CHAPTER NINE

AMBER

 

WHEN I ARRIVED at the gym, Kirk nearly tore my arm off dragging me into the room where Liam lay. I had never been manhandled like this before, but there was a place and a time for everything, and right now Liam was important. Once this was all over, I needed to have a chat with Emmett.

“What happened?” I asked Matthew, who stood calmly at the side of Liam’s bed. It was a strange contrast to the state of the other men in the room.

“Ripped his stitches while I took a piss. I came back to this,” he pointed at the bloodstained sheets. I pulled back the bandage that was thrown on the wound. Wiping away the blood that bubbled out of the wound wasn’t doing any good as more gushed out to replace it.

My skin prickled. “This isn’t from ripped stitches,” I said. Kirk had started to get restless a moment ago, and JP tried to calm him, so I wasn’t sure if he heard me. Dread dripped down my spine.

“Just fix him, doc.” I looked at Matthew, my stomach gave a little twist. His voice was calm, his eyes hard.

“I’m not a doctor, and he needs one or he will die.” My rising voice got Kirk’s attention. He pulled me to face him, hurting my arm again.

“What?” Kirk demanded. I yanked my arm back, getting pissed.

“I can’t help him,” I told Kirk, and he sneered. I wanted to say more, but the panic and hurt in his eyes made me keep my mouth shut.

“You shouldn’t have brought her here,” He insulted me to JP.

“Help me get him to the car.” He told Matthew as he made his way around the other side of the bed. I didn’t think to move him was wise and said so, but it fell on deaf ears. Matthew hadn’t moved, and Kirk stood away from his brother. “Matthew?” He questioned his stillness.

“Boss said no one is to leave.”

Kirk’s face changed, and I felt afraid in this room with these men. I took a small step back. Nobody noticed.

“I’ll try Mandy again,” JP said. I nearly jumped at the sound of his voice behind me, but managed to keep myself still. He left the room, leaving me with Kirk who ran his hands over his face and scratched his beard, before pulling out his phone.

“This is bullshit; I’m ringing him.” He had the phone to his face. I could hear the ringtone. I glanced at Matthew who stood still, calm, collected, and when his cold eyes met mine, I shivered. But then I could hear Emmett’s voicemail as Kirk hung up, swearing. I returned to Liam, holding the bandage down on his wound. If he lost any more blood, he would die. I knew Matthew watched me, but I didn’t glance up. I knew he had done this. Why? I didn’t know, but he didn’t want Liam to survive.

JP came back into the room. “Her phone is off.”

Kirk swore again. “Matthew, my brother will die if I don’t take him to a hospital.”

“Boss said no. You know why.” I felt sorry for Kirk. I didn’t have to look up to see his face. This wasn’t right, but I knew not to open my mouth, and I didn’t, even as Kirk left and slammed the door so hard that I swear I heard it crack.

“Matthew, this makes no sense. Mandy has never had her phone off," JP moved beside me. “What can I do, Amber?"

God, I felt hopeless. I glanced at Matthew before speaking to JP. “The wound is too deep, he needs surgery, or he will die, so there is nothing you can do.”

“Ring him!”  JP said.                    

“I’ll tell you what I told Kirk, he said we all have to stay here.”

JP moved swiftly and pinned Matthew against the wall. “Ring him now,” he released Matthew slowly. “Please Matty,” the nickname was said with pain.

“I’m sorry, son,” Matthew said.

“JP, hold this,” I ordered him, using the same no-nonsense voice Mandy had used. He looked at me, confused for a moment. “You asked if you could help. So, hold this bandage over his wound.” JP replaced me, and I wiped my hands on a towel before fishing out my phone. I rang Emmett, but it went to voicemail.

“It’s me, Amber. This boy, Liam, is going to die if we don’t get him to a hospital. All we need is–“ I got cut off by the beep. Man, he really needed to do something about his damn voicemail.  When I turned around I was met with thanks from JP, but Matthew wasn’t pleased at all.

“No means no. That’s a lesson that you need to learn.” His tone sounded threatening, but I didn’t bow to him. I didn’t poke the bear, either. Instead, I took back over from JP. Liam’s pulse had slowed down; his face was pale. This was crazy. He was going to die. Then, suddenly, a banging on the front door had JP leaving the room. I didn’t like being left with Matthew. “You keep your mouth shut, or I’ll shut it permanently.” I met his eye. “You hear me?” My skin tingled like spiders raced all over me and I shivered. His threat confirmed what I suspected. He had done this to Liam.

“Yeah,” I swallowed the fear; shivers broke out over my arms.

Mandy raced into the room, and for the first time, I could see fear on Matthew’s face. Kirk and JP crowded in too. Mandy quickly checked Liam’s wound. The efficient way she moved told me wounds like these she was very used to seeing. “What happened?” she didn’t glance up as she dabbed up the blood.

“His stitches ripped,” JP answered her. Matthew kept quiet, but when I looked up he was watching me. His eyes held a warning.  I was pulled away as Liam started to convulse under my hands, his eyes flickering. It was like he was taking a fit. A fist tightened in my stomach.

“What’s happening?” Kirk yelled as he crowded in, but Mandy was the picture of calm. In her zone, she held Liam down by the shoulders, and then he flat-lined, the alarms ringing. Mandy spent the next fifteen minutes doing CPR as I held a cloth to the wound. She stopped with tears flowing down her face, and pronounced Liam dead at five minutes past four in the morning. Kirk left the room quietly, Matthew followed, and I curled my hands into fists at the injustice.

JP moved to Mandy, who still sobbed, and pulled her into his arms. I let the cloth go and pulled the white sheet up over Liam’s face. I didn’t know what to do. Leave, stay, clean up? My phone ringing had me apologizing as I left the room. It felt so disrespectful.

“Hello,” I quickly answered, not looking at the caller ID.

“What’s happened?” It was Emmett, and I don’t know why but his voice made me want to cry with relief and anger all at the same time.

“Liam died,” I whispered looking around the empty gym, my eyes scanning for Kirk, but he wasn’t here.

“I heard. I’m sorry you had to be there.” He spoke with such a monotone voice that I wondered if he had even heard me correctly. But of course, he had.

“I had rung because if he had been taken to a hospital he would have lived," I whisper-shouted, feeling my anger rising again.

“I’m sorry,” he said again in his usual emotionless tone, and I hung up on the bastard. He wasn’t sorry. I quickly turned my phone on vibrate, it started to vibrate immediately in my pocket, so I turned it off and returned to the room. JP still held Mandy, but when I arrived she looked up at me, guilt and grief in her eyes.

“Someone had stolen my phone. I came back here to look for it; I didn’t know…”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded, having an idea who stole her phone, but the only confusing part was why? Why would Matthew kill Liam?

 

***

JP had taken my phone, and I wasn’t allowed to leave the premises. Absolute bullshit, and he knew it. “If you give me my phone, I will call Emmett, and he can tell you it’s okay for me to leave,” I said for the hundredth time and I got the same answer.

“No, Amber, you can’t leave. I’m sorry.”  ‘Sorry.’ If I heard that one more time, I was going to scream. I sat on a weight bench and watched as people started to flow in slowly through the early hours of the morning. Everyone embraced each other as the chatter filled the gym. No one approached me, but plenty whispered and glanced in my direction.

Hours passed at this horse shit when finally, Emmett arrived. I didn’t move, but took in his battered face and unusual attire. He wasn’t in his usual suit. He wore sweatpants and a hoodie; it made him seem almost normal. My stomach tightened when he gazed over the people and right at me. His sea blue eyes pierced me, and I couldn’t hold his stare as he walked towards me. Instead, I took in his confident stride and how everything seemed to gravitate towards him.

Once he reached me, I looked at him. My pulse spiked. “How’s the other guy?” I asked. He didn't smirk like a normal guy would. No, Emmett kept to his usual stiff self.

“Dead.” He sat on a rowing machine across from me. What could I say to that?

We sat in silence for a moment as I watched the people. I knew Emmett was watching me, but I couldn’t meet his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for me to speak first, but when nearly everyone in the room became way too interested in me and Emmett, I broke the silence.

“Look, thanks for the job and everything you have done. I really do appreciate it–but–this…” I said, sweeping my arm out, encompassing the scene before me, “…is just too crazy for me, Emmett, so I won’t be staying.” I wasn’t looking at him, but the blood that I had just realized still sat under my nails. My stomach churned. Yeah, this was just too much. When he didn’t speak, I looked at him. He was staring at me. I couldn’t get a read on him.

“You can’t leave.” His tone was deep now.

My stomach twisted at his words and I swallowed. I could get myself out of this. I was good with people, even crazy ones. “Look, you have my word—what happened with Liam, I will never say a word.”

“No.”

I sat back. This was stupid. I had legs, so I used them and got up, making my way to the door. Everyone grew silent as Emmett’s fingers wrapped around my arm. “If I want to leave, I will leave, Emmett. Now take your hands off me,” I spoke with conviction, but my stomach did somersaults. A part of me feared him, yet another part of me liked his touch.

Emmett pulled me in, and I had to look up at him. I didn’t feel comfortable being this close. “You can’t leave. Don’t argue with me.” His voice had lowered, and laughter bubbled up my throat. A small sound escaped, but I clamped down on the hysteria.

“Let me go,” I spoke calmly, and he loosened his grip, but didn’t release me.

“It’s not safe for you out there.” I could feel everyone’s eyes as they burned into my back.

I pulled my arm loose. “I can take care of myself.”

“He’s trying to help you,” Matthew spoke from behind me; I internally shivered at his voice.

When I looked at him, I narrowed my eyes. “Like the way you helped?” I was being brave and stupid, but this was fucking crazy. Matthew didn’t answer me, and Emmett’s hand found my arm again. I was so sick of being manhandled. I pulled my arm back and walked away from the door, back into the gym. The moment I was a few feet away, chatter started up again, but Emmett quietened everyone down. Mandy and JP came out of the room where Liam lay. Mandy found me and gave me a nod, one I didn’t return. Kirk moved out of the shadows also, and sat beside me. No one saw him, and maybe that’s what he wanted. I didn’t say anything; there was nothing to say.

“Everyone needs to go to the compound. Once everyone is in, it will be locked down until further notice."

“Why? What’s happened?” A guy with a funky-looking haircut and an eye patch asked. His woman, who was wearing way too much black eyeliner, hugged his chest.

“There is a threat from the Russians, one that we can talk about later, at the compound.” That was it, no more questions. Everyone started to talk and organize themselves to leave. This was my chance.

“He’s trying to keep you safe,” Kirk spoke low and without much emotion, but the fact he would defend Emmett after seeing his brother die was beyond me. It made me pause.

“I’m not one of you, Kirk. No one knows me.” I didn’t speak angrily, I made sure my voice came out gentle. He looked at me, his eyes red and swollen and filled with pain, pain I could identify with. Pain I understood all too well. 

“You are now, Amber,” he looked over my shoulder at someone. His nod of respect told me who it was.

I stood up and Emmett blocked my way. “I’m not going anywhere, Emmett,” I told him and after a few seconds, he moved to the side. I left him to talk to Kirk.

Nearly everyone left, except JP, who still held Mandy, and Matthew, who watched me. He stood close to the main door, keeping an eye on everyone. I would never get out now. I looked at Emmett, his head bent slightly with Kirk, their conversation seemed deep and serious. I moved a little closer to the door. Mandy and JP remained in their own world. I looked at Matthew, who smiled at me. “I’m taking a piss,” he said, and walked away. Was he serious? I looked at Emmett one more time before I slipped out the door.

JP had taken my phone, and I didn’t have my bag or anything, but I needed to get to the hotel and pack my stuff. I would leave this place and go home.

I kept looking over my shoulder the whole way back to the hotel, Emmett’s words for some reason taking form and coming to life like monsters. Every alleyway I feared I would be dragged down, every balding man reminded me of Matthew. Would he kill me? Had I been too hasty to leave? When I reached the hotel, my stiff shoulders relaxed slightly. My body screamed with tiredness, but I couldn't remove the image of Liam's face from my mind. I knew I had to get away as fast as I possibly could. What the hell had Grace gotten me into? The thought of Grace had me pausing. Would Grace be safe? I made a note to call her when I was at my destination. For now, I had to get moving before Emmett came looking for me.

Riley sat at the desk, and I plastered on my smile and told her I misplaced my bag, so I lost my key. She gave me another one while informing me that I would be charged for it. I smiled and told her that would be fine. No wonder this place could afford all the marble and gold.

I didn’t waste a second getting my stuff. I would have loved a shower. The bed looked inviting and my stomach rumbled, but I needed to leave. I packed my bag and got the eighty dollars cash that I had previously stuffed in my suitcase. I looked at the money in my hand, all the money I owned in the world. I would make it last. I took one final glance around the room before leaving. I opened the door and nearly walked right into Emmett. Motherfucker.