I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, Stacey in my arms. She was still fast asleep, her features relaxed and angelic. I kissed the top of her head, cherishing the moment.

A part of me still couldn’t believe what we had done, but at the same time, I was so happy it had happened. My body still surged with energy. I felt like I could take on the whole world, and I thought I just might. One way or another, I needed to take care of Emil. If he remained at large, then there was always a chance he’d try to hurt Stacey again, and I just couldn’t let that happen.

Hesitantly, I rolled out of bed and put my clothes back on. As quietly as I could, I grabbed a few weapons, fitting them on my body. I stuck with knives and the sort, but I also grabbed a gun, just in case. I prayed I wouldn’t have to use it.

Just as I was finishing up, Stacey woke up and looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

“I have to go after him.”

“You can’t.”

“I have to.”

“But… you can’t just kill him. He’s not as bad as he seems… Yes, he’s not the same Emil I used to like… but it’s not his fault. Something or someone is changing him.”

Gently, I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Stacey.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. He’s…”

I tilted her chin so she would look at me. “He hit you, Stacey.”

She didn’t bother to say anything else after that.

“Now, I want you to stay here until I come and get you, alright?”

“No. I can’t just stay here.”

“You’ll be safe here.”

“I’m coming with you.”

I could tell by the fiery look in her eye that it would be difficult to convince her otherwise. “Please… Stacey, you have to trust me. Think of Missy. Do you really want to put her in danger?”

“And what happens if he finds me here? I’ll just be a sitting duck. At least if I’m with you, I know you’ll protect me.”

I sighed. “I can’t bring you with me.”

“Please.”

I shook my head. “Look… my bosses just came back to London, and they’re ready to help. They should be here any minute. One of them will bring you wherever you want and keep you safe. I promise you that.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Stacey. This isn’t negotiable.” My voice was colder than I’d intended it to be. “Please, I just want you to be safe. Now, do you have any friends you could stay with?”

“If I did, don’t you think I would have asked them for help when my baby was starving to death?”

“No one at all…?” I asked with a frown. “Anyone.”

She was quiet for a long time. I was starting to think she would refuse to answer, but then she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I have this one friend… she just got back from the Peace Corps. I haven’t been in touch with her but she recently updated her status. But, I really don’t want to just show up there…”

“She’ll understand. This is an emergency.”

Stacey bit her lip. “Ned, it won’t be easy to explain.”

“You have to try. For Missy’s sake. Please.”

“I’ll call her but there’s no promise that she even has a place of her own yet.”

“Okay.” Patiently, I waited for her to contact her friend. After a short conversation, she hung up, frowning.

“She said I can stay for a couple nights.”

“Good. Franklin will take you there. He’s a good guy; he knows how to handle himself. He’ll keep you safe.”

“But… I don’t want to go with this Franklin guy. I want to stay with you.”

“You can’t.” I took her cheeks into my hands and kissed her hard. All of my emotions flowed into the kiss, speaking the words I couldn’t express.

I loved her.

That much was certain.

When I pulled away, I looked into her eyes, my thumb caressing her soft, silky skin. “I promise I’ll come back. You won’t be able to get rid of me so easily.”

She chuckled. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

I smiled back and kissed the top of her head. “Alright, grab Missy and anything else you might need.”

She did as she was told, grabbing a bag of supplies before following me back up the steps.

Outside, Franklin and Cruz were already waiting for us.

“We leave for two weeks, and you somehow manage to get yourself in trouble.” Cruz shook his head.

“Don’t give him a hard time. We were young once, too,” Franklin interjected. “Come on.” He held out his hand toward Stacey. “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

Before he could tow her away, I stole one more kiss, feeling like it might be my last.

No. That was no way to think.

Emil was a twig, and I was going to be the force that snapped him in half.

“Let’s go,” Cruz prompted as soon as we were alone.

Together, we hiked through the woods until we found his car. “Never thought you had it in you,” he remarked, following the GPS toward our destination. While I was inside the Old Whiskey, I had managed to mount a tracking device onto Emil’s leather jacket. He never seemed to take it off. “Have you two…”

I glared at my boss.

“Sorry.”

We were quiet for most of the ride, and I was glad for it. My mind was working overtime, trying to think through the rage. What was this guy after? Why was he hiding in an abandoned pub? There was something more to this story than what met the eye. He wasn’t just someone who liked to abuse women; he was something else.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Something seems wrong… like we’re walking into a trap or something. I can’t explain it, but I don’t have a good feeling about any of this…”

“Well, I guess we’re about to find out.”

The Old Whiskey.

This was it. Do or die.