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I knew by the dumbfounded expression, and how stiffly she patted them both on the back, her parent’s flourish of affection was completely foreign to her.
The need to save her clawed deep. Easing in beside the trio, I invited Rupert and Roslyn to sit on the loveseat, then I took Emma’s hand, and together, we eased onto the couch.
“Thank you for calling us before alerting the police, Emma,” Rupert softly said. “I wish there was a way to keep a lid on this, for all our sakes, but I’m afraid it will soon be out of our hands.”
“Let them talk,” Roslyn spat. “I don’t give a shit anymore. Look at our daughter!”
Emma subtly started and blinked.
“Why didn’t you say something?” her mother moaned, barely keeping it together. “Why didn’t you tell us you didn’t want to marry Wesley?”
Emma suddenly sat up, ramrod straight.
“I did! I told youboth,” she bit out. “You didn’t want to hear it. Neither of you cared whatIwanted to do…or what would makemehappy. All you cared about was binding the families to solidify the merger.” Neither of them bothered to even try to hide their guilt. “Did either of you know Wesley had been mentally evaluated by doctors? Doctors who diagnosed him as crazy?”
“What?” Rupert gaped.
“No. No. What are you talking about?” Roslyn asked, clearly horrified.
Emma peered up at me and quietly asked, “Would you please play it for them?”
“Are you sure you can handle hearing this again?” I asked, dragging out my cell phone.
“No,” she replied honestly. “But they need to hear it, so my father can decide what steps he needs to take to reclaim and protect his empire.”
“Reclaim and protect?” Rupert frowned. “What are you talking about, Emma?”
“Just listen,” I instructed, tapping my phone, then setting it on the table.
No matter how desperately I wanted to shield Emma from the sounds filling the air, or the horrific memories from flooding her mind, I couldn’t. Instead, I wrapped my arm around her and drew her in close to my side, then gently stroked her arm.
Emma closed her eyes and lowered her head when Wesley’s detailed description of what he’d planned to do to the women echoed through the room.
Rupert’s body shook with rage, and he curled his fingers into tight, white fists.
Roslyn leaned over the arm of the chair and threw up on the floor, then softly sobbed.
But when Wesley began screaming about the doctors, and his parents, and about not being crazy, Rupert launched from his chair. His nostrils flared and his face turned crimson.
“Ted and Lydia knew their son was insane?” he roared, eyes wild with fury.
Emma quickly leaned forward and paused the recording.
“Yes. That’s why I called you first, so you could contact your lawyer and stop the merger. You also need to subpoena Congressman Swanson. Under duress, he accepted a ten-million-dollar bribe from Wesley to pressure the FCC Advisory Committee to push the merger through.”
My heart swelled with even more love and pride. I should have known Emma hadn’t called her folks to rub their noses in the fact they’d arranged for her to marry a madman. Even after all they’d done, or rather hadn’t done for her, she still wanted to save and protect them.
Rupert gaped at her, then cocked his head. “What kind ofduress?”
Emma blew out a heavy breath and looked him in the eye. “Wesley threatened to kidnap his daughter, and I quote, use her like he did other little girls.”
“No more. Please. It’s too much,” Roslyn sobbed. “I-I can’t…”
“You can go to the other room and sit on the bed the son of bitch kept me tied to the past three days, if you need to, Mother,” Emma replied coldly.
I nearly burst with pride.
My sixth sense told me this was the first time Emma had let her parents see her inner warrior.
