Chapter 13
Emma
When I get home Wednesday night, Eli is packing his bag. I set my mail and purse down then put my hands on my hips. “Where are you going?”
“I’ve got a couple jobs lined up. Thanks for letting me crash here. I know you hated every minute of it.”
“What kind of job? Where are you going?” Although I do kind of hate having him stay on my couch, I like knowing he’s safe. And alive. Besides, having an extra person in the apartment is somewhat comforting. As soon as Rick moved out, I realized I don’t like living alone. I keep trying to convince myself that I’m strong and independent and don’t need human companionship, but the reality is that I do.
A lot.
And I don’t get it at work. I have brief interactions with people throughout the day, but no real friendships or conversations. Just a polite hello and goodbye on my way in and out from deliveries, but that’s not the same as companionship. And as annoying as Eli is, having a companion isn’t the worst way to live.
He zips up his bag and places his palms on top of it for a minute before looking up at me. “I’m not giving him any money.”
Oh, great. Not this shit again. “So, what are you gonna do?”
“I’ve been talking to some friends up in Seattle. They have a business that could use an extra set of hands. If I run a few jobs for them, they’ll take care of my problem in Vegas.”
Okay, now I’m actually starting to get worried for him. It sounds like he’s walking from one hornet’s nest to another. “What do you mean run jobs for them? Are you talking about drugs?”
Eli holds my gaze for a moment and shakes his head. “Not drugs.”
“Then what, Eli? Just tell me.”
“Dammit, Emma. Why can’t you just let this go? The less you know, the better. I don’t want you to worry.”
“News flash, Eli. I’m already worried. Now, stop playing games, and tell me what the fuck you’re up to.”
“Guns.” He stares at me, challenging me to say something about it. “I need to move some guns from Mexico to Seattle. That’s it.”
“Oh, that’s it?” I walk the length of my small dining area then back, pacing out my frustration. “You’re just gonna drive over the border with a trunk full of weapons, and you don’t think anyone is gonna notice? Are you an idiot?” For the record, he is.
“I’m driving a boat, brainiac. They’re hiring me to sail up and down the coast a few times, and then they’ll get rid of that pimp in Vegas who’s looking for me.”
“Who you think might be looking for you. You have no idea if he actually gives two shits about you.”
Eli shakes his head, causing me to stop pacing to look at him. “I do know. My friend Kenton told me that he’s put a hit out on me. Two hundred grand.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” I pull out a chair from the table and sit down then wait for him to do the same. Reluctantly, he sits down too. “He’s already lost half a million to you. Why would he spend another two hundred thousand to kill you? It would be cheaper to just cut his losses.”
“He doesn’t care about the money, Em.” Eli leans back in the chair so his head is parallel to the ceiling, something he does when he’s super pissed or emotional. I don’t know which applies to this particular situation. “I’m a witness. Maybe there’s some heat on him for that woman’s death. I don’t know, but I do know he’s willing to pay to have me killed. If I don’t take him out first, someone will take me out for the bounty on my head.”
“God, Eli.” I rest my elbows on the table and run my fingers through my hair. “How do you get yourself caught up in this shit?”
“I’m sorry, Em.” He rubs the back of my neck. “I shouldn’t have gotten you involved in this mess, but now that I have, you might be in danger too. That’s even more reason for me to get rid of this guy.”
“What if we just pay someone to take him out?” Not that I have money for that, but two hundred thousand sounds better than the half million I thought I was gonna have to help him find.
“This guy is badass. His price won’t be that low. His bounty would be ten times what mine is.”
“Two million dollars?” I can’t even wrap my head around that kind of money. “We can’t do it…no way.”
Eli wraps his other arm around me and holds me for a minute. “I know, Em. That’s why I’m doing these jobs. If all goes well, I can earn enough in a month to take care of this dude. Once he’s gone, I can start living my life again.”
“Unless you end up in prison.” I pull away from him and stand up again, resuming my pacing as my mind works through this new information.
“I won’t, Em.” He laughs quietly but there’s no humor in the sound. “And if I do, at least I’ll be safe there. I’ll have protection long enough to testify against him for murder. But it won’t come to that. I promise.”
I walk right up to him and press my finger into his chest. “Don’t you dare make a promise that you don’t know you can keep. Our father made one of those to my mother, and she never saw him again. Be better than him, Eli.”
“Fine, sorry.” He backs away from my accusatory finger. “But I promise to try everything in my power to come back. You’re the only person I have to live for, and I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”
I hold back the snarky comment I want to make about me being the one to take care of him. Because even if it’s not completely obvious, he has been there to take care of me during my darkest times. And no matter what happens in our lives, I know Eli will always have my back. Just like I’ll always have his. “Just take care of yourself, and get your ass back here as soon as you can. The apartment is too clean and quiet when you’re not around.”
He pulls me against his chest and kisses the top of my head. “I promise to try, sis.”
Eli rarely calls me sis, but every time he does, it reminds me that he’s the only brother I have. The only one I’ll ever have. And if he doesn’t make it back, I’ll be all alone again.
~**~
Thursday drags.
I usually don’t notice the time when I’m working because I’m running from delivery to delivery, but today feels like the longest day on earth. And I’ve only been working for three hours. I groan when I see my next delivery is to James Lighting.
And, of course, Rena placed the order. Great, just what I need. Although, maybe he is just what I need. Now that Eli is gone, that particular stress is also gone, but a whole new batch of anxiety and tension has replaced it.
The only good thing about this delivery is that it’s for sushi from Yoshi, which means I’ll get a free lunch out of it.
It’s almost two in the afternoon when I exit the elevator in front of Rena’s desk. She looks almost giddy when she sees me. “You can take it into his office, dear. He’s expecting you.”
I walk into Sebastian’s office with his food, but something Rena said doesn’t add up. “How were you expecting me? You can’t request drivers, and there are tons of us working today. How did you know I would be the one making your delivery?”
Sebastian grins as he leans against his desk. “I have my ways. Now, would you like to join me?”
“Oh, thanks. But I ate on my way here.”
Sebastian’s eyes lock on me, and I feel his gaze penetrating into my core as he waves me toward his desk. “Are you sure? I ordered plenty.”
No shit. That bag weighs a ton. “Thanks, but Yoshi always has something ready for me when I pick up deliveries there.”
If Sebastian is disappointed, he hides it well. “What about that dinner? Or do you have people at home waiting for you?”
I cock an eyebrow in his direction, confused by what he’s saying. “What people? You know I live alone.”
Sebastian doesn’t look away, which makes me feel like he’s looking for a lie. I want him to concede, tell me he’s mistaken. But he doesn’t.
Of course, he doesn’t.
Instead, he opens a container of food then unwraps his chopsticks from the paper package they were delivered in. “I thought so, but I was driving down your street last week, and I thought I saw you walking with a man and a child. Needless to say, I was surprised.”
He must be talking about the day Eli and I took Owen to McDonald’s. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was babysitting, and the man is my brother.”
Sebastian pops a piece of sushi into his mouth then looks right at me as he chews. “I’m happy to hear I’m not a homewrecker.”
I turn toward the door to make sure his secretary isn’t standing there, listening to our conversation. I’m sure he wouldn’t want her to know just how loose his moral standards are. On the other hand, she would have to live under a rock to not know, so maybe it doesn’t matter. “Anyway, I should get going.”
“Emma.” Sebastian stops me before I can get out of his office.
“Yes?” I ask without turning to face him.
“May I have your number?” I slowly turn toward Sebastian then take two steps forward without even realizing it.
“You want my number?”
“If you wouldn’t mind giving it to me.” The look in his eyes is predatory, sending a chill down my spine. Sebastian is holding a pen out to me, and all I can focus on are those strong fingers and the way they were wrapped around me, marking me.
“Um, sure.” I close the gap between us and reach for the pen. After I scribble my number onto a Post-it note, I make the mistake of looking into Sebastian’s beautiful brown eyes. I want to lean forward and kiss him, but I don’t. I can’t. Not here, in his office. Instead, I turn on my heel and head to the elevator.
Horny and alone.
The story of my life.