Formatted by E.M. Tippetts Book Designs
The Hardest Part Copyright © 2014 Heather London
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used factiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by MAE I DESIGN
Other Books by the Author
Young Adult
Swift (Swift Series #1)
Crest (Swift Series #2)
New Adult Contemporary
Fall From Love
Find me on Facebook
For Ryan, the most amazing husband and best friend a girl could ask for. It is for that reason alone why I honor his request for a disclaimer in this book: He in no way, shape, or form resembles nor was any influence on the creation of the character Jake in this story. You’re welcome, babe. ☺
THE STREET was dark except for a light that flickered in the distance. My eyes had been staring at the flickering light until a strange noise stole my attention. Turning my head, I saw a homeless man bending over a trashcan. He was rummaging through it, picking out glass bottles and aluminum cans, throwing them in a grocery cart. I flinched when I heard the next glass bottle hit the metal basket.
"Here, take this. We don't have much time." Mike's frantic voice was loud in my ear. Still dazed, I glanced up at him and saw he was holding an envelope out for me to take. My eyes stared at the envelope, but I couldn't make myself reach out for it.
"Emily." Mike's voice was soft but firm. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to concentrate. Take the envelope." He enunciated the last few words slowly, carefully.
My hands shook as I reached out for it. "I'm not sure I can do this, Mike." I finally found my voice. "This is crazy. I—I don't know where to go." Once I had the envelope in my grasp, it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.
"You can do this. This life you've been living, this isn't a life for you. Anywhere is better than here."
I felt the darkness closing in around me. I could feel my throat getting tighter. My breaths were short and quick. If I didn't calm myself down, I was going to have a full-fledged panic attack. My mind was still trying to process what was happening.
The person I trusted most in the world had woken me up in the middle of the night, just thirty minutes ago, telling me to get dressed and be quiet. I didn't question Mike then. I didn't question him when he led me out of the penthouse suite, or when we he led me down the hall to the back stairwell and came out at the back of the casino. I still didn't question him when I saw his car parked at the end of the dark alley, or when we pulled away from the building without an explanation of any kind. It wasn't until we pulled onto the highway and the bright lights of the Vegas strip were behind us that I finally asked what was going on.
"You're getting out of here, Emily. You're going to get as far away from here as possible," he’d told me.
It was only then that it hit me. He was helping me escape. He was helping me get away from Jake. I was too stunned to say anything then, and I was too afraid to say anything now.
"Emily, are you listening to me? We don't have much time." Mike’s voice was louder now, more demanding. I blinked away my thoughts and looked up at him. He stood a good foot and a half taller than me, his gray hair receding almost to the point of baldness. He was old enough to be my father, and truth be told, he was the closest thing I’d ever had to one.
As I stood here now, I felt like a scared little girl—not sure what to do, looking up at him for the answers.
"The bus should take you to the main station downtown. From there, you choose where to go. You choose how to live your life." He frowned and then his face twisted into something else entirely—tortured and sad. He and I both knew this was probably the last time we’d ever see each other.
"There's a passport, social security card, and twenty thousand dollars in the envelope. It should be enough for you to get on your feet and start a new life, one far away from here." His voice cracked on the last couple words. He cleared his throat, trying to cover up his weakness.
"I don't want his money, Mike." I shoved the envelope back out to him to take. I didn't want any part of him near me.
"It's my money, Emily. Money that I've earned and saved. It's mine and I want you to have it."
"It's still a part of him." I shook my head. "And I can't take your money."
"All those years I looked away. Let him treat you like nothing. All those times I should have helped you. I'll never forgive myself for letting him hurt you for so long." He closed his eyes and paused for a moment, his lips forming into a hard, tight line. "Take it. I need you to take it."
I could feel the tears building up inside me, causing my chest to feel heavy, like an anchor was pulling me under. I hugged the envelope close to my chest.
"I'll call you once I get settled somewhere, to let you know I'm okay." The words felt cliché, but it was the only thing I could think to say at the moment.
He swallowed hard as he pulled his shoulders back, making him stand even taller over me. "This is it for you and me, kid. I don't want to know where you end up. I don't want you to call and give him the opportunity to track you down. I just want to know that you're out there, somewhere in the world, out from under his microscope, living life and being happy. It's been too long since I've seen that beautiful smile of yours." His hand brushed lightly across my bruised cheek. I swore I saw tears forming in his eyes. Mike was the toughest man I knew, but he was also sweet and caring. I never understood how he worked for such a monster. "Just promise me something," he said.
"Anything," I breathed.
"Promise me you'll smile a lot."
I nodded as the tears spilled down my cheeks. "I promise."
Deep down, a part of me was terrified and fully expecting Jake to come around the corner and drag me back, like he’d done all the other times I tried to get away from him. However, I was relaxed, knowing Jake was hundreds of miles away in California. He had business there, leaving me in Mike's care. Jake had a lot of men working for him, mainly for his protection, and Mike was his most trusted guy. Jake never would have guessed it would be Mike that would help me finally get away.
In the distance, I could see the bus coming toward us, the headlights casting a dull glow on the pavement in front of us. My heart raced inside my chest, as I knew we only had seconds before I had to leave.
"I'll never be able to thank you enough," I said, sucking in a breath, trying to keep the tears inside.
"You just go out and live a happy life. That will be thanks enough." He looked down at me and then glanced over both of his shoulders, something he would probably be doing for the rest of his life, especially if Jake or any of his other men ever found out what he’d done for me.
"Will you be okay?" I asked.
"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." He gave me another smile, one that actually reached his eyes. I stared up at him, trying to burn that memory of him into my brain.
Mike picked up the small duffel bag he’d packed for me and held it out for me to take. "Be safe and take care of yourself."
The brakes on the bus squealed to a stop and the doors opened, but I couldn't move. I knew what getting on that bus meant. It meant that I was free. It meant a fresh start. It meant happiness. It also meant that I was alone. It meant leaving behind all that I'd ever known.
Finally, I
took a couple steps forward and then stopped. I dropped the bag at my feet, turned around, and threw my arms around Mike's neck, clinging to him as tightly as I could. I knew what he was risking to help me get away—his own life for mine. He was risking everything.
He wrapped his arms around me, and we stood there in the darkness for a long minute until the bus driver cleared his throat, hinting to me that it was time to go.
"You better go, kid." I could feel Mike pulling away from me.
With tears rolling down my cheeks, I got on the bus and made my way to the farthest seat in the back. By the time I looked out the window, hoping to see Mike one more time, he was gone. I'd never felt so alone in all my life.
The bus lurched forward as my body shook with the sobs escaping me. Deep down, I knew this time was different. This time I really was going to get away.
An older woman sitting in the seat in front of me turned around, and I quickly wiped away my tears. The last thing I wanted to do was draw any attention to myself, more than I already had. She gave me a sympathetic smile, glanced up at my bruised cheek, and then turned back around. I sank down farther in my seat, trying to disappear, wondering if I could really do this—if I could really be on my own and start a new life.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the main station. The bus came to a stop, and I found myself glued to the seat, unable to move. I just knew Jake was out there, waiting for me. The last time I’d tried to run, he told me that no matter where I went, he would always find me and he would kill me if I ever tried to leave him again. I closed my eyes and his face came into view, his dark eyes staring at me, giving me the look of disapproval I knew so well.
The bus driver's voice came over the intercom, startling me out of my daze. A shiver rippled through me as I opened my eyes.
"I'm sorry, miss, but you’re going to have to get off here. You can go inside the station and check the schedule for the next bus."
I glanced around, finding the bus empty. Still clutching the duffel bag and envelope like my life depended on them, I stood up and made my way off the bus and into the station.
The building was empty except for an older man sitting on a bench next to the ticket counter. Bright fluorescent lights shined above me and an older lady sat behind a glass window, staring at me as I approached the counter.
"How can I help you?" the woman asked. I stood there, completely silent, completely terrified, and completely confused. How could she help me?
"I need a ticket," I mumbled.
"Okay, where are you going?"
I swallowed hard, panic filling me. Where was I going? Where could I blend in and disappear? Where did I want to start my new life? Where could I live and keep my promise to Mike? Where could I wake up and smile every day?
"Miss, are you all right?" the lady asked, looking at me with wary eyes.
"When is the next bus out of town?" My voice shook. The fear I'd been trying to keep contained crept its way up my throat, causing my mouth to go dry.
"Well, let's see here." She turned to her computer and scanned the screen. "Looks like there's a bus coming in from Los Angeles in about twenty minutes. It will fuel up and then head back to L.A."
Los Angeles was too close. Jake did a lot of business there. He was there now. I needed something farther away. A lot farther.
"Um, how about something east, like…" My voice drifted and she stared at me while I hesitated. “New York?" It sounded more like I was asking for permission. That was a habit that I would have to try and break.
She raised her eyebrow and cocked her head. "You have any idea how long that trip will take?"
I shook my head. "No."
"At least a few days, and it will have a lot of stops. It's an exhausting ride."
It couldn't be as exhausting as the last couple years of my life. Just knowing that every day I would be getting farther and farther away from here, away from him, it sounded like Heaven to me.
"I'll take a ticket to New York, please." I tried my best to keep my voice from shaking. My mother always wanted to go to New York. She always wanted to be a Broadway singer but never made it off the stages in Vegas.
The woman continued to stare at me like she was waiting for me to change my mind. Finally, she sighed and turned back to her computer. "Okay, if that's what you want."
I glanced around the empty station, still waiting for Jake or one of his men to burst through the front door and drag me back to the misery I was trying to get away from.
"You'll be on the next bus heading to Cedar City, UT. Should be here in an hour. From there, you'll catch the next bus on the schedule," she said, bringing my attention back to her. She pushed a piece of paper through the small opening in the glass, and I grabbed it. "That is the schedule to New York. Like I said, you'll be making a lot of stops over the next few days. That'll be three hundred sixty dollars."
I made a slow turn away from the ticket window and opened the envelope. Large bundles of bills were piled on top of one another. My eyes grew wide. I'd never seen so much money before. Swallowing hard, I pulled out four one hundred-dollar bills from the envelope and slid them under the window.
"Miss, is everything okay? Do you need me to call someone, maybe the police?" she asked, narrowing her eyes on me.
"No, no police. Everything’s fine." I looked her dead in the eyes when I answered her. I wanted her to believe me.
It seemed logical to call the police if I were in trouble. And it would be if the man I was running from didn't have most of the department on his payroll. Jake had so many connections that it was hard to trust anyone… anyone except for Mike. The Terrell family had a reputation in Vegas. You didn't mess with them unless you had a death wish. If they asked for something, you obliged, no questions asked.
The lady handed me a ticket and then I took a seat in the corner of the station, near the window. My body felt heavy, tired. I glanced down at my watch. Three thirty a.m. It was only an hour ago that Mike had woken me up. One hour of being on the run and I was already exhausted. You can do this, I told myself. Just one more hour. One more hour and you’ll be out of this place. One more hour and you’ll be on a bus where no one knows who you are, where you've been, or what you’ve been through. I repeated the words one more hour a few more times in my head.
I had been only twenty-one years old when I fell in love with Jake. Back then, he was charming, sweet, and good-looking. I felt like the luckiest girl alive. It wasn't until his father passed away and he inherited his empire of casinos, wealth, and power that he began to change. It wasn't a sudden change. The change was slow over time and only got really bad after my mother died a couple years ago. That was when he knew he was all I had left in this world. I guessed he felt like he could treat me however he wanted, thinking I would never leave him. Truth be told, he wasn't too far off. I had nowhere else to go.
The next hour went by slowly. My eyes never left the front doors. I was still waiting and expecting Jake to come through them, looking for me. He always seemed to know where I was, like he had eyes and ears everywhere. It just didn't seem possible that I was getting away this easy.
I heard a low rumble of an engine and then saw a bus pull up outside the station. Bus 571 - Cedar City, UT, was posted on the front of it. Only a few more minutes until I would be out of this place. A few more minutes and I would be on a bus heading as far away from here as I could get.
The bus was mostly empty except a few people in the front rows. I made my way to the back, hoping to stretch my legs out and get some sleep. I placed my bag under the seat but kept hold of the envelope, knowing it held my new life.
Letting out a long, deep breath, I rested my back against the window and stretched my legs out on the empty seat next to me. The envelope sat on my lap. I stared at it for a long moment before finding the courage to open it. I sifted around the money, pulling out a social security card and passport. The name Emily Anderson was on the documents, along with my picture—my first name had remained the sam
e. A tiny smile appeared on my lips, knowing I would still be somewhat me. Mike knew that name held special meaning to me. It was my mother's middle name, and he knew I would never want to part with it.
I sat there and stared at my new name, still wondering if I would be strong enough to do this—start over and make a new life—knowing in the back of my mind Jake would always be out there. I knew I was his obsession—his everything—and he would never stop looking for me.
JAKE
AN ANNOYING, high-pitched ringing sound woke me up. Damn phone, I really hated that ringtone. I swung out my arm and patted the nightstand next to me. The reason for calling me so early in the morning better be a fucking good one or I was going to kill the person on the other end of the line.
"What is it?" I growled, pressing the phone against my ear.
"Sorry to call so early, sir, but Emily…" There was a long pause. Just hearing her name and then that long, terrifying silence sent my heart pounding against my chest. "She's gone, sir." Tom's voice came back on the line. He tried to keep his voice even, but I could easily hear the fear in it.
"What?" I asked, throwing the covers off me. I swung my legs around to the floor and jumped out of bed. "What do you mean she's gone?" I was already moving around the hotel room, gathering all my shit and throwing it in my suitcase.
"I don't know the specifics, sir. I just know she's gone. That's all Mike told me."
I gripped the phone in my hands so hard that I could hear the plastic cracking. The dumb bitch was trying to leave me again. I told her the last time that I'd kill her if she tried.
"Where's Mike? I want to talk to him."
"He's not in the penthouse, sir. He's securing the building and checking the casino's surveillance videos. He's also been talking with the security at the hotel to see if anyone saw her leave the building."
I closed my eyes and tried to control my anger. I wanted to reserve that for later when we found her. "I'm on my way home. I want some answers when I get there, and tell Mike I want to know what the fuck he was doing when he was the one I left in charge of taking care of her."
The Hardest Part Page 1