily.

  She gasped and whirled around to see me sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes.

  "What are you doing, babe?" My voice was rough, but it still came out softer than I had intended. She should be resting, not wandering around.

  "Nothing. Go back to sleep, Con."

  I watched her shadow move around for a minute before I realized she was putting all of her stuff inside her duffel bag.


  "You going somewhere?"

  Sighing, she stood up and raked a hand through her hair. My eyes had adjusted enough to see that she was dressed in a t-shirt and was about to put on a pair of jeans and my senses immediately went on high alert.

  "What the hell are you doing?'

  "I can't stay here."

  I threw the covers off of me and stood from the bed, sleep leaving me completely. I wasn't worried about her running because I stood between her and the door and there was no way she would be able to get passed me.

  "What?"

  "I can't stay here, Conall. It's not safe for you or your family. I can't do this anymore."

  She'd finally snapped and any kind of preparation I had made for this moment was useless because my pulse jumped and it wasn't at the thought of failing at my job. It was at the thought of never seeing her again.

  I wasn't going to let her go without me. Not after realizing how deeply I was in love with her. How much I wanted her to be a part of my life, without all this shit hanging over us. "And where are you going to go, Em?"

  "I don't know," she cried. "Anywhere! I just have to do something other than what I'm doing."

  "Baby, I know you're stressed, but-"

  "Stressed? You think I'm stressed? God, that's the understatement of the century!"

  "Emily…"

  "No, Con. I can't do it anymore. I've got to make things right and if I don't do it now, I'll chicken out and everything will just…"

  I moved toward her as she tried to say whatever it was she had to get out and once I was close enough I slid my arms around her waist and pulled her against my chest. She dropped the jeans in her hands to the floor, trembling and gasping for air. Her arms automatically wrapped around my shoulders and held on tightly as I buried my face in her neck.

  "I don't know what you think you can make right, but leaving me won't do it. I'm going with you and I'm not leaving your side until you tell me to beat it." I pressed my lips to the soft skin at the base of her neck and kissed a trail up to the sensitive spot behind her ear and back down. "Maybe not even then."