by Vi Carter
“I didn’t say idolize, I said liked.”
I grinned, that was doubtful. But for some strange reason, it made me feel…warm.
“So how did you guys meet?” I asked as Michael walked around the bar to make a drink.
“Martini?” He questioned as he flipped the bottle of gin in the air and caught it behind his back. He winked at me as he caught it and poured. I nodded and then watched in amusement and appreciation as he mixed it and shook it like they did in the movies. I had never seen anyone do this, and I became transfixed at how quickly and efficiently he moved. He poured it into two glasses, squirted lemon in both and dropped in an olive, before sliding mine to me, I took a sip.
“That’s real nice,” I told him.
“That’s how I met Emmett’s father. I was bartending, and one drink led to another. He offered me a job I couldn’t refuse.” He moved back around the bar and sat beside me. I took another sip of my delicious martini.
“What kind of job?” I asked, and Michael grinned. At that moment, he reminded me of Craig. He was good looking in a boyish way; his brown eyes and spiky blond hair added to his boyish looks.
“I feel like you’re using me for information.” He drank deeply, looking over the glass at me. I knew when I was being flirted with, and I was being flirted with. It felt nice to do something so normal. Just flirting instead of people hauling me around the place, trying to stay alive and save lives.
“Just making conversation, Michael.” I smiled at him and his grin turned into a smile. But he was right, I was looking for information. He wasn’t going to tell though, so I went down a different lane. “I didn’t see Emmet's father here?” I said, and Michael straightened, the boyish grin gone as a voice spoke from behind.
“That’s because he isn’t here.” Why did his voice make me straighten up just like Michael? I didn’t want him to have such an impact on me. Pretending he didn’t bother me, I took a drink of my martini, draining it. As Emmet sat across from me and Michael, my stomach tightened at the intensity in his eyes. The blue was so pale. Frost, that’s exactly what came to mind while taking Emmett in. “I don’t speak to my father,” he added. I looked over at Michael to gauge his reaction, and I had to blink a few times. I wasn’t sure if he was breathing.
“Sorry,” I said, feeling awkward. Still looking at Michael, I wasn’t sure how to read this situation.
“I’m not. He's a prick.” My eyes quickly darted back to Emmett as he said that, and his face had hardened. His eyes sharpened even more, turning the blue into a raging sea. I felt like the fool who thought the dog was cute, but discovered it was a lion. Looking for something to do, I drank my unfinished whiskey from earlier. This was awkward.
“I’m going to do the rounds.” Michael said as he stood up, sliding back his stool. “Goodnight Amber,” His now formal way of speaking sat weirdly on him. It just didn't work.
“Yeah, night.” He left the room, and the silence had me going behind the bar. I didn’t have a clue how to make a Martini and I wasn’t going to try. So, I found a fridge with Budweiser as a silent Emmett watched my every move, making me nervous. “Want one?” I asked.
It took him a moment to answer, like it always did. “No, I don’t drink.”
I found myself grinning at his blatant lie, one I called him out on.
“Well, that’s a lie, the other night? When you rang?” I reminded him.
“My jaw was swollen, and I couldn’t talk properly.” I stared at him, seeing the fading bruises. Right. I took two more Buds out of the fridge and placed them on the bar before sitting back down.
EMMETT
I wasn’t sure if I made her uncomfortable, and I wanted her to relax, but the silence had her glancing around the room and fidgeting.
“Tell me about your family.” My request surprised both of us. I had so much to do; instead, I was making chit-chat. But the minute I asked it, I realized that I wanted to know everything about her, and I was in no rush to leave her company.
She took a deep swallow. “I have one brother and amazing parents.” Her smile lit up her eyes, the green vibrant like the deep green of a perfect leaf. “My mum is amazing. I mean like super mum. She bakes…I mean really bakes. I always remember either scones or buns in the biscuit tin, fresh brown bread, apple tart of a Sunday. She’s the type of mum that loved education, you know what I mean?” She stopped there and looked at me, waiting for some kind of answer. I stared at her. I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. My mother was never there. All she ever cared about was money and more money. But I was not about to let her know that, so I simply nodded, and I relaxed when she continued, happy with my answer.
“She always read to us, teaching us about the universe.” She took a drink, still smiling, still lost in her memories. So perfect. So happy. Good, I wanted her to feel relaxed. “My Dad, he worked so hard for us, always wanting me and my brother, Luke, to have the best in life. He wasn’t exactly a hands-on dad, but when we needed him, he was there with his words of wisdom.” She looked at me now, her smile fading. “Jesus, sorry, I’m boring you, you ask me a simple question and I give you an essay.” She held up the drink ruefully. “Budweiser, turning me into a real talker.”
“You’re not boring me.” I wanted her to continue, but now she looked too aware of her surroundings, too aware of me. She didn’t drink now, but played with her bottle. “My mother was absent most my life.” I never spoke about this, and I wasn’t sure why I was now, to her. It wasn’t a secret, I just never wanted to discuss it, but right now, I just didn’t want her to leave.
AMBER
He stopped speaking then. Grace had never told me much. She was like my soul sister, but she struggled with her feelings towards her mum. I knew she was shit, but how shit? Well, I was going to find out.
“Yeah, Grace never talked much about her, so I assumed she wasn’t winning any mother of the year awards.” The bottle nearly fell from my hand as Emmett smiled a genuine smile at me. Wow, it transformed him. His eyes that had the ability to freeze a person, now melted me. The blue crystal clear and sparkling as he smiled. My stomach tightened. His lips pulled into a smile showed a dimple on his right side, one I had never seen before. My heart skipped a beat now. He winced in pain, his battered face not ready for the smile.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” I said.
“For what?” The frown that marred his face was genuine. He had no idea why I was apologizing.
“I was going to say for making you smile, but I’m not. You wear it well.” He stared at me, that strange, creepy stare, like he didn’t blink, and I could feel myself going red. He was so out of my league, and now he must have thought I was hitting on him. Crap. “I j-just–” Now I was stuttering. Wow. What a mess-up.
“I wasn’t hitting on you,” I said. I needed to clarify that. God, he was back to being unreadable.
“I don’t know, Amber, it seems like you are.” For the second time, I nearly let the bottle fall. He smiled, and I realized he was joking. What the fuck? I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face, and I took a drink just to process this new version of Emmett.
“Well, Michael said you liked me,” I said boldly. Way too much drink. When he didn’t say anything, it annoyed me more than it should have. “Well do you?” I don’t know why I needed to know, all I knew was I did. I held my breath as I waited for him to answer.
He answered my question with a question,“What do you think?”
“I think–I think. I don’t know," I answered honestly.
We stared at each other and for the first time, he looked away. I was on a roll tonight.
“We got trouble at the gates, boss.” Suddenly appearing behind me, Matthew scared the shit out of me and I jumped. The moment between Emmett and I broken. This time, the bottle finally fell from my hand and spilled over the bar and down on top of me. I jumped back with a cry as Emmett passed me a towel. I reached to take it, but he didn’t let it go, forcing me to look at him.
“Please stay inside.” This time, it was the way he said it that had me agreeing. It was like I mattered. Mattered to him. The warm feeling returned, and I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t want to feel this way about him. It was too dangerous.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
EMMETT
I TUCKED THE 9mm that Matthew gave me into my waistband before taking the walky-talky. One of my father’s crew, David, waited at the gates, high and armed. As I approached the gate, Kirk and JP waited. “Open the gate,” I told Marcus, who hesitated briefly.
The moment David saw me, he started to babble, drool leaving his mouth. The gun that he clung to waved wildly around. That was a problem, and I had to get to him before he did anything stupid. “David,” I greeted him while moving carefully in his direction. I hadn't really known him when I worked with my father, but I recognized him as one of my father’s. I had seen him around the house from time to time, always ready to do my father’s bidding. “Give me the gun,” I told him stretching out my hand.
He stopped talking and looked at his hand as if it was his first time seeing the gun. Something changed, and he glanced around, standing taller. I froze as I looked down the barrel of his gun. In this state, he was unpredictable and I didn’t know what his motives were. He wiped the spit from his face, his eyes focused, alert. Kirk, JP, and Matthew pulled their own guns at the same time.
“I don’t want no beef with you, Emmett, but I want my sister."
His sister? I was confused. I hadn’t seen his sister in a long time…I stepped forward. “Lower your gun, David. Don’t be stupid.” Did he really think if he shot me that he would just walk away from this?
“I will put a bullet in your mother fucking head if you don’t get my sister," The drugs fueled his courage, which right now was fucking stupid and made him dangerous.
“Lower your guns.” I kept eye contact with David as I ordered my men to stand down. Guns were lowered, but still held at the ready.
“What’s your sister’s name?” I asked calmly.
“The one you’re screwing.” His other hand clenched and unclenched along his side, his irritation growing, which made him volatile.
“Rachel,” he sneered when I didn't speak. That surprised me. They looked nothing alike, and I hadn’t met her as part of the crew. With Rachel, it had been one night in the hotel. She was there, I was bored.
“She’s not here."
His face reddened. “You’re a fucking liar."
I smiled, backpedaling. I needed to keep him calm, not antagonize him. “Yeah I am, I never could fool you, David, always smarter than the others." He relaxed, liking the false praise. I held my hands out. “Let me just get my phone and ring her to come down," I continued to smile, relaxed, open, and friendly. “I don’t want this to get ugly."
“I respect you, Emmett, so no hard feelings," The beast inside me roared to life.
“It’s forgotten,” I lied, and he looked relieved, he lowered the gun a fraction and smiled. The beast inside of me relished what came next. The little punk had just made a major mistake.
“Thanks, man.” His stance shifted slightly as he rubbed his neck with his free hand, as if to relieve the stress of the moment. I used the moment and pulled out my own gun. I fired one clean shot that hit him between his eyes. He hit the ground, his own gun sliding across the tarmac. Everyone moved at once. Kirk and JP grabbed him and brought him inside the gate. I picked up his gun.
“Get someone to clean this up straight away,” I ordered Marcus. I returned to the compound with Matthew at my side.
Some of the guys met us at the door. “We heard a gunshot.” They were armed and ready.
“It’s fine, just one of my father’s cronies.” Surprise filtered through my men. Since leaving over a year ago, I hadn’t heard from my father, so for someone to show up now surprised me. “He was looking for his sister.” Who I needed to question. I needed to know what that bitch had been relaying back to my father and his men.
AMBER
After Emmett left, I cleaned up the alcohol I had spilled. I had just straightened up the bottle when a gunshot had me knocking it over again. The bottle shattered on the floor and I jumped back, avoiding small shards of broken glass. The noise had come from outside. I left the house. Movement at the gates caught my eye, but I couldn't see exactly who was out there from this far away. Two men moved closer, not close enough for me to make out their faces, but close enough that I could see they carried another man. His head was bowed, his feet dragged along the ground like he was dead. I froze for a moment before moving out of the line of sight and using the bushes as camouflage. I couldn’t make out much from here. My heart skipped a beat as Emmett moved in my direction with Matthew. I moved deeper behind the bushes and held my breath until they had passed and once the door closed, I looked out from my hiding spot. A light from an outbuilding switched off and two other familiar figures moved back towards the house. I waited until JP and Kirk moved past me, and once they walked back inside, I made my way to the barn.
It was dark inside, so I had to leave the door open to let some light stream in. My blood pounded in my ears as I pushed the door open in further. Fear of what I might find had me closing my eyes briefly before I pushed the door open far enough to see the man. I covered my mouth to muffle a scream as the body came into view, a very clear bullet hole in his head. Nausea bubbled up inside me, but I couldn't move as I stared at the dead man's young face and for the hundredth time, I wondered what I’d gotten myself into. These people were killers, cold-blooded killers. I wondered what this guy had even done to deserve such a death? I needed to get out of here.
With that thought, I left the barn, a plan, not a great one but a plan none the less, forming in my mind. The cameras that were situated everywhere would pick up my movements, but I hoped my stroll didn't alert anyone, as I made my way to the gates. Then an idea struck me.
“Hello,” I tried to sound cheery and business-like as I knocked on the gate.
“Yeah.” A voice spoke from the other side.
“Here to help clean up,” I said. There was a pause, and dread filled my stomach in case he said no. They didn’t need help. I needed to get out of here. Panic started to build inside of me at the thought of my plan failing, but when the click of the gate sounded, I took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. Once it opened, the guy who had spoken to me looked me up and down.
“Who sent you?” he asked, looking curious now. He held a bucket and a large brush leaned against the gate.
“Kirk, he said you might need a hand. I wanted to help.” He swallowed my lie and gave a smile.
“I’m going to get more water, you can keep sweeping the area.” He didn’t say the area that was soaked in blood. I returned his smile, hoping I didn’t look too nervous.
“Sure, no problem.” I picked up the brush as he gave me one more look before he went behind the gate. I didn’t wait. The cameras were watching all this. I dropped the brush and ran like my life depended on it.
I hadn’t a clue where I was. Once again, I found myself penniless and without my phone. I tried to remember our journey here. It wasn’t far from the hotel, which wasn’t far from the gym, and that's where my bag was. But I couldn’t risk going back there. I had only one person who I could try to find, Craig. I didn’t want to, but I could go to the house that the party was at, see if anyone had seen him. It was a long shot, but I had no other choice. Now I just had to figure out how to get to that house.
I ran until my breaths were labored. I wasn’t sure how long the black SUV was following, but as I settled into a quick walk, I became aware of it. The windows were tinted, and I couldn’t see inside. I kept glancing at it, without looking at it. It moved slowly. I walked faster and turned a corner. It followed. It didn't think it was Emmett, he would have just got out of the car and I don’t think he would have been as nice as he had been at the hotel. Now I had my regrets about leaving the compound. Paranoia and too many drinks fogged my mind as my hear
t raced, but every turn I took, so did the SUV. I was being followed. Fuck.
I broke out into a sprint and the driver floored it, chasing me. I ran blindly until I ended up at the gym, I don’t know how. My mind must have been on autopilot. I ran down the alleyway along the side as the sound of brakes screeching and doors slamming had me moving faster. I grabbed the back door handle of the building, it was locked. My stomach plummeted, I couldn’t think. Panic clawed at me, my mind wouldn’t focus.
Two men rounded the corner, both dressed in dark clothing, both with their eyes trained on me and I took a step back feeling helpless, raising my hands. “I don’t have any money.” I knew they didn’t want my money, but I just couldn’t focus. The one on the left, with a scar from his lip all the way across his eye, moved towards me, his black gloves filled my vision as he grabbed me. I went limp, all the energy left me. A chemical smell like chloroform burned my nose. Dread trickled down my spine. I struggled against the man’s hold uselessly as he carried me effortlessly towards the SUV. Hazel eyes with flecks of gold filled my blurring vision.
“Why are her eyes open? I thought that stuff would knock her out.” The other man now moved into my line of sight as they placed me in the back of the SUV. “Give it a second, you moron.” His voice was gruff with annoyance.
And, as if on cue, my vision started to blur around the edges and I knew if I closed my eyes, I was as good as dead. But as much as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t stop the darkness that closed in on me.
“Ah, she’s out." The voice was light, almost feminine. It belonged to the man with the brown eyes.
“I told you.” The door closed, and the vehicle started to move. I could hear everything so clearly, but I couldn’t see or move. I commanded my body to move, but nothing happened. Other people got kidnapped, but not me. Please, God, don’t let me die this way. I had so much I still wanted to do. Maybe I was dreaming. It felt like dreaming. But the two men’s voices made this real.