I will lower the moon for you

by Becca Randall

  I tried to run in his direction with all my strength. "Brett!! Help!"

  But before I could do anything, I felt two very strong arms grab me and drag me with them, while another hand covered my mouth with a cloth. It was all blur after that as I heard gunshots and saw Brett falling down. He was shot.

  I was dragged in the car, and one of the other masked men picked Erica's unconscious body covered in blood and threw her in the car as well.

  That was the last thing I felt before everything went blank; my head was spinning, my eyelids were heavy, and slowly, darkness took over.

  Chapter 38

  Her betrayal

  Jake

  "Did we get a court date for this Thursday?"

  "Yes, Sir, we did." Mr. Daniel, my lawyer, responded with a broad smile on his face.

  "That's great news. Let's cover the remaining threads. I don't want any mistakes. David Windson and his damn company should become history after Thursday." I reiterated and emphasized every word to my team of lawyers. I could not afford to lose the only chance I had against him.

  This was my first strike to make him commit to his crimes, especially his involvement in my father's murder. I was sure by now that he was the mastermind behind all the conspiracies that had been unfolding in my life.

  Suddenly, I heard a knock on my cabin door, and within seconds it was flung open.

  I saw Augustin and three of his most trusted men standing with blank faces staring right in my eyes.

  "Jacob, we have a big problem." Augustin's eyes were dripping blood.

  The moment he let out those words, going by the expressions on his face, my heart went to think of mom and Emma. Augustin would never dare to crash in my office like this, not until it was something beyond his control.

  "What happened? Is it Mom? Where is Emma?" I replied spontaneously. I did not doubt that he bought terrible news. I frantically reached my phone and dialled Emma's number.

  "Voicemail. Crap."

  I then saw her message. She was going out to meet Erica for lunch. My heart started racing. I didn't know what to think.

  "What the fuck happened Augustin?" I next dialled my mother's number and thankfully found it ringing.

  "Jacob. They were taken."

  "What? What do you mean? Who?"

  "Emma and Erica... both of them. They were kidnapped from City Center's parking lot."

  I got up from my seat, banging my desk in frustration. I felt stumped, like someone punched me hard, and knocked me out of my senses. I was unable to think straight. An awful feeling was building inside me.

  "What? Where the fuck was their security? Where was Brett?"

  "He got shot, by the time he alarmed everyone, it was too late."

  "What about Erica's bodyguards?"

  "It was a blood bath Jacob. We have a lot of casualties."

  I was speechless. Sweat trickled down my forehead. I never felt such hate and angst burn my inside.

  This couldn't be happening, just when I thought I had everything in control, he stroked hard. I would go to the ends of the world to bring Emma back safely.

  My biggest nightmare was becoming true. I failed her. I was unable to keep my promise of always protecting her. She was out there in danger, and here I was getting the after news sitting high up in my elite office. She needed me, and I was utterly impervious of the scheming that transpired right beneath my nose. David Windson, you will regret ever laying a finger on her. I will make sure of that.

  "Augustin, track her down. Gather your people and inform the cops. Now."

  ***

  Emma

  I flickered open my eyes and felt a stabbing pain in my head. My feet and hands felt numb as they were tied with thick ropes to an old wooden chair. As I looked around, I saw Erica tied to a similar chair right across me.

  I tried moving, but I felt extremely weak.

  The room was very dark, and a damp smell filled my nostrils. I tried calling out to Erica without alarming anyone else.

  "Erica? Are you ok?" I whispered.

  "Erica!"

  Her head suddenly moved, and I felt a sense of relief. She opened her eyes and looked straight in mine.

  "Erica? Are you alright? How's your head wound?" I whispered again.

  "I am ok darling." She huffed.

  "The countdown has begun." Erica was wearing a petrifying expression on her face.

  "What? What do you mean?" I stuttered meekly. I could not feel my limbs anymore. My body was drained of all its strength.

  Suddenly Erica started laughing hysterically, and in a swift motion, she got up from her chair and kicked it hard, making it almost fly in the air. She wasn't tied like me, and as she stood, I could now see a bandage on her forehead too.

  "You are so naive, Emma. I wanted to kill you on the spot, but what fun would that be? Right?"

  "But... but... you were hurt. You saved me back there, and I saw you get hit. There.... there... was so much blood."

  Erica looked dangerous.

  "Oh! That was for show. There is CCTV in that parking lot. I am sure Jake will watch it. You see, there is no gain without some pain."

  I was speechless. My throat went dry, and every strand of hair on my body stood up. This girl went to the extent of getting herself hit so that Jake could see her as a victim. She was a total psychopath.

  A deadly silence followed the revelation. She was staring at me with hatred in her eyes. I could hear her rough breathing. I closed my eyes for a minute to finally accept that I got trapped by her. She played me and very well may kill me, any minute now.

  "But... your bodyguards... They got killed...I saw it with my own eyes". I was in denial that I could be fooled like this.

  "They were just collateral damage, don't stress about it." Getting people killed sounded routine for her.

  "What are you even saying Erica? Quit this game and untie me, now!" My demand was welcomed by her hysterical laugh. She looked like a maniac.

  "Are you freaking crazy? Why the fuck are you doing this? What is wrong with you?" I summoned all my courage and spat in anger. I couldn't take it anymore. Even if it was doom day for me, I wouldn't give up without a fight.

  This girl needed serious help.

  "Somebody is getting all heated up. I will watch my tone and volume if I were you." She got closer. Her face was now just inches away. Her eyes were blood red.

  "Fuck off, you psycho! I was a fool to trust you, even when I had my doubts. I should have never trusted you. Do you even know what your problem is?"

  "You are my problem. You are nothing but trash. How did you even think that you could take Jake away from me? He is mine. He belongs to me."

  There she said it. All the nice gestures and courtesy was just a show; she never changed. She hated me, and she played a sick game to make Jake believe that she was a better, bigger person.

  How didn't I see it? How did I let her fool me?

  "You are delusional. He doesn't want you. He could never fall for a manipulative bitch like you." She shot me a murderous look.

  "Oh, ya? If he can fall for a gold-digging piece of crap like you, then he will fall for my charms. Sadly, you won't be here to see it, you good-for-nothing tramp." She screamed fanatically, and before I could see it, she raged a tight punch on my face and kicked hard in my chest, making me fall on the ground along with the chair that I was tied to.

  She then started kicking me in my stomach like a madwoman and didn't stop until my mouth started spitting blood.

  "He never loved you. You are nothing to him." I snapped back with all the energy that was left in me.

  She sat down and grabbed my hair, "I was everything to him until you came along. At first, I thought you were a mere distraction. He ditched me in Norway and went crawling to Lofoten for you. I thought one night, and you will be history like all his other flings. He would chew and spit, like he always does." As she talked, she tightened her grip on my hair, making me flinch in pain.

  "But you are such a l
eech, blinded by his wealth. You deepened your claws in him". She hit me with a cheek burning slap again after she finished hissing.

  I stopped feeling my skin when she mercilessly hit me back to back after that. I lost count after five strokes.

  "I even orchestrated my accident to divert his attention back to me, but you are such a cunt, you schemed to keep him close". She was pacing up and down screeching and pulling her hair in an attempt to tame her fuming rage. She started throwing things in my direction. She was wild and infuriated. She loathed my very existence.

  I thought if I keep talking, maybe I could stall her a bit. "I didn't do any such thing. I love him, and he loves me back. He will not spare you; he will come looking for me, and when he does, you will regret this all your life."

  "Of course, he will come. My men will soon contact him and give him our whereabouts. Before that though, David Windson will contact him and blackmail him into withdrawing his case...." She chuckled and after a pause, continued, "however, in all this mess, Jake will, unfortunately, see that only one of us could make out of here alive." She started laughing like a crazy woman again.

  She had it chalked out in her head. She was going to deceive him to gain sympathy, and kill me in process.

  "You disgust me. You claim that you love him, and still you partnered with his father's murderer? He will never forgive you, mark my words." I knew my time was now close. She will murder me in cold blood. I was a pig ready to be slaughtered.

  "Shut Up! David Windson has nothing to do with his father's murder. He is just a corrupt bastard who used unfair means to win some business. I had to join hands with him. Somebody will have to take the blame for all this."

  "Really? Just some business? He wanted to burn him alive in his apartment." I countered this deranged woman, hoping some sense could come to her hollow head.

  "Oh! That was an attempt to destroy evidence. No hard feelings for Jake though." She was suddenly calm again. She had some severe personality disorder and serious anger issues. This girl belonged to an asylum, and I was about to lose my life at a psycho's behest.

  Minutes later, she started searching for something, I couldn't see her anymore, but I could hear the hustle in the background.

  There were a few more men in the room now. I could see them enter the room from a far corner; all of them were wearing the same masks.

  One of the men said, "Mam David Windson's men contacted Jacob Richmond. He will know by now that he is behind this kidnapping. What are your orders?"

  "Kill this whore and dump her body at a place where it could never be found." I was no better than a pile of lifeless flesh now. I was going to die.

  "But Mam, the plan was only to kidnap and take hostage. We should not cross David Windson. It could backfire."

  Before he could complete, I heard a loud echo of a tight slap, "just do what you are told to, and if you are such a pussy, then just give me your damn gun."

  I heard some noise and now could only listen to footsteps, getting closer by second.

  I tried to move and set myself free, I was wriggling and squirming in an attempt to loosen the ropes but to no avail. This was it. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

  As I opened my eyes, there she stood, with a gun in her hand pointing right at me.

  "You will regret this. You will pay for this. I promise you." Tears were welling in my eyes.

  She smirked at my state. I closed my eyes for the final time when a deafening gunshot roared, and I felt piercing pain in my left leg. She shot my leg.

  I was wincing and screaming in pain as she watched me with a satisfactory smile on her face.

  "Good-Bye, Emma."

  I held up for way too long, but now my eyes could not stay open for a second more. A blanket of pain was overpowering me. I gave up on my body. It was becoming unbearable. At last, I just let it all go.

  Chapter 39

  Her recovery

  Jake

  "How much longer?"

  "Just twenty minutes more, the location we have is in far outskirts."

  "Hurry the fuck up!" I yelled at the driver who was driving at way above the acceptable speed limit.

  "Jacob. Hold yourself together. She will be fine. The cops might be there already."

  "I don't care Augustin. It's been more than six hours Emma is gone. I don't know what they are doing to her."

  "We just received a call to take the case back. I am sure they will hold her hostage and won't touch her, not until we oblige at the least."

  "We don't know that for certain. That asshole, David Windson is a wicked man. He can go to any extent."

  I am so glad she was wearing her necklace; else we may have never found her this early.

  When I gave her that necklace, I never intended to use that tracker. It was just precautionary. I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that she would ever end up in a dangerous situation like this.

  Please hang in their baby. I am coming for you.

  As we reached the location, several NYPD cars were stationed outside. The cops were already closing in and had the entire parameter covered.

  The moment I stepped out, I just paced towards the entrance, and as soon as I set my foot in that stinky dump of a place, my heart stopped. I couldn't believe my eyes, as I saw months of deception and lies getting uncovered right in front of me.

  The police were tackling and arresting Erica as she stood there with a gun in her hand, pointing at someone lying on the floor.

  That, someone, was the love of my life. My Emma.

  Injured and covered in blood from head to toe, lifelessly recumbent in the center of the room. Several arrows pierced my heart, all at once. I could feel the ground beneath my feet slipped away. My vision was blurred with the overwhelming tears that were building inside my eyes.

  "Jake! Jake! Help me! This is not what it seems like. I love you, and you love me. Look at me, Jake!" Erica yelped and begged as she was trying to wriggle out of the hold of the cops. I felt disgusted. I could not find the strength to even look at her, because I don't know what will I do if I ever come face to face with her. I might even kill her with my own bare hands.

  I just ran to Emma and took her in my arms. She was shot, her skin was ice cold. I untied the ropes and picked her up. Within seconds several paramedics entered the room; they took Emma and placed her on a stature rushing her to the ambulance. She had a weak pulse, and they immediately put her on oxygen. She was severely beaten up, the wounds on her body told the story of the torment she had gone through in the clutches of that lunatic.

  I introduced Emma to Erica and insisted on giving her a chance. It was me who sealed her fate and made a deal with that witch myself. I entrusted this shrewd woman and gave her all the access she needed to claw my girl. Hell broke loose, and my innocent Emma became her ferocious target.

  I will make sure she doesn't see the light of the day and rot behind bars all her life. Ben Muriel could do all he could, but this woman will reap her doing.

  They took Emma for surgery. She was shot in the leg and had several injuries that inflicted internal bleeding. Her condition was very serious.

  I had to inform her parents and friends. They were all here now. They were inconsolable, especially her mom, and everyone else was as petrified. I just could not see them in the eye and witness how the fear of losing their daughter dwelled inside them.

  This was the hardest day of my life. I never felt this helpless. It all ensued under my watch, and I could not protect this from happening.

  Even though Emma's surgery was successful, she was in the Intensive Care Unit and had not woken up yet. It had been more than thirty-six hours.

  I didn't leave her side even for a second. I lost track of time, day or night; it didn't matter. All that mattered was her waking up, and I was counting every passing second in the hope that she will open her eyes soon.

  "Jake don't beat yourself up. You couldn't have known." Niki said as she tried to comfort me. She had been here thr
oughout as well, especially supporting her parents in and out of the hospital.

  "It's my fault, Niki. I should have seen it coming. Emma had to go through all this because of me. She paid the price of staying close to me. She didn't deserve this."

  "It's not your fault, it was that bitch's fault, and she is now under arrest. Emma's surgery was successful. I know she will wake up soon. She is a strong woman. She has to come back for us, she will."

  "I know she will. I just cannot bear to see her like this." I raked hands in my hair and let out a helpless sigh.

  "None of us can. You have always protected her Jake. Just stop thinking now. Go home, take a shower and get some sleep. I am taking her parents’ home too. They need to rest, as well. I will be back early morning."

  "Yes, please take care of them. Don't worry, I am here." She sighed and gave up. She put her hand on my shoulder gesturing me that she would now leave and I nodded back.

  It was wee hours of the morning, that's when I heard footsteps in the otherwise silent corridors of the hospital. I looked up to see who it was, and I just could not hold it anymore.

  "Mom?"

  "Jake, my son. How's Emma? How's she doing?" She hugged me as soon as she approached me.

  "She is out of danger, mom, but she is still unconscious." I struggled to get those words out as the tears built in my eyes ever since I saw her, just broke loose. I hugged my mom and let it all out.

  "It's fine baby. It will get better." She caressed my back as she sat down next to me. I partly lied down in her laps and poured all my pain and suffering out.

  I was feeling so lost.

  "I won't survive a day if anything happens to her ma. She stood with me through everything.... she never...ever cared about herself.......

  She... she knew she was in danger, but she still stayed, and I let her down..." My voice got hoarse as countless tears kept crawling down my cheeks.

  "Shhh... Calm down, baby. She will wake up. She will get better son. I know it." Her voice was cracking, and her breathing became uneven too.