Heroes Duet

by Pinder, Victoria

  She pouted like she was still the sixteen-year-old he’d met so long ago. “It won’t be the same.”

  “We’ll push on for a little longer,” he compromised. “Whatever new necklace will be from me, to you, which is what you said mattered.” He wondered if the reason she wanted that necklace so badly was because of prom—had she cared for him all that time?

  She let out a long sigh of disappointment. “I appreciate that. Have we tried down this road?”

  “Yeah.” He braced himself for Emily’s response to his next suggestion, but he was losing focus. He’d not slept in a day and neither had she. “Emily, I think we lost him.”

  “No,” she answered like she was shocked.

  Impossible that she couldn’t see the truth—but he wouldn’t let her down if he could help it. “I’ll drive all night if you want but I think he’s long gone now. We’ll need to get coffee.”

  Neither one of them said anything as it grew darker. The song came to an end and his phone beeped. He kept his gaze on the road, swerving around a shadowy rabbit. He glanced at the call.

  Emily bounced in her seat. “Who is texting you?”

  He’d missed a few and his father’s name burned in his mind. He put his phone down in a cup holder. “Henry, Brady… and Michael.”

  She crossed her arms and turned toward him. “Ah, you’ve been avoiding that question for hours. So you called your father.”

  He glanced at her—would she would judge him? “I was worried you’d be hurt.”

  Thunder boomed in the distance as they headed toward a storm.

  Her voice was low as she said, “We’re running in circles. We can stop.”

  Good. He picked up his phone and pressed the map button. In a few seconds, they were guided toward the closest hotel—less than a mile away. “We can try again tomorrow.”

  She stretched her legs in the passenger seat. “It will be nice to change.” Lightning flashed in the sky. It was good they were getting off the road. “I feel like we lost everything.”

  “We have each other.” He offered his hand.

  She took it and squeezed. “How is Brady?”

  “His fingers will heal—but he’s wearing a cast on his hand.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” He turned off the highway and saw a tall white building to the right. Emily said, “Let’s tell Henry we’re here and get him a room.”

  Right. He parked the rental car as more lightning flashed in the sky. They’d have to run for it. He opened his door and raced out, opening hers. “Still bossy,” he said. “Part of your charm.”

  She got out but stalled at the passenger door. Thunder crashed as she lifted her chin in defiance and said, “Look, you take me as I am or not at all.”

  Rain began to pelt their skin. They ran toward the hotel next to each other as she refused to let him cover her head. Once they were under the building’s awning, he asked, “Why is it always your way or nothing, Em?”

  She walked beside him but glanced up at him. “Are you complaining?”

  “I’m just asking.” He held the door open for her. She passed and he headed toward the front desk. “Do you want your own room or to share?”

  Her eyes widened and she said, “My own…”

  “Okay.” He’d get three rooms for the night as Henry was on his way. He reached the check-in desk.

  Emily hurried to the counter and tugged on his arm. “No. Wait. We can share. I don’t want to fight. I’m sorry.”

  Fair. They were both tired. He smiled a little at her. “I don’t want to force you to be with me.”

  “You aren’t.” She pushed her hair out of her face and smiled back, her shoulder to the hotel clerk. “I want to share. We should talk.”

  “Talk?” Dane handed over his credit card and ordered two rooms, writing Henry’s name and information down. When he was done, he tucked his arm around Emily’s waist. “Okay. Let’s go.”

  They walked toward the elevator and she lowered her voice so that he had to lean down to hear her. “Dane, one of the reasons I wanted the necklace so bad was because it’s all I had of you for so long.”

  The silver door opened and for the first time in hours, he relaxed. Emily was one in a million—he didn’t want to argue either. He followed her into the elevator. “See, now that’s sweet, Em.”

  “I’m not always a harpy or hard.” The doors closed.

  Fatigue hit like a tornado. He slumped against the back wall for support. “I never said harpy.”

  “No, but that was the implication.” Her shoulders hiked, like she wore metal spikes.

  The doors opened when they reached their floor. Whatever he’d done to her, he hadn’t meant for her to be hurt. He waited for her to walk out and directed them toward their room. “Emily, when Ted had a gun to your throat, I’d have done anything to trade places. I’m not sorry he’s dead.”

  She nodded and said, “He was betrayed by his own. We all are eventually.”

  That comment hit like a bullet. He swiped the room door open and held it for her to pass inside as he asked, “Emily, what’s going on with you?”

  She rushed all the way into the room and immediately went to the bay windows, closing the blinds to avoid the storm outside that rattled against the glass pane. She turned toward him and hugged her waist. “Dane, now that we’re just giving up and going home, I don’t know if you and I will work out long term. I don’t want either of us to be hurt.”

  At that moment he couldn’t move and yet every cell in his body felt alive. She stared at him with chilly blue eyes. He was rigid and tight as he asked, “What are you saying?”

  “Nothing but the truth.”

  He swallowed, deciding to end this conversation before it went too far. He was too tired to argue fair. He sat on the edge of the bed and untied his shoes. “Let’s just go to bed.”

  The pout on her face told him that she’d just spit out any second what she wanted to say. He stilled and glanced at her. “Or not. What is it, Emily?”

  She towered over him as he sat on the bed. She crossed her hands and stood taller, like she readied for a fight. “Relationships like ours don’t work out.”

  She didn’t need a gun or bullets. His entire body tensed as he rose, making sure to look down at her. “How do you know?”

  She threw her hands in the air and paced the room. “What do you mean? What healthy relationship have you ever had?” Emily stopped and waited for his answer.

  He shrugged. “I thought this one might work out.”

  She sucked on her lip bottom lip and for one second, he thought she’d apologize and they’d move on. But then she crossed her hands again. “For now. How long until we’re both bored and want to go chase something or someone else?”

  Maybe she was irritable because she hadn’t eaten or slept much. He backed toward the phone to call for room service as he said, “Emily, I’ve never chased a woman in my life.”

  She followed him toward the nightstand like he was the prey she needed to slay. “Dane, I know we’ve all been easy for you.”

  “Emily, you’re not easy.” Yes, his tone was defensive. Emily had never been that.

  His leg brushed against the edge of the bed and he stopped. Emily continued toward him, her mouth tight, her blue eyes cold. “I guess I’m not, but it’s better that we break up now, Dane.”

  Emily knew how to rip out his heart and dance on his grave with those words. He stilled as he asked, “Break up? Are you serious?”

  She nodded and that affirmation was just another spike in his open, gaping wound. “I don’t want to move to Boston with you. I can’t just walk around your house and not have a position.”

  His mind couldn’t process everything she said. He pivoted to move away from her as he shook his head. “You’ll get one. You’re talented.”

  She scoffed and ran her hand through her hair. “At what? Writing history reports? I’ll write about the Irish Crown Jewels--which we had in our hands and lost. I’m sure history j
ournals will be lined up to read my failed work.”

  Was this why she wanted to break up? Because they’d lost the jewels? She wanted to write a paper to get a job? He hadn’t considered this. He rallied his weary body and pointed to the door. “Do you want to chase Alexandre then? I told you I’d drive all night.”

  Emily sat on the bed. “We have no direction and I’m tired.”

  Sleep was needed for both of them. He sat beside her as he said, “But not too tired for this conversation.”

  She turned on the bed and took his hand. “No. Dane the best thing for both of us is to stop any more relationship stuff.”

  The sparks from her touch were clearly one-sided. He’d had no idea. He took his hand back and said, “I can’t force you to stay.”

  “No. You can’t.” She lowered her voice.

  A moment later, her phone rang. She stood and headed to her pocketbook he’d brought for her. “Sophie’s calling.”

  His phone dinged and he read his father’s text message. Emily looked at him from across the room and he nodded at her. “Michael and Sophie have arrived so your family is together. You’ll be safe with them, but it’s better if you go down the hall to them on your own.”

  “Don’t leave the hotel,” Emily said and walked toward the door. “Michael will want to see you and I don’t want to interfere.”

  Right. She’d done her best to kill him and now she was done. He followed her to the door to see her out. He was a sucker for believing they had a chance. As she opened the door, he asked, “Emily?”

  “Yeah?” She paused in the threshold.

  “I really wanted us to work out this time. I’m sorry.” He brushed her arm one more time.

  If these flashes of desire were just in him, he had to let her go.

  She sighed, closed her eyes and leaned against the door, then glanced at him. “Me too, Dane. Goodbye.”

  She closed the door behind her and just like a rush of wind outside, she was gone. His mother had lied to him all his life. Emily had made him believe in the impossible and that was obviously a lie. Maybe he was better off on his own—women never trusted him with the truth.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Birds chirped outside the window. Emily blinked and covered her head to block the light as she dug into the bleached white sheets and down comforter at the hotel.

  The brightness of the day shone through open windows.

  She’d been too exhausted to open her windows last night.

  And now that she was listening, someone hummed in the background.

  Emily squinted into her room and saw her sister near the coffeemaker as she hummed an old tune. Emily sat up and Sophie smiled at her as she said, “You slept like the dead, Em.”

  She glanced out the window and saw the sun was high in the sky. How long had she been asleep?

  Her sister must have been right because her mind was clear and her words last night to Dane seemed like she’d spit venom at him. She’d been so certain that she no longer needed false hope. She didn’t need to cling to things that made her wish that, one day, Dane might come for her. Ten years was a long time. Her father had proven to her that she couldn’t trust in any man.

  The only reason Dane had come back into her life was for his mother’s necklace, and now it was lost. Chasing around the countryside half the night proved he cared more about the chase than actually her, right? Or that was silly as she’d told him she wanted it back, which made her the problem. She shivered as she scooted off the bed. “Sophie, it’s later than I thought.”

  Sophie brought her a cup of coffee. “You couldn’t be woken. I’m glad you’re okay.”

  Okay. Last night could have been horrible. She could be dead or raped or who knows what, if Dane hadn’t shown up, and she’d treated him terribly. Emily sipped her coffee—the roast tasted somehow smoother here in France. She looked into the dark liquid and said, “Dane risked his neck to save me.”

  Sophie sat next to her, sipped her own coffee, and let out a sigh once she finished. “Michael is disappointed that he missed seeing his son again.”

  Last night she’d asked Dane to wait.

  But then again, she hadn’t been very nice to him.

  Not seeing him today was a dagger to her heart.

  This wasn’t good. She blinked and put the coffee cup down as she asked, “Wait, what?”

  Sophie sighed and she stared at her like Emily was a science experiment as she said, “Michael wanted to talk to Dane, but he left before breakfast.”

  If her sister saw into her soul, she’d see how completely she’d messed up her life. Entirely.

  Dane hadn’t done anything to her for her to be so brittle and hard. She stood from the bed, but the whip of the comforter knocked her coffee cup to the floor. Sophie said, “Dane checked out of the hotel.”

  Oh no. She’d screwed up. Emily hurried to the bathroom and found a towel to clean up her mess. She returned, knelt down and shook her head. “Oh. Sophie that’s my fault.”

  Emily came beside her but stopped her from mopping the floor as she held her wrist lightly. “How? What did you do?”

  “I broke up with him.”

  Sophie picked up the pieces of her broken porcelain cup.

  This was exactly like her life. Screwed up and broken. Emily fit the small pieces into the shell that remained as her sister asked her, “You what?”

  “We broke up.” She knelt next to her cup that reflected her life. She couldn’t face her sister as heat rose in her cheeks.

  Sophie took the cup and tossed it in the metal trashcan. “Why?”

  The last person that might understand stared at her. To Sophie the world was bright and beautiful and sweet and kind. Her sister never saw anything bad in anyone or anything. Emily stood and let out a long sigh as she said, “Because it wasn’t going to work out and it was only a matter of time until it ended anyhow. I couldn’t look at him and just wait for that shoe to drop.”

  Sophie tilted her head and stared at her like she belonged in a mental institution for admitting the truth. “Because he ran off after prom?”

  Boom. She’d hit the nail on the head. “How do you know about that?”

  “I’m your sister.” Sophie breezed across her hotel room and opened the closet to reveal navy blue pants and a blue and purple top that Emily would have chosen for herself.

  Emily followed, though her heart had sunk into her stomach. “I never said a word to you or anyone.”

  Her sister shrugged and took out the shoes she’d clearly bought for her as she said, “We have tracker apps on our phones. We knew you were together.”

  Emily’s eyes widened and instead of being angry, she realized she had a way to find Dane. She leapt toward her pocketbook and said, “The app!”

  “What?” Sophie batted her eyelashes.

  Emily dug out her phone and saw the blue dot headed toward Paris. Her heart soared. She’d apologize. Right away for being a stupid fool. Her lips still tingled from his kisses and she’d made a huge mistake when she’d listened to her doubts.

  Stupid was clearly her middle name. She put her phone down and met her sister’s gaze as she said, “I need to go find Dane.”

  Sophie walked over to her and took her wrist. “If he left because you broke up with him, he probably doesn’t want to see you right now.”

  Her mouth went dry as her skin buzzed. This wasn’t good. She swallowed and only wanted to say I’m sorry to him. “But?”

  Her sister stayed in front of her with her arms crossed. “But what? You broke up.”

  Emily’s eyes began to water. She sniffled to stop the tears but she shook her head and swallowed back her bitterness. “He thinks I broke up with him because of the jewelry. I don’t want him to get killed over a necklace or the badge and star that he wants to return to England. We can all just go home and forget.”

  Sophie dropped her hands. “Before they left, Jack talked to Henry-”

  “And?” Emily interrupted her sister.
>
  Sophie tugged her earring and looked out the window toward the bright sky as she said, “Henry did say they were going after Alexandre and this time they are working with British and French authorities.”

  Dane had put himself in danger. This wasn’t good. Her stomach was in knots. She ignored how her skin buzzed with regret. Last night she’d been tired and emotional. “I have to go.”

  Sophie jumped in her way again and her gaze seemed to penetrate Emily’s soul. “Why? If you don’t love Dane, then come home with us.”

  The words burned into her skin and lungs worse than the salt water yesterday. She choked out her best defense with one word. “Love?”

  “Yeah.” Sophie shrugged and then continued to hammer home her point with every syllable. “I mean, why hurt him even more if you aren’t in love with him?”

  The soles of Emily’s feet burned but the heat pushed higher and higher into her body as she shuffled. This wasn’t fair. Emily turned away and her hands curled into fists as she said, “It’s not just about him though. I can’t just give him my heart and think that everything will be okay.”

  Sophie patted her on the back and her hands were cold to the touch, causing Emily to jolt as Sophie said, “My dad hardly said a word about our mom’s death. Our mom had horrible taste in men, but that doesn’t mean we have to follow in her footsteps.”

  True. Dane had asked her to move in with him and give them a chance. Sophie was happy with her husband, though Sophie patted her stomach and Emily asked, “What does that mean, Soph?”

  Sophie’s face turned red like a pepper as she blushed. “I love Michael, and he loves me too.”

  Something else was happening to her sister, but right now Emily kept imagining Dane out there. She needed to tell him she’d been wrong. “How do you know he won’t leave you eventually?”

  Sophie came closer and whispered like she shared a secret, “I trust in love, and besides, we’re having a baby now.”

  Oh. Emily’s eyes widened as she glanced at her sister’s flat stomach. “You’re pregnant?”