“Ever been here before?” The girl on his left had to lean into his shoulder to be heard.
“No,” Isaac shouted back. The intensity of the music had already gotten on his nerves. “You?”
“Sure, I come here all the time.” Her dark hair coupled nicely with her dark eyes, which trailed up and down him in a slight haze that no doubt suggested inebriation. “I love to go out dancing. Do you like to dance?”
Isaac threw a look over one shoulder at the rest of the bar and took in the gyrating clientele. He found himself wishing he’d stumbled across a live blues venue, or even a dueling piano bar. “Not really.”
He focused on the bartenders once more, who somehow seemed to completely overlook him as he waited. Irritation pulsed in his stomach, and flared at the girl’s voice as she spoke again.
“Oh come on, I’ll show you how.”
“Let me get a drink, first,” Isaac said to her, in hopes that the wait would mean she’d grow tired of him and find someone else to bother. She was pretty, albeit a little short for his tastes. Regardless, he was in no way getting on the dance floor.
“Hey!” Isaac jumped as the girl leaned far over the bar to yell. The tips of her hair dangled in the small circles of condensation left by previous glasses and bottles. “We need drinks over here!” Both bartenders’ attention snapped toward them. The female shot them a disgusted look, and the male raised his eyebrows, shook his head, and took someone else’s order.
“Assholes,” the girl said in a loud voice. She settled back on her stool and grinned up at Isaac. “You’re cute.”
“Thanks.” He chuckled and ran a hand over the top of his head.
“I love your curly hair.”
“Also thanks. What do you do?” It didn’t seem she was going to leave him alone, so he figured he might as well attempt a conversation while he waited.
“I’m in retail.” Her voice slurred slightly as she spoke.
“Sounds exciting.”
“It’s okay. What’s your name?”
“Isaac.”
“I’m Molly.” She held out a small, thin-fingered hand. He shook it, then leaned one elbow on the bar.
“So what else do you do? Like, in your free time?”
She started to tell him about herself, but a sudden vibration in his left pocket distracted him. His first thought was of Emma, and his stomach leapt halfway up his torso. In an attempt to be aloof, Isaac slid his phone from his jeans and glanced at the screen while Molly continued her long-winded description of her guitar collection.
His heart sank. Why is Alex calling now? He ignored the call, only to have another buzz tickle his hand moments later. It was a text from Alex: Respond. Now.
“I’m sorry, Molly.” Isaac’s eyes focused on the screen. He heard her scoff, but he was already on his way out of the bar.
As the cool winter air covered him once more, a stark contrast to the warmth of Sway, he stood outside for a moment, unsure of what to do. Alex hadn’t contacted him since his hit with the redhead. Must need something new.
Isaac tapped the screen and called him back.
“So sorry, just saw your message.” He kept his voice cheerful.
“You know, I can see when you read them,” Alex replied, curt and cold.
“Is that so? Not creepy at all.”
“I need your assistance. Tomorrow night, meet me at—”
“Why?”
“Don’t interrupt me. Tomorrow night I want you to meet me at St. Theresa’s.”
“The old mental hospital by Fairview?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Do I bring anything to this date?”
Alex didn’t laugh. “Marcus, Nate and I are taking this infiltration of Cassie into our own hands.”
“You’re kidding, right? Does Vance know about this?”
“This is Vance’s order. Emma is taking too long.”
“She’s been at it for what, two months? How is that taking too long? She’s already trusted, it’s only a matter of time before she gets the information she needs.” Isaac knew he was testing fate, but he clenched his teeth, refusing to back down.
“These are my orders: you are to follow Emma and make sure she isn’t with Cassie when—”
“No.” Isaac said without hesitation in a harsh snap.
“Excuse me?”
“I said no. Listen to me, you prick.” He stopped walking and stood near the opening of a deserted alleyway, feet planted wide, fingers clenched around his phone, his eyes on the sidewalk that stretched before him. “I’m not your goddamned servant. None of us are.” His heart had picked up speed and now beat so fast it felt as if he would succumb to darkness, but his hands shook with rage and his mind was afire. “I suggest you leave Emma the hell alone and let her do her fucking job.”
Before Alex could respond, Isaac disconnected the call. He inhaled deeply, held his breath a moment, then let it out in a shaky stream. Sudden movement to his left turned his attention down the dark alleyway and Isaac's breath stopped in his throat. He glimpsed a dark figure of a person as it quickly scaled the side of the building in long leaps. It used window sills and bevelled parts of the building as footholds, but the speed and distance it covered in a single bound was thoroughly impossible. Once it reached the top, it clambered over the roof and disappeared.
Chapter Sixteen
Shawn couldn’t rid the smile from his face. He sat in the vinyl booth of Allie’s Diner, his arm loose and relaxed around Emma’s shoulders. It was a little after ten in the morning. The couple had called Jaxon and Cassie on a whim to see if they were free to join them for breakfast. The four of them now occupied a table near the back of the restaurant as they chatted, conversation flowing along effortlessly. Shawn had realized with warmth that everything finally seemed to be balanced just right.
“I’m telling you, Cassie,” Jaxon was saying, “I really think you’d like this game.”
“Well, it does sound fun. I’m really bad with accents, though.”
“You and Shawn both.”
“I think we can all agree mine was the best,” Emma spoke up.
Jaxon let out a laugh. “Until you did the voice of the Titan. That was hilarious. Cassie, she cupped her hands around her mouth like this.”
“With the Southern accent still?”
“Yep. Then she lowered her voice, like this: ‘Luke, I am yer father.’” His mimicking brought forth giggles from the two women. “It was awful.”
“Hush, Jax,” Emma said. “Just admit I’m better at it than you and we can get on with our lives.”
Shawn grinned at the banter of his friends. Emma laughed at something Cassie said, and he felt her lean into him. The scent of her freshly washed hair teased his nostrils, and the feel of her against his body reminded him of the night before, although his mind had been on little else since. How she had felt, how she had sounded, how she had smelled, every moment replayed in his head ever since they’d woken early that morning, tangled in each other. The two of them had let over an hour pass as they had simply held each other, intermittent conversation filling comfortable silence, before they could no longer keep their hands off one another, and had made love again in the morning’s bright light. Soon after, Laska had begun to scratch at the bedroom door.
Shortly after she’d returned from walking her dog, they showered together, hands and mouths busy once more. They finally dressed forty minutes later, and headed out her front door to Allie’s down the street.
Shawn couldn’t remember being so happy. He had seen little of Jaxon and Cassie in the past two weeks as he juggled nights out as Grim and nights in with Emma, but it seemed to bring calm to his relationship with his brother after their fight. I’ve even stopped having the smudges in my vision lately. Shawn grinned. All was perfect with the world in that moment.
“Hey.” Emma nudged him lightly. “Are you not going to order?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He pulled his arm away from Emma and turned to his ri
ght, where he could sense someone’s presence. “Zoned out a bit.”
“Late night?” Jaxon quipped, a smile in his voice.
“Har har. I’ll do the short stack of buttermilks, please.”
Shawn saw movement to his right as the waiter left, and the four of them sat for a moment in silence. He felt Emma’s soft skin as she took his hand under the table, the sensation of her touch acting as a stimulant.
“So do you guys want to finish that game tonight?” Jaxon asked. “I want to see what happens in chapter three.”
“I’d love to, but I have to catch up on work.” Excitement picked up in Emma’s voice. “But I can tomorrow after seven if that works?”
“I’m free,” Shawn said quickly.
“You’re always free, dude.” Jaxon let out a short laugh. “Cassie? Are you up for something later? A movie, maybe?”
“Actually, I have a girls’ night out. We’re going to go to that bar that opened a couple months ago, the one called Sway.”
“Guess it’s just you and me tonight, Shawn.” Jaxon’s voice held a smile, was lighter than it had been in a long time.
“Great. Can I call in sick?”
“Nope. You’re stuck with me.”
“Crap.”
“You’re such an ass.” His brother laughed again.
“Not true. I’m sweet and adorable, like a puppy.” Shawn took a sip of his orange juice. “Oh, that reminds me. Cassie, you should meet Emma’s dog. Sweetest girl I’ve ever met. Well, second sweetest.” He squeezed Emma’s hand under the table.
Jaxon groaned.
“Oh!” Cassie ignored the banter. “What kind of dog is it?”
“A pitbull. I think she’s nearly a year old, but can’t be sure,” came Emma’s reply. “She’s been growing like crazy.”
“Aww! What’s her name?”
“Laska.”
“Is that short for something?”
“No, wait, that’s...” Jaxon interrupted. He paused a moment. “Is that Russian? No, it’s Czech.”
“What, are you fluent?” Emma asked.
“Oh, hell no.” He laughed. “Sometimes I hear things and they just stick with me.”
“Told you he’s smart.” Shawn shifted in the booth. “Too smart, in my opinion. He has this uncanny ability to remember pointless facts that he never uses again.”
“Czech for what?” Emma asked.
“If I recall correctly, it’s their word for some kind of overpowering love.”
“That’s so sweet!” Cassie said. “Did you name her?”
There was a pause. “Emma?”
Shawn turned his head to the left. “Babe?” he prodded.
“Sorry, no...I didn’t name her,” Emma replied finally. “Someone else did.”
—-
Isaac woke up in a terrible mood that morning. The feeling stuck with him through a lazy breakfast of cereal with too much milk and a small glass of orange juice, during a forty-five minute shower, and up to the moment Emma called him while he was flipping through the channels on his television.
“Hey.” He tried to sound laid back when he answered, but his stomach had decided to be an acrobat at that very moment, which he couldn’t help but feel reflected in his tone of voice.
“Isaac.” Her voice was soft. “Are you free later?”
“I dunno. Maybe. Why?” His eyes came to rest on the small black box he’d pulled from his sock drawer earlier, now resting on his coffee table.
“I think we should...talk.”
His stomach continued its ever-moving flips. “Talk?”
“I think you were right all along. I think...I want to leave, right now. I want to stop doing this. I’ve been shot at, used, abused, and I’m done. Isaac, I...I don’t think I can finish this infiltration.”
Isaac’s heart soared. “Yeah. Okay. We can talk. When? Your place or mine?”
“I’ll come to yours. Seven?”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
She paused, then, “See you then.”
Isaac sat on his couch for a long moment, then leaned forward and picked up the little box, peeking inside to ensure the ring was still secure. Turning it in slow circles in his fingers, he leaned back and wrestled with the mix of emotions he felt.
—-
“You are such a good girl, yes you are. Yes you are!” Emma held Laska’s face in between her hands, her nose inches from the dog’s. She knelt on the floor of her living room, the knees of her light blue jeans imbedded into the soft carpet. “Mommy will be back in a little bit, okay?” Laska’s tongue darted out and smeared Emma’s cheek before she could pull away, and she laughed out loud. “You goof.” She planted a kiss on the top of Laska’s head and stood. With one last glance at the dog, she pulled her door shut and locked it.
The night chilled her, regardless of the sweater she wore underneath her plaid overcoat. She decided to walk the six blocks to Isaac’s. As she trekked along the sidewalk, hands in her coat pockets, she let her mind drift.
What am I supposed to say? The moment Jaxon had said the meaning behind Laska’s name that morning, everything had slowly fallen into place. Why didn’t he tell me? Why does he shy away from my affection, then? Act like it repulses him? Not for the first time, Emma felt a flash of anger. I would have never slept with Shawn had I known. The man’s affections had been what she’d craved in a partner, especially after how her tryst with Alex went. She knew Isaac must have his reasons for keeping his feelings to himself, but she had a right to know them. They did, after all, involve her, and regardless of the outcome, she was determined to figure everything out that night, then leave Redborough completely the next day. The knowledge that Isaac had feelings for her erased her acrimony and fueled her with positive courage. With a renewed vigor, her mind unable to focus on anything else, she picked up her pace.
Thoughts of Shawn bounced through her mind, but she forced them back. The night they'd spent together had been thrilling and passionate, and had truly opened her eyes. She now saw with a clear mind that the time she’d spent with Alex had been for nothing but pure lust, with no other emotions present, whereas Shawn had been gentle and responsive to her body's needs. He'd spent time to ensure she was pleased, had held her close the entire time, his lips tender on her mouth and neck. They had connected, and she'd felt her feelings for him triple that night. He was everything she wanted in a man, but he wasn't Isaac.
Turning a corner, she bumped into a man, and stumbled.
“I’m so—” She paused and glanced up. She knew the icy green eyes that stared back at her too well.
“Get in the car.”
Her stomach sank. She looked behind him at the waiting SUV.
“Alex, what the hell?”
“Missed you.”
“I’m late for something.”
“Fucking Shawn, no doubt. Or is it Jaxon this time? Someone new?”
Emma stepped back, fear closing her throat. “Alex, please don’t hurt me.”
“Get in the car. I won’t hurt you. I want to show you something.”
Without a better option that didn’t involve getting killed, Emma climbed into the back of the vehicle.
Twenty minutes later, Nate pulled up alongside another car and doused the SUV’s headlights, but kept the engine running. Emma had been attempting to talk to Alex, but he hadn’t responded the entire drive. He motioned for her to exit the truck. She did as he wanted, bringing her purse with her until she felt it snag on something.
“Oh, no. You’re leaving that here.” Alex winked. “Don’t think I don’t know where your gun is.”
Emma let go of the purse and stepped out into the night. Alex followed behind her, then, with one hand on the small of her back, led her inside the abandoned mental hospital before them.
“You refused to return my calls. Why?”
“Alex, I’ve been busy.”
“You saw the messages. It shows when you read them.”
Fuck, this guy is not stable.
“I’ve had a lot on my plate, okay? And let’s both agree that you’ve been fucking awful to me.” She knew she was pressing her luck, but couldn’t stop herself. “You scared me, Alex. You were stalking me, following me around. Then you used me against Grim to what, get back at me for telling you off?” Emma forced herself to stop and touch his hand. “I care about you, but I was terrified.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Alex, please, don’t be like that,” Emma was saying. “You know I do.”
“How am I supposed to trust you if you can’t even prove to me where you’ve been? Who you’ve been with? How do I know you haven’t been fucking someone else?”
“I haven’t been with anyone else. I want nothing more than to finish this job and get back to you.” More like skip town and never see your awful piece of shit face again.
Alex’s hard gaze softened. Emma tried to still her breath as she pressed against him, looking deep into his eyes. She made her eyes wide and round, and turned her lips up slightly on one side. “Please, Alex.”
A scuffling noise followed by a muffled cry sounded to her left, and she glanced toward the disturbance to see Marcus dragging a gagged and bound Cassie toward them.
“What the hell? What are you fucking doing?” Emma whirled on Alex, who simply smiled and stepped toward his captive.
“You were taking too long,” he said with a casual shrug. “Vance needs answers, and he needs them now.”
“Bullshit,” Emma spat.
“What, did you think you were better than me? Don’t embarrass yourself. You may excel at infiltration, but when I need information, I get it.” Alex laughed as he watched Cassie fight against Marcus, who gripped her in a tight hold. Her eyes were locked with Emma’s, hate and disbelief evident.
Alex looked down and made a face. “Why do they always wet themselves?” He nodded at Marcus, who, with a grunt, smashed the butt of his gun against Cassie’s skull.
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