Mugs of Love

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Mugs of Love Page 32

by Norma Jeanne Karlsson


  I refused to pay for Emily. Not without proof she was alive. I needed to see her breathing. Now I’m a feral animal plotting the demise of a bitch that already stole years of my life and is threatening to destroy one of the only things that matters to me.

  Angelique called me an hour after Jordan and I got to my place. That’s when this clusterfuck turned into a nightmare. A walking, breathing, living nightmare.

  Jordan, Devlin, some of his guys and I got on the road to Kansas City immediately. That bitch wants ten million dollars. The money she was promised by Daryl. I have it. I have more than that at my house, but she won’t see a dime of it. She’ll let Switch kill Emily whether I pay or not. And Switch will kill Emily. He’ll enjoy it. He’ll torture her first. Probably rape her as she’s bleeding out and then he’ll end her.

  My only chance to save Emily is to go after her myself.

  So I’m sitting in the pub I used to run my crew out of in Kansas City. I’m a seething ball of rage now that I’ve seen Emily on my phone, sobbing for me. There was nothing about the room they had Emily in that gave me a clue as to where she is. Luckily, Zero isn’t only a serial killer, but he’s also a tech whiz and is currently trying to do something with my phone to track their location.

  “She’s alive,” Jordan croaks.

  “We’ll get her,” Devlin assures us both.

  I don’t respond. There’s no other option. I have to get her.

  The door of the pub swings open and Gerry Garner strides in with four guys behind him dressed in tactical gear. Calling him was painful, gut wrenching.

  “Anything?” he grunts as he reaches our table.

  Sammy, the owner of Galen’s Pub, cleared the place out for me to use. He owed me. Still owes me, actually.

  “Almost,” Zero’s whispered voice answers.

  “I’m sorry,” I apologize to the man in front of me.

  He’s already lost his wife and now his daughter’s in the hands of a violent killer. This is my fault. I should have tied up loose ends when I got out instead of trying to start a new life. A life I don’t fucking deserve.

  “Son, this isn’t your fault,” Gerry says confidently.

  I remain silent. We both know that isn’t true.

  Gerry talks to his guys while Devlin does the same with his crew. Jordan and I sit and stare at Zero, willing whatever he’s doing to go faster. I won’t survive if something happens to Emily. I can’t live my life without her, knowing how good my world is with her in it. I’m nothing without her. Nothing.

  Gerry’s phone rings and his brow knits as he looks at it.

  “Garner,” he clips. “Where? I’ll be right there!”

  “She’s at Truman Medical,” Gerry announces and I quake with relief and panic.

  Jordan’s on his feet running toward the door, but I’m rooted to my seat.

  “Sharp!” Jordan bellows.

  “Go,” I order, looking to Gerry.

  He nods once his understanding. I have to finish this.

  “You get this done and get your ass to the hospital,” Gerry dictates. “Keep my men with you.”

  I offer him a look that lets him know what I’m about to do won’t be close to legal. The man smirks at me and then turns on his heel. Once Jordan and he disappear, I climb to my feet.

  “What’s the plan?” Devlin growls.

  “We go to Ladies. Zero, you got a problem dealin’ with a woman?” I ask, knowing no matter how much I hate Angelique I don’t have it in me to kill her. But she’s going to die.

  “No,” he says through a sadistic smile.

  “It’s a mob club. Usually, ten guys in and around the place,” I explain to the silent men Gerry left me. “We go in heavy.”

  They all nod and check their weapons before we roll out. I take a deep breath of icy air and drop into my ride. It’s a short drive, but long enough for me to think about Emily. I want to be at her side. I want to be with her. Not knowing why she’s in the hospital or if she’ll survive what she’s been through is torture. But I have to do this. And if I’m honest, I’m not worthy to be at Emily’s side. I did this to her. My warmth was ripped out of my life because I’m a bad person who doesn’t deserve her.

  I owe her vengeance.

  I park in the alleyway behind Ladies. There’s one guy on the door. He’s mildly familiar and he pulls his gun instantly when the tactical team piles out of the van that followed me. Devlin and his guys are going through the front.

  The biggest guy at the head of the tactical team drops the bouncer with one shot between the eyes. The suppressor on his 1911 barely makes a sound.

  I step over the dead body and move into the club. There’s pulsing music vibrating through the black walls and pink neon lights. It’s not loud enough to muffle the screams coming from the main club. Gunfire is exploding between beats as I move toward the VIP section on the second floor where I know Angelique will be.

  I hear a few shots behind me, but I don’t turn to look at whom the team dealt with. I’m focused on the task at hand.

  When I reach the top of the stairs, I find Angelique standing behind two mob enforcers. They both fire at me but miss. Big tactical guy pushes me back as two of his guys take out the enforcers, spraying blood and brain matter all over Angelique.

  Finally, the music stops as I stare down the hideous cunt in front of me. The screams of the club are quieting as I stalk forward. Maybe I can kill a woman because my hands are itching to wrap around her throat.

  “He’ll kill her, Garrett. You just fucked up!” Angelique wails, her chest heaving as her hands tremble at her sides.

  “You fucked up,” I snarl.

  I stop a foot from her and scan from head to toe. What did I ever see in her? There’s not a real thing about her. She’s walking plastic, soulless. I hawk back and spit in her face. She squeals and wipes feverishly, only smearing around the blood she’s covered with.

  “You won’t hurt me,” she scoffs. “You broke when you killed that bitch. I know you can’t hurt me.”

  I smile at her. A cold, lifeless tip of my lips. Angelique’s breath hitches at the move.

  “Where do I get to play?” Zero’s hauntingly calm voice asks from behind me.

  “Clubhouse,” Devlin grunts, placing a hand on my shoulder. “We’ve got this. Go to your woman.”

  “How’d you get Emily?” I ask Angelique, ignoring my friend.

  “I’ll tell you, if you let me go,” she says with a waver in her voice.

  “Okay,” I lie.

  “You’ll let me go?” she questions hopefully.

  “I’ll let you walk outta here if you tell me how you got Emily.”

  She thinks on it a minute. No one in the room moves. The men with me know I’m lying. There’s no way I’ll let her go. A smug “I know you won’t do anything to me” smile crests Angelique’s duck lips.

  “I heard a rumor you were in Bluffside. So I sent some clients up to check you out. I knew you’d spot anyone from the life so I sent people you wouldn’t know. They were supposed to go in your shop, but somehow found out about your little bitch before that happened. That was surprising, but not as surprising as finding out her ex is running a prostitution ring and funneling money out of the country in her name.

  “We approached this Adam guy and he offered to help us if we could get Emily free of you. He needs her to get his hands on his off shore money or some shit. Problem was, the clients I sent never came back. Adam said you did somethin’ to ’em. So I had to wait until there was time to plan a grab. Adam said he could get Emily to come out alone and to be waiting. Switch had been in Bluffside for a week when he finally got the call. You know the rest,” she finishes with a cocky smirk.

  That was always this bitch’s problem. She thinks she can manipulate and outsmart anyone. I fed that shit with her while we were together. I’m not that man anymore.

  Angelique saunters past me and winks, truly believing I’ll let her walk. My arm whips out and grabs her around the throat
. She violently thrashes, ripping at my skin with her fake nails. A little more pressure and I’ll crush her windpipe. I want to. I’ve never wanted to kill someone as much as I do right now.

  Instead, I throw her body at Zero, who catches her easily. She yells and struggles until Zero clamps down on her neck, rendering her unconscious.

  “Go to Em,” Devlin orders. “We’ll grab Warren once we’re back in town.”

  “He’s mine,” I snarl.

  Devlin snorts and claps my shoulder before saying, “I’ll enjoy watching.”

  “You need us for anything else?” big tactical guy asks, as Zero carries Angelique down the stairs.

  “Thanks for your help. Do you guys have any way to track the off shore money she was talkin’ about?” I ask as I shake his hand.

  “No problem. Emily’s a good woman. You keep her safe,” he directs before leading his team away.

  “I see you fuckin’ strugglin’, brother. You gotta push through. Get your ass to the hospital,” Devlin growls, shoving me in the back.

  “If it was Jenna?” I mumble, rubbing a frustrated hand across my stubbled jaw.

  “I’d struggle. I’d push through. And I’d be at her side. Don’t leave Em after what she’s been through. That’s fuckin’ selfish in a way I know you’re not. Get outta here before I’m forced to cave your head in.”

  I nod and convince my feet to move, stepping over bodies as I go. I spy the tactical team in the security room destroying all evidence of us being here. There’s only one more loose end to deal with. And Adam Warren will be dealt with.

  The drive to the hospital is a blur. I mindlessly walk down corridors until I get to the room a nurse told me Emily’s in. She’s in a room. She’s not dead. With a boulder in my gut, I push the door open.

  Gerry and Jordan snap their heads in my direction, but I’m focused on Emily. She has butterfly bandages on her forehead, wires coming off her body, a few tubes coming from her arm and a peaceful look on her sleeping face.

  “She’s been askin’ for you,” Jordan whispers.

  I nod and make my way to her bedside, dropping into the chair waiting for me next to Jordan. I run my calloused hand through her blood-stained sandy hair as my heart clenches.

  “She was shot in the calf. Lost a lot of blood. They got the bullet out and gave her a transfusion,” Gerry explains quietly.

  Switch shot her.

  That motherfucker is a dead man.

  “She killed him,” Jordan says with pride. “Cops just left. They told us it looks like she was carjacked and held against her will. We didn’t disagree. They asked where she was tonight and we told ’em she was leavin’ her dad’s to go home. It should play.”

  “She killed him?” I ask in utter shock that my sweet Emily could kill anyone. She won’t even kill a spider.

  Jordan nods.

  “That’s my girl,” Gerry says in awe, squeezing her hand.

  I trail my eyes down her body and rest my gaze on her flat stomach. I want to ask if she’s pregnant. If we lost our baby because of what she’s gone through. But I can’t get my lips to move.

  “Garrett,” Emily rasps and I’m an inch from her face in an instant.

  “Hey,” I say softly, rubbing her cheeks with my thumbs.

  Her golden green eyes crack open and I see relief wash over them before tears begin to leak.

  “You’re safe,” I soothe her, pressing kisses to her skin.

  “I love you,” she sobs.

  “I love you too, Sugar,” I whisper. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry.”

  Emily shakes her head fiercely. “It’s not your fault.”

  I don’t say anything. It’s my fault. Angelique is my past. There’s no one to blame but me.

  “You’re gonna be a daddy,” she says tenderly, cupping my cheek.

  I release a giant puff of air and close my eyes, willing myself not to cry.

  “About that,” Gerry grumbles.

  “Don’t start, Dad,” Emily mutters.

  I brush my lips across hers a few times before retaking my seat. My hand reaches out and cups her belly. I’ve gone from feeling cold and lifeless to burning with warmth. My woman always makes me feel warm. Emily’s chilly hand lays on mine followed by Jordan’s and Gerry’s. I look up at Emily and smile.

  I don’t deserve her. But I have her. And nothing will come between us again.

  Delicate fingers running along the side of my face wake me up. I’m hunched over with my head on Emily’s stomach. I can’t climb in bed with her so I’m doing as much as I can. The sun is beaming through the windows as I open my eyes, locking on golden greens.

  “Hey,” I say with a thick voice.

  “Hey,” Emily replies through a grin.

  “How’re you feelin’?” I ask, sitting up.

  “Like I’ve been shot,” she answers honestly, wiggling her toes a little. “I stabbed him in the neck with a door knob.”

  “A door knob?”

  “I knew I had to get away. He was gonna kill me either way. I could feel it. I knew you couldn’t get the money and even with the money, I was dead. So I ripped the door handle off the bathroom and waited for Switch or Angelique to come back for me. They were keeping me in the basement of a parking garage. Not that I knew that, but I knew I was in a basement and when they dragged me to a different room to call you, I saw a staircase. It was my only choice.

  “I slammed the door on Switch when he poked his head in a while later. I busted his nose and then cracked his head again. I took off up the stairs and about died climbing the steps to find a door. I have to start doing more cardio. When I ran across the parking garage, Switch started shooting. I could stay out of sight on the ramp while I ran down, but when I got to the exit, it was all boarded up. There was an opening between two pieces of wood so I shoved my body through it and that’s when he shot me.

  “He grabbed a hold of my leg after that, but I tried to fight him off. When he put the gun to my shin, I stopped. Switch smashed through the barricade like the Hulk, furious and covered in blood from his nose bein’ smashed. Then he leaned down to get me off the ground where I fell when he grabbed my leg. I took the chance and stabbed the pointy end of the knob in his neck. I wasn’t aiming for his neck. I was going for…I don’t know actually. I was just swinging. Anyway, I got him in the neck and I’m pretty sure I killed him.

  “I don’t feel bad about it either. I know I should. I took his life, but he was gonna take mine. There was nothing in his eyes, Garrett. It was like he was already dead. That doesn’t make it okay. Or maybe it does. I had to save our baby. That’s all I could think about. He was gonna kill me and the baby. I just started living. Truly living. I couldn’t give up. I had to fight,” she finishes strongly.

  “Fuck,” I grunt.

  That’s a lot. This is not a normal Emily rant and I’m boiling with fury now. Switch is lucky Emily killed him. He’d be on a meat hook for a month before I’d finished him off. My kind, sweet woman had to murder that motherfucker to save her life. I didn’t get to her in time. I didn’t keep her safe. I didn’t keep my child safe.

  “You don’t get to feel bad about this, Garrett Sharp,” she dictates, yanking my arm, so I’m close to her face.

  “Emily,” I warn her.

  “Don’t you dare! I know you feel bad. I understand that Angelique is a part of your past, but that’s it. You didn’t tell her to take me and act like a crazy person. You cut your ties with that life and built a new one with Cody and me. Do you regret the life we have?”

  “No.”

  “Good because you’re stuck with my cranky pregnant butt. I feel okay now, but I’m sure this will take time for me to get beyond. We have to be strong for each other. Please don’t leave me. Angelique and Daryl win if you do. They get to steal your life like they intended to in the beginning. They don’t get you, Garrett. You’re mine,” she growls possessively, pulling my lips to hers.

  Then she waits for me to take over. And I do. I slide my lips
across hers, tasting every inch. When I lick the seam of her lips, she opens to me, slowly running her tongue along mine. It’s a deliberate, passionate kiss full of emotion. I’m drinking in her warmth and pouring all of my love back into her. An affirmation of life, tangible and real.

  “Gross!” Jordan yells as he enters the room.

  Emily smiles against my mouth before I press a chaste kiss to hers.

  “Em?” Cody’s tentative voice shakes behind me.

  I step back from her and before I can hug my brother, Cody dives on top of Emily, sobbing hysterically. I had him wait until this morning to come visit. The hospital was already giving us shit about it being past visiting hours. Gerry left early this morning to go track down more information about Adam with his team. I think he’s considering taking him out himself. I can’t begrudge him that. If I lose the opportunity to kill Adam because Gerry does it first, I don’t give a shit. Adam hurt his daughter and used her as a pawn in a fucking warped game. If I have a daughter…let’s hope that doesn’t happen. For the safety of all future teenage boys, let’s hope I don’t have a daughter.

  Emily holds Cody tightly to her chest, rubbing his buzzed head as she shushes him. There’s a sniffle at the door and I turn to find Hunter holding Alyssa in his arms, Jenna trying to hold both of them. When Devlin walks in, he scoops Alyssa away from her brother, taking a chair next to Jordan at the end of the bed and cradles her like a baby in his arms. He does that a lot with the teenage girl.

  “Can I get in on this?” Hunter asks, trying to sound like his normal joking self but fails, sounding sad.

  Emily waves him over and he dives against her other side. She holds both boys and I move to Jenna who has tears streaming down her cheeks. I fold her into my chest and kiss her hair.

  “I’m so pissed,” she mumbles into my neck.

  “Me too,” I grunt.

  She clings to me a bit longer until Emily calls out, “Alyssa.”

  Alyssa climbs out of Devlin’s lap and walks to Emily as Hunter and Cody release her. Then Alyssa shocks the crap out of me by climbing her tiny body into the bed with Emily, curling around her.

 

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