by K. C. Crowne
It wasn’t easy to say those words. It would be even harder to leave the house knowing I was leaving Emmy behind. But she was in good hands, that I was sure of.
And we’d talk later about whatever it was she was trying to tell me. I’d make sure no one interrupted us again.
Emilia
“Wow, this smells amazing,” I announced, slipping into a seat at the kitchen table.
Sam was finishing up at the stove while Mason joined me at the table. “Sam takes after our mother in the cooking department,” he told me with a big grin.
“It’s just biscuits and gravy. Anybody can do that,” Sam said.
“Yeah, but not the way you do, brother,” he said.
“You’re just too damn lazy to cook,” he quipped.
“Lazy? Or busy?”
Sam placed a plate in front of me, and the smells coming off it caused my mouth to water. A heaping pile of biscuits smothered in country gravy with a side of bacon that was perfectly crispy. This pregnant woman’s dream breakfast.
Sam took a seat across from me, and it hit me. I’d only met these guys the day before, and already, I felt welcomed into their household. It wasn’t awkward for me to be sitting there with them eating breakfast without Graham.
In fact, it felt natural.
The guys continued bantering, and I couldn’t help but laugh at their taunts. It was clear the two of them loved each other. They shared inside jokes and nicknames. It made me wish I had a sibling.
I thought about my child. I wanted to have more children one day, to give them siblings to grow up with. That way if something were to ever happen to me, they’d have each other.
They’d never be alone like I was.
If I had sons, I would be proud if they grew up like the Harveys.
It was a shame that my child would likely not know any of them.
Unless, of course… I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, and I trusted Graham.
My phone buzzed, and I reached inside my pocket to shut it off. As soon as I did, it started buzzing again. I checked the name. It was from my dad. Or at least someone with his phone. I thought about answering, but Sam’s eyes were on me and it made me re-think it. I clicked to cancel the call. A few moments later, I got a notification for a voicemail.
“Maybe we should talk to them,” Sam suggested.
“No.”
He watched me closely, but he didn’t argue and nodded his head.
What if I’d put these people in danger? They might be able to take Antonio down, but the Lombardo family was powerful, and what if one of them - or more - got hurt or killed because of me? What if I ruined their perfect family?
A lump formed in my throat.
“Is everything okay?” Sam asked from across the table, clearly reading my expression.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I feigned a smile and piled the last forkful of biscuits and gravy into my mouth. “Better than fine actually. This is delicious.”
“Thanks. You know, Graham can cook pretty well himself,” Sam said with a wink in my direction. “Maybe he’ll cook for you sometime.”
“Maybe so,” I said wistfully.
As soon as my plate was clean, I stood up to walk it into the kitchen, but Mason grabbed it off the table.
“No need, I’ll take care of it,” he said.
“Oh, no, it’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me.”
Mason shook his head and sauntered into the kitchen with his and Sam’s plates as well.
“We’re all pretty damned stubborn,” Sam said.
“Yeah, I can tell,” I chuckled. I remained standing as if I didn’t know what to do with myself.
“So you were woken up pretty early,” Sam commented. “If you need to rest some more, I can take up guard outside the door while Mason keeps an eye on the security system.”
“How long do you think Graham will be gone?”
“Knowing him, he’ll get his ass back here as soon as he can. He really didn’t want to leave, from what Mason told me.” He sat back, watching me as he said, “You know, I’ve never seen him act this way with any woman before. Hell, I can’t remember him ever bringing a woman home before.”
“It’s not like that.”
“It’s not?” Sam asked, lifting a single eyebrow.
“No, we’re not serious,” I confided. “In fact, we hardly know each other.”
He nodded, snorting a laugh as he said, “Well, I know my brother, and I’d say he’s pretty smitten with you already.”
I averted my gaze, unable to look him in the eyes. I didn’t want him to see that I was smitten as well. I cleared my throat and regained my composure. “I think I’ll take you up on the offer to rest, if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly,” he said, standing up. “And if you’d like me to throw your clothes in the laundry, you can toss them out the door and I’ll take care of it.”
How could these men be so good? There has to be a catch somewhere, I told myself. I smiled. “Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it.”
I followed Sam to Graham’s room and closed the door behind me. Once I was alone in the room, the silence was almost frightening. I was tired, but I couldn’t really sleep. My mind was spinning. I grabbed my phone and took a deep breath before pushing the button to listen to the voicemail.
I was surprised to hear my dad’s voice. I half expected it to be Antonio telling me my father was dead. I could hear the fear in his voice. He’d been crying, I could tell.
“Emilia, I’m so sorry for everything. I know it’s too late now, but I love you. And I’m sorry. I regret everything, and I just want you to be safe, sweetheart. Whatever it takes. I don’t care about my life or my business. I just want you to be safe and I know now that Antonio will not keep you safe. Please, Emilia—”
The line cut off before he could finish what he was saying, but it was enough. Tears welled in my eyes and my hands were shaking. I leaned against the wall and my knees went weak, so I just slid to the floor.
Hearing my dad like that hurt. I could tell he was scared, yet, there was nothing I could do for him. I could go back, but…
What if this was a ploy to get me home? He was playing with my emotions and meant none of that.
But what if he did mean it. He said he loved you, Emilia. He’s your dad, of course he loves you. How could he not?
No, I argued with myself. It’s likely a trick. You can’t believe anything that comes out of that man’s mouth. Not a single word.
I could hardly breathe and was gasping for air when there was a knock on the door.
“Everything okay in there?”
“Yes,” I croaked. “I’m okay.”
“Just call out if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Sam,” I said, almost too softly for him to hear.
Don’t do anything stupid, Emilia. Wait until Graham gets back and you can tell him everything. He can help you sort out your thoughts and figure out what to do next. You just have to wait for Graham.
I calmed myself down enough to breathe, and once I felt strong enough, I pushed myself to my feet. I walked over and laid down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. But my thoughts kept coming and I couldn’t stop them. Memories of my father flashed before my eyes. The urge to call him back was there, but I remembered my baby each time the urge became overwhelming.
My baby was the only thing keeping me away from Vegas, and I knew it. Otherwise, I might have rushed off to help my dad, sacrificing myself in the process, even though he didn’t deserve it.
Unable to lay in bed any longer, I shot up and paced Graham’s room. I moved between the desk to the bed to the dresser then back to the desk again. My eyes fell on his desk. His laptop sat in the center. I could pull up a movie or something. Anything to distract me.
I sat down at his desk and flipped his laptop open. Papers littered the small desk. Graham wasn’t the most organized person, I thought to myself as I pressed the spacebar to turn on the sc
reen.
Sign-in required.
Dammit. What would Graham use as a password?
He was a security expert, so there was no chance of logging into it without knowing the password. It wouldn’t be as simple as the name of his mom or anything like that, and he sure as hell wouldn’t have it written down somewhere.
I was getting antsy, so without even thinking about it, I began stacking and re-stacking the papers on his desk, trying to tidy things up a bit. A slip of paper fell from the stack and onto the floor. I bent down to pick it up and my heart stopped.
It was a page of copies of checks written out to Jack Wiley. The name rang a bell, and that’s what triggered my panic. It had been awhile since I’d heard it, but Jack’s name sounded familiar. Everyone in Liberty knew the Wileys, especially Jack. He was nothing but trouble.
I did a quick tally of the math and the amount I came up with was astronomical. Where had Graham come up with nearly a million dollars to give to Jack?
I grabbed my phone and did a quick Google search for Jack’s name, and the first article that came up was titled, “Jack Wiley arrested for the murder of his father.”
Shit. I didn’t need to look any further than that.
I looked around the room I was in - the house was nice, sure, but a little homely for someone with a million dollars to throw around. And why would he be sending money to a criminal?
I may have been blind to my father’s dealings for a long time out a wilful ignorance, but I wasn’t about to be taken for a fool twice.
I argued with myself that Graham wasn’t like my father. There must be a logical explanation.
No. People lie, Emmy. People lie, they cheat, they steal, and they barter away their daughters for business dealings. I never thought my own father would do such a thing, yet he’d sold me off to a Mafia boss.
My heart was racing, and I honestly wasn’t sure what to think. The Harveys seemed like such good guys. Only an hour or so before, I had sat down to breakfast with them and hoped my sons might turn out like them.
But I’d also thought perhaps things were too good to be true…and it would seem that I was right.
It made sense…they were pretty sure of being able to take down the Mob. Perhaps because they had a criminal enterprise of their own? I couldn’t risk getting caught up in a war between criminal masterminds.
I grabbed my phone and quickly typed a message to Liv.
Graham was right - I was trapped and unable to go anywhere without a car. But I wasn’t completely hopeless.
My phone rang a second later.
“Liv, I’m sorry to bother you on your honeymoon—”
“We just got back this morning,” she said. “What is this about you needing a car?”
Graham
“You know, I really appreciate all you’re doing, Graham,” Teddy said.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and surveyed the buildings on the block - all of them sandbagged.
“I’m happy to help, Teddy,” I said. “How’s Madison doing?”
Teddy’s face lit up with the mention of his wife. “She’s doing well. She’s planning a surprise birthday party for Jack, but you probably know all about that now.”
“Yeah, she called me last week,” I chuckled. “She thinks it’s important that his brothers are there since we missed every other birthday of his. I agree with her.”
“Good, I hope to see you and the guys there,” he said. His eyes moved past me to the street and he frowned.
“What’s going on?” I asked, turning around.
A black car was pulled up to the curb, talking to an older woman walking down the street. A man passed her something from the window.
“I need to go check that out,” he said. “Don’t recognize the car or the driver.”
A chill ran down my spine, and I had a bad feeling about it, but I nodded. “Of course,” I said. “I think we’ve done all we can for now, so I’m heading home.”
“Thanks for your help, Graham.” He patted me on the back. He walked away from me and toward the mysterious vehicle. I stayed put, watching as Teddy talked to the person in the car. A moment later, he returned to my side.
“What was that about?”
“They’re looking for someone,” he said. My body tensed. “His wife, I guess. I didn’t recognize her, and I didn’t get a good feeling talking to him, so I think I’ll run his plates when I get back to my car.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” My eyes never left the vehicle. “I’m going to head out,” I said finally. “But let me know if you need anything else.”
I walked down the street in the direction the car was headed, and I saw it parked out front of Smothered in Love directly behind my truck. I walked to my truck and opened the door, but I heard a voice from behind me.
“Excuse me. Do you have minute?” I turned to find a man behind me. An older man. Too old to be Antonio Lombardo. He was balding with a black moustache.
“Sure, what can I do for you?”
He handed me a picture. Emmy’s picture.
My jaw tightened, but I tried to keep my face as blank as possible. Just as I thought, they were looking for Emmy.
“Have you seen this woman?”
“Can’t say that I have,” I said, passing the photo back to the man. Except he didn’t take it. His eyes were on me, and he studied my face.
“Are you sure? Can you take another look, just to be sure?”
I glanced down at the photo, pretending to study it for a moment. “Nope. I think I’d remember a pretty face like that.”
The man took the photo back, and before he could ask me any more questions, I climbed into my truck and shut the door. He remained on the street, too close for me to pull out of my spot.
I rolled down my window even though the rain was starting again. “Do you mind?”
“Oh yes, I’m sorry.” His voice was flat. He watched me as I pulled out of the spot, and when I glanced in my mirror, he was still in the street. He watched as I pulled away, then turned to a woman walking out of the diner, showing the photo to her.
At least he’s not following me, I thought. But dammit. They were in Liberty already. I knew they would get here eventually, but I had hoped the flooding and the rain might slow them down. Obviously Antonio was persistent.
As soon as I was outside of city limits, I pressed down on the gas. I sped as fast as I safely could toward home.
He was still looking for her, which was good. She was safe. But I wasn’t satisfied with that. I quickly dialed Sam’s number.
He answered on the first ring. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“How is she?” I asked. “Tell me she’s still there.”
“She’s in your room, man. She tossed me some laundry, and I’m throwing it in the washer now, but I saw her two minutes ago.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Thank God. She was fine.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re in town. They’re passing around her picture and asking if anyone has seen her,” I said.
“Damn, they’re fast,” he commented. “But yeah, she’s fine. Is Eli with you?”
“He was working on the other side of town. Could you give him a call? I didn’t have a chance to yet. I just wanted to get home as fast as I could.”
“Yeah, I’ll call him. I think it’s best if we get everyone back here. We need to be on high alert.”
“I couldn’t agree more, brother. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“Drive safe,” he said before hanging up.
Ooo000ooo
I pulled into the driveway and stopped short of my usual parking space. I shut off the engine of the truck and hurried toward the front door. Everything was quiet as far as I could tell, which should have been a relief. But I wouldn’t feel right until I saw Emmy myself.
Until I could hold her in my arms again.
I busted through the front door and called out for her. “Emmy?” No answer, but that didn’t mean anything. She m
ight not have heard me. I rushed up the steps and saw Sam perched outside my bedroom door. He was sitting in a chair playing on his phone.
“Where is she?”
“She’s in there,” he said, hooking a thumb at the door. “I think she’s asleep, so I didn’t want to bother her.”
“Thanks, man,” I said, reaching for the doorknob. I turned it slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. If she were asleep, I wanted her to remain that way. She needed her rest.
My eyes fell on the bed as soon as the door opened. It was empty. My heart raced, but I told myself it didn’t mean anything. Where would she have gone?
“Emmy?” I called, walking into the room and heading for the bathroom.
The door was open, light was off. I stepped inside the small bathroom and she wasn’t in there. I scanned the room again; no sign of her.
My closet door was ajar, and I walked over to it, opening it in case she was hiding in there for some reason. But she wasn’t. The only thing I noticed was that someone had gone through my clothes.
Dammit. Where is she?
“What the hell?” Sam’s voice spoke from behind me.
A wind blew through the room, rustling the blinds and curtains. We both looked toward the window. It was wide open.
“Where is she?”
“That’s what I’m about to ask you,” I growled. I grabbed my brother by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. “Where the fuck is she?”
“I— dammit, Graham! I don’t know. I didn’t think she would sneak out the window,” he said, his voice calm. “Why would she? It was my duty to make sure no one was coming into the place to get her, not to keep her here. These windows can only be opened from the inside and we’re two stories up.”
“So what? You’re saying she climbed down the fucking tree and left on her own?”
“I’m saying that’s the only way that could have happened. Mason is keeping an eye on the feed.”
My eyes fell on something on my desk. I dropped my brother and walked slowly over to the pile of papers. It was a note. I opened it and read it to myself.
Graham,