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Josh
Emily pulls a knife from her boot and cuts the rope loose, first from around my ankles and then from my hands. I’m in awe as I watch her. Who the hell is this girl? It’s like I am staring at an entirely different person from the one who was scared of her shadow a few weeks ago.
When she walked through that door, I felt sick to my stomach. Seeing her get hit was the worst fucking moment of my life. I know I couldn’t watch her get tortured, and that’s exactly what that sick fuck had in mind. For her. For me.
As soon as my hands are freed, I pull her into my arms. When she winces, I loosen my hold slightly. I’m so relieved in this moment, but also pissed as fucking hell that she put herself in this position.
I hear movement in the hall. Shoving Emily behind me, I bend down and swipe her discarded gun from the floor. Dean bursts through the door, followed closely by Zac. I don’t lower the firearm. Dean, however, the trusting fool that he is, lowers his. Zac’s smarter than I give him credit for because his gun is still trained straight on me.
“What the fuck took you so long? And why in God’s name would you let Emily do something so fucking reckless?” I scream at Dean. There’s no fucking way I would ever let Ella put herself in danger like Emily just had. I would have locked her in a damn cage if I needed to.
“First, it took a hot fucking minute to track the payment on the card Emily used for the cab she took to get here. Second, I didn’t fucking let her out. She snuck out. Ask Emily just what measures she took to get out of the bloody house.” Dean smirks, like he knows a secret I don’t.
I look behind me and raise my eyebrows at Emily. She rolls her eyes and huffs. “What’d you do, Em?”
“It was only a flesh wound, Josh. It’s not a big deal.” She folds her arms over her chest.
“Who’d you shoot?” I ask, confused. I’m trying not to laugh. I shouldn’t think it’s funny that she shot someone to get to me. But I do.
“Sam, but it was his fault. He wouldn’t move out of the doorway. I only shot him in the leg,” she defends her actions. She doesn’t need to make a case for herself though. Not to me.
“Huh, okay.” I turn back to Dean. “Seems like he deserved it.”
Dean places himself in front of Zac. “Drop the gun, Josh. You’re not going to shoot me.”
I tilt my head and stare him down. “Are you sure about that?” I ask him.
“No, but I’d like to think you wouldn’t shoot your own brother.”
“Okay, well, this little family reunion is great and all, but I’d really like to go home now,” Emily says, walking around me. She steps in front of me and takes the gun out of my hand. I’m a little stunned by her boldness so I let her take it.
Cupping her face gently in my palms, I lean in and kiss her forehead. “Let’s go home.”
“Hey, Zac?” Emily starts in that sugary-sweet voice—a voice I know means that I am going to love whatever it is she is about to say. I’ve come to know this is the sweet voice she uses when dishing out threats.
“Yeah?” Zac turns around to look at her.
“If you ever point a gun like that at Josh again, I’ll shoot your ass before you can even blink. And I don’t miss. Just ask the detective back there. Oh, that’s right… You can’t, because I shot him.” Emily smiles. Zac and Dean both stare with slack jaws and wide eyes.
With a shake of his head, Zac says, “I’ll take that into consideration, Emily.” He turns and continues walking.
“We’re going to need a clean-up crew,” Dean says before he follows Zac.
“Just torch the place,” I suggest as I lead Emily to the Range Rover Zac is currently waiting at.
* * *
Lying herein bed with Emily in my arms, I finally feel peace again. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d get out of that room alive. Emily’s been quiet since I had Zac drop us at my penthouse. With the threat now gone, we don’t have to hide anymore. I’m at a loss for words. I’m not sure what to say.
I just know I need to get her talking. She didn’t say anything in the car, and she didn’t say anything as we showered and climbed into bed. She curled up to my side, wrapped herself around me and clung to my chest, her fingers digging into my arms.
“Thank you. I don’t think I said thank you,” I say as my hands mindlessly twirl the wet strands of her hair.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“You saved me, Emily. You alone. No help. No one else. Just you. As much as I wish you hadn’t put yourself at risk like that, I am thankful that you came to my rescue.”
“I would never have stopped looking, Josh. I would have done anything to get you back.”
