by Chloe Lang
“Maybe so.” Adam stroked her hair. “Or maybe we could pick up where we left off at the hotel in Casper? What do you say, sub?”
“That depends on if you two Doms get some much-needed rest or not.” She grinned. “Or it’s ‘pancakes’ for both of you.”
Adam smiled and pressed his lips to hers. “You better rest up, too, sweetheart. I’ve got some things I want to introduce you to tonight.”
He and Bane left, and she shut the door.
Emma looked around her new home and smiled. “It’s perfect.”
“No, Sis. It’s not.” Lily’s voice rang out throughout the house.
Emma brought her hands up, covering her ears. “God, no. Not again.”
“Yes, again, Emma.” Samantha’s tone echoed off the walls. “Again and again and again. You will never be free of us. Never.”
“Stop it. Why won’t you leave me alone?”
“We will never leave you alone. You are our sister. You are just like us.”
Her heart raced violently in her chest. “I’m nothing like you. Go away. Please. Just leave me alone.”
Her cell rang and she jumped, feeling completely panicked.
She glanced at the caller ID. Larry? Is something wrong with Autumn and Andrea? “Larry. Are the girls okay?”
“Of course they’re okay. Emma, what’s wrong?”
Horrified that her worst nightmare was coming true, she blurted out, “Voices. Larry, I’m hearing voices.” Her eyes welled up. “I am losing my mind just like my sisters.”
“I don’t quite understand what’s going on, sweetheart, but I am here for you. I’ll make sure you’re okay, Em.”
Larry had never called her “Em” before. Only Bane and Adam had. Somehow, being called by that nickname made her feel a little bit better, a little bit safer. “I need you to be there for our girls. You can’t screw up anymore.” She choked back her tears as she imagined herself living without her daughters, but what other choice did she have?
“Whatever you need me to be, I swear I will be.”
“You better.” She would have to say good-bye to her girls. They deserved a life free of insanity, a life of happiness and possibilities. Not a mother like me who is about to go off the deep end completely.
Samantha and Lily had seemed normal for years and had ended up killing people close to them. Emma couldn’t imagine herself capable of harming anyone, especially Autumn or Andrea. But what if I’m wrong? What if the madness overtakes me?
I can’t trust myself. I must say good-bye to my precious girls.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. God help me. Being without them is going to kill me.
“I know you and I had our rough times, but I never stopped loving you and our girls.”
“Don’t, Larry. It’s been over for years. You and I will never be together again.”
“Okay, Em. Whatever you say.” Larry had never sounded like this before, so understanding. “I’ll be there for the girls. I swear.”
She would also have to end it with Bane and Adam. It would take every ounce of courage and would rip her heart to shreds, but she must break it off with them now. She couldn’t drag anyone else down with her.
“Are you still there, Emma?”
She took a deep breath, bracing herself for the good-byes ahead. “Yes.”
“Why don’t you come back to North Dakota and we can work this all out together?”
“No. I’m never going back there. Ever.”
* * * *
Adam couldn’t bring himself to get out of the bed, though he’d been awake for a little while. He’d fallen instantly asleep after his shower.
He glanced over at the clock and smiled. Less than an hour before he would be with the woman of his dreams again. He hoped Emma had crawled into bed herself shortly after he and Bane had left. Tonight, he had big plans for her.
Bane came in with his cell in his hand. “Em’s on speaker. She wanted to talk to both of us.”
He swung his legs to the floor. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Adam. I’m too tired to go to dinner tonight.” There was something in her tone that didn’t sound right to him.
“That’s okay,” Bane said. “Adam and I can go get takeout and bring it over to your house.”
He nodded to his brother. “We can stay in all night, Em. Just relax.”
“I really would like to be alone this evening, if you don’t mind.” Her voice was shaky. “And I know you two need more sleep. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me. I can’t ever thank you enough.”
This sounds like a breakup call. “Em, we’re coming over now.” He pulled on his boots.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Bane was onto something. “Did you get another phone call that upset you?”
“No. Not a phone call.”
“Then what, sweetheart?” He hated to hear her sound so frightened. “It’s time you told us.”
“I–I have been avoiding this call for the past few hours, pacing around my house. This is hard, but you deserve to know everything. It’s only fair.” There was sadness in every syllable she uttered, crushing him and Bane. “I guess face-to-face is how it should be. It’s only right after all you’ve done for me.”
“Honey, just stay put,” Bane said. “We have no idea what is bothering you, but we will always be there for you.”
“I know you want to be, but it just wouldn’t be right.”
Adam felt his gut tighten. No way were they going to let her end it. Something was behind this sudden change in her. It was past time to get to the bottom of her fears. “Em, we’ll be there as fast as we can.”
* * * *
Emma clicked off her cell. She couldn’t stop trembling. How was she going to live without Bane and Adam? She’d already fallen in love with them, and for a while the voices had gone away. But now her mind was cracking again.
“I’ve got to be brave. I’ve got to do the right thing,” she said aloud to herself, trying to gather her courage. “I have to break it off with them. It’s the only way. As much as I want to be with them, they deserve better than me. A crazy person.”
“Listen to her, Lily.” Samantha’s voice returned, chilling her to the bone. “She’s finally admitting it.”
Her sister’s maniacal laughter rang throughout the house.
“You’re just like us, Emma,” Lily said. “Just. Like. Us.”
“No. No. I am not.”
“We’re sisters. Family. Like copies of each other.”
“It’s not true. I’m nothing like you and Samantha. Go away.”
“We will never leave you.” Samantha’s cackling got louder and louder.
“Please, God. No.” She couldn’t take it anymore. She had to get away.
“We have work for you to do, Emma,” Lily said. “People that need to pay for their crimes against us. You can’t imagine how powerful you will feel the first time you watch someone die by your own hands.”
“Emma, you will know very soon how amazing it feels to kill,” Samantha said.
“Stop it. Get out of my head. I won’t. I couldn’t.”
“Yes, you will. Sam and I will make sure of it.”
“No. No. No. I will not hurt anyone. Ever.” She looked around the room, expecting to see wispy images of her two dead sisters. “I am not alone. Bane and Adam made you go away. They will again.” I need them.
“Those two idiots you’ve been fucking can’t drive us away,” Lily said. “We’re here to stay.”
Samantha mocked, “Forever and ever and ever and ever.”
Emma brought her hands up to her ears, but her sister’s chant never ended. In a complete panic and unable to stand another second hearing them, she ran out of the house and into Bane and Adam’s embrace.
* * * *
Bane and his brother held Emma tight between them. It was obvious by her tremors that something had scared her to death. “Baby, it’s okay. We are here.”
“You are safe with us,” Adam whis
pered to her.
“I–I…they were…inside…”
His gut tightened. Had there been an intruder? Other than being shaken up, Em looked fine. If anyone harmed a single hair on her head, I will kill them.
Adam released her and ran into the house. Bane knew he was going to check it out.
“Shh, sweetheart.” He cupped her chin. “You can tell us all about it once you catch your breath.”
It took several minutes of consoling Emma for her to relax enough to talk coherently. “I’m okay now, Bane.”
Clearly, she wasn’t. “Was someone in your house?”
“No.”
Adam came out and gave him the thumbs-up that all was clear inside. “Are you feeling better now, Em?”
She nodded. “Yes. They never bother me when you’re here.”
They?
Bane held her tight. “Who never bothers you, sweetheart?”
She closed her eyes. “I hear my dead sisters’ voices.”
Adam came up behind her, wrapping her up between them. “It’s okay.”
“I have been hearing my sisters’ voices ever since Mom and Lily’s funeral. Lily and Samantha say I’m just like them. Our father went crazy. They went crazy. Now, I’m going crazy.”
Bane knew this had something to do with her reaction to the phone call the other day. “Honey, did you hear their voices through your cell?”
“Only once. It happened right before you picked me up at the hotel to go shopping for the present for Shelby’s baby.”
He remembered how engrossed Emma had been when they’d found her in the lobby. Staring at her cell’s screen, she hadn’t even realized they were right next to her. “That’s why you jumped when Autumn called that night.”
“Yes. I thought it was going to be one of my sisters on the other end.”
“Did you check the caller ID, baby?” Adam asked.
She nodded. “It was unknown.”
He kissed her forehead.
She smiled weakly. “Who knows who called me that day? Maybe it was a wrong number or a telemarketer, but I thought I heard my sisters’ voices. It’s all in my head. I’ve only heard their voices once on the phone, but I have heard them several times through the walls in my apartment back in North Dakota. And now I’m hearing them here in Wilde.” She pointed to the rental house. “I thought I could start a new life here. I didn’t expect the voices to follow me. But they did. I’m going crazy. I wanted to tell you before this, before now, before I fell in love with you, but I just couldn’t bring myself to. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Em, there is nothing to forgive. You weren’t the only one who fell in love. You’re the most wonderful, beautiful woman I’ve ever known. I love you.” Bane pressed his lips to hers, hoping to take away her fears, to make her feel safe. “Trust me, you are not going crazy.”
Adam turned her around and locked his eyes on hers. “I love you, Em. You have my heart in your hands. And Bane is definitely right about you—you are perfectly sane. You’ve been through so much the past several months and all on your own. Your sister murdered your mother in cold blood. Trauma like that can cause all kinds of things to happen to a person. No wonder you think you’re hearing voices. Trust me, it will pass. You just need a little time and you don’t need to be alone anymore.”
He stroked her hair, feeling her trembles. “Em, do you want to go back in the house, or do you want us to take you somewhere else?”
She took a deep breath, and he and Adam could see her strength returning. “It’s my house. Yes. I want to go back inside. I won’t be driven out by my own delusions. Besides, when I’m with you I never hear the voices.”
There’s something about this whole thing that just doesn’t add up.
“Adam was right. You don’t ever need to be alone.” He led her to the front door. “And we’re going to make sure you never are again.”
* * * *
Adam listened to Emma’s steady breathing. He and Bane had her between them on the bed.
They’d held and listened to her until she’d finally relaxed. Now that she was completely out, he leaned up on his elbow and said quietly to his brother, “None of this makes any sense to me.”
“You’re reading my mind, Adam.”
“We’ve been around many soldiers who have been traumatized and have PTSD. They’re all withdrawn. There’s nothing withdrawn about Emma. In fact, she’s just the opposite.”
“I know. And what about that call she told us about? Ghosts don’t use cell phones to contact the living. I want to get that checked out first thing with Caleb.”
“Agreed. Plus, we need to run a thorough sweep of this house.”
“After we escort her to the television station, we can bring Caleb
back here and go through every inch of this place.”
“Bane, she’s the one for us. The only one.”
“I know. She’s ours. It’s our job to get to the bottom of this.”
“She deserves our very best.” Adam looked down at the woman who had changed his world. He would go into the bowels of hell itself and fight every devil the place contained to make sure Emma was safe.
Chapter Fourteen
Emma got out of the vehicle and turned to the two wonderful men who’d rescued her from the voices once again.
What was it about Bane and Adam that made her feel so safe?
Everything.
They could be so gentle and kind under all that toughness. They’d listened to her almost all night. When she’d told them about her worry for her girls, they’d helped her through the worst of her fears. They’d talked to her about what trauma on the battlefield could do and how they’d seen fellow soldiers overcome the pain.
Time. That’s what they said I needed. Time and understanding.
They’d given her their understanding and had promised to give her all the time she needed. The voices hadn’t returned. She was filled with hope because of her two amazing Marines. Whatever demons she had to face she didn’t have to face them alone ever again.
“When do you guys have to turn this truck back in?”
“After our meeting with Caleb, sweetheart,” Bane said.
Adam held her hand. “We’ve got it covered.”
They walked her to the front door of the television station.
“I’ve got it from here, guys.”
Bane pulled her into his arms. “Are you sure you’ll be okay while we’re gone?”
“I’m sure. Plus I have both your numbers in my phone in case I need you.”
Bane kissed her tenderly. “I love you, baby.”
Before she could catch her breath, Adam gave her another kiss. “I love you, darlin’.”
“I love you both. Now go. You don’t want to be late on your first day with the FBI.”
“We’ll be back to pick you up at five,” Bane said firmly.
“I’ll be here.”
After they left, she walked into the station, praying the voices would never return.
* * * *
Larry watched the two bastards drive away from the television station.
Those interfering motherfuckers messed up everything.
Though an aggravation, it was necessary to return to Nevada to keep his plan on track. The timeline had changed, and he must act now. After hearing the assholes’ plan to sweep Emma’s house, he’d driven all night to Wilde.
He stepped out of the bushes and dusted off his suit.
Now was his chance to get Emma alone.
Those Marines think they’re smart, but I’m smarter.
Even having to rush things, all the pieces were in place. Just like when she was sixteen, the bitch would be putty in his hands.
He sent the text to the mimic slut that would get the ball rolling.
* * * *
Sitting in her new office, Emma took the paperwork from Mac.
“These are for your employee file,” her boss said. “You know. Insurance. Contact information. That kind of th
ing. Take your time filling it out. I’ve got to run over to Studio B where we’re taping a cooking show. All hands on deck for this one. Mary Wilde is making one of her signature recipes today and we’re setting up now. Adara is our receptionist. She’s out getting the ingredients Mary requested. While you’re finishing up your paperwork, I hope you don’t mind answering the phone until Adara gets back, which won’t be long.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“I don’t expect any calls or any visitors. Once she’s back, I want you to come to Studio B to observe.”
“Sounds great.”
“Once we’re finished shooting, I’ll give you the tour of the whole place. Then we can sit down and talk.”
“I am so excited to be working for you, Mac. Thank you.”
Mac stood. “No. Thank you. You’re a lifesaver, Em.”
After Mac left, Emma’s cell rang.
She answered it and heard the horrific voices again.
* * * *
Bane pushed the piece of paper with Emma’s cell phone number over to Caleb.
“How long before you know where this call originated from?” Adam asked.
“I’m pretty sure I can do better than that. I bet I can tell you who made the call.” Their new boss looked at the paper and pulled out his cell. “There’s a new CIA team in Destiny, Colorado, that I’ve been working with. Jena is one of their lead techs and she can hack into anything. With Emma’s number and the date and time of the call, I think Jena can have an answer for us in ten minutes.”
“Tell her to make it five.”
Caleb nodded. “Will do.”
* * * *
Emma threw the phone to the floor. “No. No. No. This can’t be happening.”
“What can’t be happening, Em?” Larry stood in the doorway to her office holding a folder. “Are you hearing them again?”
“W–What are you doing here?” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
He bent down and retrieved her damaged cell. “We need to talk.”