Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
EMILEE
T he morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room as Emilee slowly blinked awake. Her body felt heavy, and then she felt it—a man’s arms wrapped securely around her, holding her close to his chest.
Her heart skipped a beat, her mind struggling to comprehend the intimacy of their position. She tensed, instinctively pulling away, but his arms only tightened his hold, his voice cutting through the haze of her thoughts. Had she relapsed? Was she hung over? Who was holding her? She blinked and looked at the wall, the light robin egg blue brought it all back.
Arrow.
He’d let, no demanded, that she spend the night at his house. But why was he lying in the bed next to her?
The events of the previous night flooded back into her mind—the nightmare. Arrow waking her up, and then wrapping his arms around her. His arms that were still around her.
Oh, God.
It wasn't all part of the dream. She'd dreamt she had a nightmare, and someone woke her from it... but, someone really had woken her from it. The last part, it wasn't a dream after all. Her face flamed.
Did she call him Daddy?
No, no, no! She couldn't have called him Daddy!
“Settle down, kitten,” he murmured, his tone both soothing and commanding. She reluctantly relaxed into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his body seeping into hers and took several deep breaths. The man was huge and built like an armored truck. She had no chance struggling against him. He loosened his arms and allowed her to sit up.
Emilee felt a pang of embarrassment at the vulnerability she'd shown. “Oh, God, I'm sorry--” she started, but he cut her off.
“Sorry for what? There’s nothing to apologize for. You had a nightmare and asked me to stay with you. You're safe here, Emilee. Do you have nightmares often?”
“Too often,” she confessed. Why was she telling him all this? This virtual stranger? The better question was, why did she feel safe in his arms?
“Does it turn out differently each time?” He asked her.
“What do you mean?”
“You were calling out for help in your dream. You said something about getting hit by a car?”
“That's what happened,” she said quietly. She'd not talked to anyone but her therapist about any of this. Why now did she feel safe talking to a stranger? What was it about this man that made her want to open up?
“What do you mean, Emilee? Can you tell me what happened that night?”
“Why? Why do you care?” She bit back.
“I don't believe in coincidences. I believe God, or fate, or whoever you want to call it, brought you into my life for a reason. I don't know what that reason is. Maybe, it's because you need a friend. Maybe you need a protector. Maybe--”
“Maybe I don't need a damned thing.”
“I don't believe that. Please don't get defensive on me again. You like to hiss a lot, kitten. Stop. Put your claws away, calm down and take the support I'm offering you.” Arrow said.
She remembered his words from last night.
You're not my type.
That's right. There was no sexual attraction there. At least not on his part. As far as she was concerned, however, she'd never seen a sexier man in real life before. Only thing that had come close was when she’d gone to Denver and seen the Thunder Down Under show with a college friend before… before her world had ended. She clenched her eyes tightly closed and forbid herself from going back there.
“So, you got hit by a car?” Arrow nudged.
She sighed, allowing herself to lean into his comforting embrace once more. “I... I went to get help,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I got hit by a car... ended up in the hospital...”
Arrow's arms tightened around her, offering silent support as she processed the memories that still felt like fragments of a disjointed dream.
“I was under the impression that you ran away and didn't get help,” Arrow said gently.
“Everyone thinks that, because who would believe the junkie, right?” Defensiveness seeped back into her tone.
“Emilee, I'm not judging you. I have no reason not to trust you. I will give you respect as long as you give me the same in return, okay?”
She turned her head to look back at him, searched his eyes and finally, believing him, relaxed. “Yeah, okay.”
“I don't know who you spoke to before, but I'm not them. I'm willing to listen. Sometimes, it's nice to have someone listen who isn't involved and can be completely objective.”
“I went for help. I know Catie doesn't believe me, but I did,” she said.
“Then why isn't there a record of it?” he asked.
He didn't believe her. She knew he wouldn't.
“Because the fucking police officer who dropped me off at the hospital after running into me with his damn car didn't want to get in trouble. He threatened me and... the next thing you know, I woke up a few days later and no one would believe me. They all thought I made it up in my head while I was in a drugged state.” She pushed back from him and tried to stand, but he grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms.
“Whoa, kitten,” he said. “I believe you. Calm down. I've got you.”
Emilee took a few deep breaths, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to calm herself. Arrow's grip on her loosened slightly, allowing her a bit of space, but he didn't let go completely. His presence was grounding, offering a sense of stability she hadn't felt in a long time.
“You know, you remind me of an alley cat. Needing someone to love on you but always defensive of any threat,” Arrow said softly, his voice a low rumble against her ear. “But I get it. Trust isn't easy, especially when you've been through what you have.”
She nodded, swallowing hard as she tried to find the right words. “It's difficult to talk about... and honestly, I didn't think anyone would believe me. I told my story several times and no one would listen to me. I mean, I can’t blame them. Who is going to listen to a junkie?”
Arrow was silent for a moment, his gaze steady and focused on her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and it bothered her. “Did you catch the name of the officer?”
She hesitated, the memory flashing in her mind like a neon sign. Of course, she knew his name; she’d had several run-ins with him since that night. Each time he’d threatened her. He had an entire list of ways he’d kill her and get rid of her body if she even tried to tell anyone her story. And who would miss her? No one. Absolutely, no one. Everyone who mattered was already long gone.
“I…” She swallowed hard. “He said he’d hurt me if I told anyone.”
“He won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you as long as you are with me.” The fierceness of his words had her believing him. She didn’t know why he would say that but she believed him. She was safe with him. “Andrew Mills. Officer Mills.”
Arrow nodded as if filing the name away in his mind. “Tell me more about what happened that night, Emilee. Everything you remember.”
Taking a deep breath, Emilee recounted the events that had led to the car accident. She told him how she had been trying to get help after she’d seen Catie kidnapped. The night was bitter, and she had been running along the side of the road near the park, screaming for help, when the car came out of nowhere. It hit her with a force that knocked the breath out of her lungs, and she remembered lying on the cold pavement.
“Next thing I knew, the officer—Mills—was standing over me. He didn't call for an ambulance or anything. He just picked me up, put me in his car, and drove me to the hospital. All the way there I told him he had to get help, that Catie was kidnapped. He laughed and said he wanted some of what I was on. But, between the kidnapping and being hit, my high was long gone.”
“Did he say anything to you?” Arrow asked, his tone gentle but probing.
“He told me to keep my mouth shut,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “He said if I said anything, no one would believe me. And then... then they sedated me at the hospital. When I woke up, days had passed, and everyone acted like I was some crazy junkie who made the whole thing up. Both the kidnapping and being hit by Officer Mills.”
Arrow's jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “That bastard. No wonder you're so distrusting of people. You were telling the truth, and they treated you like you were out of your mind.”
She nodded, a lump forming in her throat. “It was like... like I was invisible. No one listened to me, and the more I tried to explain, the more they looked at me like I was insane. After they bandaged my physical wounds, they moved me to the psych ward for seventy-two hours of evaluation. I’d already gone through withdrawal but luckily, it was while I was heavily sedated. I had a small brain bleed, and they’d kept me out while it healed.”
“You mentioned Catie earlier,” Arrow said, steering the conversation gently. “You said she didn’t believe you either?”
Emilee sighed, a wave of sadness washing over her. “Yeah. Catie and I used to be close—like sisters. I ran into her at an event I was working at after everything happened, and for a moment, I thought things could go back to the way they were. But she... she accused me of betraying her, of abandoning her when she needed me most. She wouldn't even listen to my side of the story. Everyone there was staring at me, Mia made a comment about me being a bitch. It was like they only cared about one side of the story and not mine. Catie was upset, so they were upset. Catie didn’t like me, so they didn’t like me.”
“That must have been hard,” Arrow said, his tone softening with understanding.
“It was,” Emilee admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I was so shocked to see her. I didn’t know they’d found her and that she was okay. She was clean and with her boyfriend and I was happy that she was doing so well. I wanted to explain what happened that night, but she was just... so angry. I tried to tell her the truth, but she didn’t want to hear it. She was so convinced that I had betrayed her. I still hope that one day she'll be willing to listen to my side of things, but... I don't know if she ever will.”
Arrow nodded thoughtfully, his gaze distant as he processed everything she'd told him. “It sounds like you've been through hell, Emilee. But I want you to know something—I don’t know why you are here or what fate has in store for us. I believe I found you last night for a reason. Whatever that reason is, I'm here for you. Whatever you need, whatever support I can offer, it's yours.”
His words, so sincere and full of compassion, touched a part of her that had been numb for so long. Hot tears welled up behind her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, not wanting to show any more vulnerability than she already had.
“I’m going to help you, kitten. You need someone to take care of you, to protect you from the outside world and the storm brewing inside of you. I’m going to make sure Officer Mills never threatens you again. I’ll be your safe place to land.”
“But why?”
“Because, that’s what Daddies do.”