by Ladew, Lisa
Craig was confused by her words, but didn’t want her to think that he cared if she wasn’t ready for anything physical with him.
“Shhh, it’s OK. I don’t mind at all. I just want you to be happy, to feel comfortable,” he told her, trying to hug her to him.
“You should go.”
He wanted to stay and comfort her, and was surprised by this declaration.
“Really? We don’t have to do anything Emma, we can just sit and talk or watch a movie. I will never pressure you. We are both adults here. I’m not expecting marriage or anything.”
He wondered if she was seeing someone else and that’s what this was about. It seemed pretty unlikely with everything that had happened with Norman in the past.
She crumpled forward hiding her face. Again her shoulders shook. He just wanted to cradle her in his arms and comfort her like a child. He hated seeing her like this. He thought there was much more to this woman than he could begin to know, and this part may not have anything to do with Norman.
“No, you should go Craig. Before I do something I regret. It’s complicated. I don’t know how to explain. I don’t want to hurt you, but I shouldn’t be here with you right now either.”
“Ok Emma, if that’s what you want.” Craig, hurt, moved to the door. Just know I am here for you any time, and if you need anything - anything at all - you call me first, OK?”
She grinned a sad grin at him. “Thank you.”
Chapter 13.
Emma watched Craig drive away from her bedroom window. Only when she could no longer see the light from his car did she let out the tears. Great, wracking sobs threatened to tear her breath from her. That was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. Way harder than divorcing Norman.
You weren’t in love with Norman anymore once you asked him for a divorce, an inner voice told her gently.
That was it. That was the reason for everything. Craig was so gentle, and so good, and she was afraid she was falling in love with him. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t happen. He wasn’t her dream man, because he wasn’t the man from the vision, so what was she doing, going and falling in love with him? This voice in her head was harsh and unstoppable. Emma, you are a complete idiot and jerk for leading that sweet man on.
What could she say? Nothing. She was an idiot, and she was a jerk.
What was she going to do now?
Her sobbing reached a fevered pitch. Some inner critic wondered if the neighbors could hear her. Even that thought didn’t quiet her. Damn the neighbors. My life is a mess. It’s my mess and I can cry if I want.
Emma hugged the wall to her bedroom, where no one would be watching her that night. She fell on the bed with her clothes still on, and cried until she fell asleep.
***
Emma awoke at 4 in the morning, disoriented, wondering what she had forgotten. Work! Her eyes were grainy and swollen. She pulled herself to the bathroom. She didn’t need to be at work for a few hours, but it would probably take a while to get her looking decent, so she got moving.
In the shower, she made a decision. She was calling Reece today. Maybe she hadn’t given him the benefit of the doubt before. Maybe they should do something other than go to a restaurant. Maybe she should invite him over to her house, or go hiking with him. Hiking. That stung. She had been hiking with Craig yesterday and they had laughed so much, and had so much fun. Craig. She missed him already.
***
Work dragged on and on. Jerry was his usual happy self, and bugged her constantly to tell her what was wrong. She didn’t say. Couldn’t say. Jerry wouldn’t understand. On their first call with Engine 18 Emma held her breath, hardly able to concentrate as the firefighters came up. Craig wasn’t with them. Thank goodness.
When she could slip away from Jerry long enough to make a phone call she called Reece. He sounded very happy to hear from her. Well that’s good at least. She invited him to her house, but he said why didn’t she come to his place instead. Tomorrow night at 8 p.m. At the Coronado building. She hung up, glad, but with the lead weight still squeezing her heart with every breath. Hopefully by tomorrow things would look better.
***
Emma entered the elevator in the Coronado building, wearing a breezy blue skirt that swirled around her ankles as she walked. She always felt feminine and pretty in this skirt, especially paired with a silk tank and with her hair down and bouncy. It didn’t work today. Today, her feet felt as leaden as her heart had yesterday. While she was getting ready, she kept telling herself to cancel, but then she kept telling herself not to cancel, she needed to get on with her non-Craig life.
Reece’s unit was on the 14th floor. She noticed their was no 13th floor button in the elevator. That meant Reece was actually on the 13th floor. I guess he’s not superstitious.
She rang his doorbell. He was quick to open and gave her a broad smile.
“Emma, I am so perfectly thrilled to see you again,” he said, grasping her hand and kissing the back of it just a little to long.
“Thank you Reece,” she said softly. She didn’t have the energy for much more than a whisper.
“Emma, you look sad, is there something wrong?”
Emma sighed internally and gave herself a mental slap in the face. Wake up! Get over it!
She forced a smile, “No, sorry, I might just be a little tired.”
“Well have a seat, I will get you some wine.”
Emma didn’t like wine too much, but right now, any liquor sounded good.
She sat down on the couch and put her clutch down on the table, then gratefully accepted her glass and took several tiny sips. This wasn’t too bad.
Reece sat down on the couch next to her, a little too close. Using a remote, he turned on some music and sat back, putting an arm around her.
Emma looked around the apartment to avoid looking right at him. He was moving too fast. She felt a bit uncomfortable and thought maybe getting up would help. His apartment was large and gorgeous. Hard, dark wood covered the floors and walls and wooden shelves were built in from floor to ceiling between the kitchen and living room. Small wooden statues that looked like idols or gods from ancient times sat in each cubby of the shelves.
“Wow, you are an art lover Reece?” she asked, getting up from the couch with her drink in her hand.
Reece caught her around the waist with both hands and pulled her back to the couch, almost spilling her drink.
Emma’s guard went up immediately. What was that? What is he doing? She scootched away from him a bit on the couch and looked at him, eyes wide.
“Relax Emma, dinner is in the oven, sit here on the couch with me for a bit. We can get to know each other better before we eat.” He waggled his eyebrows up and down once, then again. Emma felt a bit sick to her stomach. Was he propositioning her? Here on the couch? Before dinner? Ridiculous thoughts filled her head. Something was different with Reece, and she didn’t like it. Anxiety filled her throat.
She got up again and backed away from him so he couldn’t pull her back down. She sat her drink down on the coffee table and said, “I’ll stand, thanks.”
More anxiety filled her throat. She hated confrontation, and she dreaded having to tell him to back off. What was she doing here again?
He stood up too, walking towards her, an evil, teasing glint in his eyes. “Emma, Emma, you are tantalizing Emma, you really know how to turn a man on.”
She backed up again until her back hit the wall. He came right on in, taking it as an invitation. He put his hands on her shoulders and lowered his face to hers, forcing his tongue between her lips.
Emma was stunned. This wasn’t happening. What was he doing?
His hands roamed her body and found her breasts. They squeezed cruelly. He mashed his groin against hers, and she could feel he had an erection.
That snapped her out of it. She could hurt him badly, she knew ways to do it. She could bite his tongue off right now and spit it in his face. Instead, she grabbed his right hand with her lef
t and twisted it harshly backwards, forcing him away from her. Using her other hand, she got under his elbow and pushed up, hard, torquing his body back and to the ground. She knew it hurt - she’d had it done on her in self-defense class.
Stunned, he lay still for a second. Then he climbed to his feet, anger flashing in his eyes.
Emma kicked off her shoes. If she was going to have to throw down with this man, her low heels would only hinder her. She faced him in the stance they had taught her and looked past him, to the door. Was the deadbolt locked? She didn’t remember.
“What the hell are you doing? I know you like it rough, but I don’t. You don’t get to beat me up!” Reece spit at her, rubbing his arm.
The words shocked her. “What do you mean, I like it rough? What are you talking about?” she spit back.
“Your friend, he told me what you like. He told me you like it rough and you like to pretend that you are the innocent, helpless girl who doesn’t really want to have sex, but that’s what you really want.”
Emma reeled. This was worse than the tongue in her mouth. What friend would say that about her? Why would he believe it. This whole evening was surreal.
“Who told you that?” Emma practically screamed at him. She felt like her sanity was flying apart.
“Your friend, your partner, the man you ride the ambulance with.”
“Jerry? Jerry told you that?”
“Yes Jerry,” Reece smiled like it was all a big misunderstanding and now they could get back to business. He took a step towards her.
Emma looked wildly around for a weapon. Reece wasn’t that much bigger than her, but he was still a man, probably stronger with more muscle.
She stepped quickly to her left, back still against the wall and grabbed a vase, brandishing it over her head.
“Stay away from me,” she growled at him.
He stopped.
“I don’t know who told you that Reece, but I know it wasn’t Jerry. And it isn’t true! I don’t like to play sex games and I don’t like it rough and I don’t want you to touch me!” Her voice rose at the end. She didn’t like the sound of it. She hated feeling out of control.
He eyed the vase and weighed her words. He walked to the couch and sat down. “OK, whatever you want. Just don’t clobber me with that thing.”
She relaxed and put the vase back. “I’m going to get my purse from the table and go.”
She got her shoes first, and then her clutch, eyes on him the entire time. When he didn’t move, she took a deep breath and headed for the door. All she wanted was to get out of here, and then she would figure out what happened.
She knew turning her back on him was a mistake as soon as she heard the couch cushions move. Would this nightmare never end?
She tried to turn, but he caught her around the waist and around the throat, her purse shooting out of her hand. He squeezed both and pulled her backwards, towards the hallway. She didn’t have enough air to scream. She went dead-weight in his arms, hoping to fall to the floor and pull out of his grip. All that happened was her shoes pulled off her feet. He kept pulling her backwards easily. He was stronger than he looked. That was bad news for her.
Through the hallway and into a bedroom he pulled her. Face down on the bed she went, his entire weight on top of her. He squeezed her throat harder, and groped her ass with his other hand. Again, she felt his erection against her.
“Your friend also told me that you would fight and pretend you didn’t want this, but that you really did. He said you told him to tell me all this. He said I should choke you until you passed out because that was your favorite thing. Is it Emma? Do you like to wake up tied to the bed and being ravished? I bought some new toys today just for you.”
Bile rose in Emma’s throat. She couldn’t believe this was happening. He couldn’t really believe it, could he? He must though. He was a doctor, with so much to lose if he didn’t. He must think this is all an act. But still, what kind of a man would do it?
He wasn’t really choking her hard enough for her to pass out yet, she could still get a small breath when his weight shifted. She was afraid that wouldn’t last long though. Adrenaline fueling her actions, she struggled, but she wasn’t able to lift his body weight or get a good hold on him from behind. Think Emma, damnit, think! Before you pass out! The need to take a full breath consumed her.
She went slack, limp, hoping he would think she was passed out.
“Good girl,” he cooed and slackened his grip on her throat enough so she could drag in a partial breath. He shifted his weight and lifted his head but his grip slammed down on her throat again. Emma saw a slim chance and hoped the positioning was right, if not, she really was going to pass out.
She felt for his face with the back of his head. Yes he was right there! She dropped her head forward and pistoned it back with every ounce of strength she had. She didn’t feel it at all, with the adrenaline pumping through her system, but the chunk noise of bone hitting bone
(or maybe cartilage - hopefully cartilage?)
was very satisfying. She was rewarded by Reece crying out and letting go of her throat completely.
Breath. Air. Sweet air filled her lungs. Her throat burned but her lungs sang. She pushed off the bed, easily rolling Reece’s weight off of her this time.
He fell to the floor with a thump. She stood up, hunched over, fingers at her throat, sucking air into her lungs. He was on the floor holding his nose. Blood squirted around his hands and stained his expensive shirt.
“You bitch!” he yelled, eyes wide in disbelief.
Emma backed out the door, eyes on him the whole time. She backed down the hall, sucking air greedily. She didn’t stop for her bag, but backed all the way to the door. It didn’t open. She chanced a look at it and twisted the deadbolt. Still no movement from the hall. A snick told her the deadbolt was open. The door pulled open and she ran down the hall in her bare feet to the flashing exit sign.
Down the steps, bare feet pounding, heart racing. In the lobby of the Coronado she looked left, then right. Her car was parked in the garage but she didn’t have her keys.
Chapter 14.
Craig thought firefighters had the best hours of any job in the world. Work three 24 hour shifts in one week, and two in the next. Normally, he loved having that much time off but today he wished he were working a busy shift to keep his mind off Emma. He went to Hawk and offered to watch the cameras for the day so Hawk could take some time off, or work on other important things.
But still, he couldn’t keep his mind off Emma. He watched the 6 monitors, and lightly listened to the conversations, but for the hundredth time that day his mind moved to Emma. Why had she acted that way? Like she was never going to see him again. There was finality in her voice and actions 2 nights ago. Was there another man? Did he do something wrong? No matter how he took the situation apart he couldn’t figure any reason for her to be so hot then suddenly cold, as if she had remembered something, and then throw him right out of her house!
Everyone had a past and everyone had their own demons. If only he could convince Emma to share hers - maybe they could work through it together. He longed to hold her again and tell her that no matter what it was, they could work through it - or get through it - together.
Craig looked around the apartment, the batcave they called it, looking for anything to get his mind off Emma. The large, open room was sparsely furnished. The one wall lined with monitors, a huge desk, and a few chairs was all they needed and all they had a budget for. They all had “apartments” in this building with kitchens and beds, even Hawk when he got relief.
This was torture, sitting here, not knowing if he would ever see her again. Well of course he would see her again on 911 calls, but would he ever see her again as a date?
The door to the batcave opened and Hawk came in, striding purposefully.
“Your files,” he began, “the ones you got from the Fire Chief’s office? Those are gold. We’ve got records of 48 restaurants, 36 ot
her businesses, and 18 hotels that are paying money under the table directly to the chief to avoid meeting code standards in everything from hiring illegal workers to room capacity overage and defunct sprinkler systems. Plus, plus, he actually keeps a log of all disciplinary action he should have dished out but didn’t. And, I found one reminder entry that I think references the big man himself.”
Craig swung around slowly, thoughts of Emma blessedly driven out of his head finally.
“You don’t mean …”
“I do mean. Who else would S-E-N period O refer to?”
“Senator Oberlin, hot damn! We’re gonna fry him!” Craig yelled jubilantly.
“Well, don’t get too excited yet. It wasn’t much, and it certainly isn’t enough to arrest him for, much less convict him. But we’ll get there, don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried.” Craig muttered. He knew he wouldn’t stop until Senator Oberlin was exposed for the fraud and monster he was. The Fire Chief was small potatoes. The Senator and anyone
(Norman Foster)
willing to do his dirtiest work was who Craig was really after.
Craig swung back around and watched the monitors again. “Any new information on the explosion at the factory?”
“Funny you mentioned that. In fact there is something new. That factory was on the list of other businesses that was paying money to the Fire Chief for some handy looking-the-other way.”
Craig turned his chair again and raised an eyebrow.
“And, the name was highlighted in read with a 2 months notation next to it.”
Craig’s mouth dropped open. “They were two months late? Do you think they were made an example?”
“Well, there’s more to it than that. The owner of the factory, Chuck Nance, has had a lot of trouble lately. It seems his wife was in a bad accident and a fire started in his home too, gutting half of it.”
“All because he wasn’t paying his bribes?”
“Seems extreme, doesn’t it? But maybe there’s more to this. I’ve got to do some more digging and see what ties he may have to Senator Oberlin. It might even be time to break cover and talk to the guy myself.”