Emerald

by Rebekah Thompson

  A hand slaps my shoulder, and I look back to see Ink searching the room in confusion. “Is someone getting hitched?” He asks. I shrug,

  “No clue, but we’re crashing that wedding,” I tell them. It's lucky we came now when there’s a large distraction. We couldn’t have timed this better.

  “Intruders!” Someone yells, making me look to the right. Immediately, the man who yelled fires his weapon. I duck behind a pile of crates and wait till he stops firing. It only takes a minute before I hear the clicking of his empty mag. Then, more voices yelling and more guns firing explodes in the room.

  My men all take cover and start firing back at the Hell Riders. I lean around the crate, firing at the man reloading his gun. He falls back, yelling out in pain, and someone takes a shot at me. I duck behind the boxes again, and the one above me falls after being hit by a bullet. I scramble to the side as it crashes to the floor.

  From a few feet away, Wolf groans, leaning against the wall with a hand over his stomach. “Wolf!”

  His head snaps up, eyes falling on me. “I’m okay, brother. I can’t move too much with these stitches, though,” he pants, pushing off the wall. I rush over, wrapping an arm around under his to help hold him up. “We have to find Snake,” he says.

  Nodding in agreement, I pull him closer, shifting my 9mm to my other hand. “I’ll cover us,” I call over the gunshots. He agrees and we stumble out from behind the crates, shooting anyone close.

  The others cover us when they notice us moving away from the fight. As we head toward a long hallway, a woman screams for help, making us both look up.

  “Was that…” Wolf trails off, looking around. “Sh-she’s alive?” He stutters, his eyes widening. Hope and relief shoots through my body. Please god, let that be Emerald.

  After I send my brief prayer up, I pull Wolf along. I shoot anyone without a Black Hawk vest. I shoot two men on my right, one on my left, and one in front of me, before I get to a hallway out of the firing range. Wolf turns and shoots at anyone who is trying to follow us, hitting two men.

  Wolf groans when he turns back around, clutching at his side. When I look down, I see coppery red stains seeping through the side of his shirt. He follows my gaze and groans again. “Damn,” he growls, “I think I ripped my stitches. Sapphire is gonna kill me.”

  Clearing his throat, he speaks again, “If that was Angel, we need to get to her.” I nod and we stagger our way through the hallway. I keep my gun drawn in case anyone finds us. We make it to the end of the hallway without trouble and turn right, only to run into a girl. She lets out a shriek, sees the gun, and cowers away.

  “Please don’t hurt me!”

  Lowering my gun, I look at the girl who can’t be any older than eighteen, if even that. “Have you seen a woman with long dark brown hair and green eyes?” I ask, my eyes scanning the area as I speak. When I look back at the girl, she’s staring up at me with wide eyes. She nods her head quickly and grabs my hand, trying to pull me.

  “Yes! Yes! Snake just took her to the cells!” She exclaims, pointing to another hallway. A surge of happiness flows through me at the confirmation of Emerald being alive.

  “Can you take us to her?” I ask, and the girl nods. I look to Wolf who just nods at me and we follow the girl. She leads us down another dark hallway and takes a left to an open door with stairs leading down into darkness.

  A muffled scream resonates from below. My Emerald. She’s alive! I jump forward, letting go of Wolf, and practically run down the stairs. Wolf struggles down behind me, and I hear the teen girl whispering to him.

  When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I hear the creaking of metal.

  “Ahhh, Hawk, you’re finally joining us,” a man’s raspy voice says, making me look to the left. A man with black hair and icy blue eyes stands in front of a cell. My eyes flicker past him and find Emerald sitting on the floor wearing a pretty wedding dress and bruises. My anger rises.

  “You interrupted our wedding,” the man hisses, “So now I have to kill you.” The man steps forward, and I see the name SNAKE stitched into a patch. My blood boils, making my body heat up.

  “Emerald, you okay?” I ask but before she can say anything, Snake jumps forward, slapping the gun out of my hand. It skitters to the floor, and I growl. He lands one hit to my jaw and I dodge the second, throwing my punch. Snake grunts at the hit to the stomach as I sweep my foot, kicking his legs out from under him and sending tumbling to the floor.

  Snake roars, trying to kick me, but I slam my foot down on his ankle. A crack splits the air between us. Snake cries out in pain and scrambles back, hobbling to his feet so I take the chance to shoot forward and grab his neck. By this point, more of my men filter down the stairs and I turn to them, “Take him upstairs.”

  Ink and Reaper step forward, grabbing Snake, tying his hands behind his back, and pulling him toward the door. Emerald talks, but only muffled shrieks come out, and her eyes widen. She thrashes and jerks her head at Snake rapidly.

  “Wait!” I call out, “Check his pockets!” Reaper sifts through Snake’s pockets and pulls out a key. He tosses it to me, and I catch it, looking to the cell. It’s a medium-sized brown key that fits easily into the cell door. The door pops open, and I rush in, using the same key to unlock the chains around Emerald’s wrists.

  She blinks up at me, tears falling from her cheeks, as I unwrap the gag from her mouth. “Dominic!” she cries, a sob falling from her lips as she throws her arms around my neck. “I thought I’d never see you again.” Her arms tighten around me. Burying my face in her neck, I wrap my arms around her waist and under her legs, lifting her up, wrapping her legs around my waist, and holding her tightly to my body.

  “God,” I exhale, “I thought you were dead.” I breathe in Emerald’s scent, letting it calm me.

  “N-no. He drugged m-me and the drug- it- it slowed down my p-pulse to make it seem like I w-was dead,” she stutters, a fearful look in her eyes. Her arms tighten around me, more tears falling from her beautiful eyes as she whispers, “I was so scared.” Sobs shake her body, so I pull her closer, wiping her tears away.

  My heart soars and breaks at the same time. I wish I could’ve gotten here faster or sooner. “I’m sorry I took so long to get here, love. I’m so sorry,” I murmur. She only burrows closer.

  “Shh, you’re safe now. I won’t let him hurt you ever again,” I whisper, kissing her tears away. “I love you. Nothing and no one will keep me from you,” I tell her, making her look up at me. She nods and pulls me closer, pressing her lips to mine. The kiss isn’t sweet or slow like usual, but rough and demanding. She needs this.

  I need this.

  “Are the kids okay?” She asks, her lips brushing mine when she pulls back. I nod, and she relaxes into me. “Please take me home,” she murmurs against my lips. Nodding, I turn to the stairs as she lays her head on my chest, becoming quiet now. Emerald closes her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. I turn around and start out the door but stop when Emerald freezes.

  “Wolf! Alexa!” Emerald exclaims, looking past me. She wiggles in my arms wanting down, so I set her down, watching her run over to my VP. She throws her arms around him in a hug.

  Wolf grunts in pain and gasps, “Hey, Angel.”

  Emerald, aware of his pain, jumps back and looks him over. “I’m so glad you’re not dead,” she cries, then notices the blood on his shirt. She grabs at it and lifts it, seeing the many bruises, cuts, and his freshly opened gash.

  “I’m okay, just beat up,” he tells her. She nods and hugs him again, gentler this time in her actions.

  When she’s done hugging Wolf, she turns to Alexa. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says, grabbing the girl’s hand, “Thank you for your help.” The girl, Alexa, nods and smiles at Emerald.

  “C-can I come with you?” She asks, looking up from under her choppy hair and dark eyelashes. Her hesitation and timid tone makes it sound like she thinks we’ll leave her behind. Emerald spins to me, her eyes wide and ple
ading.

  “Please, Dominic. We can’t leave her!” She begs, “Please let her come with us.” There’s no way I’d deny her. Ever. Having someone almost taken from you changes your priorities. Not that I’d leave this poor girl here. I don’t know where she came from, but the club will do anything we can to help get her home.

  Turning to the girl, I nod, “You can come with us.”

  “Thank you!” Alexa screeches, lunging forward and hugging me. I stumble back but hold all three of us steady after a second.

  “Of course. Now, let’s get out of here,” I tell everyone, scooping Emerald back up in my arms. She doesn’t protest my actions; instead, she cuddles into my chest. The comfortable weight of Emerald against me keeps me calm as I head up the stairs to deal with Snake. For Emerald’s sake, we’re not staying here any longer, but I still need to figure out how to transport Snake back to our compound without him getting free.

  When I make it to the top of the stairs, I retrace my earlier steps with Alexa, Wolf, and a few men following me. Emerald doesn’t say anything else as we trek through the hallways until we finally make it to the front room where the firefight took place earlier. Most of my men are standing around, waiting for instructions.

  Reaper, Beast, and Sniper stand next to Snake who is on his knees. He’s tied up and gagged with Sniper pointing a gun to his head, so he’s not going anywhere. Reaper steps forward and holds out a ring of keys.

  “Found a van out back. A few men volunteered to take Snake back in the van while we ride home,” he informs me. Nodding, I point out three men, Beast included, to follow and drive the van.

  Once they have their instructions, the men all return to their bikes and take Snake to the van. “For you to ride, I’ll need you to wear some different clothes,” I tell Emerald. She nods and buries her face in my chest again. There’s no way she’s wearing that dress any longer, especially if she’s riding on my bike.

  Walking out of the building, I make my way down the trail to the bikes. The men in and around the van already left, giving them a head start. I set Emerald on her feet and grab my overnight bag, “I have an extra change of clothes in here you can wear, and while you change, I’ll make sure no one is looking,” I tell her. She nods and takes the bag, moving behind a tree.

  “Turn around!” I order my men. They all obey without protest. My hands itch to touch her while she’s out of my sight. I never want her to be away from my side. I know it’s not a realistic thought or desire, but I can’t help but want to keep her right by my side for the rest of our lives.

  After a few minutes, I feel a tap on my back. When I turn, Emerald smiles up at me, the wedding dress hanging from her hand and dragging on the ground. She’s swamped by my large shirt and her other hand grips the pants, so they don’t fall. Reaching forward, I grab the dress and begin ripping strips of cloth.

  She watches as I make quick work of creating a belt. In a moment, I have the white strips corded and laced through the belt loops. Emerald smiles, and I lean forward, kissing her lips. “I’ve missed you so much,” I mumble. She smiles and hops on my bike.

  “Let’s go home.”

  Smiling, I climb onto my bike and rev the engine. I wait for a minute to give everyone else time to get on their rides, before I pull out, heading home.

  Chapter 22

  Dominic’s hand squeezes my thigh. Blinking slowly, I lift my head. We’ve been driving all night, and I feel like I'm about to fall asleep right here on the back of his bike. As my eyes droop, I look around. A quaint, two-story house sits in front of us. I’ve never seen the house before and confusion runs through me. I figured we’d stop at a hotel or motel, not a house.

  “Wh-where are we?” I yawn, letting Dominic lift me off the bike. The only other people here are Wolf and Drax. Everyone else must have stopped at a motel. At least, I hope they did because driving any longer could be dangerous without sleep.

  “The girl who saved Wolf lives here,” he tells me, stretching. “Her name is Harley, but he calls her Sapphire,” he informs me, making me raise an eyebrow. Sapphire? He gave her a nickname already. How cute. I can’t wait to meet her.

  “Do they like each other?” I ask softly, so Wolf doesn’t hear me. Dominic shrugs and looks over at Wolf, who limps towards the front door. He looks determined. His face is set in a serious expression, lips in a thin line, eyes narrowed, and eyebrows pulled together.

  “I think so. He looked captivated when we were here to get him,” he tells me. I nod and grab his hand, pulling him along with me to the front door. We step up behind Wolf as he knocks on the door.

  After a minute, the door opens, revealing a woman that looks a little shorter than me with blonde hair and bright blue eyes that a pair of black glasses stress. She’s smiling until her eyes fall on Wolf and his bloodied shirt. She squeaks and rushes forward. “What did you do? Oh, my gosh. Come in!” She exclaims, grabbing Wolf’s hand.

  “How senseless could you be?” Harley croaks. “You should know that doing something strenuous could open your stitches! Ugh, you foolish, stupid, disobedient man,” the woman babbles, making me laugh. I doubt many people speak to any of these club men like that, and Wolf’s body language speaks volumes. His shoulders slump forward, his head dips forward, and his mouth pulls to one side.

  “Sorry,” he mumbles, allowing the much smaller woman to drag him into the house. I bite my lip to hold in my laughter as I peer up at Dominic. He smiles down at me before gently running his hand up my arm to my neck. The light grip kneading the back of my neck sends goosebumps racing across my skin.

  My eyes stay on his as he leans forward, his lips stopping a breath away from mine. He stares into my eyes. “I’m sorry that I let him take you. I can’t imagine what you went through,” he whispers, nuzzling his nose to mine. I let my eyes fall closed, and I revel in the feeling of just being with him.

  I missed this… him.

  “You didn’t let him do anything, Dominic. He killed one of your men,” I remind him. “This wasn’t your fault,” I mumble, keeping my eyes closed. He grunts in disapproval, not believing me.

  With a sigh, I open my eyes to see tears in his eyes. This strong, sound man stands in front of me with tears in his eyes because he thought he’d lost me. For me. I can see his guilt eating away at him, making him blame himself for anything and everything that’s happened in the last days.

  “Dominic, this was not your fault!” I growl, taking his face in my hands. A tear spills over, rolling down his cheek, and I catch it with my thumb. There’s something endearing and completely raw about a man who cries.

  Not being able to take it anymore, I press a kiss to his lips. As I pull back, Dominic’s grip on the nape of my neck tightens, and he drags me back, slamming his lips down on mine. All his worry, pain, and fear pour into the kiss, searing me to the bone. The emotions, from him and from me, bring tears to my own eyes. I’ve never kissed anyone like this before. His strong hands rest on my waist and slide down to my thighs, lifting me up and making me wrap my legs around his waist.

  I pull back, panting. “If anything, it’s Snake and his stupid twin brother’s fault,” I tell Dominic. He sighs, lays his forehead on mine, and exhales.

  “Are you two coming in?” A woman’s voice asks, making us both look up to see Harley standing in the doorway, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. Whoops. I nod and grab Dominic’s hand, pulling him inside and shutting the door behind us. I follow her to the living room, where Wolf rests on a couch, shirtless, with bandages on his stomach.

  I blush. How long were we on the front porch kissing?

  “Is he okay?” I ask, stopping by the couch. Wolf’s eyes stay closed, but he answers for himself.

  “I’m fine, Emerald.”

  Harley looks over at me, smiles, and holds her hand out, “I haven’t met you yet, my name is Harley, but for some reason, this giant over here keeps calling me Sapphire,” she tells me. I take her hand in mine and shake it, wincing at the pain of the movement.
Carefully, I pull my hand back and lean into Dominic’s chest.

  “Sa- Harley, could you take a look at Emerald’s injuries?” Dominic questions, glancing at me before turning his gaze to the woman. Her eyes run over my body, taking my appearance that I’m sure makes me look like a crazy person.

  “Of course, but she looks fine, maybe a little underfed and bruised, but… I mean, yeah I can look her over, but it will have to be in private. So, Emerald, come with me,” she rambles. I smile. She’s cute, and if I had to guess, she’s probably around my age, give or take a year. Maybe, if she falls for Wolf, we can be friends.

  I chuckle at her cuteness and follow her upstairs. She rambles about just meeting Wolf and then having the men storm in on her, scaring her out of her pants… her words, not mine. Going up the stairs is harder than I thought it would be, but with her help, we make it. Then she stops us in front of an off-white door.

  While pushing the door open, she says, “Welcome to my room.” I follow her into the room, and she closes the door. Part of me is glad we’re in private, but another part of me longs to be in the safety of Dominic’s arms. I don’t know how badly I’m hurt, but I guess it would be good to see before I have to show Dominic.

  If I can brace myself for his reaction, I might get through this without crying again.

  “Okay, would you be uncomfortable taking your shirt and the boxers off?” She asks. Shaking my head, I start pulling the shirt off, but stop when pain flares in my torso. Before I can stop it, a whimper jumps from my throat like its butt is on fire.

  A second later, I feel a hand on my arm. “Do you need some help?” Harley asks, and I gasp but nod. I feel her peel the shirt off, and from there, I pull the boxers off and let them lay on the ground.

  Once I’m unclothed, I lift my arm over my chest, realizing that I still don’t have a bra on. I’m wearing panties, thank god. For the first time, I see the black and blue splotches scattered across my chest, stomach, and hips. I mentally add them to the list of bruised face, neck, arms, and legs.