"Okay." I nodded, exhaling another trembling breath.
We were walking toward the elevators when Reed's phone rang, making me jump. He squeezed me tighter against him and answered.
"I have her, Robbins. She's here with me." He paused and a wave of pain crossed his face as he looked down at me. "Really?" He was silent for a long moment. "We're going to need to get out of town. I'm going to need to borrow your car. Okay, we'll be down soon."
He hung up, glanced down at me, and swallowed hard. "Robbins went by your place. He said it was a wreck, like there was quite a struggle." His thumb lightly grazed my cheek. "We really should get you checked out. You could be hurt."
Tear stung my eyes. "I'm fine. I just want to get out of here."
He frowned. "Whatever you need."
We entered the lobby on the main floor, where Robbins was standing at the front door, waiting for us. Samuel eyed us warily but didn't ask any questions.
We approached Robbins and he handed Reed a set of keys.
"Thank you. I'll call you once we get somewhere and explain everything," Reed said, grabbing my hand.
Robbins scanned my face before he quickly turned away. In that moment, Robbins reminded me of Mike. They didn't resemble one another in their appearance, but I thought it was more of the kindness in their eyes. Mike had the kindest, sweetest eyes, and thanks to me, he was gone. My eyes closed and I tried to erase the image of him lying dead with a bullet in his back.
"Let's go." Reed's words finally caused the image to dissolve.
Taking Robbins’s car was about as good of a plan as we could get. The headlights on his silver SUV lit up the dim parking garage. I felt a little safer when we were inside, but still the feeling that Jake was out there, lurking, never left me.
We pulled out of the garage and into the dark alley behind the building. I didn’t know where we were going, but as long as we were leaving the city, away from Jake, I didn't care. Before I could even remind him, Reed was already on the phone with Peters and Warren. Reed gave them an address for a place in Long Island. I wasn't sure where it was, but I trusted it was safe. He asked that Lexi and Brandon be brought there and that he would explain everything when they arrived.
"How are you feeling?" Reed asked when he put the phone back down, his voice cautious as he looked over at me.
I turned to him, finally feeling a little relief knowing that we got away and both of us were still alive—and that Lexi and Brandon would soon be safe, too. There were so many nights I woke up from nightmares that Jake had found me and killed me slowly. Tonight, I’d fought back and won, but I knew if I ever gave him another chance, I might not be so lucky.
"Better now." I nodded.
"Do you want to talk about what happened back at your apartment? You don't have to if you're not ready."
"I'll tell you everything when we get settled, okay? I just need a few minutes."
He nodded and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight.
"Everything is going to be okay, Emily. We'll figure this out."
"I know." I let my head fall to the side as I glanced over at him.
Deep down, I could feel the guilt building inside me, knowing I was putting him in danger. I should have just left New York alone.
He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. "I'm sorry you've been going through this all alone. I had no idea." His voice was strained and it killed me inside. "Tonight, when I couldn't find you, I was going crazy. And to know you were being hurt and the thought that something worse could've happened to you… I just can't even imagine." He brushed his lips against the back of my hand. "God, Emily, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't know if I've ever been so scared."
"I'm sorry." I wasn't sure what else to say.
We pulled onto the highway, the city lights of New York beginning to fade behind us. Leaning my head back against the seat, I stared out the window, struggling with what had happened tonight, still trying to come to grips with the realization that Jake was here. He had found me and tried to kill me. I had escaped. I had gotten away.
My mind drifted into a daze and my eyes became fixed on the darkness outside. Once we left the city behind, we turned off onto a dark two-lane highway, only a few cars passing us on the other side. Reed and I were silent for most of the drive. I wasn’t sure what was going through his head, and right now, I didn't think I had the strength to find out. The more time passed, the more I could feel myself relaxing. Maybe things would be all right.
I was lost in a state of hopefulness, my fear starting to subside, when headlights came into view in the side mirror, distracting me. I watched the small, white circles get larger and closer, brighter and brighter. It wasn't until I realized how fast they were coming up on us that I realized something wasn't right. I sat up and looked to Reed, who was already eying the car in the rearview mirror.
"It's him, isn't it?" he asked.
Turning around, I glanced out the back window. I heard the rev of the engine first before I felt the car rumble to life beneath me. A sick, helpless feeling came over me. I turned back around and glanced at the speedometer, which now read ninety miles per hour.
Reed's face was expressionless as he drove with both hands on the wheel. I glanced back and saw that the car wasn’t only keeping up with us, but it was gaining on us.
"Shit," I breathed out.
"I told you I wasn't going to let him hurt you again and I meant it." Reed's voice was firm.
"This is crazy, Reed." My voice was shaky, and my stomach twisted when I glanced back at the speedometer and saw the car was now going over one hundred miles per hour.
Swallowing hard, I sat forward in my seat with my eyes glued to the side mirror. The car following us was directly behind us now. Then, in the next second, the car was gone. The move was so sudden that I hardly had time to realize what happened. I turned to look out the left side and saw the car speed up beside us. The two cars were now side by side, both of us going more than a hundred miles per hour.
"What are we going to do?" I screamed in panic.
"Please, Emily, just sit back and—"
Reed's voice was cut off by a loud crunch and a sudden force that threw my head against the window. I groaned in pain.
"Emily!" Reed shouted. "Emily, are you okay?" Reed asked. I could barely hear him over the ringing in my ears. Before I could answer him, another jolt sent my head right back into the window, and this time, I heard a crack. I wasn't sure if the cracking sound was my head or the window.
"The crazy son of a bitch is trying to run us off the road!" The panic in Reed's voice sent my heart into an uncontrollable, thundering beat. Reed was in danger again and it was because of me. If something happened to him, I would never forgive myself.
I rubbed my hand across the side of my head and winced when I hit the sensitive spot. The sticky wetness on my fingers told me I was bleeding.
The car jerked forward and the engine screeched as it was being pushed to its limit. I glanced over and saw the other car easily speed up next to us again.
"The asshole isn't going to give up, is he?" Reed shouted.
No, he'll never give up.
Another jolt hit us even harder this time, and I could feel the car move off the road and hit the gravel and dirt to the side.
Jake wouldn't stop until I was dead.
"Reed," I said, grabbing his hand. "I'm so sorry for getting you into this." I wasn't sure why I chose that moment to apologize, but I wanted to say it before it was too late. "I'm sorry."
"Emily, don't talk like—"
The next jolt hit us so hard that Reed couldn't keep control of the car. We drifted off the road and onto the gravel again. Reed jerked the car back onto the road, but at our high rate of speed, the car spun out of control and then everything after that happened so fast, it came in short, blurry flashes.
The car flew off the road and started to roll.
Flashes of the headlights hitting the trees and ground came in fast, sharp m
ovements.
Sounds of crunching metal.
Glass bursting.
It didn't happen in slow motion. It actually happened so fast that I could hardly wrap my head around it.
Then, in what seemed like just a few seconds, everything was still. Everything was silent. Everything was black.
I wasn’t sure how long I was lost inside the darkness. There was no sense of time whatsoever. There was no sense of anything. I wasn’t sure how long I was lying there in that state of nothingness.
Sirens.
Shrill, ear-piercing ringing filled my ears and broke the silence in my mind, causing the darkness to fade away. My eyes opened; small white dots filled my vision. I tried to move my legs but couldn't. I shifted my right hand and felt a stabbing pain crawl up my arm and spread into my shoulder. Gritting my teeth, I moved my hand again and gripped the soft ground beneath it. Grass. My hand was gripping grass. Then it hit me. I was on the ground, not in the car. I could see the red-and-blue flashes in the distance, dancing along the trees above me. I now knew the small white dots that filled my vision were stars.
Fighting through the pain, I slowly lifted my head and saw a large, dark object about twenty feet in front of me. I focused on it, finally seeing that it was the car turned upside down.
"Reed." His name came out of my mouth, but it was no louder than a whisper. I sucked in a deep breath, hoping to find the strength to speak louder, but the only thing that came to me was a deep pain in my stomach.
"Reed." I pushed my voice out and then moaned as my head fell back toward the ground. The sirens were getting louder, closer. Car doors opened and slammed shut. Voices filled my ears. Strangers surrounded me.
The darkness blurred out their faces. A bright light flashed into my eyes and then I felt hands touching my head, my ribs, my legs, and my arms. I winced every time they hit a sensitive spot, which felt like every spot they touched.
"Can you tell me your name?" a man asked me.
Emily Fitzroy. Emily Anderson, the voice in my head answered, but the two names never left my lips. I couldn't find the strength to speak.
"Where are you hurting?" he asked.
Everywhere.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Jake. It was Jake, the voice inside me screamed.
So many questions and I couldn't find the voice to answer any of them aloud. The only thing I wanted to do was see Reed. I wanted to see him and make sure he was okay. I felt myself being lifted onto something stiff but soft, and then I felt myself moving, like I was being carried. My eyes moved frantically, trying to find Reed, hoping to see that he was okay.
When I finally saw him, or a part of him, it seemed like all the pain I was experiencing moved to one single spot on my body—my chest. Reed's body was still dangling from the seatbelt in the upside-down car.
"Reed!" I shouted, finally finding my voice. I tried to sit up and reach out for him but found myself restrained.
"Ma'am, please lie down. You need to relax. We're taking good care of your friend. We need to make sure you're okay."
A sharp pain in my stomach caused me to wince and a throbbing in my head began. I could feel that something wasn't right with me. I kept my eyes focused on the car and watched as the paramedics and firefighters worked to get Reed out. My vision started to tunnel and I could feel the darkness closing in on me. I forced my eyes open, determined to make sure Reed was okay. He had to be okay.
I let my head fall to the side and watched as they pulled Reed's body out of the car and placed him on a gurney. My eyes fluttered. I could feel myself getting weaker. The darkness was coming soon. I wouldn't be able to fight it much longer.
Another sharp pain in my chest took my breath away and the throbbing in my head worsened. The voices of the paramedics filtered in and out. My eyes felt heavy, but I followed Reed until he was put in the ambulance, out of my sight. Tears spilled out of the corners of my eyes.
Please just let him be okay. Please.
His face was the last thing I saw before the darkness pulled me under.
JAKE
I WATCHED as the car swerved off the road. The red taillights grew fainter as the car flipped and bounced down the embankment.
Rico pulled the car over as my eyes remained focused on the car until it came to a halt in an upside down position.
“What do you want to do, boss?” Rico asked breathlessly from the front seat. I couldn’t think of what to do. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.
“We should probably get out of here pretty quick, boss, or someone may see us.” I could hear the uneasiness in his voice. Even though, I knew what he said was true, I wasn’t ready to leave yet.
There was a good chance Emily was gone—dead—and I was still struggling with how I felt about that. There was a pull deep inside of me, wanting me to get out of the car, run down there and make sure she was all right. Then there was another part of me that didn’t care if she was dead. I was pretty sure I wanted her dead anyway. I would’ve killed her with my bare hands if she hadn’t gotten away from me earlier tonight.
She had betrayed me. She had left me and started a new life. She had caused me more pain than I’d ever felt in my life. I wanted to hurt her. I wanted her to feel pain. But now, as I stared down at the wreckage, I didn’t know if that was how I felt anymore. The past few months without her had been horrible. There were so many times when I didn’t want to go on anymore without her, but I always had the hope that I’d get her back one day. Now, if she was dead, I’d never get her back.
“We’ve gotta go, now,” Rico’s voice interrupted my thoughts again. “A car’s coming up behind us. He’s gonna see the wreck down there and call the cops.”
I didn’t respond, but I felt the car pull forward. My eyes stayed focused on the wreckage until it was out of sight.
We went back to our hotel in the city and I didn’t sleep a wink that night. Rico was on edge the entire drive back to New York and told me, I don’t know how many times, that we needed to get back to Vegas. After about an hour of trying to get me to respond, and me just ignoring him, he finally stopped. I just couldn’t think about leaving New York. Not like this. My whole purpose of coming here was to get Emily. It just didn’t seem right to leave without her.
My mind continued to flash back to the accident and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was dead or alive. When I gave Rico the order to run the car off the road, I was so angry with her that I wanted her dead. But now, I wish I could take it all back. I may have just killed the love of my life. The thought of her lying dead in a morgue somewhere made me sick to my stomach.
The next morning Rico scanned all the newspapers and news stations but found nothing about the accident. I thought for sure since Reed Alexander was such a big name in New York there would be something about the wreck.
“I did what you told me to do, boss. You aren’t upset with me are you?” Rico’s voice was low, cautious.
I raised my eyes to meet his. He was sitting in the corner of our hotel room and it was easy to see the fear on his face. He may have been the one that ran the car off the road and killed my girl, but I gave the order. If he hadn’t done it, I would have seen it as him disobeying me and probably killed him myself.
I shook my head. “It was my call. My decision.”
REED
THE HOSPITAL could be eerily quiet at night. With the silence, you become even more sensitive to the sounds of the machines, the whispers and footsteps from the nurses, and the quiet stillness in between. Each beep from the machines was even more painful than the ones before it. Each second that passed and Emily's eyes remained closed, I got more nervous that she would never open them again. With the guilt that had been building up in my chest over the last few days, I thought at any moment it would explode.
It was only a few minutes before the accident when I had promised Emily that I would protect her from ever getting hurt again. Now, as I stared at her, I knew I had failed her. I had lied. I wasn't able
to stop him.
I would never forgive myself if she didn't wake up from this. Hell, even if she did wake up, I would still never forgive myself for letting this happen to her. Taking her hand in mine, I closed my eyes and begged her to open hers. It was something I'd done since I woke up in the hospital a few days ago and found out what happened.
I didn't remember much of the accident, and the memories leading up to it were a little fuzzy. After a while, I remembered what Emily had told me. I remembered our dinner and how she disappeared after I got a phone call. I remembered her finally arriving at my place with her hair disheveled, her eyes red and swollen, and marks around her neck.
I pushed the memories from my mind, leaning forward and kissing her hand. My ribs screamed out in pain and I winced, taking in a sharp breath.
The doctors told me it was amazing that I survived the wreck. That either of us had. I had four broken ribs, a fractured left shoulder, and a concussion, but other than those injuries, I should heal up pretty nicely. The doctors told me that Emily was actually conscious when the paramedics got to her, but she didn't tell anyone what happened. The only thing she seemed to care about was making sure I was okay. That only made me feel worse. The doctors told me she had some swelling in her brain and was in a coma. She had two broken ribs, a dislocated hip, and broken ankle. They told me they wouldn’t be able to assess the long-term damage until she woke up. My whole body was still sore from the accident, but it was nothing compared to the pain I was feeling when they described her injuries to me.
The cops had questioned me the moment I woke up, wanting to get all the information they could before I forgot anything. I told them everything I remembered. I told them about Jake Terrell. I told them everything Emily had told me that night. About how she had been running from him. I explained to them how the crazy son of a bitch chased us and ran us off the road. That before that, he had terrorized Emily, and she came over to my place, totally hysterical, scared for her life.
Closing my eyes, I tried to forget the terror in Emily's eyes from that night. Though, truthfully, I would settle for seeing that fear again if she would just open her eyes.
The Hardest Part Page 20