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“No, he wouldn’t. You and I both know he’s not going to live without you. Fuck.”
I dig through the second drawer in the dresser. Finally finding the card, I tuck it into my pocket and head towards the door. Sam beats me to it, blocking my way.
“I can’t let you do this, Emily. Please, just let Dean and me handle this,” he pleads.
“I tried that. You came home without him, Sam. I won’t stop until I get him back.”
“We didn’t stop. We came to check on you. We came to make a plan, do due diligence.”
“Yeah, well, I have a plan and I’m going, so you need to move out of my way.” I fold my arms over my chest.
“That’s not going to happen. I’m sorry, Emily. I can’t let you leave. Josh would have my balls if I did.”
Fuck, I have to get out of here. The longer it takes, the more hurt Josh could be. I pull out the pistol from my waistband and aim it at Sam’s leg. I don’t want to hurt him, but if I have to, I will.
“I won’t ask you to move again, Sam. Get out of my way or I will shoot you.”
“You’re not going to… AH, FUCK! GODDAMN IT, EMILY!”
Sam falls to the ground, holding onto his thigh. His scream is so loud if the gunshot didn’t alert the whole household, his shriek alone would have.
“I’m sorry, but I did try to warn you. Also, toughen the hell up. Stop screaming. It’s only a flesh wound. I made sure to avoid any major arteries. You’ll survive.” I step over him and run down the corridor. I can hear him calling after me. I feel terrible for what I just did. But nothing is going to stop me from getting to Josh.
* * *
Paying the cab driver,I jump out of the car. With my head held high, I march up to the door and knock loud. My insides churn with nerves, but I’m doing everything I can to not let them show. I will not show weakness. I will be strong. Josh needs me to be strong right now, and I need Josh.
There is no other option. I have to do this. I have to get him back. When the door opens, I realign my shoulders and stare the demon straight in the eyes—eyes, which roam up and down my body slowly, creepiness surrounding his gleam as he takes me in.
This is for Josh.I keep replaying the mantra in my head. It seems like we stand here forever, just staring each other down. I will not be the first to break. I won’t speak first. He must not like the defiance I’m putting off because he reaches out and lands a left hook directly to my face. I fall to the ground, my fingers itching to pull out a gun and shoot him. I have to wait. I have to know where Josh is first.
“There’s going to be one of those for every day you made me wait, Emily. You were meant to be mine. He promised me you would be mine after four years. That was the deal.” He reaches down, grabbing me by the arm, and drags me into the house before slamming the door behind him.
I have no idea what deal he’s talking about. Who the hell did he make a deal with? “What deal?” I ask.
“The deal Trent and I made when I signed the fake death certificates for you and your mother. He wanted the money. I wanted you.”
“Why?” I question.
“Why? Why do I want you? I’ve been watching you for a long time, Emily. Trent was never meant to have you first. It was supposed to be me.”
“No, why did he want the money? What did he do with it?” Maybe I can find out if there is any of it left, then recover it and give it back to Josh. Not that he seems to care about the cash, but I do. That’s a lot of money. If I’d have known he made that account for me, I would have sent it all back to him.
“He owed some nasty people some money. He never did learn his lesson. Had a bad gambling habit. Always making the same mistakes. But it doesn’t matter now, because you’re here. You’re mine, Emily, and we can start our future together. However short that may be for you, well, that depends on how good you are.”
He runs his fingers down my cheek; it takes everything in me not to recoil. I know if I do, he will just get angry again. I can’t very well save Josh if I’m in pieces myself.
“What did you do with his body?” I ask. I need to know that Trent’s body is never going to be found.
“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, Emily. I helped you. I got rid of the evidence you left behind. Couldn’t exactly have you going to jail for murder, now, could I? I put him through a crematorium, then I sprinkled his ashes over the ocean. He always hated the beach.” The detective laughs.
“We had a deal. Let me say goodbye to Josh first,” I demand. As much as I try to not let my voice quiver, it does, giving away the emotion I’m feeling right now.
“A deal is a deal. And I would so love for him to see that I have you in my grasp now. Let’s go.” He picks me up, his grip tight around my upper arm as he pulls me through the house.
The moment he opens the door and shoves me into the room, my eyes go to Josh. The detective grabs me by my ponytail, holding me close to him. I shut all my emotions off. The sight of Josh tied to the chair, the dried blood that’s dripped down his face, the bruising I can see… it makes me sick to my stomach.
This is all because of me. He’s in this predicament because of me. I mouth the words, “I’m sorry,” to him. I need him to know how sorry I am that he’s gotten caught up in my mess.
