Bourne to Love Emma (RED-Stone Operatives Book 1) (20 page)

            “Sure thing.  I’ll keep an eye on him until you
get down there.”

            Once Gene was back in the building, I grabbed the
jacket that had his gun wrapped in it and grabbed the keys out of the pocket.

            “Figured we should know what he’s got in that car
before we confront him.”

            Jax nodded.  “Got any guesses?”

            “Only in my worst nightmares.” 

            We got to the car parked on the side of the
building and found it unlocked.  After digging through what was inside, it really
looked like he was living in the damn thing instead of just driving it.  Which
made sense since we knew he had no money.

            I was digging through the glove box when Jax
called my name.  He was standing over the open trunk, perfectly still.  I
walked around the side of the car and stopped next to him.

            My breath caught in my throat for a second before
fury coursed into my system.  Almost from a distance, I saw my hand reach
toward the trunk before Jax stopped me.

            “Don’t touch it.  It’s evidence now.” 

            “I will fucking kill him.  Rip his goddamn hands
from his motherfucking body.  He’s dead.  Dead.”  I turned and started running
back to the building.  When I yanked on the handle to the back entrance, Jax
slammed himself against it to keep it from opening.

            “Bourne.  No.”

            “Move, Jax.  Fucking move, RIGHT NOW.”  I slammed
my fist into the door beside his head.  He didn’t even fucking flinch.

            “Bourne.  I can’t let you do it.  Emma will never
understand killing her ex-husband if your own life isn’t in danger.  Pull it
back, man.”

            I folded in half and yelled until there was no
breath left in my lungs.  Then I fell to my knees. 

            “Talk to me, Bourne.  I saw it too, brother.  You
love her.  That makes this a thousand times worse.  But you have to control
it.”

            “You saw it.  He was going to hurt her.  Kill
her.  Emma.  Mia?”  My heart was beating so hard my chest actually physically
hurt.  “They’re MINE.  And he was going to HURT THEM.”

            Jax just waited.  He knew.  He knew what it was
really all about.  But I can’t say it yet.  I focused on breathing, slowing my
heart down, pulling my thoughts back in line.  In, out.  In, out.  When
everything cleared and my mind was quiet, my vision was crystal clear, the
world wasn’t buzzing in my ears anymore, I looked up at Jax. 

            “What if I was too late?  I could have lost them
both.  Jesus.  He could have taken them from me forever.”  I closed my eyes.

            “’What if’ is for people who don’t train their
entire lives to keep from asking that question.  We don’t ask ‘what if’ – we
ask ‘what now.’  You weren’t too late.  You didn’t lose them.  He didn’t take
them.  Now let’s go finish this shit and get that fucker behind bars so you can
get back to your woman.”

            He held out his hand to help me up and I took
it.  And then I used it to pull him to me and slap his back.  There’s so much I
want to say at that moment, but the words don’t come.

            “Thanks, Jax.”

            “Anytime, Bourne.  Anytime.”

~Emma~

            By ten o'clock, I was past just pacing around the
room holding a gun.  Mia was sleeping in her play pen and the only light in the
room was coming from the nightlight we brought over here from Mia’s room.  I
kept trying to sit down and look at something on my phone but all I ended up
doing was pulling up my contacts and then having to force myself not to press
Jason’s name.  I knew I couldn’t call him right now.  Even if he wasn’t in
danger, he didn’t need the distraction when I have no reason to call.  I’m
fine.  Mia’s fine.  I’m just…losing my mind a little, that’s all.

            At eleven, I called Heather and woke her up.  I
know I woke her up because she mumbled and groaned for a good fifteen seconds
before saying anything remotely resembling ‘hello.’

            “Jason’s been gone since eight and I haven’t
heard anything.  Has John heard from him?”

            It took Heather a moment to realize who she was
talking to and process what I asked.

            “John isn’t home, Emma.  His guys have that huge
sting tonight.  He’s been gone since early this morning and told me not to wait
up.”

            “Oh….  It’s been three hours, Heather.”

            “He’s a Navy SEAL.  He’s fine.  And he didn’t go
out alone, right?  Who’s with him?”

            “Jax.”

            “Hm.  I don’t know if I’ve met him or not.  John
does try to keep me out of what’s happening at the office, but he’s kind of
friends with some of them, so I push him to be social….”

            “He has a British accent.  You’d remember him if
you’d met him.”

            “Ooh.  Maybe John’s kept him away on purpose.  I
do love a man with an accent.”

            I almost smiled at that.  Only Heather.  “Okay. 
If you hear from John –“

            “I’ll call you.  Promise.  You call me after
Jason gets back.”

            I stare at the clock beside the bed again. 
11:02pm.

            “Emma.  You need to get your mind on something
else.”

            “There IS nothing else, Heather.  He’s out there
with GUNS because my ex-husband has lost his damn mind!  I can’t think of
anything else because this is the only important thing right now.  I am locked
inside a guest bedroom in his apartment just … waiting!  I can’t go anywhere or
do anything because I promised him I would stay right here and be safe.”

            “He has to focus on what he’s doing, Em.  Knowing
that you’re safe is the only way he can shut that off in his head, you know?”

            I sighed and sat back down on the bed.  “I get
it.  I do.  But it doesn’t mean it somehow miraculously becomes easy.  Waiting
is hard.  I’m not a patient person and this is agony.”

            “Check Facebook, go make a new board on
Pinterest, read a book, take a bath….  I don’t know – just try to distract
yourself.  You know I’d come over and help if I could, but you’re kind of in
quarantine right now and John pretty much forbid me to get involved again after
last time.”

            “Forbid you?”  I can’t even imagine.  I might
even offer to pay to see someone do that.  No one has ever gotten away with
something like that with her before and I have a hard time believing John
survived trying.

            “Yeah.  He actually used that word, too.  Like I
need him to tell me what to do….  Have you ever had angry sex, though?  Because…it
has its merits.”

            I laughed.  I laughed hard and long and kept
laughing until I slid to the floor with tears running down my cheeks.  This has
all been too much.  I’m not made for this much chaos and conflict.  It’s just too
much.

            “It’s okay, Em.  I’m so sorry I’m not there.  Everything
is going to be okay.  They know what they’re doing.  They’re damn good at their
jobs and they’re smart.”

            “I know, but I just want it to end.”

            “It will, Em.  Hopefully tonight, but definitely
soon.”

            I sighed and reached for a tissue on the
nightstand.  I put the phone down and blew my nose before picking it back up.

            “You gonna be okay now?”

            “Yeah.  I’m gonna be okay.  Thanks, Heather.”

            “Love you, Em.”

            “Love you, too.”

            I held my phone in one hand and the gun with the
other.  I paced.  I sat down and then popped right back up.  I checked on Mia,
paced around the room and did it again.  I prayed. 

            Jason was everything I had ever dreamed of
finding but never actually hoped to realize.  He’s far from perfect, but his
imperfections make him…better.  They make him real and complex and amazing.  I
thought maybe, someday, I’d find a man who would love Mia the way a father
should.  I hoped that he would love me, too.  But my definition of ‘love’
before Jason…well… the word seems entirely inadequate now. 

            So, I prayed.  I bargained.  I begged.  I need
this man in my life – in our lives.  Please, please let him come through this
unharmed.  Please let them find Dan and make it all stop.  Please let tonight
be the last night we spend worrying about my past affecting my future. 

            It was nearly midnight when my phone rang.  I
jerked up on the bed where I had apparently managed to doze off at some point
between now and 11:40pm. 

            My phone showed Jason’s face on the lock screen. 
Thank God!

            “Jason?!”

            “Em.  I’m coming inside.  You can unlock the door
now.”

            I dropped my phone without even hanging up and
launched myself at the door.  It took three tries to get the stupid lock to
turn and then I ran full tilt into Jason in the hallway.  He wrapped me in his
arms and lifted me off the ground, hugging me so tight my ribs pinched.  I
locked my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck and clung to him
like I’d never let go.

            I pulled back and kissed him.  I kissed his
mouth, cheeks, jaw, nose, chin – everything I could reach.  The relief crashing
through me was insane, like nothing I’d ever felt before.

            “Em.  Baby.  I’m okay.  Everything is okay.”  He
kissed me one more time and tried to set me down on my feet.  Nope.  I wasn’t
ready for that yet.

            “Don’t let go.  Don’t ever let go.”  I started to
cry.  Blame it on me being a weak female, my hormones, the adrenaline crash,
whatever.  In the end, these were happy tears.

            He stroked my back and kissed me over and over,
whispering assurances that everything is okay.  Then I heard a cough in the
living room.

            I let go when Jason tried to put me down that
time. 

            “It’s Jax and Carla.  They’re going to take Mia
back to Carla’s apartment while you come with me.  I….  You need to see this
and John wants a statement from you before anything else happens.”

            “Did you find him?”

            “Yes.  We found him.”

            I didn’t even know how to feel or what to think. 
They caught him.  Jason caught him.  Just like he promised he would.

            I helped put together the bag for Mia and pulled
her from the play pen.  She stayed asleep as I transferred her to Carla who
wrapped Mia back up in her blanket.

            “I’ll keep her until morning, Emma.  You deal
with this mess and then try to get some rest.  I can keep her all day tomorrow
if you need me to, too.”

            “Thanks, Carla.  I’ll call you in the morning and
let you know what’s going on by then.”

            Jax and Carla left.  Jason grabbed my hand.

            “It’s bad, Em.  John and I need you to understand
– really understand – what was going on and why you need to press charges.  I
promise I won’t leave you at any point while we’re down there.”

            This isn’t what I expected.  I really expected
him to tell me they found Dan and now he won’t bother me anymore. They warned
him off or threatened him – maybe hurt him enough to get the point across.

            “Okay.  If you’re with me, I know I’m safe.  I
can do this.”

            “I know you can, babe.  I know you can.”

            We left the apartment and he took me downstairs
from the lobby to the basement.  I knew there was a basement, but I always
assumed it was just for janitorial storage or standard office usage.  There were
a few rooms that fit in with that general idea, but there was a full set of
offices as well as a meeting room with screens and cameras for video
conferences.

            The security office down there was all computer
screens and phones and filing cabinets.  Next to it was another room with the
door closed.  Jason held my hand and walked me to that door.

            “You ready?”  His eyes are worried and serious.

            “Yes.”  My voice only shook a little. 

            Jason knocked on the door and pushed it open.  My
eyes landed on John immediately and I opened my mouth to say hello – until the
door swung open the rest of the way and I saw a man handcuffed to a chair
muttering to himself and bleeding.  It took a few seconds to recognize that the
man was Dan.

            His gray hoodie is soaked in the blood running
from his hugely swollen nose and the cut above his left eye.  Both eyes are
turning black from bruising and swelling.  He’s lost weight since I saw him
last – his face is gaunt and his cheekbones throw harsh shadows on the hollows
of his cheeks and the beard he has grown.  I could have passed him on the
street and not known who he was.  I flash back for a moment to the man I first
met over six years ago.  His wide smile and bright green eyes had mesmerized me
from the moment he touched my hand and introduced himself.  He had been so
handsome and charming….  And now he’s sitting here, broken and bleeding in
handcuffs, his mind somehow shattered.

            At that moment, he looked up and saw me in the
doorway.

            “You fucking worthless piece of shit!  Fucking
cunt!” he started screaming at me, straining against the handcuffs as he tried
to lunge toward me.

            Jason wrapped his arm around my waist in support.

            “It’s all because of you!  You fucking ruined my
fucking life.  Bitch!  I lost my job because those ignorant fucks liked you
better than the women I was fucking.  I bet you sucked old man Jones’ dick,
didn’t you, you fucking unfaithful whore.  I lost my fucking job because I
wasn’t married to your worthless ass.  I lost my house and my car because of you! 
You ruined my life!  You and that fucking kid!  I used to be able to fuck
anyone I wanted.  Flash a little money and all the bitches want to suck you
off.  I could fuck two or three at once.  All I had to do was fucking snap my
fingers and they ran like my cock was made of fucking gold.  It’s all because
of you, you goddamn cock tease.  You fucking owe me everything.”

John moved and Jason pulled me back
out of the room while Dan continued to scream at me.

“I paid for your college degree and
helped you find a goddamn job even when you weren’t giving me that pussy when I
asked for it.  ASKED FOR IT!  I don’t have to ask, bitch!  You’re my goddamn
wife and I OWN that fucking pussy!  I can fuck it anytime I want, bitch!”

Jason closed the door.  A few steps
later, he pulled me into his arms.  I could feel myself shaking.  Hard.  Almost
like something inside me was shaking apart. 

John walked up next to us.

“We had a little chat before you came
down.  We have him on camera admitting to watching the building, breaking into
your car and assaulting Heather.  I can have him charged with trespassing,
petty theft, vandalism, assault and we have enough evidence to get a Protective
Order to stick, but they only last a year.”  He paused to be sure I was
listening.  “I wanted you to see him and hear the shit that’s in his head. 
Some of that is probably because he’s high on God knows what – but whatever it
is still started in his head.  You need to press charges for what happened at the
club.  You have witnesses to the assault.  He needs to be put away or this
won’t stop until he’s dead.  Or you are.”

Jason guided me back to the security
office a few feet away.  When we walked in, I realized one full wall of it was
a window into the room where Dan was still yelling.  I flinched away from the
sight and Jason rubbed my back and told me “It’s one-way glass, baby.  He can’t
see you.”

But he was still in there ranting and
raving, even though we couldn’t hear him.  His nose was bleeding again, maybe
that was part of why John took an extra minute to join us outside.  I had to turn
away from the window anyway – because I didn’t want to see him even if he couldn’t
see me.

John put a cardboard box on top of
the table beside me and he and Jason exchanged a look before he opened it.  The
box already had ‘evidence’ tape across the lid, but it hadn’t been sealed
around the box yet.  John pushed the box closer to me so I could see what’s
inside.