CHAPTER 16

Emerson

WAKING SLOWLY, I STRETCH and yawn loudly. I’m so glad that today is my day off and I have nowhere to be. I get to hang out with my little lady all day and I can’t wait.

Climbing out of bed, I take a quick shower and hit my hair with the blow-dryer. Grabbing my phone from the end table, I carry it with me downstairs, finding Levi alone in the kitchen drinking coffee.

“Morning, handsome,” I quip, bending over for a kiss.

“Morning, babe.” He smiles and offers me a mug of coffee, which I gladly take.

“Lily still sleeping?” I ask, sitting across from him.

“Yeah. She’ll be getting up soon though, I’m sure.”

“Yup. How many appointments do you have today?”

Draining his mug, he places it on the table. “None, actually. I’m just gonna go in and do paperwork. We’ve been so busy that I want to get a jump on it. Tax season will be here before we know it.”

Laughing, I stand to peer into the fridge. “You want me to make you breakfast first?” I ask, hand on my hip as I come to the realization that we need to go grocery shopping.

“No, Em, don’t worry about it. I’ll probably grab a bagel next door while I work. I’m gonna jump in the shower and get going so I can get home sooner. I have a surprise for you tonight.”

Winking, he leaves the room, allowing me the pleasure of watching his ass in those sweatpants. Fuck me.

Shaking the thought from my head, I grab the carton of eggs and decide on scrambled eggs and toast for us girls this morning. Lily comes downstairs a few minutes later, sleepy-eyed and messy-haired. Laughing, I help her to the table and serve her some breakfast.

“Can I have a juice box, Emmy?”

“Of course, sweetie pie. Here you go.”

I drop into a chair next to her and we both dig into our breakfast.

We’re just about finished when Levi comes back downstairs, fully dressed and smelling delicious.

“Okay, I’m off to the shop. I should be done around three, but it could be later. I’ll text you, okay?” He places a kiss to my cheek and ruffles Lily’s hair, causing her to giggle.

“Bye, Daddy!”

The front door shuts behind him, and moments later I hear his truck roar to life.

“All right, what are we going to do today, Lily?”

“Barbies!”

“Shocker,” I laugh. “I’m gonna get the kitchen cleaned up. Why don’t you run upstairs and wash your face and brush your teeth, okay? Then we can get your Barbies.”

“Yes!” She runs upstairs and I hear her laughing and yelling up there, and then the water starts running.

Knowing I have a few minutes, I get the kitchen spotless and head into the living room. Sitting on the couch, I turn on the news with the hopes of seeing the weather, and then Lily comes bursting into the room, her tiny plastic suitcase in her arms.

“You can be this one, okay? I want to be the prettiest one!” Handing me a brunette doll, she grabs her favorite doll and climbs onto the couch next to me.

“Party time,” I joke, holding the doll up.

“Hello, Lady. My name is Princess Lily. Do you want to be my friend?”

Laughing, I allow myself to get swept up into Lily’s imaginary world.

“Lily, you want a snack, sweetheart?” Standing up from the couch, I push the dolls and accessories to the side. Grabbing myself a bottled water, I get another juice box and carry it into the living room with a couple bananas. Lily takes her juice and I peel her snack, handing it to her.

We sit in comfortable silence while we eat, and as I’m taking the last bite of my own banana, I ask her if she’d like to read some stories. I need a break from Barbies, and I know a book is the perfect distraction for her. Lily loves to read, but she especially loves being read to. She goes over to the bookcase and picks out a couple of her favorites, skipping back over to me. She sits on my lap and I hold the book out in front of us. It’s almost eleven, so I’m hopeful that Levi will finish his work early. I miss him, and yes, I’m aware it’s only been several hours. I’m a sap, what can I say?

About halfway through the first book, we’re interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Raising an eyebrow, I kiss Lily on the head and move her over, standing to answer the door. Punching in the security code, I pull the door open halfway, finding two strange men on the porch.

“Can I help you?” I ask.

They’re both tall, probably around Levi’s height, but they’re much larger than my boyfriend. They don’t answer me, so I start to shut the door in their faces.

“Emerson Reese?” one asks, reaching into his coat pocket.

“Yes.”

The other gives me a wicked smile and my skin prickles. My heart races when the man on the left shifts his stance and I see a gun tucked in the waistband of his pants. And that’s when I realize the guy on the right is familiar.

“Emmy!” Lily yells, kicking and screaming, terror all over her little face.

Holy fuck, it’s the man from the park.

I didn’t see his face that day, but his build, the way he’s standing there, that sickening grin on his face—it’s him, all right. I know I only have moments to react so in one swift move, I slam the door shut and twist the lock. Turning around, I race toward where Lily is. Sweeping her into my arms, I go racing for the stairs, the two men banging and cursing against the front door.

“Emmy?”

“Shh, baby. I need you to listen to me.”

I run up the stairs as fast as I can, tears running down my cheeks. Making it to Levi’s room, I rush to the closet door and shove her inside.

“Don’t come out until Daddy or I tell you to. I love you, Lily. I love you so much, baby girl.” Sobbing, I shut the door, ignoring her cries and her small fists hitting the door in fear. Looking around, I spy the chair to Levi’s desk and shove it under the knob, locking her inside.

A loud crash from downstairs has me rushing back toward the stairs. I hear them shouting, and from the locations of their heavy footsteps, they’re coming upstairs. Running to the guest bathroom, I stand behind the door, hoping they’ll move past. Covering my mouth with my hand, I try to keep quiet as best as possible, but it does nothing to stop the tears.

I’m trapped. I need to make a move. Not knowing where they are, if they’re even upstairs anymore, I go running down the hallway, praying to God they don’t find Lily.

“There’s the bitch. Grab her, asshole,” one of them yells, and I race down the stairs, trying to get to the front door. I just need to get to the security box to sound the alarm and we’re safe. Hitting the landing, my legs buckle and I fall to my hands and knees, pain lancing through me. Scrambling up, I only make it as far as the front hallway before I’m grabbed by the hair and cry out against the pain.

“Stop running. It’s only gonna make it worse.”

“Fuck you,” I grit out, fighting against his hold. I’m swung around to face the bastard, who has pulled a black ski mask on. I try to hit him, but it only makes him angrier. He slaps me hard and I shout, more tear springing to my eyes. I start fighting for all I’m worth, but this man is huge and I’m no match for him. I kick and scream, but it does nothing.

I never see it coming.

The pain of my face meeting the wall is enough to throw me into a fog, and then I’m alone, swimming through the darkness, knowing I’ll never find my way through it.