She walks closer and I finally see her. “Kitty? What the hell is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?” I scream
“What? Did you think you could break my brother's heart and live to rub it in his face. With this.” she waves the gun at Jonas and the scream that comes from me is ear piercing. She smiles wide and gives her signature giggle.“Oh, don't worry Em, I won't kill him just yet. I want him to suffer, that's what he deserves for taking you away from Kade.”
I see the realization in Jonas eyes as he looks from me to her and back to me.
“I mean I have never liked you, and we both know that, but Kade loved you. Actually he is still in love with you. Only God knows why. He never liked fat girls until you came around. What he sees in you is beyond me.”
If I can keep her talking, maybe I can find a way out of this. Looking around as discreetly as I can, I see a metal pipe about three feet in front of me. It's thin and about a foot long. I could reach it easily but what good would it do me against two crazy chicks with guns and a man holding a knife to my love. No, that won't do. I doubt I can run, might not even be able to get up with the pain in my leg.
“You really think Kade would forgive you for this? Or your father?” I yell.
There are exposed wires all over the place, still no help. Shit, I really did just walk myself to my own death. Jonas. What will they do to him once I'm dead?
“I know he will be so angry once he finds you dead, but it is necessary for him to move on. Trust me, I know what's best for him. I have always taken care of him, and I always will, even if it means causing him a bit of pain for the greater good.” she shrugs.
“As for Daddy, well I'm his angel. He may have been nice to you, but dont think for a minute he would take your side over mine. Being as they are both lawyers, I'm sure I wont see a single day behind bars. That is if we get caught, which we won't.”
Shit. She is right. They will do whatever it takes to get her off clean. Heaven forbid the Graham name be dragged through the mud. As much as I respect Mr. Graham, I have no doubt he would keep her out of jail.
Kitty walks in a circle around Jonas and his hands still. Thankfully she keeps her gaze glued to me. Karen pulls up a chair from somewhere in the dark and sets it next to the column, taking her place and crossing her legs, she leans forward like she is ready to enjoy the show.
Kitty pulls a knife from a strap on her thigh just under her dress. The man moves away and reclaims his previous position. She presses the blade against Jonas, right where his neck meets his shoulder. He hisses when it breaks the skin and blood trickles down his chest.
“Kitty, please. Please don't do this. You want to hurt me then come hurt me, let him go.” I can't help but cry. I feel useless, I know I can't save myself, but maybe I can save him. “Let him go, and I will go with you. Anywhere you want to take me. You can do whatever you want to me, I won't fight you, please. Please just let him go.”
“Em, you know I can't let him go. He has seen me. He knows my name. Blame yourself for his death. After all it is your fault he is here in the first place.” she smiles and takes the blade away from his neck. She takes a few steps in my direction.
“You see I almost had you once, you were so trashed and it was so easy to get you out of that club. I paid some frat boy $500 to drag you out and get you to my car. It was the perfect plan, until this ape came out of nowhere.” she points the gun over her shoulder in Jonas' direction.
“When I heard him tell that stupid frat boy that you were his girlfrined, I had half a mind to shoot you then and there. Kade proposed to you just that same day and you broke his heart. Hearing that you were already spreading your legs for some piece of shit almost made me lose my cool. Thankfully I decided to come up with a better plan.” she smiles and laughs at her own thoughts.
“Well, as you can see it worked out so much better this way. The moment Kade told me how you rejected him, humiliated him, I knew I would find a way to make you pay. I was rushing things before, I saw you dancing around drunk and in that moment decided that you had to die. Now here we are and all the pain you inflicted on my brother emotionally will be inflicted on your pig physically.”
Jonas almost has his hands freed, I don't know what he is planning, but it can't be good. I'm still a good twenty feet from him and Kitty is between us. Not to mention the creep with the knife and Karen with her gun.
I keep looking at Jonas from the corner of my eye. Trying not to let them see my focus on him. Thankfully Kitty is too caught up in her own head to notice; the man continues to play with his knife, but Karen, she is watching Jonas. I need to get her attention on me rather than him.
“And what do they get out of this?” I nod to her accomplice behind her. Karen directs her attention to Kitty and I now. “What happens to them when you get caught? You will get off easy, true, but they will pay the price. You had to have offered them something to make this worth it.”
Karen stands, a nervous look on her face as she waits to hear what Kitty will say. The man however simply snorts and twirls his knife in his hands.
“We won't be getting caught. You came here all alone. I watched you from the window as you tried to sneak in here. Did you really think you were that stealthy? Pathetic.” she lets out a laugh I haven't heard before, it's evil and dark; it frightens me.
“But to ease your curiosity, Karen gets to watch you suffer and die while he gets a large sum of money.”
Jonas looks to me, his hand free from the restraints but still held behind his back. I swallow hard and shake my head as tears start to fall. Whatever he has planned is about to happen and I'm not ready for the outcome.
His eyes are begging me to follow his lead but I know what I have to do. I close my eyes and gather all the strength and energy I can muster. Slowly I raise my hands from where they were holding my bleeding wound and make myself stand. This puts all of their attention on me, so Jonas has a chance.
Kitty takes a step forward, Karen barely moves, but the man looks at me. He tilts his head to the side as if he is trying to figure out what is going on in my head. Jonas gives me a terrified look, telling me he knows my plan.
“What the hell are you doing? Don't make me shoot your other leg you stupid whore.” Kitty spits as she raises the gun.
“We already know your aim is shit.” I spit.
“Maybe so, but we are much closer now.” grinning ear to ear, she takes another step and I do the same.
Pain shoots through my leg and I try my hardest to push it to the back of my mind as I continue taking small steps toward Kitty.
“You're pushing your luck bitch.” her face no longer holds a smile. She is getting angry and that is exactly what I want.
“What does it matter now? My life is over either way so why should I just sit here and let you take it so easily?”
The scowl on her face deepens. The gun in Karens hand is held at her side, the side closest to Jonas. I see him watching her, waiting for the right moment to take her down. The man is still watching me intently, so I can't look at Jonas.
“Your right, it is over.”
With that I push through the pain and grab the pipe, throwing it at Kitty. They are all shocked for a fraction of a second as the pipe flips through the air, but it is long enough for Jonas to take Karen. He puts one hand over her mouth and the other is directing their hand with the gun in it.
“YOU BITCH!” Kitty yells at me as she dodges the pipe aimed at her head.
All at once she lifts the gun pointing it at me, the man turns toward where Jonas was supposed to be in the chair and Jonas directs Karen's hand and gun at the man. I hear two shots before I fall back to my knees.
The sharp pain in my abdomen pulls my attention to the blood oozing out of it. My hands automatically go to my stomach trying to stop the bleeding.
I look up to find the man bleeding out on the floor in front of Jonas and Karen. He now has her hand and gun pointed at Kitty. Before he can get a shot off, Kitty fires and the bulle
t hits Karen in the chest.
Jonas in his weakened state struggles to hold Karen up and they both fall to the ground. Kitty turns her attention back to me. I look at the blood spilling between my fingers as she walks to stand in front of me.
I look up to her as she pushes the gun against my forehead. This is it.
My last words are only for him. “I love you, Jonas.”
Then the sound of the gun firing echoes through the large empty room.
Chapter 25
Jonas
I'm struggling to get this dying woman off of me. Every muscle in my body is screaming at me to stop moving, but I have to get to her. I finally get free and crawl on my hands and knees to where the gun dropped when Kade's sister shot at us.
My vision is blurring when I look up, but I can clearly see Ember on her knees holding her stomach. The bitch walking to her with her gun held out in front of her, pointed at the only woman in this world I will ever love. She puts the barrel of the gun to her head.
I am struggling to hold the gun. Even if I do manage to grip it, I still can't see well enough to aim. I could hit Ember. I hear the shot before I can do anything to save her. I hear the sound of metal hitting the concrete floor, muffled voices and footsteps.
I can't bring myself to look up and the ringing in my ears is getting worse. I keep the gun in my hand so I can kill that bitch when she comes for me. It's so hard to move, I dont have the energy and if I want to take her down I need to save it a little longer.
“Ember? Shit. Get that crazy bitch in cuffs. Check them.” I hear a man's voice coming through the ringing.
The footsteps get closer and soon a pair of mens shoes fills my vision. I let go of the gun, not knowing what to expect.
“This ones dead….the girl has a weak pulse. What about this one, detective?” he says as he points to me.
He looks at me and raises his eyebrows in surprise. “Help him up, you idiot.” he replies. “Get him out of here. Someone bring my car around. I don't care if you have to drive through the damn fence. I need to get her to the hospital, she can't wait for an ambo. She is losing too much blood.”
Two men walk to me and pull me from my hands and knees. One puts my right arm around his shoulder and supports my weight. He walks me toward the door and I see Kade’s crazy sister on the ground as a female officer straddles her, hands cuffed behind her back and blood coming from her shoulder .
Then I see Ember. The detective is crouched down talking to her as he picks her up bridal style.
“What the hell were you thinking? Do you have a death wish, you reckless child?” He pulls her closer to his chest and her head falls to his shoulder. “Ember, I need you to stay awake. Can you do that for me?”
She nods her head slightly before he walks into the darkness. We follow close behind.
“The belt should keep your leg wound from bleeding much more, but you have to keep the pressure on your stomach. I'm going to get you to the hospital. You're going to be just fine. I know you're going to be fine.” he mumbles the last part more to himself as he carries her down the stairs and out of the building.
It takes longer for me to get down the stairs and when we make it outside there is a dark SUV with the back lift open.
“Get in.” he looks at me. “I need you to keep the pressure on her wound, okay.” I nod and the officer helps me into the back of the vehicle. The detective puts a knee in and leans in with her still in his arms, the officer that helped me has one of the back doors open and is leaning halfway in so he can pull her forward. She is now laying flat and my hands are pushing on her stomach to keep her from bleeding out.
“Please stay with me. I need you.” I whisper in her ear and kiss her forehead. She gives me a weak smile and places her hand over mine.
The detective runs to the driver's seat, he peels out of the courtyard and through the busted fence. When we get to the main road he floors it. I look up to see the speedometer needle pushing toward 120MPH. He pulls the radio mouthpiece from where it is held on the dashboard and calls in.
“Agápi mou, you should never have come here. Why would you do something so reckless?”
“I had too. I...I would...d..do anything for you.” she struggles to get the words out. Tears streaming down her cheek. Damn this woman.
He looks at me in the rearview mirror. “I sure hope you love her as much as she loves you.”
“I do.” tears fill my eyes as I watch her eyes struggle to stay open. Her hand slips off mine, and I feel the life leaving her.
We make it to the hospital in about ten minutes. The staff is waiting at the emergency entrance with a stretcher and wheelchair. They get Ember on the stretcher and she is out of sight in a matter of seconds. Someone helps me out and into the wheelchair, pushing me into the building and to a room.
∞∞∞
They did a few scans on me and sent me for surgery to take care of some internal bleeding. I woke up about an hour ago and can't get anyone to tell me anything about Ember. I tried to get out of the bed, but the nurse threatened to tie me down. Said I am too weak and need to rest.
Rest is not going to help me now. I am losing my mind not knowing where she is. I just need someone to say she is ok, alive, breathing. I keep asking for the detective, but I don't even know his name. Apparently I'm on the second floor now and they have no knowledge of who brought us in.
“Jonas!”
I look up as my sister comes running in the room. She nearly jumps on me but thankfully Wells pulls her back before she can do any damage.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just...I’m just so happy to see you.”
“It's alright, you didn't hurt me.”
She puts her face into her hands and cries out. “I thought they would never find you. I was so afraid. And Ember was losing her mind.” I perk up hearing her name. “She wouldn't speak to anyone. She couldn't eat without getting sick. None of us knew what to do.”
“Where is she?” I ask.
“We don't know. Detective Castor called us all but we didn't get the message till we woke. He sent officers to get her grandparents from their hotel. But right now we have to wait for her uncle. Apparently Thomn is next of kin and emergency contact. They wont even tell her grandparents anything.”
Wells puts his hand on my shoulder and gently squeezes. “We will find out soon. He is on his way, but he is coming from about an hour away. He set out about forty minutes ago so not long now.”
I nod and lay my head back against the hard pillow. God please don't take her from me. I know I have done nothing in my life worth having someone as wonderful as her, but please don't take her. Tears fill my eyes and Nessa takes my hand in hers.
∞∞∞
Thomn walks into my hospital room with Spencer behind him. Nessa jumps up, startling Wells from his half sleeping state. “Well?” she demands
“She is still in surgery. We had a hard time getting them to tell us what room you were in. I was in such a hurry to get here I left my phone, so I couldn't just call you.” he told her.
“Jonas, tell me what happened. Why is my niece here?”
“I would rather wait. I need to speak with that detective and dont have the energy to repeat myself.”
He sighs and nods. “I need to get back to the waiting room with my parents, I will let y’all know as soon as she is out of surgery.”
“Thank you.” I say as he walks out of the room.
“Jay, you really had us worried. Are you sure you are ok, I mean physically?” Wells asks.
“I’ve been better, but I'm not dead. So I guess I'm fine.” I shrug.
“That's not an answer, Jonas. I know you are worried about her, but you need to worry about yourself too. What is she going to think when she sees you and you look like this?” Nessa says motioning to my sad state.
“I feel like shit. Happy?”
She crosses her arms over her chest and rolls her eyes.
“What do you want from me, Ness? I don't have any answers for
you. Ask the doctor if you want to know the damage. All I know is I'm stuck in this damn bed with all this shit hooked up to me. I'm awake and breathing while she is on an operating table fighting for her life. So what do you want me to say? What do you want me to do?” I yell and feel my blood boiling.
Before she has a chance to respond a nurse runs in the room. “You all need to leave, now.” she says as she pushes buttons on the machine that is beeping like crazy.
Nessa just looks at me with tears in her eyes before she walks out. Wells gives me a pity filled smile, but Spence doesn't move. He stays there quiet, still as a statue. The nurse finishes whatever she is doing and looks at him.
“I said you need to go.”
“No, I'm not leaving him alone. Not now. I don't care if he wants me here or not, I'm not leaving. Ember would kill me if I left him alone right now.”
She looks at me. “He can stay, it's fine.”
“Very well, but if this goes off again like it just did I will have security escort you out. Understood?”
“Yes ma’am.” he nods
She pauses at the door before walking out and closing it.
We sit here in silence. Not an awkward silence though. We both have so much on our minds and it all revolves around one person. She has to be ok. There is no other acceptable outcome.
The more I think about it the more I want to find the bitch that did this to her and snap her fucking neck. I feel like I can still see her blood on my hands, maybe I'm hallucinating, maybe it's from the anesthesia. Either way I feel like this is all my fault. I should have done something, should have been stronger, faster. Anything.
“You know when I met Emmey in college, I never imagined we would become so close. She was this sad lost little girl, but she was strong. She always has been and always will be. She told me about her dad shortly after we met and I felt for her. Her mother was awful even then, after just losing her husband she was already moving on to her second husband before the first semester was even over.” he scoffs.
“She would come to Emmey’s dorm and talk to her like she was trash, I wanted to stab that woman the day I met her. After that first semester freshman year we decided to get an apartment together instead of living in the dorms, and I somehow guilted that evil witch into getting her new husband to pay for the year's rent.” he laughs at the memory.
Ribbon of Fate: Love or lust? Page 23