CHAPTER SIXTEEN

AMBER

 

OVER THE NEXT few hours, I watched as people left, each being gifted at the door with their own personal bodyguard. I bounced up and down at the bottom of the stairs, watching everyone. I needed to get out of here. I hadn’t seen Emmett since earlier, when I was caught half-naked, and now Michael no longer tagged around after me. Matthew smiled when he saw me. I tried to return it, but I wasn’t sure if I succeeded.

I had searched the house twice for Emmett. No luck. 

“You're leaving?” I jogged to the door as Mandy was being given a bodyguard by JP.

“Can I go with her?” I asked JP, not allowing Mandy a moment to answer.

He shook his head. “You have to wait for Emmett.” He sounded exhausted. It was like the hundredth time I had tried to be a third wheel with couples only to have JP turn me away. But this time was different. It was Mandy, and she was alone.

“No.” Mandy hadn’t tried to defend me, nor had she said anything at all. But I wasn’t giving up. “So it’s safe for Mandy, but not for me?” I folded my arms and gave Mandy a sad smile. “He doesn’t think much of you, hun,” I told her and took a step away.

“It’s okay for me, why not her?” The green-eyed monster raised its head and pushed its glasses up on its nose. Mandy flicked her long blond hair. I paused again and watched, she was full of attitude now.

“Mandy, she’s playing games,” JP told her while narrowing his eyes at me.

“I am only saying what a blind man can see,” I told JP, while rolling my eyes. “I’m just saying.” I held up my hands as JP narrowed his eyes at me.

“Do you not care if something happens to me?” Mandy actually sounded hurt, which was great. I just might be getting out of here.

“No. I have direct orders to keep Amber here. You can go ahead, Mandy.” My stomach tightened when I realized my plan had not worked and Mandy left out the front door with her new bodyguard. Footsteps behind me had me turning around.

“Nice of you to make an appearance,” I told Emmett as I faced him. He did his staring thing that made me shuffle.

“Is everyone gone?” Emmett asked JP, releasing me from his stare. I felt a moment of relief before it was replaced by annoyance. I wanted to leave.

“Yeah, just the crew left.” JP closed the door, drawing my attention to it. He didn’t glance at me as he made his way back into the house.

“I’m ready to leave now,” I said, facing Emmett.

“Soon.” He turned away, but I’d finally had enough.

“No. Now.” My moment of bravery fizzled as Emmett turned around and took a step towards me. I found myself moving back.

“Amber –" My name was said with exhaustion, and it also held a warning. “I’m trying to protect you.” He took another step forward, and I took one back.

“I know. But everyone gets to go, so why not me?” He took another step, only this time I didn’t move back. My stomach tightened at his closeness, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

“Because everyone who has left is with a bodyguard.” God, his eyes were the lightest yet sharpest blue I have ever seen, like ice. I often heard people say it was hard to hold someone's stare. I never got it until now. I would eyeball you no problem but with Emmett, it was nearly impossible.

“Then where is mine?” I asked, irritated at this situation, and at how I was feeling, especially about him.

“You’re looking at him.” His words weakened me further, and I looked away, unable to hold his glare. This was just great.

“When can I go get my bag and stuff?” I was waiting for ‘you can’t’ or some bullshit, but he surprised me when my vision was filled with a slick new phone.

“Ring Grace, she’s worried about you.” I took the phone like it was a lifeline and looked up at Emmett. Ringing Grace just gave normality to this crazy situation.

“Thank you,” I said, and meant it. I held the phone in a death grip in case he changed his mind. He would have to remove my fingers to get the phone back.

Morbid thoughts of finger removal filled my head, and I wondered for the thousandth time whether Emmett was a man capable of being a monster. I knew the world I stepped into was corrupt and cruel. But how cruel and how corrupt? I had known he had killed, yet when I looked at him, I knew he wasn’t a monster. Still, he wasn't innocent either.

“I will be ready in thirty minutes. I will take you back to the hotel then.” His eyebrows were pulled down in a frown. Did my thoughts display on my face? Shit. My emotions were so conflicted when it came to him, and the deeper I fell into his world, the more conflicted I felt.

“Yeah, great.” He stared at me silently for a few more seconds before leaving me. I sat on the stairs staring at the phone. I didn’t have a clue why I was hesitating, actually, I did. I had someone to ring before I rang Grace. The ringtone had my stomach in knots.

“Hello?” Tears burned my eyes at hearing my mother’s voice.

“Hi, Mum.”

“Amber, sweetheart,” my name was spoken with emotion.  “Where have you been? Your father is at his wit's end–Luke, your sister’s fine I have her on the phone.” I could hear the pounding of my brother's footsteps down the stairs. The shuffle of the phone.

“Amber, what the hell?” Luke was angry. I didn’t blame him, but I tried to keep it light.

“Hi, bruv, how are you?” After talking my brother out of looking for me and assuring my parents that I was fine, I was exhausted. When I hung up, my call time showed me forty-five minutes had passed. Emmett had said thirty minutes. I was going to go look for him, but I remembered the reason he gave me the phone.

“I have a bag packed and Derek is starting the car.” That’s how Grace answered the phone. I smiled.

“Thanks, girl, but tell Derek he can stand down. I’m alive.”

“I really was starting to get worried,” Grace sounded like she had sat down. I knew her, she was worried. I hated pushing her away, so I stayed as close to the truth as possible until I could figure out how to tell her everything because we had no secrets from each other.

“I’m sorry girl. But I’m fine, honest. I’m with Emmett.”

She paused, and I let her. “Oh. Like with with, or just with?”

“Just one with. He’s actually helping me get on my feet. I just didn’t want to say anything in case it got weird.”

“It would only get weird if you were with with him.”

“Really?” That surprised me. I didn’t think Grace would have cared, since it was me.

“Well yeah, but if you wanted to be with with him instead of with him, I would support you, but it would be weird.”

I smiled, all of my worries leaving me. “So, I can be with with him or with him. But can I be with-with-with him?” Grace laughed.

“Look, you can sleep with my brother but I do NOT want to know about it.”

My face flamed. “Not going to happen. Ever. Nah… I just…” I was going to add, ‘don’t think Emmett likes me like that’ when Grace’s laugh had my face going redder. “What so funny?”

“You love my brother,” her laughter soon turned to music. “Oh, Amber and Emmett sitting in a tree…”  Hearing Grace say it made me realize it was true. I swallowed that truth, not ready to deal with it.

“You are so mature, Grace," I ended up laughing.

“You sound happy,” Grace said, making me pause. Was I? I had no idea. Everything here was crazy, but when I thought about it, really thought about it, I realized it really beat getting drunk and going from one job to another. I felt like I was standing still for the first time in a long time, even as everything in Emmett’s world rushed past me. When I was with him, it finally felt like I had come home, like I was safe and that nothing could touch me, not even the pain from my past.

“I am. I really am,” I said with clarity. We had chatted for nearly an hour when I finally closed the phone with a promise to meet soon. I got off the stairs, stretching my legs.

“Emmett is waiting in the car.” I screamed at the unexpected voice and nearly dropped the phone. “Apologies, Miss Green,” Joe, the driver, bowed slightly.

“Call me Amber–it’s fine, I think you just made my heart stop for a moment there.”

He didn’t smile. “Apologies again.”

“Joe, it’s fine. How long were you standing there?”

He looked at the watch on his wrist. “Since 12:25.”

The clock on the phone read 1:40. “You’ve been waiting for over an hour?”

Joe moved towards the door. “We best be going, Miss Green. And yes, Mr. Harrington told me to let you know he was waiting, but not to disturb your call." I swallowed more emotions. That was so kind of Emmett. Taking a deep breath, I followed Joe to the car where Emmett was waiting. I climbed in and Joe closed the door. “You spoke to Grace?” he asked, and I handed him back the phone, he waved it off. “Keep it, we seem to have misplaced yours.”

My heart sank. “But all my numbers?”

“I’m sorry, Amber, but it was destroyed.”

Joe started the car, and we pulled away from the house. It felt shitty to have all my numbers gone but there wasn’t much I could do. I wasn’t exactly buying his story. First it was misplaced, next sentence destroyed. But it wasn’t like he was stealing my phone to sell it. It was a piece of scrap, and he wasn’t exactly short of money. So, I let it go.

“Well, thank you for the replacement, and yeah, I got through to Grace, and my parents. That’s what took so long. I had to talk my brother out of sending a search party for me.”

“I’m actually traveling to Greenbanks in a few days.” Something was out of sorts with Emmett. He wasn’t looking at me, instead, he was glancing out the window.

“Are you offering for me to come with you?” I asked, and he finally looked at me.

“Yes, you could visit Grace and your family.” I was going to say yes, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go home. But what Emmett was offering me was so much more. I kind of thought that he wasn’t always this kind or caring, and thinking it was just for me made my pulse spike.

“I’ll think about it,” I told Emmett who smiled, making my heart skip a beat.

“You just keep surprising me, Amber,” he said. The car stopped, and I looked out the window at the front of the hotel.

“I don’t mean to.” I answered, smiling back at him.

“I know, that’s what I like about it.” My heart squeezed. This time, I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. I was terrified of feeling too much for him; he was an unknown road to go down. Yet, I couldn’t stop myself from speaking.

“You like me?” I questioned, feeling my heart flutter. He stared at me for an agonizing, long moment before Joe opened my door for me to get out, and I could have cursed his lousy timing. But I climbed out before looking back at Emmett. He was getting out his side, and when he faced me again, I noticed that his smile had been put away and his usual serious face was back in place. It was all business now; the moment was over. I felt slightly deflated that he wasn’t the Emmett I was really starting to like.

He moved beside me as we stood on the sidewalk. “I do, Amber,” his answer had me nearly tripping over my feet as he walked into the hotel, not giving me a second to respond. I wasn’t clumsy, but he really had shocked me.

My shock wore off as Joe moved beside me. “Miss Green, are you alright?” he asked, and I pulled myself together.

“Fine, thank you, Joe.” I walked into the lobby as Emmett retrieved room cards and spoke a few words to Riley.

As I approached, her eyebrows rose nearly into her hairline. “Miss Green.”  I smiled sweetly as she struggled to keep her composure in front of Emmett.

“It’s fine, Riley, Miss Green is a guest of mine. She will be staying in the room adjoining mine.” Well now, for all the mean bitches out there, this was justice! Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at me. She would have snarled at me, only Emmett was still watching. I wanted to add ‘that’s for the tin opener, bitch,’ but instead, I took the high road and followed Emmett to the elevator. I did glance back at Riley, who was watching us with a stunned look on her face and I winked at her. I could imagine her nails digging into her desk. I sniggered, not able to help myself, as we got into the elevator.

“Care to share?” I glanced at Emmett and shrugged.

“It’s a long story, but basically the turtle wins the race.” He stared at me, he didn’t question me any further. But as I looked closely I could see a subtle difference in his features, one I had seen before, but hadn’t recognized it as amusement. If you didn’t look for it, you wouldn't see it. But now I could see it: that spark in his eyes, the gentle curve of his lips that now I wondered what they would taste or feel like touching mine. My stomach tightened as the lips in question started to move upwards in a smile. That’s when I realized I had been staring, and he was watching me. My face reddened.

Thankfully the elevator door opened, and I walked out without looking back. It was Emmett who opened the door for me and handed me one of the two key cards. I held the door open with my foot but didn’t go in.

“I’m good from here,” I told him.

“Fresh clothes have been placed in your room. We managed to save your purse, but your bag was also destroyed. Don’t leave your room until I come for you.”

“What, now I’m a prisoner here instead of your house?”  I snapped angrily, the mood from earlier gone in an instant.

He looked at me, but paused as a cleaner rolled her trolley by way too slowly, deliberately trying not to pretend she was listening. Nosy bitch. So, we had to wait until she passed us.

Once she had gone a decent way up the hall, Emmett turned to me again. “You’re my guest, Amber. One I am trying to keep safe. So shower, relax and I will come back later to take you where-ever you want to go.” Emmett’s phone rang, and he excused himself.

I backed into the room and let the door close on his back. I didn’t want to be alone, but I wouldn’t tell him that. A part of me was glad he was gone so my emotions could calm down, but the other part of me wanted him to come back.

I opened up the wardrobe to find it filled with brand new clothes, all tags still intact. The brand names had me slamming the doors. I opened up my own suitcase that held my rumpled clothes. Okay, I wasn’t going to bite off my nose to spite my face. I opened the wardrobe again and got out jeans and a jumper. The hotel door opened, and this time Emmett didn’t come fully in, but I squealed nonetheless. Was privacy a foreign concept in these parts?

“Oh. My. God. I could have been naked,” Emmett didn’t flinch or answer. “You need to knock,” I added slamming the wardrobe door again. Emmett entered the room properly, closing the door behind him, his face unreadable, but now I regretted my words and slamming the door. He wasn’t someone I should piss off. I just kept getting comfortable with him, but I suspected he was capable of a lot more if you got on his bad side.

He studied me until I wanted to throw my clothes at his face and make a mad dash for the bathroom, but then he spoke. “I have upset some very powerful and dangerous people.” Emmett opened his suit jacket before sitting on the edge of my bed, looking as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. “When I hired you, I was on a good path, but everything went wrong,” I didn’t want to move, something was telling me Emmett wasn’t the sharing type. “Now everyone who has had any contact with me is at risk.” His middle and forefinger rubbed between his eyes like he was trying to push away the annoyance.

“You are at risk, Amber,” He had stopped rubbing his head and looked at me. I swallowed.

“I believe you,” I told him. I don’t know why, but for the first time, real fear was penetrating through me. This was getting to be too much.

I held my clothes tighter to my chest. “What did you do?” I asked.

He looked at his hands and there was a long pause. I didn’t think he was going to answer me, but then he looked up, guilt flickering in his eyes before he stilled it. “I killed a man.” He didn’t as much as blink. Hearing him saying it had my heart racing. I knew he had killed ,but to hear him say it made it real. He observed me so carefully for a reaction. My mind raced and short circuited before galloping again. I wanted to ask for a moment, but if I did it would end this moment with Emmett. He had killed a man. That line now was roaring in my mind. My parents raised me to be a good moral person. I wasn’t mother Theresa, but killing someone was on another level. Emmett waited so patiently, but I could see the worry in his eyes, it would appear and then disappear within a second. I couldn’t fully believe that he would kill just to kill. Someone must have pushed him, backed him into a corner.

“What did he do?” I asked, and this time Emmett looked away from me. It wasn’t that he was shutting down, he was hiding from me, but I could see the sadness as he had turned away. Sadness wasn’t something that I had ever seen on Emmet, and I jumped to a conclusion that I could live with. “He hurt you,” I said, moving towards him, a part of me pleading that I was right, that it was a situation of kill or be killed. I sat beside him, not sure what the hell I was doing. I knew, rationally, I should be screaming and running from the room, but I also knew that Emmett wouldn’t hurt me. He looked at me now, not hiding from me. The pain so visible now that I wanted to reach for him, but my hands wouldn’t move from my lap.

“Why aren’t you afraid?” He searched my face, and my heart broke for him. I sensed he was alone.

“I’m not sure. I’m terrified. You’re terrifying, but even though I barely know you, I know you won’t hurt me,” I said softly, and I knew deep down that my words were true. I was not saying them just for his benefit. I believed them with my entire being. My heart galloped as Emmett moved close to me. His forehead touched mine, and I looked deep into his eyes, into his soul and he did the same with me. His fingers touched my face, causing my stomach to twirl. 

“I will never hurt you.” His words had my heart pounding, my breathing sounded labored as it brushed against his lips, so close to mine. His declaration felt like it had a life of its own, and each word a promise that now bound us together. The shift between us felt almost tangible. Emmett moved back, his forehead leaving mine, his fingers no longer touching my face. The loss was immediate, and I had to stop myself from leaning towards him, like some drug addict.

“I’ll be back later.” He stood abruptly, re-buttoning his suit jacket and then left me alone again, leaving me more confused than ever. It was then that I realized he hadn’t answered my question.