by Vi Carter
She shook her head as I spoke. “You found me, Emmett. That is all that matters.” Tears slid down her face and I leaned in, wiping them away with my thumb.
“Jesus, Amber. I almost got you killed.” Guilt started to gnaw at me. A tap at the door told me my time was running out. I glanced at it, and thought of what it meant. Amber’s hand tightened around my wrist.
“Emmett,” she said my name like a plea.
“I have to go away for a while,” I told her, and her eyes filled with tears and pain again.
“Why? With Natasha?”
I smiled at the fierce look in her eyes. “I love you.” I leaned in and placed my forehead against hers. “Only you. Natasha lied to you.” She blinked, and her tears fell.
“Then why are you leaving me?” My heart tightened, and I kissed both her eyelids, before kissing her softly on the lips.
“I have to go to prison.”
She jerked, moving too quickly and hissing in pain. “Prison?” she shouted. The monitor was bleeping faster now. Benny, and a nurse entered at the same time, worry etched on both of their faces. Benny looked relieved when he saw Amber sitting up. Did he truly think I was going to hurt her?
“That’s enough excitement for one day. You need to leave,” The nurse ordered as she laid Amber back down.
“No,” Amber said.
“Just give me a few moments,” I looked to Benny, knowing he was the deciding factor here.
“Five minutes Emmett, that’s it,” he said. The nurse fussed with Amber for a moment and I waited, not minding. I liked to think she would get the best care money could provide. The nurse narrowed her eyes at me before leaving.
“Can’t you get an attorney or something? I mean prison? They do all sorts of things to inmates.” She cried.
“It’s only for a few months, but I’m free then, Amber. It’s over.” She nodded, tears falling from her eyes. “Please don’t cry.”
“I just...I don’t want you to go.”
I moved closer, taking her carefully in my arms. “I don’t want to go, either, but I will be back soon. I love you, Amber Green,” I whispered in her ear, and she hiccupped on her tears.
“If anyone hurts you—” Her fierce tone had me looking at her, and I laughed.
“You’re lying in a hospital bed, with a gunshot wound, yet you are still willing to protect me. This is why I love you,” I told her. Benny tapped at the door, and it was a gentle reminder that I needed to go. I could feel Amber's hands tighten around me.
“Come home to me in one piece, please Emmett. I need you.” Her words made my heart grow. No-one had ever waited for me to come home. No-one had ever worried about me. It was a new feeling, a feeling that would help me through the next few months.
“I’ll be safe. I have men protecting me on the inside. You have nothing to worry about,” I took her hands in mine. “JP is going to take care of you until I get out.” She was nodding now, swallowing her tears.
“Emmett, time’s up,” Benny stated as he entered the room.
“I love you,” I repeated, kissing her gently on the lips.
“I love you too, Emmett. I’m yours, now and always.” Amber’s words were the anchor I needed before going to prison. It would carry me through until I got out the other side. I just hoped her words were true, and that she waited for me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
AMBER
AFTER EMMETT LEFT, I thought I would cry, but no tears came. I just stared at the door, waiting for what, I wasn’t sure.
The door opened again, and my heart leaped. Was he coming back?
“Amber?” My mother covered her mouth with both her hands, sobbing as she raced to me. She sat on the chair that Emmett had vacated, taking my hand. “Oh, Amber,” She sniveled, her eyes puffy from crying. My father and Luke, who had followed her in, both looked relieved to see me.
“I’m fine, Mum,” I comforted as I squeezed her hand. As I sat there looking at them, I wondered how they had even found out I was here.
She rubbed my forehead. “My baby. When they said you’d been shot…” She started to cry again, and my dad leaned around my mum, hugging her while patting my hand. I frowned, trying to figure out who my mother was speaking of. Surely, Emmett hadn’t called them.
“We were terrified,” My father said, the pain showing in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” and I was. The gunshot wound had been a clean cut. The surgeon did tell me, though, that I was lucky to be alive. The morphine drip that was in my hand was keeping the pain at bay, and for that I was thankful. I still remembered what it had felt like when I had been shot, and yet the pain from the gunshot wound felt like nothing compared to the pain in my heart.
“Only you could take a bullet and live to tell the tale,” Luke spoke from the door. He hadn’t moved. I knew from the strain in his shoulders that he was keeping it in, all the pain and fear that he would have felt at the thought of losing me. I held out my other hand to him and he came, his eyes tearing up.
“What happened?” It was my father who asked, and I tensed.
“I can’t remember.” I didn’t look at anyone for too long. “Who told you I was here?” I asked Luke; he seemed less emotional.
“Grace rang us, said you were walking along the docks when an arrest with the police and some drug dealers went wrong.” My mother’s sobs had me turning to her. “Drug dealers, Amber. You must have been terrified. And this is a good part of town, but seriously, what were you doing walking down by the docks by yourself no less?” I squeezed my mother’s hand again. Dear God, if she only knew.
“We should let her rest,” My father was always the voice of reason, and for that, in this moment, I was thankful. Exhaustion had me agreeing.
“Close your eyes, sweetheart. We’re here and we aren’t leaving you,” My mother said as she brushed my forehead like she did when I was a child. After bedtime stories, she would rub my forehead with two fingers. It soothed me, and I would fall asleep. Now with the memory, I let myself sink into the warmth that it provided me.
***
Low, whispering voices brought me back from the dead. The pain seemed to be worse today. My hand automatically pressed the clicker that sat in my grip. It was almost instant. The dwindling pain had me opening my eyes.
Grace and my mother, both teary-eyed, smiled at me. Grace’s lip trembled, telling me a hundred things, and I found my eyes welling up. “You scared me half to death,” Grace spoke as she hugged me softly, and the tears spilled down my face.
“How are you feeling this morning?” My mother asked, her voice now controlled. Grace sat back, and my mother handed her a tissue while squeezing her shoulder. She was such an amazing mother. She mothered everyone without thinking about it, it was so natural to her.
“I love you,” I told her, and she welled up again. She was an emotional mother, but I loved her for that, too.
“Oh, Baby. I love you too,” She got herself a tissue, and handed me one, too.
“We’re like a bunch of ninnies,” I said, not really one for crying. A soft laugh was dragged from us all.
“I’m going to get some fresh clothes for you. I won’t be gone too long.” My mother rubbed my forehead now, as she spoke. “Grace is going to sit with you. I know you two have a lot to catch up on.” She smiled softly while looking at Grace, who nodded.
“Of course I will keep her company, Mrs. Green,” Grace said with a nod. Her manners were always better than mine. I rolled my eyes. It was one of the reasons my parents adored her. My mother always told me how much she loved Grace when we were growing up. She always stated how she was such a well-mannered child.
“It’s Betty, Grace. I told you a thousand times,” My mother waved a hand at Grace, who now smiled. But my mother loved being ‘Mrs. Green.’ “I won’t be long,” My mother planted a kiss on my forehead.
“Take your time,” I told her, wanting as much time with Grace as I could have.
The door had barley clicked shut when Gra
ce started. “What were you doing walking out on the docks by yourself? Jesus, Amber. I nearly died when Emmett rang me.” She chewed on her lip, fighting more tears. My heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name. ‘Emmett.’ God, I missed him so much already. I had no idea how I was going to survive months without him. From Grace’s statement, I knew instinctively that Grace had no idea what really went on in Emmett’s life, and for some unknown reason I wanted to protect his secret for him. I knew how much he needed Grace in his life.
“I don’t know what I was thinking... It was silly…” I didn’t look at Grace directly. I hated lying to her, but I had no idea what she knew of her brother's world.
“Do you remember anything?” Her brows were pulled down with concern as she looked at me. Memories of the darkness, of the van, Andrei watching me. Seeing Emmett walk into that warehouse for the first time, knowing he had found me. Hiding behind the crates from bullets. Fucking bullets. Tears burned my eyes now.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. You're safe,” Grace sat on the side of the bed, near my head. Moving my head so it rested on her stomach, she rubbed my hair. A tear splashed on my face. “I thought a piece of me died, too, when Emmett rang. I remember turning to Derek and saying it’s over. I can’t deal with this.”
I reached up, taking Grace’s hand. She had lost so much and come so far. I could only imagine how this must have affected her. “I’m fine, Grace. We're still intact, two halves of one soul.” She laughed on a sob at my words. “Yeah…and maybe one day, family.” I looked up at her, and she smiled at me.
“You and my brother?” She questioned. I was glad when she got up to get more tissues. It gave me a moment to compose myself. Once again, I didn’t have a clue what to say.
“Yeah, I know. Weird or what?”
Grace knew me. There was nothing I could hide from her. She paused, looking at me over my shoulder. “Girl, what’s going on with you? I know you have been shot but this...” she waved her hand at me, “isn’t you. Is it because he’s my brother?”
I took the rope she threw me. “Yeah, it’s just I don’t want anything to get weird between us.”
“I promise, it won’t. It just means we will be real sisters now.” I smiled at the goofy smile on Grace’s face. She really was happy about this, and that meant the world to me. But did she know that he was in prison?
“Speaking of Emmett. Where is he?” I asked slyly. Yeah, I was the worst friend ever. I felt like shit, and even worse when Grace narrowed her eyes at me.
“Are you being serious?” she questioned. “Do you not remember that he was here?” Yeah, before he was dragged off to prison.
“I’m sure, Grace,” I held up the morphine stick. “My memory is a bit wishy-washy from this stuff.”
Pity filled her eyes. “I’m sorry, hun. He did come and explain. He had business abroad that he couldn’t cancel. Some construction site that needed him there. He could be gone for weeks.” Grace squeezed my hand. I felt nothing but relief. She had no idea about her brother. I hated knowing the truth about how her family died, and about how little she knew of her brother’s pain. I never kept anything from Grace, but this knowledge would do no good to either of them.
“I miss him,” I said honestly, for the first time.
“Oh. My. God. You love him,” Grace’s face had taken on a red hue, and she covered her cheeks with her hands.
I laughed. “Yeah, I do. Jesus, you look horrified,” I said.
“It’s Emmett.” She leaned in like she was talking about some alien species, like she really couldn’t understand this, and I got that. But I also got to know him. “Geeze, I thought you two were just doing the nasty. I never thought you would actually fall in love with him. Actually, I never thought anyone could fall in love with him. He is just so…cold.”
Pity for Emmett filled my heart. I knew why he was that way, and it hurt me to the core that no-one else got to see the side of him that I knew, especially Grace. It was in that moment that I made it my mission to bring those two closer. “He’s amazing,” I corrected. “I think you guys really need to get to know each other.”
When she looked at me to see if I was joking, I knew I was smiling like a fool. Grace laughed. “Just… Gross. I can’t,” but her smile told me she would try, for me. Because for her to see me, she had to see him. We talked about our time apart; I really had to cut out eighty percent of my story. So, Grace did most of the talking.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
AMBER
IT WAS ANOTHER three weeks before I was released from the hospital. JP was there, as Emmett had promised, and when I saw him, my stomach tightened. He was like confirmation that Emmett was real. I was beginning to think I had imagined the whole thing.
“You look good,” JP grinned.
“I look like shit,” I responded, and his grin widened.
“I’m glad to see you didn’t lose your sass while they had you in here,” he joked back. I smiled at him, grateful for his attempt at trying to ease the tension I was feeling. But I had to know.
“Have you heard from him?” I tried to keep the calm in my voice.
“He’s fine, Amber. It’s like a holiday for him.” I wasn’t sure I was believing JP about the holiday part, but he didn’t sound worried for Emmett, and that alone eased my mind a little.
“What happened to everyone else?” I asked, looking at the door, making sure that we still had our privacy. My parents or Grace could arrive any moment.
“Kirk received a longer sentence. He got five years.”
My hand went to my chest. Five years in prison. He had killed Matthew after Matthew had shot me. It was self-defense. I had seen it in Matthew's eyes, he was ready to finish me off. And for that he would spend the next five years in prison. I would be eternally grateful to Kirk. I would never be able to repay him, but I swore to myself that I would try. And I would start by making sure I visited him often, taking with me what comforts from home I could.
“That’s a long time. Is he with Emmett?” JP stuffed his hands in his pockets as he leaned back and forth on his heels and toes.
“It could have been worse. They’re in the same prison, yes. Along with Emmett’s father, Silver’s dad, and any members who survived. None of them are in the same wings, though, so don’t worry.”
My heart pounded thinking of Emmett with all the criminals. “How long did his dad get?” As far as I was concerned, I hoped they tossed away the key.
“Ten years.” I looked at him in shock. That’s all? Ten years? That was such bull, and I wanted to scream that to the world, but I didn’t. Kirill was sent back to Russia for his trial. The women were also transported back to their country. Marcus, who was one of JP’s men, had been shot several times, and was in a coma.
“What about Natasha?” Her name tasted bitter in my mouth, but I had to ask. That bitch had kidnapped me. I hoped she got some kind of punishment.
JP shook his head. “She didn’t make it.” I wasn’t sad about that, but I wasn’t happy either. She didn’t deserve to die, but neither did I, and I knew that she would have been more than happy to end my life. I guess that was what made us so different. JP picked up my bags. “You ready, princess?” he said with a grin, and I wanted so much to go with him back to Emmett’s, but I wasn’t ready yet. I wasn’t ready to be there, not without him.
I shook my head and gently placed my hand on his arm. “I’m going with my family, JP.” His grin slipped, and he slowly placed my bags on the floor. I was a little surprised at his compliance, and my look must have portrayed that to him.
“Emmett said to do whatever you wanted. So, if that is what you feel is best, then I will let you go. But know that if you need me for anything...” he glanced around the room, before he spotted what he was looking for. Walking over the bedside table he picked up my phone and pressed several buttons before placing it back down. “Just ring. I’m in as Hot Stuff.” I laughed, just as my mum and Grace entered the room. Both stopped when they saw JP. Grace
looked at me with a question in her eyes, but I just shook my head, letting her know I would explain later.
My mum smiled. “Emmett?” She extended her hand out to him. I snorted, and JP stood, looking at me, offended.
“John Paul,” he offered once he looked back at my mum. “I’m Emmett’s friend, assigned to look out for Amber while he is away on business.” He shook my mum's hand.
She smiled at him. “Amber’s mother. Nice to hear that Emmett cares so deeply for my daughter that he assigns people to look out for her.” I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as my mother looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“Mum,” I warned. She was seriously embarrassing me.
“I’m Grace, Emmett’s sister.” Grace said, walking forward, replacing my mother’s hand with her own.
JP hid his shock well, but I saw how he stilled briefly. He took Grace’s hand. “Really nice to finally meet you,” he said. Grace gave an embarrassed smile. Everyone smiled through the silence. This was awkward.
“Okay. Well, thanks, JP, but my mother has got it from here.” I prodded, hoping to move the moment on.
“Yeah, great. So, remember, ring me if you need me,” he was quick to answer and walked towards the door, my mother and Grace following each step he took. He gave them a brief goodbye before leaving.
“He’s cute.” Both Grace and I laughed at my mother. “What? He is,” she said, defensively, confused at our humor.
“Take me home, Mum. I must tell Dad you were eyeing up JP, a man half your age.”
Now it was mother’s turn to be embarrassed. “Don’t be so ridiculous, Amber. I was doing no such thing.” Grace and I sniggered as she carried my bags out of the room and to the car.
The drive home felt lonely. My stomach tightening, I felt as if the further north we went, the further my life was getting away from Emmett. I started to wonder if this had been such a great idea. Grace, being Grace, took my hand and squeezed it. “You’ll see him soon,” she promised. I looked at her with tears in my eyes. It always amazed me that she knew exactly what I was thinking.
