by C. R. Ellis
“Son of a bitch,” I groaned, dropping my head against the glass. The comfort I’d felt at the familiarity of my surroundings vanished, leaving a gut-wrenching panic in its place. On land, or even on a docked yacht, I had a glimmer of hope for escape. But this changed everything. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to leave the bedroom now, knowing I was trapped on a boat with a complete psychopath.
Eventually, Will would come check on me, and I had no idea what he’d do. I pulled out drawers, checked under the bed, and scoured the bathroom looking for something to use as a weapon. Unless I could channel my inner Spencer Reid and fashion a shiv out of a toothbrush, I was screwed.
Think, Jade. You’ve watched too many cop shows to give up on finding a way out of this. What would Derek Morgan do?
I knew by now Emmett would be looking for me, and Dean had probably called in every favor he could to organize a search party of cops and coworkers. I had no doubt, between the two of them, Emmett and Dean would tear the city apart to find me. I just had to survive Will’s mind games until then.
No big deal…he’s not totally unhinged or anything.
“Jade,” Will’s voice called from outside the door.
I jumped, but quickly swallowed my panic and steeled myself for facing him before the door swung open. My heart was pounding away in my chest, but I refused to let my fear show. Instead, I needed to find a way to distract him and keep his focus away from Emmett.
Will sauntered into the room slowly, eyeing me with a cloud of uncertainty. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, with a light beard and dark circles under his eyes. A series of quick sniffs answered my question about what drug he’d probably taken. At an arm’s length away, he stopped and stared at my arms. “Don’t tell me my brother did that.”
“It’s a long story,” I answered, folding my arms and gently rubbing my hands along the bruises. Would you believe you’re not the first crazy person I’ve had to deal with today?
He chuckled. “We’ve got time. I’m dying to know more about the woman who’s persuaded Emmett to leave Boston.” He brushed a finger along my jawline.
I sucked in a breath at the contact. “I’m nothing special.”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh, I’m sure there’s something special about you,” he offered, dropping his eyes to my chest, before adding, “Emmett’s always had a tendency to get a little pussy-blind. That’s where he goes wrong, you see; letting emotions come into play as soon as he gets laid.”
“Haven’t you been in love before? What about Tracy?” I regretted the question as soon as I asked.
Something a lot like pain—if he was even capable of feeling it—flashed in Will’s blue eyes. I’d struck a nerve. “What about her?”
I stepped back, but the room didn’t offer much space to put between us. “It’s clear you loved her. And she loved you too. What would she say if she saw what you’ve become, Will? What you’re doing right now? She wouldn’t want this.”
“Shut up! You have no idea what she’d want. You didn’t know her. Emmett didn’t even know her. He never deserved her. Did he tell you I saw her first? That I was the one she was supposed to marry?”
I had no idea how to answer him without sending him into a grief-induced rage, so I tried to shift the topic. “Did you start seeing Tracy because your father told you to?”
I’d put those pieces together when Emmett told me Tracy and Will’s affair started within a few months of Emmett rejecting William’s job offer. Tracy was just a pawn to William, a tool to use against Emmett when he didn’t get his way.
Will shook his head and gritted his teeth. “You make it sound like a job, like it wasn’t something I would’ve pursued on my own. All my father did was remind me I’d met Tracy first. He told me I shouldn’t have let Emmett take her away from me, that she and I deserved to be together. That he could tell she loved me, not him. He said he was disappointed I didn’t make a move to stop her from marrying the wrong son in the first place.”
My face scrunched in disgust. “How do you not see how twisted that is? Can’t you see he was manipulating you?”
The anger in Will’s eyes, the steps he took to close the distance between us, didn’t register with me until it was too late. The crack of Will’s hand across my cheek set the entire left side of my face on fire. It caught me off guard and sent me stumbling backward until the backs of my legs hit the bed.
“Enough talking,” he growled, shoving me back on the bed and planting his knees on both sides of me. My fight or flight instincts kicked in, and I immediately thrashed wildly beneath him, but my arms were pinned between his legs and my sides. “It’s time I teach Emmett a lesson.”
“You’re insane!” I screamed, twisting and thrashing. One of my arms came free, then the other, but he caught my wrists, pinning them against the bed before I could land a strike.
“Come on, don’t tell me you’re not enjoying this. Not even a little?”
My widened eyes and kicking legs answered his question.
He just laughed, but his wasn’t the same kind of laugh as Emmett’s; it was dark and diabolical. Realizing I’d die never hearing Emmett’s laugh again if I didn’t find a way out of the situation and off the boat spurred me into action. When Will leaned forward to shift his grip on my wrists, I sat up as much as I possibly could and bit down on the first piece of flesh I came into contact with—his ear.
The taste of copper flooded my mouth, but I didn’t let go until Will released my arms. When he rolled off me, too stunned to process what I’d done, I bolted off the bed and ran for the door.
“You bitch! Where are you going? There’s nowhere to hide!”
I didn’t turn to see how close he was, I just ran. My eyes sought any kind of object I could use as a weapon. I was rounding a corner into the living room when I smacked into a human wall. A scream tore from my throat, and I instinctively started pounding on the surface beneath me.
“Jade! It’s me! It’s me!” Dean called, gripping my shoulders before pulling me into his embrace. Shadows passed by, but I couldn’t bring myself to check their source.
My arms melted limply between our chests while Dean held me there for the most comforting seconds of my life. Relief washed over me as my muffled sobs were absorbed by Dean’s chest. I couldn’t tell if Dean understood anything I was saying, but he needed to know Will was somewhere nearby, ready to kill me.
“You’re okay, J,” he soothed, pulling back to get a good look at me. “Emmett was behind me, along with about half the APD. They already arrested the captain. They’ll get Will.”
“He had a gun,” I exclaimed, pushing free from Dean’s grip to run after Emmett.
“Jade! Let them handle it,” Dean ordered, running after me. I didn’t stop though, not when the thought of Emmett facing an armed Will was racing through my head.
I crept into the room and immediately froze before coming into Will’s line of sight. Emmett, along with three uniformed cops wielding guns, stood to one side of the room, and Will was on the other. He was pacing, waving his gun around. Emmett’s eyes darted to me, and I could see the weight lift off his shoulders.
He shifted his attention back to his twin. “Will, just put the gun down. Nobody else has to get hurt. Just drop the gun.”
Will’s head shook. “I can’t.”
“If you do this, William will just think it’s another way you failed. I’ll be the son he loves, not you,” Emmett contended, inching toward me. I wanted to ask Emmett what the hell he was doing, but I realized he was using the only twin language he and Will ever had—the underlying competition to earn their father’s respect and love.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m already a disappointment. I did everything for him—all the off-book meetings, the cover-ups, defending the scum of Boston because he was in their pocket. And do you know what he’d say to me?”
Emmett positioned himself in front of me, obstructing Will’s view completely before shaking his head in response.
�
�He’d say, ‘this would’ve been done faster if your brother was doing it,’ or ‘I bet Emmett would’ve done a better job than you.’ It’s always been you,” he yelled, sounding more and more deranged.
“Listen to me, Will. That’s what he wanted you to think. He used the weakness he instilled in you when we were kids to manipulate you. He’s never going to stop as long as you give him power. You have to take back the power.”
“I can’t. I’m not like you,” he replied brokenly. “You were always the stronger one.”
Simultaneously, the three officers cocked their guns, preparing to fire.
“Will, don’t!” Emmett cried before spinning around to face me as a gun went off.
My scream was immediately muffled by Emmett’s chest. He pulled me into his arms and marched out of the bedroom, not stopping until we made it down the hall and into the living area. In the split-second between the gun going off and Emmett’s arms wrapping around me, I was so certain he’d been shot. But there wasn’t any blood seeping into my hands as they roamed his back. Sobs shook my body as relief sank in.
“Shh, Jade, you’re okay. We’re okay. It’s over,” he murmured against my ear. He set me down, but kept his arms around me. “He can’t hurt you anymore. I’ve got you.”
“I was so scared it was you, Emmett. I thought I lost you,” I cried into his chest. He pulled back and cupped my face so he could hold my gaze.
“Never going to happen, Jade. I’m not going anywhere,” he vowed, pulling my lips to his. I’d never been so desperate for someone’s mouth to possess mine. All my fears, every thought about never seeing, hearing, touching Emmett again faded away with each second his lips were sealed with mine, replaced with the same spark ignited in my blood every time he held me.
“How did you find us?”
“I knew Will would want privacy, and once I realized he would feel comfortable on a yacht because we had one growing up, I knew he’d pass himself off as me to get Colby’s. What he didn’t account for was Esperanza’s GPS tracking feature.”
“Or that we would’ve searched the entire city to find you,” Dean added before wrapping his arms around us both in a group hug. “I’m sorry I left, J.”
“You couldn’t have known I’d cross paths with two psychos in one day.”
“No, but I still shouldn’t have left. I could’ve waited until tomorrow to track Andrew down.”
Emmett’s jaw ticked at the mention of Andrew, and Dean quickly excused himself to go call our parents.
“I should’ve told you. I’m sorry,” I started, dropping my head and avoiding his eyes.
“Yes, you should’ve. But I know why you didn’t, Tiny. Thank you,” he murmured, pausing to tilt my chin back up before continuing, “for being selfless enough to worry more about my night than yourself. But promise me we’ll never have secrets between us again.”
I looked up and reached out to take his hands. “No more secrets, Boston.”
“No more secrets. I don’t care what’s going on with work, with whatever’s going on outside of us, you always come first, Jade. When I thought about what could’ve happened to you, I could barely see straight. I can’t go through that again. I’m going to hold you to those sixty years we planned on, pretty girl.”
“Yeah, about that…I don’t think sixty is enough. I’d prefer you sticking around for your hundredth birthday. You did say you weren’t going to get old.”
“A hundred, huh? You sure?”
“Positive.”
“I’ll do my best,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around me again to plant a kiss on the top of my head. “Now, c’mon, let’s get you home,” he added, pulling back and angling me toward the deck where police officers were waiting to escort us onto another boat.
I tightened my grip around Emmett’s waist and pressed into him, putting a hand between us and over his heart. “Emmett, this is home. Right here, with you. It’s all I’ll ever need,” I vowed, knowing in my heart I’d never speak truer words.
Epilogue
Jade
Five Months Later
People often assumed a wedding planner must already have everything pre-planned for their own wedding. That was not the case for this wedding planner bride-to-be. Luckily for me, Jas picked up my slack and surprised me with the most incredible engagement party at one of my favorite restaurants that happened to overlook the lake where Emmett and I met. Jas even made sure John, Emily, Lance, Damon, and several other friends of Emmett’s from Boston could make it.
For someone dead-set on never getting married, she was damn good at helping others every step of the way when it came to weddings. She was also nailing the whole ‘maid of honor’ thing.
“When I was a kid, I’d always beg my parents for a little sister. They’d humor me with a ‘maybe’ or a ‘we’ll see,’ and I never understood why I never got one. I’m pretty sure I checked the mail every day for a while, waiting for our mailman to drop off a baby.” Jasmine paused to turn to me and let the quiet laughter of the crowd die down before continuing. “Well, fast-forward twenty years, and now I can safely say I know why. Jade, you’re the sister I always wanted, but never knew I already had, and I’m so incredibly happy you’ve found the love you deserve. Emmett, there’s nobody in the world I’d trust more than you to love my girl. Your story might have had some bumps, but the love you two have is what fairy tales are made of, and I can’t imagine two people more deserving of the happiness you’ve found with each other. Now I just have one question: does anyone know a good wedding planner so we can get these two hitched already?”
A mixture of laughter and applause erupted from the guests sitting around the stage, and I immediately jumped up to join them before beelining for my maid of honor. I threw my arms around her waist. “I love you, Jas. You’re my sister in every way that counts, and I don’t want to know what my life would be like without you.”
“Boring. Your life would be way more boring without me,” she quipped against the side of my head. “I love you too, JP. You deserve the world, and I know Emmett will give it to you or die trying. And I couldn’t be happier for you.”
I grinned and released my tenacious grip on her waist. “Thanks, Jas. One of these days, you’re going to find your Emmett, and I’m going to say a prayer for the poor guy,” I responded, darting my eyes over to Paul, her latest man of the hour.
She just laughed and rolled her eyes before heading off in Paul’s direction after giving Emmett a quick hug. I watched her go and wondered how long their relationship would last. She’d shocked me beyond belief a couple of months ago when she told me she wanted to give monogamy a shot, then actually followed through with it when she met Paul, who, from what I could tell, was a decent guy.
My eyes followed Jas as she walked away, and I found my thoughts wandering to the events of the last few months as I spied the smiling, happy faces of everyone Emmett and I loved. My parents were sitting next to Emily and John, cheerfully chatting away. Hope and Colby were across from them, watching Emmett dance with Caroline. Jas was smiling and talking to Paul. Dean was planted at the bar, downing what had to be his third beer and looking oddly unhappy. Damon and Lance were talking to a couple of my college friends. Elliot stood a few feet from them, laughing at something her boyfriend was whispering into her ear. Nicole even came and smiled warmly at me when our eyes met.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with Nicole after everything with Andrew, but somehow, bonding over a mutual disgust of him cemented our friendship. Dean eventually tracked him down and gently suggested he never put another finger on a woman. I called Nicole to explain everything a week later, and she immediately told me she’d broken up with him. After that we were able to put the past to rest and move forward as friends.
Thinking about that day, about how impossibly crazy it all was, still made my heart ache. Will was shot in the arm and immediately arrested. He ended up flipping on his father and making a deal to shave off some jail time, but he’d still be locked up
for the next two decades. William had been arrested on charges of fraud and tax evasion, while authorities continued to build a case for numerous other charges. It’d be a while before we knew the outcome of William’s trial, if he chose not to take a plea deal, but having him exposed for the truly monstrous human he was brought us some peace.
Then there was Harrison.
“I know that look. What’s wrong?” Emmett asked, pulling me into his arms. I hadn’t even noticed him drop Caroline off with Hope and make his way over to me out on the terrace.
I nuzzled Emmett’s neck and peppered kisses along his jawline before answering. “Just thinking about Harrison and how much I wish he was here.”
Emmett’s shoulder slumped and a frown tugged at his mouth. “Yeah. I do too, Tiny. But he’s got a pretty good excuse.”
I nodded and pressed up on my toes to get closer. “I guess a honeymoon is about as good as it gets for an excuse to miss an engagement party. Plus, he’ll be at the wedding.”
Three doctors and a six-hour surgery later, the bullet lodged in Harrison’s chest was retrieved, and he eventually made a full recovery. As soon as he left the hospital and was able to fly back to Boston, he proposed to his girlfriend of nine years.
Emmett nodded and dropped his head to my shoulder. “Told you, there’s not going to be a wedding once I convince you to elope in Vegas,” he murmured against my ear.
I couldn’t hold back a laugh, but refused to acknowledge his comment.
My eyes scanned the terrace, and the sight across from us made me do a double-take. Jasmine and Dean were standing inches apart, and from their expressions I could tell their conversation wasn’t exactly friendly. “Think we’ll ever find out what their deal is?” I asked, nodding my head in their direction.
Emmett shrugged and huffed a beats-me breath. “Who knows? They’re either going to kill each other or break a bed frame when they finally work their shit out.”
My eyes whipped up to his. “No…you think? I mean, I’m not blind. I know there’s some weirdness between them, but…” I trailed off, watching them go toe-to-toe in what could only be described as an argument at this point. “Maybe I should go over there.”