Protect My Heart

by Judy Corry

  “Good morning.” I yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. We’d gotten back from the choir trip late last night, so I hadn’t slept as long as I’d liked. Sure, I’d dozed off on the bus with Emma, but I had woken after a little while. I hadn’t been able to fall asleep again because I was too distracted by the beautiful girl I held in my arms. I’d spent the rest of the ride trying to figure out what I should do about the complicated situation I’d gotten myself into.

  I couldn’t ignore the attraction I felt. But what was I supposed to do? She was way too young for me, even if she didn’t know it. Her parents would undoubtedly object to her dating someone so much older, and Sophie would probably fire me if she discovered I was interested in being more than friends with Emma.

  I pondered on those thoughts as I made my usual green smoothie. Once it was blended, I toasted some bread, then sat down at the table where Jason was reading the newspaper with a serious look on his face.

  He set the paper down just as I finished my food. “Were you able to find out more about the girl who was almost kidnapped?” he asked.

  “Not much. I only got the physical description that I texted you Friday night, and then yesterday Emma told me a few more things . . . but nothing to tip us off on whether it was a random kidnapping or an attempt to find Emma.” I nodded toward the paper Jason was holding. “Do they know who tried to kidnap her?”

  Jason set his finger on the article he’d been reading. “No, it said the girl could only describe the kidnappers as males wearing ski masks. She said there was something familiar about one of them, but she didn’t know why.”

  “That’s not much for the police to go on. Do you think the kidnappers could be working for Fenris and thought they’d found Emma?”

  “I don’t know,” Jason answered. “If girls Emma’s age are the target, it may not be a coincidence—especially since their names are so similar.”

  “Looks like we better keep an even closer eye on Emma now.” I would have to find ways to spend more time with her. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her while she was supposed to be under my protection . . . and for the first time, it wasn’t just because it was my job.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  EMMA

  “I HAVE A PROBLEM,” I said into the phone Sunday morning. “I think I like Arie. I mean I think I really like Arie.”

  “Are you serious?” Maya said on the other line. “When did this happen?”

  “I think it’s been slowly coming on since I met him. I tried to push it away at first because of what happened with Nick, plus I thought you might like him. But after this weekend I don’t know what to do.”

  “I say you go for it!”

  Go for it? Just like that? It couldn’t be that simple. I still didn’t know whether I was ready to trust a guy again. Plus, why would Arie be interested in me? I was about as plain Jane as they came.

  “What if he doesn’t feel the same way?” I whined. “We’ve become really good friends. I don’t want to mess it up.”

  “Hmm, it is kind of a sticky situation,” Maya allowed. The line was silent for a moment. “Has he done anything to show he might be interested in you?”

  “I don’t know. He flirts, but he might be like that with lots of girls. I mean, doesn’t he flirt with you?” I hadn’t seen him around other girls besides my friends, so I had no idea what he was like with them.

  “Not really,” she said. “When he first moved here, I flirted with him a lot, and he played along, but I could tell he didn’t want to encourage me too much.”

  “I don’t know what to think, then.” I raised my free hand into the air as I paced along the plush carpet in my bedroom. “Maybe he’s playing along with me, too, like he did with you.” I sighed. “I wish I could read his mind.”

  “Hey, I’ll tell you what. I’ll watch him more closely at school and see if I can tell whether he likes you or not.”

  “I guess that sounds like a good idea.” I stopped my pacing and sat down on my bed. Having an extra set of eyes to figure Arie out might be helpful.

  “Isn’t crushing on a guy so fun?” Maya asked. “How was your choir trip, anyway?”

  “It was amazing.” I smiled at the memory of hanging out with Arie. “We had some downtime, so that was nice. I hung out with Kathryn for part of it, but she was with Conner Thursday night, so I ended up hanging out alone with Arie.”

  “Lucky for you he’s new and doesn’t have any other close friends in choir.”

  “I know. It was fun being with him,” I said. “He saved me a spot on the bus the first day, and we sat together the rest of the time.”

  “That’s something, isn’t it?” Maya asked.

  “Yeah. And on the bus ride home, he offered to let me lean against him to rest.” I tried not to sound too excited. It had been nice being close to him for so long. The ride had taken four hours, and I had slept most of the time. When I’d woken up, Arie had covered me with his jacket—which was so sweet to me, for some reason. Not wanting to move away, I had pretended to sleep awhile longer.

  “Oooooh.” Maya made her voice go up and down as she said it.

  “He was just being nice.”

  “I don’t know about that,” she said. “A guy doesn’t invite a girl to cuddle up with him unless he’s interested.”

  “Maybe.” A flicker of hope blossomed in my chest. “I sure hope he’s interested.” I realized I had no idea what she’d done last week while Kathryn and I were gone, so I asked her.

  “Landon and Derek invited me to go to a party at Derek’s house Saturday night.”

  “Did you go?” I lay back on my bed, still holding the phone to my ear. I could relax now we were done talking about my new crush on Arie.

  “Yeah.”

  “How was the party?” I was a little surprised she’d want to hang out with Derek since he seemed to drive her nuts at school.

  “It was fun.” Then she hurried to add, “Of course, it would’ve been much better with you and Kathryn there.”

  “You’re just saying that so I don’t feel bad,” I teased.

  “Fine, it was super fun, even without you.” She giggled. “Derek was actually a great host and made sure I was comfortable, since he knew I’d come by myself.”

  “Wow . . . that’s surprising.”

  “Tell me about it.” Her voice took on a serious tone. “Speaking of surprising, isn’t it so crazy about Emmy almost getting kidnapped?”

  “I know. I hope she’s okay. I don’t think I would ever feel safe going out alone at night again if I were her.” She was such a nice girl at school it was weird to think someone would try to kidnap her.

  My parents sure seemed shaken up by it. They’d lectured me all during breakfast about ways to be safe, warning me about going places alone when it’s dark. “I don’t think I’ll be allowed to go to football games anymore after the way my parents reacted.”

  “I know what you mean. My parents freaked out, too.”

  The next Wednesday, I went to the annual Maplebridge Halloween Festival with my parents. My mom used to be an event planner, and because she was going through withdrawal, she’d volunteered to be in charge of the whole thing this year. Since she and Dad had to stay late to clean up, I ended up walking down the street to my work around nine. My parents said they’d come pick me up at work as soon as they were finished.

  I had cleaned all the offices and was coming in from emptying the trash when the sound of male voices drifted down the hall from the lobby. I froze where I was and strained to listen. I could only make out a few words.

  Who is here at this hour?

  Then I heard one of them say clearly in a hushed voice, “I’ll go in and look. You stay here and keep an eye on the door.”

  I peeked around the corner as a dark, bulky figure crept down another hall. My stomach dropped, and I went cold with fear. Thoughts of the almost kidnapping last week came to my mind. Could these be the same guys?

  My heart pounde
d in my ears as I shakily tiptoed toward the back door. Had they seen or heard me? Should I call the police? What were they doing here?

  Footsteps sounded around the corner. Crap! Where the heck was I supposed to hide? Just a few feet ahead was the dark stairwell. My breath came in short bursts as I dashed toward it, barely making it around the corner before the guy could see me. My pulse thrummed in my chest as I tried to formulate a plan. I didn’t have a car outside to assist me in a quick getaway, so I was stuck until my parents came. But I needed to get out of the building before the guys found me. I peeked my head around the corner to see how far the back exit was. About five feet. I could make it if the coast was clear. I glanced down the other way only to yank my head back. A tall, lanky guy with a baseball cap stood at the end of the hall. I leaned my back flat against the wall, placing a hand over my chest.

  I waited and listened for movement. After a few, long minutes, I peeked around the corner again. He was gone. I rushed to the back exit and slipped outside.

  The door creaked loudly as it closed. I clamped a hand over my mouth to hold in a scream as I ran, knowing the guy keeping watch probably heard the noise. I scrambled toward the dumpster at the side of the building and crouched down behind it.

  When no one came to inspect the noise, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket with a trembling hand. My parents should have been done by now. But knowing them, they’d probably lost track of time and ended up gabbing with their friends. My mom was famous for talking anyone’s ear off if given the chance.

  I called my parents, but it went straight to voice mail. Why did they always have their cell phones turned off?

  Maybe I could walk back to the community center. I tried to step back, but my legs were paralyzed. I couldn’t move them if I wanted to. It wouldn’t be good to be seen walking alone in the dark anyway. It would be all too easy for someone to kidnap a lone girl walking this late at night.

  Arie. I could call Arie. I dialed his number, and relief washed over me when he picked up after two rings.

  “Hello?” He sounded surprised.

  “H-hey, Arie,” I tried to whisper with my shaky voice. “I-I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I need help.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Could you pick me up from work? I can’t reach my parents, and I’m creeped out right now. I don’t think I can wait any longer for them to show up.”

  “What’s going on? Are you okay? Are you in danger?” His voice wavered, like he was running, and I heard his truck door open and slam shut.

  “I can’t talk right now,” I whispered back. “I’m at work, and the address is 337 South Main Str—”

  The back door creaked open.

  I hung up on Arie, hoping the guy hadn’t heard me whispering or seen the light from my phone.

  “D?” the guy called quietly. “Are you out here?”

  Silence.

  I pressed myself against the dumpster, not caring what kind of grossness might be smeared all over my clothes.

  My phone made a deafening ring, a discordant echo that shook every cell in my body, putting my pulse on hold. I muffled the sound against my stomach, before finding the button to silence it completely.

  My heart banged against my rib cage as I waited for the guy to approach my hiding spot. But I couldn’t hear any movement.

  The door creaked shut again.

  I sank to the ground with relief as my fingers fumbled to turn the ringer on my phone off. I glanced down and saw I had a missed call from Arie.

  A car door slammed in the parking lot, and an engine hummed to life. I released a breath. After a moment, I poked my head up and saw a dark car parked out front with the baseball-cap guy sitting in the driver’s seat. The bulkier man soon came out of the office, striding toward the dark car with a handful of papers. His face turned in my direction as he scanned the area. I dropped down again before he could see me. It was too dark to get a good look at his face.

  A moment later, I heard the car pull out of the parking lot, leaving me alone behind the dumpster.

  Soon headlights beamed from the parking lot again.

  Had they come back?

  I peeked around the dumpster and recognized Arie’s truck. My blood pumped through my veins as I rushed to the passenger side of the vehicle and jumped in as fast as I could.

  “What’s going on? Are you okay?” Arie’s brow was puckered, and he sounded out of breath.

  “I’ll tell you about it in a sec,” I said, breathing heavily. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I fumbled with my seatbelt. My hands and arms shook so badly I couldn’t hold steady enough to latch it. Arie noticed me struggling and leaned over, placing his hands over mine.

  “Let me do it.” He took the seatbelt from me and snapped it into the buckle.

  “Thanks.”

  He sat up straight again, switched the truck into gear, and turned onto Main Street. He must’ve sensed how desperate I was to get away from there, because he didn’t ask until we were safely parked in front of my house.

  He turned the engine off and stared at me, concern written in his eyes. “What happened, Emma? Are you hurt?” His voice was rough with worry.

  “No, I’m not hurt, just freaked out.”

  “What happened?” He leaned closer and studied me, as if trying to make sure I truly hadn’t been hurt.

  I drew in a shaky breath and told him everything. I let out a big sigh when I finished, hoping Arie didn’t think I was scared over nothing. “I probably sound ridiculous getting so worked up about this.”

  “No, not at all.” He undid his seatbelt and scooted closer to me on the bench seat. I didn’t need any more encouragement than that to undo my seatbelt and lean against him, wrapping my arms around his torso. I didn’t like feeling this way, like a little girl scared out her wits as the big bad wolf circled around her.

  “Sorry I’m acting so weird,” I said after a minute, still clinging to Arie.

  He put his arms around me and gave me a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t be sorry. I know guys are supposed to be fearless and all, but even my heart was pounding as I drove to pick you up.”

  I sat up again and looked at his face. He gave me an understanding smile. “Thanks, you’re sweet.” I wiped at a tear threatening to escape.

  “I’m being honest.”

  “Do you think I should tell someone what I saw?”

  Arie rubbed the back of his neck. “I think so. I mean, if not the cops, then at least the people you work for.”

  I swallowed. “Do you think it could have been those kidnappers?”

  Arie frowned. “I don’t know. It could be.”

  My phone rang, startling me.

  It was my mom.

  I lifted the phone to my ear. “Hey, Mom.” I tried to speak in as bright and cheery a voice as I could.

  “Emma! Where are you?”

  “I’m home. I couldn’t get a hold of you guys, and something happened at work, so I asked Arie to come pick me up.”

  “Something happened at work?” My mom’s voice raised an octave.

  “It’s okay now. I’ll tell you when you get home.” I tried to sound calm so she wouldn’t be worried all the way home. I knew my attempt was futile—she’d been worried all week about the attempted kidnapping. I’d be put on lockdown for sure once she heard about tonight.

  “We’re on our way now.”

  “Okay, bye.” I turned to Arie. “Would you mind waiting with me until my parents get home?”

  “I wouldn’t leave even if you told me to.” His tone was light, but there was something in his eyes that made me think he wasn’t speaking lightly at all.

  “Thanks.”

  “In fact, if you ever end up working late again and wanted someone there with you, I’d be happy to come. You know, in case something like this happens again.”

  Did he really care that much about my safety?

  I cleared my throat. “I might take you up on that. I hate being there alon
e so late.”

  “Please do. I don’t want anything like this to happen again.” He paused and lowered his voice. “I thought something terrible had happened after you hung up on me. And when you didn’t answer my call right after . . .” He sighed and shook his head.

  Dizziness swept over me at the thought of Arie actually caring enough to want to keep me safe. I studied him in the dimly lit truck. The look in his eyes really was sincere.

  He scooted closer. “I’m really glad you called me.”

  “Me too,” I whispered, the dizzy feeling growing as I gazed at him. His eyes were still intense, but there was something else in them, too. Apprehension? Nervousness? He glanced down at my lips and inched closer.

  The truck flooded with light. I broke out of my daze as my parents pulled into the driveway. They opened the doors, jumped out, and sprinted toward Arie’s truck.

  “I better go.” I turned in my seat, feeling my cheeks burn. “I-I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

  I was about to get out when my mom ripped open the door.

  “What happened?” she cried, hugging me as my feet touched the pavement. “You had us worried sick.”

  Once I wriggled out of her tight hug, I told her everything that had happened at work and how Arie had rescued me. When I was done, my mom looked past me into Arie’s truck.

  “Thank you so much for helping Emma out tonight.” She drew in a deep breath, put an arm around my torso, and pulled me to her side.

  “You’re welcome. I’m happy I could help.”

  My mom nodded. “You must come to dinner with us on Friday night so we can thank you properly.”

  “You don’t need to do that. I was doing my . . .” He shook his head. “I was helping a friend in need.”

  “No, I insist.” Mom leaned into the cab of Arie’s truck. “It’s Emma’s birthday dinner anyway, and it would be fun to get to know one of her friends better.”

  Arie’s gaze wandered to me briefly. “Okay. If it’s her birthday, then I would love to come help you celebrate.”