I was glad it was still dark as we drove to the airport.
“Our destination requires a plane?” She looked at me worriedly.
I laughed, pulling her tighter against me. “Yeah, is that okay?”
She stared out the window at the plane. “It’s just been a while since I’ve been on one.”
I kissed the top of her head. “How long?”
She cleared her throat. “Never.”
I looked at her. “But you were so happy about Paris.”
“Yeah, I just forgot about the plane part.”
We got seated, and she looked cute as she nervously sat by the window, ticking her leg and staring out the window.
"Mr. Mandrake, flight control has given us the green light for takeoff. Are you ready?” I nodded to the flight attendant.
Emmalin gripped the armrest and looked panicked. Her eyes darted to the window as the plane began to move.
I leaned over, shut the window, and turned her to face me. "Look only at me, okay? Breathe.” She nodded. “Did you know it's impossible to hum while holding your nose?"
She raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"It's true. It's impossible to hum while holding your nose."
She looked at me, confused. "How do you know that?"
I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. "Don't believe me? Try it."
She laughed. "You're ridiculous."
"I tell you what. I'll try it. And if I can't hum, then you have to do something for me."
She glanced at me skeptically. "Gee, what does this remind me of? And how do I know you aren't purposely going to not hum?"
"Touché. Fine, then you hum, and if you can't hum, then I win. But to make it fair, I hold your nose.” She rolled her eyes, and I made a mental note to keep track of her eye rolling.
She held out her hand. "Deal."
I could barely hold in my laughter as she tried to hum.
She made sure to sulk about it for all of ten seconds before she started laughing. "I can't believe you, Grayson Mandrake, knows something like that."
"Yeah, well, it worked, too.” I reached over and opened her window shade, and she gasped. We had already reached altitude.
"Sneaky.”
“I think the word you were looking for is ‘clever.’ Are you hungry? Breakfast will be served here shortly.”
“Am I free to wash my hands, or do I have to stay buckled in?”
“Well, as much as I would love you buckled in, you are free to roam. Down the hall to your left.”
While she was gone, I thought about that morning's events and all that transpired. Telling her about my past was a big step for me. Losing Carmen fucked me up in life. Then there was dealing with Lydia’s shit.
And then there was Emmalin. I still didn’t know what she was running from or who she was running from. I needed her to trust me again.
She came back and sat across from me. She was back to laying those bricks back out. Before I could comment, breakfast was being served.
“So how long is our flight?”
I looked up from my cup of coffee. “Why? Did you have somewhere to be?”
She sat her fork down on her barely touched food. “I was just wondering. You hardly had me pack anything, just the essentials.”
“Well, it’s not kidnapping. You came willingly, although that probably wouldn’t stop me. Did you want something else? I can have Leslie bring you something else. You didn’t eat much.” She looked at her plate. “I noticed your lack of eating these last few days, and with the amount of alcohol you consumed last night, it has me a little on edge about your health.” She rolled her eyes before resting her head back against the seat and shutting her eyes.
“Emmalin!” She jumped. “Did you forget you have diabetes?”
She sat up, pushed her tray to the side, and stood up. “No, Grayson, I did not forget I have diabetes, because I can’t forget, even if I fucking wanted to. I can’t ever forget, because if I tried, it finds a way to remind me, okay? But there are days when I just want to feel normal because I forget what that feels like. As for the lack of food, I was going through a breakup because I was hurt, so I didn’t order room service. But because I was staying in the penthouse suite, it had a fully stocked kitchen, so I still ate a little. I don’t need you to baby me. I get enough of that shit from Tyler.”
I stood up, towering over her and definitely not liking the comparison to Tyler. I guided her to look at me. “I’m just looking out for you because I worry. You’re off, and if something was to happen to you…” I pulled her tight against me. “I’m sorry about last week. I’m so fucking sorry that I hurt you. I didn’t want you to find out that way, and I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you. I was scared you’d run. You did run. And the look on your face killed me.”
She pulled back. “I appreciate you sharing your story. I know it wasn’t easy. I just wish you would have told me sooner. Don’t lie to me again, Grayson. I mean it, about anything.”
I nodded. “I promise.”
Two hours later, we landed in what I found out was Naples, Florida. Thirty minutes later, we drove up to a quiet beachfront property. Grayson looked nervous, yet he had a smile on his face the entire time.
“Your homes just get bigger and bigger, don’t they?”
“This is more of a family home.” He got out of the car, came around, and opened my door before I had time to question him.
I looked around the property. It was huge, yet it had a warm feeling to it.
“I wanted you to feel the love I have for you by bringing you around the people who I love.” I looked up at him, and he appeared a bit anxious. Grayson Mandrake, the man who walks into a room and everyone practically bows to him, actually looked anxious. He was taking me home to meet his family.
Then it dawned on me. He was taking me home to meet his family. I’d never done that. Panic quickly overtook me.
He grabbed my shoulders. “Hey, they’re going to love you. Is this okay?”
I looked at him and the house, took a deep breath, and smiled. “It’s okay.”
He grabbed our luggage out of the trunk. I looked at him questioningly because neither one of us packed luggage. “I had all of this prearranged.” He guided me up to the house.
“And what if I said no about coming?”
He whispered in my ear. “I told you before, I always lay my cards out.” Just then a dog came running past us followed by a squeal.
“Uncle Gray!” I stood by the door as a little blonde girl came running into Grayson’s arms. He scooped her up, and she gave him the biggest smile. “What took you so long? Did you see our new dog?”
“You mean that mutt that ran through here?”
She laughed as if it was the funniest thing ever. “Noah picked him out at the shelter. His name is Baxter, and because he’s so big, Mom said I got to pick out a cat. Her name’s Shelby.” I stood back smiling, as she smoothed back Grayson’s hair.
“Abigail Lyn, did you find him?” We both turned toward the woman coming from the other room. I assumed she was his sister. She smiled as she walked toward Grayson, arms outstretched. “Hey, brother, good to see you, and not just at some event.” He checked her over as they shared some unspoken communication. I remembered the conversation we had about her addiction. That must’ve been hard on everyone and had to have taken its toll on them.
Baxter, the dog, came trotting over to me, sniffing around my feet. I wasn’t raised with dogs. I was never allowed to have one.
“He’s a pit and very friendly. My name’s Abby. Who are you?”
Grayson came sauntering over. “I’m so sorry, Abby, Meredith. This is Emmalin.”
Meredith hit Grayson in the chest. “You left your girlfriend at the door?”
Abby giggled. “Dad said I can’t have a boyfriend until I’m thirty.”
“Thirty-five!” In walked a man with a little boy on his shoulders, followed by an older couple.
It looked like I was meeting his whole family. As if sensing my nervousness, Grayson pulled me tighter against him.
His mom went straight for me, fanning him away. “You see her enough.” She pulled me into the biggest hug that, at first, shocked me, but I quickly relaxed. She held me out at arm’s length. “You are stunning. It’s so good to meet you. I’m Lorraine, and this is my husband, Chad.” I shook Chad’s hand since he was more formal.
“Mom, Dad, this is Emmalin. This little guy here is Noah, and this is Meredith’s husband, David.”
I hoped to remember everyone’s names.
“Uncle Gray left his girlfriend at the door.” Abby giggled.
Lorraine turned to me, and I clarified, “Not really. I was just standing there.”
She rolled her eyes at Grayson. “You have to forgive my son. You’re the only girl he’s brought home in forever, and you would think we didn’t teach him manners. Grayson, I swear.” She punched him in the arm. I laughed as I noticed a theme among the Mandrake women. “Why don’t you guys get settled? I’m sure you’re tired after your trip, and we’ll meet for lunch in a few hours.”
We said our short good-byes as we made our way to a guest house a short distance away.
The guest house itself was impressive in size. I was looking at some art when Grayson wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled into my neck. I missed that. I missed him.
“If you prefer to stay at the main house to be closer to your family, we can.”
He growled in my neck. “I spent days without you. I’m choosing to be selfish by wanting to keep you all to myself for the short time we’re here. And if I know my family, which I do, they’re already over there planning our wedding, and us getting involved with details like that just gets in the way.”
I awkwardly laughed as I stepped out of his embrace. He studied me. “So you never brought a girl home?” I asked hesitantly.
He shook his head. “I never had girlfriends after Carmen died.” Oh. “Come on, I want you to lie down. You barely got any sleep this morning, and judging by the bags under your eyes, you're running on a few hours of sleep at best.” I started to protest, but he put his hand over my mouth. “None of that.”
I smiled as he pulled my dress over my head. “You’re always taking care of me.”
“I want to. You keep fighting me over control, trying to get me to compromise, so you resort to other tactics you think I’m not aware of.” He pulled back the duvet and motioned for me to get in before he got in behind me and pulled me closer.
“What do you mean ‘other tactics’?”
“You use sex to gain control or to ignore the topic. You top from the bottom. Which by the way, you think you’re winning, but in reality I’m just really enjoying the sex.”
I gasped and punched him in the shoulder. “You knew about that.”
“Baby, I had you figured out the first time you did it. It was sexy as hell, I must admit, and I wanted you to do it again. But at the end of the day, I commanded your body. I’ll always command your body.” He shifted on top of me. “Why is that, Emmalin?” I moaned as he traced my nipple with his tongue through my camisole. I arched into him. “You know I hate repeating myself.” He moved to my other nipple.
“Because,” I breathed.
He chuckled before rising up and flipping me over so fast I didn’t have time to react. I yelped as he bit my shoulder.
“Topping from the fucking bottom. Will you ever learn, or do you need to be taught a lesson?”
I shrieked as his hand came down on my ass, hard, taking me by surprise. By the second and third blow, I wasn’t shrieking; I was moaning and a bit hazy. I really was thankful we were in a completely separate house.
Grayson nipped my ear. “My vixen forgot how much she liked pain, did she?” I nodded and felt a rip as my panties were tossed to the side. Then he thrust two fingers in. “Fuck, your wet, greedy pussy is tightening around my fingers.”
I moaned. “It’s been too long.”
“I told myself I was going to be good this weekend, but right now, I want nothing more than to sink into you.”
“Please,” I heard myself whisper and gasped as he started to fill me. He paused to give me time to stretch around him, both of us breathing hard.
“More?” he asked, and I nodded. He inched more and we both moaned. “I need you, Emmalin. I need you so bad.” He thrust in all the way to the hilt, and I was on fire. “I need to feel you come, baby.”
I moaned as he reached around and started rubbing my clit. I screamed as the pressure built. When he bit hard into my neck, I let go, completely shattered.
A few hours later, I woke up from a nice sex coma with Grayson tangled around me. I tried to move, but his grip tightened.
He snuggled in my neck. "Going somewhere?"
I smiled. "No, but I think we should join everyone."
He sighed. "I suppose I could share you for a few hours."
I gave him a chaste kiss. "Good. I'm going to shower. I still have no idea what you packed."
Fifteen minutes later, I came out, and Grayson was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at something on his tablet. I came up behind him and was shocked to see it was pictures of Caleb and me outside the pub.
I sat next to him. There was another of us getting into the cab and another of us at the hotel with him caressing my face. I didn't even realize anyone had followed us.
"My PR representative sent these over. They were scheduled to be released today."
I looked at him. "Were?"
He nodded. "Were, as in no longer." He shut the tablet, and we just sat there, not saying anything.
I stared at my hands in my lap and asked, "Why?"
He turned abruptly and angrily asked, “Do you want them released?"
I stood up, tightening the towel around me. "No, of course not. That's not what I meant. Nothing happened. He was just seeing me home. He was being nice. Hell, he was just passing through, and I stumbled." All of a sudden, I felt the need to explain how such an innocent gesture was taken way out of context in the pictures.
"I know,” he whispered.
"What?"
"I said I know. Just because I'm not there doesn't mean I don't have eyes on you, Emmalin. I appreciate that he was looking after you. What I don't appreciate is that you were dodging Alistair."
"I wasn't dodging him. I don't need a babysitter, Grayson, and I don’t like being watched like that.” I opened my suitcase, finally taking a look at the clothes that were packed for me. None were clothes I had ever seen before.
"Ever the defiant one," he said as he walked past me, heading for the shower.
Not wanting to prolong this discussion, I quickly got dressed and headed to the main house. I decided to explore the grounds a little and noticed an impressive backyard that led out to a private beach.
"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?" I jumped at the voice.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know anyone was back here. I was just taking a walk, Mrs. Mandrake."
She waved her arm. "Lorraine, please. Sit with me, please."
I tentatively joined her on the patio, and we sat in silence for a few minutes watching the waves crash.
"It's good to meet you finally. My son was worried you wouldn't come after the weekend you two had."
I gazed up at her. "He told you?"
She nodded, taking a sip of her iced tea. "He was beside himself, and I know Grayson. He's always the strong one, but there was so much anguish. And I knew, I just knew, if there was someone who could cause that much infliction in his soul, then he loved her. You keep him on his toes. It’s good for him. So when I say ‘it's good to finally meet you,’ I really do mean it.” She placed her hand on top of mine, leaned over, and kissed the top of my head before going into the house.
I sat there with tears welling in my eyes. They'd known me for five minutes, and the love here was overwhelming. I hadn’t felt that in so long. I got up and walked out toward the beach, staring into the water.
"Hey, there you are.” Grayson's arm circled around me. I tried to hide the fact that I'd been crying, but he saw. "Hey, you okay? What's wrong?"
He started looking concerned, as his brows furrowed as he started to check me over. I shook my head.
“Eyes on me, Emmalin.” I shook my head and tried to look the other way, but he held my face firm. “Emmalin,” he whispered against my lips.
“Grayson, they say to do one thing every day that scares you. Loving you scares me. It scares the shit out of me. But believe me when I say, I'll be doing it every damn day of my life."
He kissed me with such intensity, he took my breath away. "You're mine, Emmalin.”
I nodded.
The rest of the weekend with the family couldn't have been better. If it were possible, I would say they loved her more. There were still things we needed to discuss when we got back to Chicago. This time away was a small pause until we got back to reality, but it was much needed. I already had her things brought from the hotel to the brownstone. Now we were back home from out small, but needed getaway, still trying to figure out our lives.
"I just got an e-mail. My apartment is done."
I paused at the fridge. "Maybe now is a good time to discuss you moving in on a more permanent basis.” She furrowed her brow. “What’s the difference? You live here now. What has to change?” I pulled her to me. "We're together and we love each other, that much is evident. I've no plans of letting you go. Ever. So what's the problem? I want you to move in with me. Permanently.” She tried moving out of my grasp, but I held her tighter. "No. Say it."
"I liked having my own place. It wasn't much, but it was mine. I earned it."
"It was a shitty place, Emmalin."
She went lax in my arms and went back to cutting vegetables. "Thanks, Grayson. I did the best I could with what I had, but thanks for making me feel like shit about it."
I ran my hand through my hair. Fuck, even I knew what I said was a dick move. I put my arms around her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant your place wasn't the safest for you. I just want what's best for you."
Tensing, she slammed the knife on the cutting board. "I want to keep my apartment, Grayson. And Tyler needs a place when he comes to town.”
I tensed at that fucking name. “I think Tyler is grown enough to take care of himself, Emmalin. Why is he even a point of argument with you?”
She threw her hands up. “I’m not entertaining this discussion regarding Tyler with you anymore.”
“You do know your feistiness, your stubborn as fuck attitude, and your unwillingness to compromise has me hard as fuck right now, right? I’m two seconds from tying your ass up and fucking you so deep, you’ll sure as hell remember it was me tomorrow.”
Her eyes widened as she looked down at my pants. Granite. She shook her head. "You can't just do a mind fuck on me, Grayson. That's not how this works."
"Can't I?” I took a step toward her as she took a step back. This was going to be fun. She held her head high, looking determined.
"We should at least compromise. It's only fair."
We both stood very still, watching each other like prey. She bit her bottom lip. Well, that was the wrong thing to do. All of a sudden, I reached up and swiped the kitchen island of all of its contents. Everything flew to the floor. Watching in shock, she didn't have time to react as I grabbed her and threw her on top as she squealed. "What's this you said about me not doing a mind fuck?" I growled in her ear. "I hope you don't like this dress.” I ripped the seam and the buttons went flying. "Hands stay flat on the table, understood?"
She nodded, and I raised an eyebrow. "Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, sir.”
Moving around the island, I never took my eyes off her. I retrieved a hand towel from the counter, folded it over, and placed it gently over her eyes. Her breathing hitched. I grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer.
"You're so beautiful, laid out before me, like my personal feast.”
I flicked the scissors, making sure she heard the sound. Turning her head, she followed the noise. She flinched as I trailed the cool part of the blade down her neck slowly toward the apex of her breast. Snip. I watched as her bra fell on either side of her. I continued the trail, circling the blade around a nipple before taking it into my mouth as she arched into me with a moan. Slowly, I slid the blade down her stomach, pressing the tip more firmly, just enough to leave a light mark, and then harder until she hissed, and I swallowed her gasp with a kiss. I didn't want her to bleed, but I'd be lying if the thought didn't cross my mind. Reaching the edge of her lace panties, I watched the scissors slice through the material like Christmas paper.
"That was my favorite set, sir."
I smiled. "You'll get a thousand more," I whispered against her lips. "Talk to me."
She lightly sighed. "I'm scared, but I'm also excited. A part of me thinks this is all too fast, and I don't know if moving in with you is the wisest idea, yet when I'm with you is when I feel the safest.” As she talked, I lightly massaged her body, urging her to continue. "I don't want to be dependent on you. I won't be. I fought too hard to be where I am. I had to. Everyone I ever loved left me.” Her voice cracked.
I took off the blindfold and pulled her to me. This wasn't about a damn apartment. This was about her holding onto something she considered her haven because of abandonment. This was the first glimpse into her past that she ever acknowledged. I scooped her in my arms and kissed her softly as she trembled. I walked us to the bedroom, laying her down gently and covering her with my body until she started to fall asleep.
"He can't find me," she whispered right before she fell asleep.
My body froze and I stared at her. She was asleep, but I heard it, and my blood turned cold. I pulled her tighter against me. I had a call to make, but I waited, making sure she was sleep before going to my office.
It was time to dig. I picked up my phone, dialing the one number I trusted. Jack Devers. Ex-CIA. He answered on the first ring.
“Mandrake, been a while since I’ve heard from you. Must be important.”
“It is. I need you to pull up everything you can regarding two people.” I heard movement in the background.
“Somebody of importance?”
“Very. And they could possibly be in danger. I don’t know yet. Emmalin Ross and Tyler Langer. I also need eyes on Langer, just in case.” I heard typing in the background.
“And the girl?”
“She’s mine. Not to be touched, unless she’s in danger, of course, so keep a distance. But Tyler rubs me the wrong way. I think Emmalin is in danger, and that bothers me.”
There was silence.
“Okay, give me a few days. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up.
I sent Jack the information I had before heading back to check on Emmalin. She was still sleeping. I went down to the kitchen and cleaned up the mess and prepared a quick dinner before waking her up and making her eat.
"Why are you staring at me?” She narrowed her eyes at me.
I shrugged. "I didn't realize I was."
She pointed her fork at me. "You're acting weird tonight. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I have an interview in a few days."
Now I had a reason to stare. "For what?”
She rolled her eyes. "A job. They said it's temporary, but it could lead to full time, so we'll see.” She looked up at me, smiling, but when she saw I wasn't smiling back, hers diminished.
"Why are you looking for another job? You have one."
She set her plate to the side. "After we broke up—"
I cut her off. "We didn't break up.”
She paused before continuing, "I didn't think working for you was a good idea anymore, and I started looking for other jobs."
"Were you that eager to get away from me?"
"Yes. I didn't want it to be any more awkward than it already was, Grayson. It would've been hard to see you. This is why people shouldn't date those they work with.” She kept talking, but I was already wondering if Jack had come up with anything.
I finally honed back in. "Who’s your interview with?"
"No one you need to concern yourself with, Grayson.” That damn mouth of hers.
I smiled, turning off the lamp and pulling her toward me.
"What?" she asked.
"Oh nothing. Just thinking how it's funny that you think that by not telling me, I still won’t find out. You do recall I knew where you lived without you telling me, right?"
She laughed. “Right, I forgot you’re a bit of a pain-in-the-ass stalker.”
I pinched her ass hard. “What can I say? I go after what I want, and I always get what I want.”
She yawned as I pulled her closer. She was who I wanted, and I planned on doing everything in my power to make sure she was safe.
Grayson wasn’t thrilled with me interviewing with another company and fought with me every chance he got. Of course his idea of fighting was fucking some sense into me. I was just going over some reports when my phone beeped with a message from Tyler.
Tyler: You ever get the feeling something strange is going on?
Emmalin: What do you mean?
Tyler: Idk. Maybe I'm paranoid
That didn’t sit right with me. Tyler was never paranoid. If anything, he was the one telling me to calm down. Before I could respond, he texted.
Tyler: I’m passing through for a few days. Maybe you could meet Molly. Be in tonight.
I was excited to see Tyler again and meet the girl he was dating. It was good to see him having a life. I finished my work for the day, eager to get home. Grayson was working late but was highly insistent I leave with Alistair. He looked stressed, and as much as I wanted to fight with him about it, now didn’t seem like the time. I decided to let him know later that I’d be hanging out with Tyler.
I was waiting until everyone left before Jack came to my office. I made sure Emmalin left with Alistair to head straight home, and if she needed to go anywhere, she needed to let me know.
Jack said he found something, but he wouldn’t tell me what. Fucking asshole. It was going on ten before I received notification that he arrived. There was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Jack walked in carrying a file. “Mandrake, always good to see you.”
We shook hands. “You only say that because I pay you well.”
He smiled.
I gestured to my desk. “So let’s cut the shit.”
He placed two files on my desk. “Anything stand out?”
I reached for the files on both Emmalin Ross and Tyler Langer. I started going over Emmalin's. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, pretty much everything she told me so far. From Arizona, mother died from cancer, birth father deceased, stepfather murdered. Wait. What?
"Yeah, I found that interesting, too. Her stepfather was well known in the community, and was the victim of a house robbery gone wrong. Victim stabbed multiple times."
"Trust inheritance?” I looked at Jack.
"Yeah, I found that odd, too. Didn't you say she worked more than one job? She has an inheritance trust fund that was available to her upon turning eighteen with over seven million dollars in it. There's a signed declaration of a refusal of trust. Every year she signs a declaration refusing funds on her birthday."
I looked at the last date of signature. It was dated two months ago. I looked over the documents in front of me. Something wasn’t adding up.
"It was harder getting Langer's since it was sealed, and it took a lot of digging and hacking to get this information."
I picked up Tyler’s record. Prison record for juvenile homicide. What the fuck?
Tyler Lee Langer
Age: 29
Convicted for murder. Age 13. Served five years in juvenile detention until the age of an adult, and then transferred to the state penitentiary.
My mind thought back to when Emmalin said she met Tyler. She said he had done time for things such as car theft, but that was it. I turned to the last page.
Victim: Aaron Michael Ross found with multiple stab wounds, a total of seven throughout the body. Knife located approximately eight inches from the body. Fingerprints tested to be Tyler Langer.
Tyler Langer found six blocks from the scene covered in the blood of the victim. Langer confessed to the crime and was later sentenced.
I felt the blood drain from my face. Tyler killed Emmalin's stepfather, and she didn’t even know it.
"I've heard of shit like this happening before. The person would befriend family members of the victim in hopes of seeking out further revenge with the family or to steal money, especially if they have a trust fund. I would bet that’s who she’s in danger from and doesn’t realize it."
“You have men on him?”
Jack nodded.
“Where is he now?” I demanded.
Jack didn’t even have to answer for me to know.
I picked up my phone and dialed Emmalin. She answered on the third ring.
“Where are you?”
"Hey, babe. I'm at your place getting dinner ready. What's up?"
"Are you alone?" When she paused, I asked again. "I said, are you alone?” I was now screaming into the phone.
"Yes… I got here about ten minutes ago."
"Do not move. Do not let anyone in. I’ll be there soon.” I hung up the phone. I knew I didn't like this guy. He killed her fucking stepfather, and for all I knew, he was plotting to kill her, too. I grabbed my coat and turned to Jack. "Keep your men on him. I don't want him within so much as a mile, so help me God."
I got in my car and sped. It was a fucking miracle I didn't run anyone over. I had to get to her. She wasn't safe anywhere near Tyler.
"Emmalin!” I stormed into the apartment, slamming the door. She wasn't in the living room. I started toward the kitchen where I heard pots and pans. "Emmalin!”
She looked up at me with those big green eyes I loved. "Hey, you. You okay?”
I stopped to catch my breath. “Where’s Tyler?”
"He and I parted ways about twenty minutes ago.” She continued stirring whatever was in the pot. “How’d you know he was here? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you he was back in town. I was going to. He wants us to do dinner with him and Molly. I haven’t met her yet. She’ll be in town in a few days, but he’s excited.”
"I need to talk to you.”
She looked back at me and smiled. "What's on your mind, babe? Everything okay? I can't wait for you to try this sauce.” She continued talking.
I didn't hear a word. All I could think about was how I had to tell the woman I loved that her so-called best friend killed her stepfather.
"…and Tyler thought it would be good, too.” The mention of that motherfucker’s name snapped me out of my reverie.
"You're not going to be around Tyler anymore."
She paused before carefully saying, "Grayson, you know he's my friend. We've talked about this, and you’re going to have to let that jealousy go—"
I banged my hand on the table so loud, she jumped.
"Dammit, Emmalin, listen to me.” I laid the file on the table and ran my hands through my hair. "There's something you need to know. Tyler is a very dangerous man, and he's going to hurt you."
"Tyler would never hurt me," she whispered.
"That's where you're wrong.” I picked up the file. “You said your stepfather was killed in a house robbery?” She nodded, taking a step toward me. I took a deep breath. "Baby, Tyler killed your stepfather, and I'm pretty sure he's after you too."
She took a step back. "Why would you say that?" she whispered.
"I've always been suspicious of him."
"So, because you're suspicious of him you think he killed my stepfather." She raised her voice.
"It's not a suspicion… I was able to get his sealed record. He told you that he was in and out of jail for theft. Baby, he was in prison for the murder of your stepfather.” I opened the file on the table. She came toward it and studied it.
"No.” She covered her mouth and walked out of the kitchen. I followed her.
"Baby—"
"No! Tyler did not kill my stepfather." She was in shock.
"Baby, I know it's hard, and I hate that you have to find out this way, but he shouldn't even be near you. He can go to prison just for violating that term.” She shook her head and faced the window.
"Emmalin?"
"This is a nice view, everything is so pretty when it gets dark." She had tears welling up in her eyes. "He didn't do this,” she whispered.
"Emmalin, look, I can call the police and file charges against him. They'll send him away, and you'll be safe."
"Tyler didn't kill my stepfather… I did."
I wanted to say I didn't hear her right. But I did. Before I could say anything, she spoke again.
"Did I ever tell you why Tyler always calls me Willow? Because when he first met me it was under a willow tree. I would sit there for hours and hours because I felt like it kept me safe from the world, with the amazing shading it had. It was beautiful. I thought no one could see me, but Tyler did. One day, he came over and asked my name, and I wouldn't speak. I just sat there humming. He told me he would call me Willow since I was always under the tree. That tree was my escape, and I would stay there until the sun went down. I hated the sunset because I knew I had to go home. I remember walking home with tears in my eyes every day because I didn't want to go. My mom had died a few months prior, and my dad, well stepdad, he was missing her, I guess. I don't know. Some nights were okay. Most of them weren't. It was always when I was sleeping. So I would never sleep, because if I didn't sleep, then he couldn’t hurt me.
“I would fight sleep every night. I would tell myself to sleep just ten minutes. Just ten minutes, and it will all be okay. I would almost always wake up, unable to breathe because he was pressing into my back, ripping my underwear off. He was always too strong. I fought him, but it never did any good. Sometimes I was just too tired from exhaustion and I couldn’t fight.
“Every day after school, I would go directly to that willow tree and sit. Tyler began showing up every day, too. He would bring me food. He would ask me questions, but I never spoke. I don't know why. One day, Tyler slipped a piece of paper in my hand. It was a phone number. He said, ‘If you ever need me, I'll always come.’
“Two days later, I called him. He answered the phone, and I couldn't speak. I just remember holding the phone and crying. I finally heard him say, ‘I’m on my way.’ I don't know how he knew it was me or where I lived, but he showed up. I honestly don't even know how he got in the house, but when he found me, I was in the kitchen. Covered in blood. My stepfather was on the ground a few feet away, lying in a pool of blood. I don't even remember Tyler taking the knife from me. He carried me upstairs, placed me in the shower, and helped me clean up. He grabbed clean pajamas and told me to lie down. He told me that none of it happened. That I didn't do anything wrong and that I didn't hear anything. He kissed me on my forehead and shut the door.
“Tyler took the rap for me. He confessed to doing it. At first, I thought he did do it because I had strategically placed the entire incident out of my mind like it never happened. It wasn't until two weeks later that I was doubled over in pain and bleeding heavily. I was rushed to the emergency room, where I was told that, at nine years old, I was having a miscarriage. I remember shouting that I had never ‘done that’ with a guy. After an examination and them seeing tears and the bruising, it was determined that I had in fact been raped. They said I was so traumatized that I somehow blocked it out. I lost a baby at nine years old. I think a part of me was sad because it was something to love me. After my mom had died, I didn't think anyone could ever love me or want to. So no, Tyler did not kill my stepfather. I did, because I got tired of him raping me."
The blood had drained from my face. I sat with my head in my hands. The woman I love just confessed to murder.
"I'm sorry I don’t deserve you. I'm sorry I don’t deserve us, but we both know we can't do this anymore.”
Then I heard a click. I didn’t know how long I sat there. When I finally looked up, she was gone, and I didn't stop her.