She was fond of him, but there were no romantic undertones.
“Who is Kevin to you?” I asked. “You said he was a family friend?” I moved closer, my arms falling to my sides. Who had adopted her? Were they good people? Was she loved? I looked at her hand. There was a ring on her finger. That meant she was married?
“He is. He’s, um...” She began fiddling with her ring. “He grew up with me. When I was adopted, I moved to Hillcrest. It’s an uppity town, and my family was wealthy. Kevin’s family was, too. There’s a whole scene there. I guess you could call me a socialite. This—you and who you’re with—has everyone salivating back home. They couldn’t get over it. Half of the girls I know wanted to come with us. Then our PI told us you were in New York, and we hopped another plane to come here. I…anyways, I’m digressing. Kevin. You asked about how we know each other.”
Her head bobbed up and down. She kept playing with her ring. “Kevin was friends with Jamis.” She laughed again, but it sounded nervous. She wiggled her fingers in the air, pointing at the ring. “Jamis is my husband—no, was my husband. We divorced a year ago. He cheated on me. Like, with thirty women, so Kevin chose my friendship over his.”
She wasn’t looking at me anymore. She was staring at the ground with a distant expression on her face. I saw the pain there. I heard it and felt it. My own pain recognized it immediately, and I wanted to go to her, hug her, and comfort her.
I didn’t. I held back and reminded myself that I didn’t know this woman. She had my face, but she had a whole other life.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“Yeah,” her voice was hoarse. “Anyways, maybe—I mean—can we shelf this?” A tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away with the back of her hand. The entire movement was very graceful. She was sophisticated and elegant. After a moment she smiled at me, her eyes warming. “It’s obvious that you’re loved very much. Is there a way we could get to know each other? Maybe even meet for a glass of wine one night? I’ll leave Nervous Kevin behind.”
Emma had a sister. Wonderful.
Truly, wonderful. That had been my first response. She missed AJ. She could talk to this woman, get more information, and maybe get more closure on AJ’s death. Those had been my initial thoughts about this new chapter in Emma’s life.
But that had been then. That was when the woman was far away. Emma didn’t know her. She wasn’t in our lives. This was now.
Emma had a sister—I hated it. We needed to move. Emma needed to be hidden, but instead, we were in a warehouse while she chatted about the past with this stranger. And her man looked ready to bolt or mess himself. My men had taken their phones away, but if they hadn’t, I had no doubt this man would’ve called the police just because he was scared.
He wasn’t worth our time. Neither was this reunion. It was only endangering Emma further. The longer we stayed in town, the more chances it gave the Bartels to hurt her. A growl formed in the pit of my throat. It wanted to be unleashed, but I forced it back down. I forced myself to stand there, letting Emma spend this time with her sister, when I wanted to rip open the door, haul her out, and keep her safe.
I couldn’t do that either.
She needed this time. I needed her to be safe. Two goals at odds with each other.
Stand. Be on guard. Wait. Those were my only options.
“Sir?” Thomas approached with a phone in his hand. “It’s…” He glanced toward the man and didn’t finish his statement. As I took the phone, he murmured under his breath, “It’s Cole, sir.”
I looked at Emma.
“I’ll watch her, sir.”
I couldn’t take the call with that man in here. I shook my head and pointed at the man. “No, I’ll stay. Take him out.”
“What?” Kevin asked suddenly.
Thomas gestured to two of the guards and ordered, “Take him outside. Stay with him.”
As they left their positions, Kevin began to back up. He looked all around him, but there was nowhere to hide. “What’s going on? I don’t like this. I didn’t agree to any of this—”
The men grabbed his arms and started to guide him toward the door. He went limp, so they dragged him. When they lifted him in the air instead, he started to kick at them.
“Help! Andrea—” he yelled.
“Shut. Up.” I held the phone against my chest. “It’s a phone call. Your woman is safe. You came to us. Not the other way around.”
Sweat covered his forehead and damp circles radiated from under his arms. He kept looking between the two guards who were holding him. “I—”
I didn’t care and waved them on outside. The men continued on their path and shut the door behind them. Kevin continued to yell, and I fought the urge to go out there and silence him myself. That would’ve been uncivilized. He was the weaker one here. This was my territory. I understood his panic, given everything he’d heard about me in the media, but there was a way to deal with fear. He was like a frightened little boy. I didn’t have time for men like that.
“Carter!”
Hearing Cole shouting from the phone, I lifted it to my ear. “This is not the best time.”
“You’re still in town?”
“And how do you know that?”
“I asked your men.”
Hearing a smugness in his voice, I clutched the phone tighter. “I will make sure to give my men explicit instructions on keeping my location quiet, to everyone.”
He laughed. “You sound like a grizzly bear waiting to attack. What’s got you worked up? It couldn’t be the police chief?”
I looked up, making sure Emma was safe. “Nothing. We ran into a small obstacle, that’s all. Why are you calling me, Cole?”
“To give you the heads-up. I called a meeting with the elders.”
I was quiet for a moment. There were things he wasn’t saying. He’d said earlier that he needed to watch the elders. Now he was meeting with them? He was doing something else, playing a game with the elders.
“Did you need my help?” I asked.
“No, no. I’m just letting you know, in case there’s fallout. I thought you’d be long gone by now.” He sounded casual, happy even. “Are you sticking around town because of this small obstacle?”
“Who is Kevin to you?” I asked. “You said he was a family friend?” I moved closer, my arms falling to my sides. Who had adopted her? Were they good people? Was she loved? I looked at her hand. There was a ring on her finger. That meant she was married?
“He is. He’s, um...” She began fiddling with her ring. “He grew up with me. When I was adopted, I moved to Hillcrest. It’s an uppity town, and my family was wealthy. Kevin’s family was, too. There’s a whole scene there. I guess you could call me a socialite. This—you and who you’re with—has everyone salivating back home. They couldn’t get over it. Half of the girls I know wanted to come with us. Then our PI told us you were in New York, and we hopped another plane to come here. I…anyways, I’m digressing. Kevin. You asked about how we know each other.”
Her head bobbed up and down. She kept playing with her ring. “Kevin was friends with Jamis.” She laughed again, but it sounded nervous. She wiggled her fingers in the air, pointing at the ring. “Jamis is my husband—no, was my husband. We divorced a year ago. He cheated on me. Like, with thirty women, so Kevin chose my friendship over his.”
She wasn’t looking at me anymore. She was staring at the ground with a distant expression on her face. I saw the pain there. I heard it and felt it. My own pain recognized it immediately, and I wanted to go to her, hug her, and comfort her.
I didn’t. I held back and reminded myself that I didn’t know this woman. She had my face, but she had a whole other life.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured.
“Yeah,” her voice was hoarse. “Anyways, maybe—I mean—can we shelf this?” A tear slid down her cheek, and she brushed it away with the back of her hand. The entire movement was very graceful. She was sophisticated and elegant. After a moment she smiled at me, her eyes warming. “It’s obvious that you’re loved very much. Is there a way we could get to know each other? Maybe even meet for a glass of wine one night? I’ll leave Nervous Kevin behind.”
Emma had a sister. Wonderful.
Truly, wonderful. That had been my first response. She missed AJ. She could talk to this woman, get more information, and maybe get more closure on AJ’s death. Those had been my initial thoughts about this new chapter in Emma’s life.
But that had been then. That was when the woman was far away. Emma didn’t know her. She wasn’t in our lives. This was now.
Emma had a sister—I hated it. We needed to move. Emma needed to be hidden, but instead, we were in a warehouse while she chatted about the past with this stranger. And her man looked ready to bolt or mess himself. My men had taken their phones away, but if they hadn’t, I had no doubt this man would’ve called the police just because he was scared.
He wasn’t worth our time. Neither was this reunion. It was only endangering Emma further. The longer we stayed in town, the more chances it gave the Bartels to hurt her. A growl formed in the pit of my throat. It wanted to be unleashed, but I forced it back down. I forced myself to stand there, letting Emma spend this time with her sister, when I wanted to rip open the door, haul her out, and keep her safe.
I couldn’t do that either.
She needed this time. I needed her to be safe. Two goals at odds with each other.
Stand. Be on guard. Wait. Those were my only options.
“Sir?” Thomas approached with a phone in his hand. “It’s…” He glanced toward the man and didn’t finish his statement. As I took the phone, he murmured under his breath, “It’s Cole, sir.”
I looked at Emma.
“I’ll watch her, sir.”
I couldn’t take the call with that man in here. I shook my head and pointed at the man. “No, I’ll stay. Take him out.”
“What?” Kevin asked suddenly.
Thomas gestured to two of the guards and ordered, “Take him outside. Stay with him.”
As they left their positions, Kevin began to back up. He looked all around him, but there was nowhere to hide. “What’s going on? I don’t like this. I didn’t agree to any of this—”
The men grabbed his arms and started to guide him toward the door. He went limp, so they dragged him. When they lifted him in the air instead, he started to kick at them.
“Help! Andrea—” he yelled.
“Shut. Up.” I held the phone against my chest. “It’s a phone call. Your woman is safe. You came to us. Not the other way around.”
Sweat covered his forehead and damp circles radiated from under his arms. He kept looking between the two guards who were holding him. “I—”
I didn’t care and waved them on outside. The men continued on their path and shut the door behind them. Kevin continued to yell, and I fought the urge to go out there and silence him myself. That would’ve been uncivilized. He was the weaker one here. This was my territory. I understood his panic, given everything he’d heard about me in the media, but there was a way to deal with fear. He was like a frightened little boy. I didn’t have time for men like that.
“Carter!”
Hearing Cole shouting from the phone, I lifted it to my ear. “This is not the best time.”
“You’re still in town?”
“And how do you know that?”
“I asked your men.”
Hearing a smugness in his voice, I clutched the phone tighter. “I will make sure to give my men explicit instructions on keeping my location quiet, to everyone.”
He laughed. “You sound like a grizzly bear waiting to attack. What’s got you worked up? It couldn’t be the police chief?”
I looked up, making sure Emma was safe. “Nothing. We ran into a small obstacle, that’s all. Why are you calling me, Cole?”
“To give you the heads-up. I called a meeting with the elders.”
I was quiet for a moment. There were things he wasn’t saying. He’d said earlier that he needed to watch the elders. Now he was meeting with them? He was doing something else, playing a game with the elders.
“Did you need my help?” I asked.
“No, no. I’m just letting you know, in case there’s fallout. I thought you’d be long gone by now.” He sounded casual, happy even. “Are you sticking around town because of this small obstacle?”
