by Evie Harper
“Your mom called while you were in the shower. She wants you to go shopping with her and Lily today.”
“Oh, okay, sounds like fun.”
It’s Saturday and Mom likes to see me on Saturdays or Sundays. My parents try not to crowd me, but they are pushy to see me at least once on the weekends, which I understand.
I set the table for breakfast and we sit and start eating.
“What are you up to today?” I ask Kanye with a mouthful of bacon.
“Jake texted, said he’s going to come round to watch the Colts game.”
“Ooh, sounds like fun,” I say sarcastically with a grin.
Kanye grins back at me. “Yeah, damn it, I’m going to miss looking in a hundred different shops and listening to girls squeal over material. I’m so disappointed I can’t come.” He ends with a wink and a grin.
I burst out laughing; my tummy muscles hurt from laughing so much already today. They aren’t used to it.
After breakfast, we clean up and end up on the couch making out when we hear a knock on the front door.
For a brief moment, my heart somersaults at the thought it could be Donovan. I freeze on the spot as I watch Kanye open the front door and I don’t relax until I see my mother walk in and give Kanye a hug. She smiles brightly over to me.
Looking at the smiling faces around me, I know I need to make a decision. I can’t let this go for any longer. It’s not safe. I promise myself to have a decision made by the time I get back from shopping. I already know which way I’m leaning, and that’s to tell Kanye, have him deal with Donovan and then I can know that the man will be six feet underground soon.
But what if I need to watch Donovan suffer. Does my soul need that in order to fully recover? Or is it just the revenge I crave that’s tempting me to be the last person he sees before he leaves this world.
***
Kanye
Jake and I watch as Barb drives off with both our girls. We stare at where the car drove off from only a few minutes ago.
Jake turns to me and pats me on the shoulder.
“A few hours and they’ll be back. You got beers in the fridge?”
I look to Jake and nod. “Yeah, grab me one as well.”
I glance back to the road one more time before heading inside with Jake.
My heart beats frantically at being away from Emmy. I’ve spent the last five years doing everything in my power to find her. It’s hard to watch her leave my side.
Emmy doesn’t know, but I know a lot more about her and the collection than she thinks I do. I dealt with scum to find locations for the collection and even killed men who laughed in my face when they told me they’d seen Emily and had a piece of her.
I know what happened to her. I have an idea about how many times she was raped. It kills me. Every day I wake up and remember what my girl has been through.
I knew almost every single thing about the collection and what happened to the women. The one thing I couldn’t fucking find out was where they were keeping them housed between parties. Plus, the Intel on the parties was always too late; we’d turn up and the place would be empty. So many times I prepared myself to find her and then nothing. No one was there. My heart died a thousand deaths when I realized once again we were too late. Knowing what she must have gone through the night before shattered me to the core.
When Jake informed me we were finally going to find her, I was a wreck. I couldn’t wait to have her in my arms, yet I was petrified by what I may find. What I did find was my girl, broken in her mind and soul. However, she was still my Emmy. She just needed time, and thank fuck, things are finally starting to get better, back to normal. She’s smiling. She’s laughing. Yeah, things are getting a hell of a lot better.
I walk inside, take a seat on the sofa and accept my beer from Jake. The game is starting and I try to focus, but my mind is still on Emmy. I pray she’s safe. I can’t ever lose her again. What are the chances of that ever happening another time? Probably one in a million, but those were the chances in the first place.
I’ve made sure no one from that fucking empire can hurt Emmy again. Jake and I both have been making sure of that for the last few months. We’ve been working with Joseph to track down the men who attended the parties. We’ve been taking them all out one by one.
Nick and Joseph have been the ones pulling the triggers while Jake and I stayed with our girls, but we know everything that happens. We know who’s next and when. I take those moments and savor the seconds before I know a bullet will go through a man’s heart. That he can never hurt another woman; can never hurt my Emmy again.
There’s only one motherfucker who we are yet to track down. Donovan Bradley, a lawyer from Los Angeles, mid-thirties, always wears expensive suits and my Intel was that this fucker thought he owned Emily. I want to deal with him myself.
“Kanye, what the fuck are you thinking about that has you grinding your teeth together like fucking steel? It’s louder than the damn TV.”
I turn to Jake with hard eyes. “You heard from Joseph or Nick yet?”
Jake sighs. “No, they’re still looking for the fucker. They lost him in Mexico City. Joseph said he has two guys missing. One who last reported Donovan in Florida and one who followed him to Mexico City. Both of his guys haven’t been heard from since. Joseph is pissed. He has no leads on where Alexa is and his guys keep disappearing. Every time I’ve spoken to him, he sounds like he’s ready to kill. I think the only thing that has kept him sane the last few months has been killing these fucking assholes.”
Jake sits forward and sighs, “Lil asked me a about a phone conversation she overheard. I was asking Nick if the job was done. She asked me straight out, as only Lil ever does, no bullshit. I was honest with her. She knows what we’re doing. She told me she doesn’t want to know anymore and she understands. She fucking grinned and gave me the best blow job I’ve ever had after that. My woman is fucking feisty and amazing,” Jake finishes with a massive smile on his face.
I can’t help but smile myself. Lily is feisty, a woman who’s lost so much and yet she has so much fight left in her. Her pictures are the ones Emily used to stare at the most. I know Emily idolizes Lily, but Emmy doesn’t see she’s just as much a fighter if not more than Lily. My girl’s a survivor ‘til the end.
“I was going to give Joseph a call today while I was here, get an update. I’ll do it now.”
I nod to Jake and he grabs his phone from his back pocket. He presses some keys before turning the speakerphone on and we hear the ringing tone.
“Jake, fuck, I was just about to call you!” Joseph answers, yelling into the phone.
There’s a loud roar of an engine and strong winds in the background.
“Where the hell are you, Joseph?” Jake asks.
“Just getting off my jet at Hasting Airport. Things have changed and I needed to come to you guys. We need to meet. Where can I find you?”
I look up to Jake, shocked by Joseph’s words.
Jake gives Joseph my home address and they hang up.
We’re both left surprised and wondering what’s changed so much that Joseph O’Connor needs to see us in person.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
An anxious hour later, a black sedan pulls up my driveway. I’ve only seen Joseph in photos before. When we first started searching for Emily, he was on the top of our list to follow, but he ended up being an ally instead of an enemy and he continues to prove he’s nothing like his monster of a father.
A tall, broad shouldered man with black hair and a five o’clock shadow climbs out of the car. His face is hard and his eyes determined. That’s what always caught my attention about Joseph in his pictures; his face always showed his harsh upbringing and corrupt life. He looked perpetually angry.
Except the pictures I took of him with Alexa Kingsley; they were the only times I saw him even remotely happy and he looked at her as if she was his whole life. He would do anything for that woman. I don’t know why she ran from him,
but I do know he has dozens of men all over the world looking for her. He’s been helping Jake and me, but when he gets leads on Alexa, he drops our mission straight away to follow up and see if he’s finally found her. We understand. It’s frustrating that these men don’t die sooner, but we understand; he needs her, just like I need Emmy and Jake needs Lily. They are ours and we are theirs. There is no one else for us.
Joseph walks up the porch steps and moves toward Jake. They shake hands and pat each other on the shoulder.
Joseph turns to me and we shake hands. He looks me right in the face, his expression showing sincere remorse. Remorse for everything I’ve been through or maybe what he knows Emily went through. I tighten my jaw. I’m angry. I know none of this is his fault, but he stood by and let so many bad things happen. I understand how powerful his father was, but when it comes to Emmy, common sense leaves me and all I care about is that she needed to be saved right from the start.
I squeeze his hand hard, brutally hard. I see him flinch, but he never tries to pull back. He just keeps the same regretful expression.
“Kanye,” Jake says with a warning tone.
I release Joseph’s hand and try to shake off my dark thoughts.
“It’s cool. I get it, but we need to move on. Some bad shit is coming your way, and soon,” Joseph states.
We give each other a chin lift and walk inside the house, but before Jake and I move to the living room, Joseph starts talking and what he says stops us in our tracks. “Donovan Bradley is looking for Emily.”
Jake and I freeze on the spot. I don’t know about Jake, but at that moment, my blood runs cold and fear grips my heart.
I’m going to kill the bastard.
“Where is he?” I growl, my jaw ticking and my hands turning into fists. My anger is palpable.
“We found him again, this time in New York. I had another guy on him and now he is MIA as well,” Joseph growls. “When I get my hands on the fucking person messing with my guys, they are gonna wish they were never born,” Joseph grinds out.
“Get to the point,” I say, my tone taut.
“Before my guy went missing, he reported back that Donovan was meeting a man called Bruce Stephens. Stephens is an investigator, and after some digging, we discovered he is looking for an Emily Roberts. Now, my guy’s next instructions were to follow Donovan and send me the address he’s staying at. I received an email from him, but for some fucking reason, the email I have is encrypted and now I can’t get a hold of my guy.”
“Well, how the fuck do we find out where he is now then?” I shout angrily at Joseph. He doesn’t even blink at me.
“Kanye, fuck, calm the hell down. Yelling at each other isn’t going to find the bastard any sooner. We need a plan,” Jake states.
I know he’s right, but all I can see is red. I want to smash something. I need that bastard in front of me so I can rip his insides out with my bare hands.
We’re standing at the bottom of the stairs right next to the front door and it suddenly hits me, in a few hours, Emmy is going to come through the front door and I’m going to have to tell her the monster from her past, one of them, is looking for her. She’s come so far; I’m afraid this could set her back. I want to protect her and deal with it without her knowing, but I know I need to be honest with her.
“I understand your frustration. Trust me, I do,” Joseph growls out. “Someone is messing with me and my guys and I can’t fucking find a single clue on who it is,” Joseph shouts and his hands fly up into the air in frustration. “To know the email was coming to me and to encrypt it, that shit isn’t easy. They would have had to have access to my system to encrypt that one and only message. They didn’t touch anything else, didn’t steal any other information from me. This doesn’t make any sense, but someone definitely doesn’t want me to find Donovan.
Desperation courses through my body. I feel as if someone is choking me. I need control over this situation. There are too many what ifs, too many roadblocks and possibilities I may lose Emily again. I turn my back to the guys and clench my hands. I want to smash something. I need to expel some of this rage. Joseph gets my attention again with his next words.
“I can still find out where Donovan is. My guys know to send another message with the information to another email address off the grid. It’s in case of emergencies like this, but I can’t use my internet provider or devices just in case. I’m gonna need to use someone else’s computer to do it. This is half the reason why I’m here.”
Half the reason, there’s more? Fucking great.
“What else is it, Joseph?” Jake asks, not wanting to wait any longer for the information.
“My uncle, Michael O’Connor, I contacted him when I found out Donovan paid him a visit. I asked him what he wanted. He was vague and only said he was looking for someone and didn’t say who. I didn’t push the subject. Trust me, you don’t push my uncle; he’s one-step up from my father in the crazy department. He brought up finding out who killed my dad. He’s trying to find out what happened, but can’t seem to find anyone still alive to tell him. He also invited me to come and stay with him, and trust me, it’s an invitation I can’t ignore. He’s suspicious I’m alive and everyone else is dead. He asked about the collection pieces and finding them again, to continue where Marco left off.”
The air goes from calm to nuclear in about two seconds flat. Joseph steps back from Jake and me, and I can only imagine what he’s seeing. Two murderous glares from men who are about to explode.
“Fuck, I know. I know!” Joseph shouts, his voice strong, but the sliver of fear is there.
“The two of you need to calm down. I told him everyone died, everyone, including the collection pieces and the slaves. I fucking had no idea what else to say. I told him the government came through with no warrants and no authority and took everyone out, including the girls so there were no witnesses. I told him it was over the money and the politicians my father was blackmailing. I also told him I received a heads up about it and disappeared before it happened, but my father was at the secret location so I couldn’t warn him. My uncle knows my father never told anyone where the house was. For now, I think he believes me, but if Donovan finds Emily and is able to tell my uncle she’s alive, then my uncle is going to know I lied, then my mother’s life is on the line, as is mine. Not to mention Lexie. He knows how much she means to me.” Joseph blows out a big breath.
“Do you think your uncle could find Alexa if you haven’t been able to?” Jake asks Joseph.
Joseph grunts out a laugh. “I don’t think so, but fuck, I’d love to have him try; then I might actually fucking find her. Lexi has always been good at this shit. Growing up around her fucked-up family and around mine, she’s learned a lot.”
There’s so much pressure in my head. I grab my head and shake it, unable to comprehend Joseph’s words. Marco’s brother, a man apparently worse than the sick fuck Marco, is alive and wanting to startup the collection. The bastard needs to die and soon.
“We need to deal with your uncle. I won’t leave any loose ends when it comes to Lily and Emily’s safety.” Jake states.
“Yeah, well, it’s not going to be easy to kill him. If it was, I would have done it already. He’s important to the drug and gun trade in Mexico. I’m going to visit him like he wants and work out where he’s going with all this and what information he has. If we have to take him out, I need to make it look like an outside job from an enemy.” Joseph stops talking and there’s no flicker of emotion at killing his uncle, just sheer determination and knowledge that it will be the right thing to do.
“We’ll deal with your uncle after Donovan. I can’t focus on anything until motherfucking Donovan is dead,” I grind out.
“Okay then, boys, we need a plan, and I need to bring Dom and Nick in on this. I have a laptop at my house. Let’s head over now,” Jake states while pulling his phone to his ear. “I’ll call Mom and tell her to drop the girls at my place.”
Jake starts for the
door but I stop him. “Wait. I don’t want Emmy to worry while she’s out shopping. They’ll know something is up. Emily has a laptop upstairs and we have Wi-Fi here. We’ll figure out a plan here first so we have something to tell the girls before they can worry about anything.”
Jake nods in understanding and we all move into the living area, Jake with his phone to his ear.
“Dom, head to Kanye’s place. We need to meet.” Then he dials again and says the same thing, but this time to Nick.
I bend down to pull the laptop out from under the coffee table, but it’s not there. I race up the stairs two at a time and enter our bedroom. I’ve seen Emmy with the laptop up here looking over pictures plenty of times. Maybe she never took it back downstairs. My eyes search the room and I find the laptop on our bed, among the scatter covers. Emmy must have used it this morning.
I take the laptop downstairs to the dining table, carefully moving her pictures over. They are still on our table and around our dining room. Emmy has put some away, mostly the ones of strangers but she’s kept out the ones of our friends and family and some she’s snapped of the two of us together. I have a surprise planned for Emmy in the next few weeks. Tomorrow, I have a meeting with a construction company to talk about building onto our house. I’m going to build Emmy a photography studio. Emmy only sees the smiles and laugh lines on these people’s faces, but what I see is art; she takes beautiful pictures. She changes the settings on the camera and a dark, stormy day becomes a vibrant, picture that comes alive with her changes. She thinks she’s just highlighting their smiles, laughter and happy moments, but I don’t think she realizes it’s her who makes the pictures shine. I lift the laptop lid and see it’s open to an email account.
I lift the laptop lid and see it’s open to an email account.
“What the fuck?” I whisper, unable to believe what I’m reading—not wanting to believe it.