Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The next day, Micheal refined his plan to perfection, focusing on every detail. First, he outlined how to snag the keycard from the nurse’s apartment. Then, he walked everyone through the operation, step by step, for their move on Severfalls.
Using a map, he pointed out the key entry points—doors to use, hallways to navigate, and the rooms where the women were likely being held, based on my memory. He also outlined multiple ways into the medical wing, where the exam rooms were located.
I stood by Emery’s side watching. Dom sat opposite, writing down his thoughts. Leslie had left to grab whatever he was preparing to make for a “distraction”. The more they started hashing out each step, the more I wanted to pull Emery away and tell him not to go. To change his mind.
“We won’t move in on Severfalls until we are absolutely ready,” Micheal said. “We’ll grab the key tonight and should be good for at least a few days before the nurse comes back and notices it gone. That should give us time to prepare and make sure everyone is in place. Tonight, Dom will watch the streets inside the complex on his feed while Emery and I go to the apartment. It shouldn’t take us long.”
That part sounded safe enough. It was the next part that bothered me. I told myself they’d help Rebecca, Adrien, and the others, get them the hell out of there and destroy everything in their wake. A part of me wanted it. But another part of me didn’t want Emery anywhere near that place.
My dreams had been more chaotic than ever, visions of Emery back on a metal slab as doctors cut into him, cracked open his skull and looked inside to see where they’d gone wrong. Then burning the remains. I felt sick when I woke, and when I headed for the bathroom, I saw my phantom smiling at me in the full-length mirror.
You’re so close, Evee. Behind him, the others appeared, Cassidy, Micheal, Leslie, and Dom hidden by their own masks.
And you’ll understand. You’ll be one of us too.
Soon.
My stomach turned and I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom before I was retching into the toilet.
No. I didn’t want him to go.
He was going to die. They’d move in too quickly. I knew he’d keep going till the last breath. He’d lose himself at the sight of blood, at the need for revenge.
Just another thing I hadn’t wanted to think about until it was too late.
Now I couldn’t stand the thought of losing him again. Not again.
As they sat over the map talking, I decided I was going to tell him. I’d let him grab the key since I could see taking any action now excited him. But I was going to tell him.
I felt a gentle tap at my shoulder and looked around to see Andrea. “Can we talk?” she whispered, gesturing toward her room.
She closed the door to her room quietly when I followed. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
Fucking crazy, scared, sick were all answers I thought of. Instead, I said, “I’m not really sure.”
“That’s fair.” She crossed her arms. “I know it hasn’t been long since your test, but I just wanted to know how you were feeling in regards to the result. I know we didn’t get a chance to talk…”
I sat down on the bed, hands curling into fists on my knees. “I haven't really decided yet.”
“That’s okay. Have you talked to Emery about it?”
“Yes. He supports me no matter what.”
“You have some time to decide but the sooner, the better if you don’t think you're ready.”
I laughed. “I’m never ready. I might never be. I’m just scared all the fucking time and losing my mind. I can’t take care of a kid now. I can hardly take care of myself. But the thought of letting it go when it’s Emery’s…”
She came to sit beside me. “It’s yours too. Your choice. And there’s always the chance to try again somewhere in the future when you’re really ready.”
“No…not if he goes to Severfalls. Not if he dies there.”
She frowned. “That’s true. But Emery isn’t like other people. It would take a lot to kill him. I think you know that.”
My face twisted as I felt a sort of dread take over me. “I can’t let him go.”
“You’d force him to stay behind?”
I gazed over at her. “Yes.”
She gave me a sympathetic look. “I don’t blame you, Eve, it’s a hard decision for everyone. But I would tell him tonight.”
My eyes shifted to the door. I could hear the others talking just beyond it. “I plan to.”
That feeling of dread heightened as the day neared its end. I had allowed myself time to gather my thoughts while giving Emery the chance to help Micheal in whatever way he needed before they left on their run.
What guilt I felt was very little compared to the need to not have a repeat of what happened on Halloween. I could bear his disappointment, his annoyance, his anything. I couldn’t bear finally seeing his corpse on the news. Or Liam sending me a photo of his body full of bullet holes, saying “He’s gone for good. You can rest easy now, Eve.” Then I’d be sent into another institution I would probably never leave.
It was hard seeing the excitement on Emery’s face as he and Micheal grabbed some of Dom’s tech like the police scanners and another laptop, then weapons, body gear, walkies, and a duffle bag that I didn’t ask what was inside. I stayed silent as he moved back and forth from the garage, the scrape of barrels against the ground and the clatter of equipment breaking the stillness.
I didn’t ask what they were working on, knew it had to do with whatever they were planning for Severfalls. I let him be while I tried to keep the dread down. I sat at a table in a corner of the community room, starting to piece together the new parts of my thesis, trying to ignore the twisting in my gut. I glanced over to check on Lena who was sitting next to Dom at his station. Watched as he showed her how he accessed parts of the city, from street cams to security footage. She leaned in and talked quietly to him, laughing at something he wrote on his notepad.
At least she didn’t look scared anymore. How I envied her.
I tried my best to get as much done as I could, but I kept zoning out. I felt cold, felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand on end.
It’s too late, Evee, to stop what’s coming , my phantom whispered in my ear. I saw his boney hand move across my shoulder. But you can follow me into the dark.
No, I thought as a chill raked over me. No .
I heard the roar of water in my head that turned into the roar of something burning. My eyes fluttered shut and I saw Emery’s silhouette against a raging inferno.
Then his body lying in a puddle of blood.
On a slab, cut open.
In the ground, a burned corpse.
Lifeless, floating down the river.
Not again.
He laughed in my head.
Anger burned inside me. He’s mine.
I’ll fucking kill them if they take him.
Kill them, his voice echoed back. Kill them, Eve.
“Eve?”
The roaring in my head ceased as my eyes flew open. I dropped my hands from my ears as I peered over and saw Lena looking back at me with a worried expression.
“You okay?”
I glanced over at the windows, expecting to see light coming through and forgetting they were shuttered. “What time is it?”
Lena looked at the clock on the computer. “Almost four-thirty.”
A few more hours and they’d be leaving soon. I saved what little work I’d done and shut the laptop. “I’m going to take a shower,” I told her. I needed to get my head clear before I told Emery anything.
I closed the bathroom door and took off my clothes, moving over to the shower and turning it on. I waited for it to heat up then stepped inside. As the hot water poured down my head, neck, and back I tried to let the bad thoughts wash down the drain.
The heat felt so good, made the chill go away, but it didn’t last. I kept turning it hotter but it just didn’t last.
I heard my name called. Then louder. He was calling to me. I could still hear him.
The water stopped flowing and I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“Fuck, baby, what have you done?” Emery said as his hand pressed gently against my back. “You could have burned yourself.”
I looked up at him through my hair which had fallen around my face. He brushed the wet hair away before grabbing my chin.
“What happened, Eve? Lena said you were in here a long time.”
“I…I just needed the thoughts to go away.”
His concerned look turned sympathetic. He pulled me into him, not appearing to care if I got his clothes wet.
“Oh, Evee.” His hand brushed against my wet head. “I shouldn’t have left you so long.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay.” I gently pulled away so I could stare up at him. “But…I need to talk to you.”
His concerned look returned. “Sure, baby. Why don’t we get you dried up and dressed first, okay?”
I nodded.
I let Emery wrap me in a towel, then grab another to dry my hair. When it was only damp, he used the towel I was wrapped in to dry off the rest of me, his hot gaze falling down my body as his hands moved. Letting the towel drop, he lifted my hair to one side and kissed down my neck to my shoulder. I could see that hungry look in his eyes as he carefully backed me against the wall.
“I’m right here, baby, I’m right here.” His hands were on either side of my head. “Come here,” he whispered, pulling me in.
He kissed me deep, biting my bottom lip, making me gasp. He lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his hips as he buried his face in my neck.
“Someone might come in and see,” I gasped, feeling his hand between us as he unzipped his pants.
“I don’t care,” he said against my skin, pulling his pants down.
I felt his cock press against my center and slide in with ease. Without hesitating, he started to move his hips, slipping deeper with each stroke. He paused only briefly to take off his shirt, a groan slipping through his teeth as he moved again, quickening his pace. He pinned me to the wall with my legs up, body curled against him.
Funny, how him fucking me into the wall wiped all those nasty thoughts away.
I bit my lip trying to stifle my cries, knowing down the hall was Lena and the others. When I could barely contain the moans tearing up my throat, Emery crushed his mouth to mine.
“I got you,” he whispered against my lips. “I got you, Evee.” He pulled away just enough so that our eyes locked.
“Emery…” I grabbed his shoulders tight, digging my nails in as I felt the slick heat between us. “Don’t,” I breathed. “Don’t...go.”
Fire coiled tight inside me as I clenched around him, goosebumps trailing along my skin as a slow but deep orgasm trembled through me. My words turned into a cry, and I clamped my mouth shut as it tore through me.
Emery thrusted hard twice more until I felt his body tense against mine.
“Fuck, Evee,” he gasped. And a low groan shook through him. “Fuck.” He started to thrust again even as he was coming, his hands gripping me tight. His expression twisted as if he was in pain but didn’t want to stop.
He ground against me a few more times as if desperate to prolong this. Then he started to slow and halt entirely, resting his head against mine.
A laugh shook through him. “I couldn’t help it, Evee. Every fucking time, I just can’t help it. I want this all the time. Every day.”
I let my fingers trail through his hair. “I do too.”
Slowly he pulled back to look at me, his head tilting to one side. “What did you mean don’t go?”
I pursed my lips. Before I could open my mouth, there was a knock at the door.
“Emery?”
“I’ll be right there,” Emery told Micheal.
There was a pause. “Is Eve okay?”
My face heated up as Emery called back, “Yeah. Give us a minute.”
His footsteps faded. Carefully, Emery put me down and zipped up his pants. His hand found my face again, his fingers brushing along my cheek.
“What is it, Eve?”
I pulled away from him and quickly put my clothes back on, giving him his shirt. “Can we talk outside?”
He was quiet for a moment. “Sure.”
We made our way up to the garden. The sun was beginning to set, deep orange like fire past the trees. I turned to him as the door shut behind him.
“I don’t want you to go,” I said.
“To Severfalls?”
“Yes.”
He shifted on his feet, frowning. “You’re afraid of what I might do.”
“I’m afraid of what will happen to you.”
“Evee.” He stepped toward me, and I stepped back, making him go still.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice almost cracking. “But I can’t lose you again. I just got you back and that’s crazy enough.” I knitted my fingers as if about to pray. “I know you want to be with the others. I know you want to pay them back. You want to finish this. But…” I shook my head. “All I see is death. I know you say you won’t leave me here, but you don’t know that. You don’t know what will happen. No matter how confident you are. All I see is the morning of Halloween over and over. And I can’t…I can’t live with that again.” I started to break. “I will never come back from it.”
“Eve…”
“I won’t.” I separated my hands, turning them to fists at my sides. “You got your revenge already. You got it on my sixteenth birthday. So I’m begging you now. No, I’m telling you. Don’t. Go.”
His face darkened but it wasn’t angry like I expected.
“I want what you promised back at the house,” I continued. “With us on the boat far away. You can go tonight to get the key but that’s all. After that, I want to go. You, me, and our kid.”
Emery stiffened, his eyes widening. “You mean that?” he breathed.
My mouth tightened. “We end this tonight and we start over. Our family. Just us. We finally start something better. And we don’t look back.”
“You’re sure, Evee? You don’t have to decide—”
“I’ve decided. I feared that future at first, but I would take it a million times over than the one where you’re not here with me.”
He closed the distance between us, enclosing me in his arms. I let him hold me for a long while. Then I looked up and saw the grin on his face. “I will do whatever it takes to make it work, Eve,” he said. “I promise.”