The Hardest Part

by London, Heather

  "Mr. Alexander." A younger nurse, one that I hadn't seen before, poked her head into the room. "There are a couple of detectives out here to see you."

  My heart pounded. The first thought was that they got him. They arrested Jake. Eager to hear the news, I made my way to the door and only half stepped out. I didn't want to leave Emily alone.

  "Mr. Alexander, my name is Detective Palmer and this is my partner, Detective Wallace. We questioned you a few days ago."

  "Yes, I remember."

  "Well, we have a few more questions for you, if you have a moment."

  "I already told you everything I know."

  "Yes, well, we have some new information and we'd like to discuss it with you. It should only take a few minutes."

  Turning my head, I glanced back and looked at Emily. My heart ached seeing her lying there motionless.

  "I'm not leaving her right now." I looked back toward the detectives. "You'll have to wait until my sister gets here. She's on her way in now."

  They nodded. "We can wait. The hospital has reserved a room for us to talk in. It's down on the second level, room 208. Just head down there when you can."

  REED

  I SAT in a small, simple room with three black, metal chairs and a matching metal table. It looked as though the detectives had taken over an unused office in the hospital, turning it into their interview room. There were no pictures on the walls, making it feel even more unwelcoming. My right knee was bouncing up and down as I waited for the detectives to come in. The nurses down the hall told me they had gone to get some coffee and would be right back.

  The longer I waited, the more frustrated and angry I got, knowing that Emily could wake up at any second and I wouldn't be there. As much as I wanted to say screw it and go back to her, I wanted to hear what the detectives had to say. They told me they had new information and I fully expected them to tell me that Jake had been arrested. I wanted to know what the hell was going on. Why it was taking so long. Why they didn't have the asshole locked up yet.

  If the detectives didn't do their job and he walked, he'd just come after her again, and this time, she might not be as lucky. I had already made a decision that there wouldn't be a next time. I wouldn't give him the chance to come for her again.

  The door opened and Detective Palmer, along with his partner, Detective Wallace, walked into the room. They were both older men. Detective Palmer looked healthy and still had a headful of brown hair, with only the tips of his sideburns showing grey. Detective Wallace, on the other hand, was overweight with grey hair. They were both dressed in fancy suits and both wore serious expressions on their faces.

  Detective Palmer set a cup of coffee down in front of me. "Earlier it looked like you could have used one of these," he said. I glanced at the coffee, not saying a word. These guys were still the enemy in my eyes. They hadn't arrested the bastard yet. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

  "I've been better." My voice was short, clipped.

  Detective Palmer nodded as he opened up a notepad. "Well, I just have a few more questions about the night of the accident. Can you go over what you remember with me?"

  Is he frickin’ joking? "I've already gone over it with you. I told you everything a few days ago." My heart started to beat hard in my chest. This is what they wanted? For me to go over the same crap again? This is a waste of my time.

  "We like to question the victims the moment they wake up so the information is fresh, but we also like to wait a few days and then question again, just in case the victim remembers something new. It helps to fill in the holes if there are any."

  Holes? What the hell is he talking about? I told them everything—everything that I remembered. There hadn't been any new revelations on my end. As I sat there and looked at the detectives, I wondered if they had a few new revelations of their own, ones they were keeping from me.

  "I don't remember anything new." My voice was flat, uninterested. Now that I knew this was going to be a waste of time, I just wanted to get back to Emily.

  "Just tell us what you remember again. You may be surprised," Detective Wallace spoke up.

  My glare moved from Detective Palmer to the man sitting beside him.

  Everything from that night was still a blur, but I went ahead and told them everything again.

  Detective Palmer flipped a few pages and looked up at me. "So Emily had been running from this guy, Jake Terrell, for a few months. Is that right? And she used to live in Las Vegas before coming to New York?"

  "Yeah, that's right. Emily didn't get a chance to explain everything to me before the accident, but Lexi can tell you more. Emily told her some other stuff. I thought you interviewed Lexi, too? Didn't she tell you what she knew?"

  "Yes, we did interview Lexi," he said. "We're just trying to get the story straight."

  Get the story straight? What is he getting at?

  "And you and Emily are together… a couple?" Detective Wallace asked.

  I didn't like his tone. My eyes narrowed on him. He was making me feel like I was the perpetrator.

  "Yes, we are together," I answered sternly.

  "And you've been together for a few months now? And your sister and Emily met at a self-defense class?" It started to feel like he was insinuating that either Lexi or I was lying or keeping something from him.

  "If you have something to say to me, say it. I won't sit here and let you treat me like I'm the criminal when the asshole that did this to us is still out there."

  Both detectives looked up at me, surprised at my words. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this.

  "Well, here's the thing," Detective Palmer said. "I've spoken to the police in Las Vegas. They finished interviewing Jake Terrell, and he was confused and shocked by our allegations. He has five people that all say he has been in Las Vegas at his casino the days of the accident and afterward. They said there was no way he could have been in New York. We've checked the flight logs for all the major airlines and didn't see his name on any of them. We're in the process of checking private flights, but that information will take a little longer to get back. Right now, we’re stuck in a difficult spot until we can talk to Emily and get her account of the events. So we only have you and your sister saying that you think it was Jake, based on what Emily told you. Neither of you saw him personally, so you can see where we have a problem."

  So the new information is that Jake Terrell has an alibi and he will be set free? You've got to be fucking kidding me.

  Detective Palmer flipped open a manila folder with a picture paper-clipped to the inside front cover. Leaning forward, I realized I recognized the man in the picture. It was the investor I had a meeting with in my office. The one I had met with after I returned from London. Mike Brewster.

  "Wait," I said, stopping him from closing the folder. "Why do you have Mike Brewster's picture in there?"

  "Mike Brewster?" The detective cocked his head, confused. "That's Jake Terrell." He pointed to the photo.

  All blood had drained from my face and every muscle in my body tightened. I met the son of a bitch. He’d been in my office.

  "He was here." I slapped my palm on the picture. "He was here in New York, in my office. He came to see me a few days ago. The crazy…" My voice faded as I tried to remember the day. What he had said. What he had done. "He said his name was Mike Brewster. He picked up a picture of me and Emily. He made a comment on how I shouldn't let her go. That I should hang on to her or something like that. The son of a bitch was in my office!" I yelled at them.

  "Are you sure this is the man you saw?" Detective Palmer held up the picture.

  "Positive." I stared at his face.

  "Is there anyone else at your office that can account for what you're telling us?" Detective Wallace asked.

  "Yes, my assistant, Shelly. She'll tell you."

  "Okay. We'll try to get her questioned as soon as possible, but the most important person we need to talk to is Emily. Unfortunately, without her side of it all, it's going to be
hard to take him in. He's just got too many witnesses to back up his alibi. It's going to be your word against his."

  "You're going to let him get away with this? He was here in New York. He tried to kill Emily. He tried to kill us by driving us off the road!" By the time I got to the last word, I had risen from my seat and was screaming, leaning over the table. I felt like Jake was going to get away with it. He was going to get away with trying to kill us! If Lexi hadn't burst through the door at that moment, I might have hit one of the detectives out of anger.

  "Reed!" she screamed at me.

  I whirled around, breathing hard and gripping my side. My ribs were screaming at me.

  Lexi stood in the doorway, a little out of breath herself. "Emily… she's awake."

  Without another word or thought, I pushed past her and ran down the hall toward the elevators, ignoring the pain radiating through my body. I didn't care about anything else right now, just getting to see her.

  By the time the elevator doors finally opened, Lexi and the two detectives had caught up with me. I was the only person who sprinted down the hall once the elevator doors opened onto her floor, though. My elation of knowing I was going to see her soon crashed when I saw that two uniformed officers stood guard in front of her door, blocking my way in.

  "I'm sorry, no one is allowed in the room," said the one on the left that looked like a wide receiver.

  "What do you mean? Move. I want to see her. Now." I felt the anger pouring out of me. I hardly recognized my own voice. It had been a couple years since I'd felt this kind of anger. It happened the last time someone I loved was taken from me.

  "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to wait. The detectives will not allow anyone to see her until she's been questioned."

  "She just woke up from a goddamn coma. You couldn't have given her a few minutes? Maybe let her see that she has people here that care about her so she doesn't think she's here alone?" I spat out.

  "Reed." Lexi came up beside me and grabbed my arm. The two officers moved out of the way as they let the two detectives through. "Reed, come on. Come sit with me," Lexi pleaded.

  "I'm sorry, Reed." Detective Palmer gave me a pitied glance. "You can see her as soon as we're done questioning her."

  I could feel my muscles tense and, if it hadn't been for Lexi's hand on my arm, I might have lost control. Finally, I relaxed a little, letting Lexi drag me across the hall toward the waiting room.

  It wasn't until we approached the waiting room doors that I was strong enough to tear my eyes away from her door. My heart was breaking knowing that she was in there and didn't know I was here—although she probably heard me screaming at the officers blocking her door. It killed me to know that she woke up without me.

  "Did you get a chance to talk to her?" I asked as we pushed through the waiting room doors.

  Lexi shook her head. "I was there when she started waking up, but then the doctors came in and the nurses pushed me out before I could let her know. I wanted to stay with her, but when I saw the police officers, I came to get you."

  Brandon came up from behind me. "What happened? I go to the restroom and when I come back, it's like all hell’s broken loose."

  "Emily woke up." Lexi wrapped her arm through his. "But they won't let us in there. They're questioning her."

  "That's bullshit." He looked at me and I gave him an agreeing nod. I just wasn't in the mood to talk.

  My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket. Robbins. Lexi and Brandon sat down and I moved a few feet away before I answered.

  "Robbins, talk to me."

  "Well, Reed, it doesn't look good. The last of the cops just left the premises. They don't have Mr. Terrell in custody. I haven't seen him again since he entered the building." There was a long silence. I could feel my anger building. I wasn't sure what I was going to do to control it. This just didn't seem possible. How can this be happening?

  "Dammit! He's going to get away with it!" I yelled, causing the entire waiting room to look in my direction. Lexi's eyes fell when my gaze met hers. Brandon's arm wrapped around her and squeezed her tighter. I was thankful for him being there. A couple years ago, I swore on my life that I would protect Lexi from ever getting hurt again. From ever being scared again. Now, it seemed like I was the one scaring her and Brandon was there to comfort her.

  Turning away from her gaze, I cursed a few times under my breath and then walked toward the doors leading outside. I wanted to speak freely without upsetting my sister or the entire waiting room again.

  "The detective just questioned me again. They told me that the son of a bitch has an alibi… five witnesses actually," I said through clenched teeth. "They're going to let him walk."

  I heard what sounded like a low growl on the other end of the line. "So we're going to have to be patient and let the cops do their job. Is that what you're telling me?" I hadn't heard Robbins speak in such an angry tone in years. Usually, he was the calm and cool one.

  "I'm not sure what else to do right now." Well, except kill him myself.

  "I'll stay here and make sure he doesn't leave Vegas," he said and then paused for a moment before asking, "How's Emily?" My heart clenched at the sound of her name.

  "She's awake now, but I haven't been able to see her. The cops are questioning her and…" And I'm not sure how to tell her that Jake is going to get away again. That I broke my promise and I can't protect her.

  "Is there anything you’d like for me to do? Anything you need?" Robbins asked.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose, frustrated more than I'd ever been in my life. When the attack happened to my parents and Lexi, at least I got justice. At least the monsters who did it were locked up behind bars. At least they would never be free to hurt anyone again. Jake, though, after he spent years hurting Emily and tried to kill us a few nights ago, he got to walk free?

  I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep what I really wanted deep inside. I didn't want to say the words, but they came out anyway. "I want the son of a bitch dead, Robbins. I want him gone so he can't hurt her again—her or our baby. I want you to kill him." My anger was controlling the words coming out of my mouth. I didn't even recognize what I was saying until after the words were spoken.

  "Reed, are you sure that's what you want? You know I can make that happen, but you need to be sure. It's not something I can take back."

  I sat there for a long moment, breathing in and out, staring across the parking lot, watching a mother and daughter sitting on a bench. As I stared at them, I wondered if that was what I really wanted. Is having Jake dead the only thing that will give me peace? Give Emily peace? Will it give her comfort to know the man who has terrorized her for the past few years is dead? Will it protect her and our baby? Will the asshole try to hurt her again? Will he terrorize her and force her to live in fear for the rest of her life? Or do I just want to clear my conscience, wanting to prove to myself that I can protect her because I had failed at protecting Lexi and my parents?

  It became clear to me then. "No, Robbins, I don't want you to kill him." I paused, closing my eyes tight before opening them again. "I want to do it."

  JAKE

  THE COPS had been crawling all over the place for days now, but just as I knew all along, they had nothing on me. It had been fun to watch Miller squirm. He thought he had me, but I was always a few steps ahead of him. When I saw him yesterday, I could see the desperation and frustration all over his face. I knew it was just fueling the fire and probably driving him to find some evidence on me even more, but I couldn’t help but smile when I saw him. He had it out for me for years. He treated me like I was a nobody in this town when I actually owned this place. So out of all of this bullshit I had to put up with the last few days, it had been one silver lining.

  The best part of yesterday was Rico telling me he had news of Emily. Through his connections he had found out she was alive. He couldn’t get all the details of her condition, but just knowing that she was alive was good enough for me. So even with t
he cops still sniffing around lately, today was still a good day. Today I got a renewed hope in getting Emily back.

  For the first time in days, my heart relaxed a little. I just needed to wait a little while to let the cops trail run cold and then I could make my move. I wanted to give Emily some time to cool down as well. She was undoubtedly still angry with me. I would just have to explain to her why I did what I did. She would understand when I told her how much I loved her and that I only did what I did because I thought she was leaving me for another man. Then I would do what I should’ve done days ago. I would kill Reed Alexander. I would kill for what he’d done to me and Emily.

  So tonight, I would sleep soundly knowing she was still here on this earth, knowing there was still a chance for us to try again.

  I was in the bedroom, just about to call it a night when I heard the front door open. Rico knew better than to walk in unannounced. The guy was loyal, but he wasn’t very smart.

  “Dammit, Rico. What is it?” I said darkly as I stomped back into the living room.

  When my eyes met the man who was standing ten feet in front of me, I couldn’t believe it. My stomach tightened and I tried to convince myself that I was hallucinating. The days of no sleep and drinking myself into a stupor must have finally caught up with me. There was no way this guy was standing in front of me. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was supposed to be dead.

  “Surprised to see me?” The man smiled and fear ripped through every inch of my body.

  REED

  ABOUT AN hour later, Kim, the nurse that had been so nice to me, came into the waiting room. Her eyes locked with mine and she gave me a small smile, gesturing me over. I jumped out of my seat and practically ran to her, eager to hear any news she had to tell me.