11. ACE
Chapter eleven
ACE
M y eyes snap open, the ringing in my ears deafening, my eyes immediately looking around, jumping to my feet pulling my gun out seeing men run towards me with guns drawn, firing shots at me.
Immediately, firing shots at them, taking cover, trying to find Emma, adrenaline courses through my veins mixing with the panic of not knowing where she is, and the pure fucking rage that's lacing me.
Where the Fuck is she?
Focusing on my shots, one by one, I pluck them off, then stand and look for Emma, Caz, any fucking one. A bullet flies by my head, causing me to duck; Fuck.
Spinning around, watching another group of men, running towards me and when I realize who they are, I know; Luca's here.
Not hesitating I fire again, before pulling my other clip out, changing clips, laying cover again. My heart is in my throat, I don't know where Emma is, I don't know if she's hurt; fuck if she's even fucking alive, the fucking cars exploded.
Hearing gun shots from behind me, I take cover before I turn my head, seeing my men starting to swarm around. Not only did my good friend handle Emma's car, he sent some men, men I need to win this war.
I start firing shots again, plucking them off until I can get a chance to find Emma.
I stand, in the clear as my guards swarm around me before I roar the words from my throat with pure venom.
“FIND HER!” They scatter and my eyes immediately go to work, finding her, frantically looking, my heart feels like it might fucking explode from my chest. Hearing gunshots and her voice, my chest explodes and I run in that direction, nothing stopping me.
When I round the corner, panting, my eyes land on her still body on the ground and bile rises to my throat.
I run to her, dropping to my knees, looking up, checking my surroundings before I flip her onto her back. “Baby Girl. Come on, wake up.”
I scan her body, checking for bullet holes and I find none. But her throat looks like someone strangled her, and her gun is in her hand. I look around again,trying to piece what ever fucking happened here together. I see fresh blood on the ground, in a trail around the building.
“Ace.” Hearing her whisper my name in a rasp, my eyes shoot down to her, swallowing down how fucking scared I am right now. I'll admit that, but I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for her.
“I gotcha Baby Girl, I'm getting you out of here.”
She whispers again. “My dad tried to kill me, he knows.” Her eyes flutter shut, and I'm immediately consumed by darkness, the switch turning off in me.
Seeing nothing but black with a flame lit in the center, I scoop Emma up and carry her to my men, before getting into one of their cars.
I drive us back to the estate, as the men clean up the fucking mess that was created.
I speed down the road, driving like a mad man, because well, right now I am.
I promised her, I would let her have her father, and I will honor that, but I will catch him and drag his ass to her and let her take her revenge on him and enjoy every fucking minute of it.
But first, there's something I have to do, and she's really not going to like this one.
When I pull into the estate, the security is on max tonight.
My father waiting for my arrival knowing of our problem, I park the car before getting out and walking to get Emma out of the car.
She's still out cold, her body limp in my arms as I start walking up the stairs, seeing Abigail, the words seeth from my lips. “Get the doctor.”
“Yes Sir.” She spins on her heel, and practically runs away from me, with good reason. I know I am not a man anyone wants to be around right now and it is spread all over my face.
“What the fuck happened?” My father growls.
“We were ambushed is what fucking happened, the fucking cars exploded.”
My father looks down at Emma limp in my arms, his hand reaches up and brushes her hair balled up by her neck, noticing the black and purple hand prints. “Who fucking did this to her?”
“Who do you think? She said Charles tried to kill her and that he knows.”
“Know what?”
“I don't know. She fucking passed out. Now move, let me get her to my room so the doctor can see her.”
“I'm locking the estate down, no one in and no one out.”
I give my father a nod, before I walk to my room, knowing what it means when we lock down.
I lay her on my bed, and the doctor rushes over to her, causing me to step back and look at Abigail. “Stay with her, if she wakes before I get back, come get me.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I look back over at Emma again, getting lost as I stare at her limp body, before I turn and walk away, unable to stomach the sight of her right now, with her bruised and bloodied body.
Wasting no time, I find my father in his office. As soon as I enter I go straight for the glass of whiskey sitting on my father' s desk, waiting for me. Picking it up, I slam it back before I pour myself another, trying to calm my boiling blood.
“You know what this means right?”
My blackened eyes meet my father's.. “Yes Papa, and how do you think that's going to go?”
“Not good, but if Charles knows you two have already wed, you both have a bounty on your heads. And you.” My father shakes his head before the words hiss from his mouth with pure venom to them.
“You need to end this with Luca. He wants his revenge, his revenge is now her.
This isn't about marriage anymore, this is about our empire and his revenge for his son.” His words slice through my chest and stab me in the heart, knowing he is right.
This isn't about her anymore, I have to finish what I started years ago.
If Charles knows we are wed, then the deal he held with Luca has fallen through, knowing Luca's revenge will be to kill her, to take her from me, like I took Kaiser from Luca.
And I'm sure Charles jumped at the opportunity to take care of it himself, and intended to kill her tonight for Luca, but something stopped that from happening, but what?
“You know what you need to do. Don't fuck around or you will lose her.”
“I'm going to lose her anyway after this, Papa.”
“Maybe? Maybe Not?”
EMMA
My eyes flutter open, hearing hushed voices of women, realizing I'm in Ace's room. I sit up in the bed feeling slightly dizzy, my throat feeling dry, hurting to swallow, my entire body sore all over.
“Easy sweetheart.” The doctor sits beside me on the bed and I meet her gaze with a smile. Then I look up to Abigail. “I will go get Ace for you.”
“NO.” The word barks out of my mouth as she looks down at me stunned. Swallowing hard, as my hand comes to my sore throat, the doctor hands me a glass of water. Taking a sip, cooling down the fiery burn in my throat, before I am able to address Abigail. “I just need a minute, please.”
They both nod, understanding my need for a minute alone, they both smile before the doctor speaks.. “You will be fine sweetheart, nothing major. But you took a good beating. You need to rest, okay?”
“Yes, thank you.” I agree.
“I will check on you in the morning. Abigail, honey, a warm tea will help with her throat, can you get some for her please?”
“Oh I need something stronger than a tea, how about a glass of that whiskey?” I suggest pointing to Ace's bottle of whiskey as the doctor and Abigail let out laughs before the doctor approves.
“Yes, I think that may help a little as well.” Abigail pours me a glass and hands it to me as the doctor heads for the door.
“I'll see you in the morning Emma, get some rest.” The doctor is out the door and I look back over to Abigail. “Would you mind if I shower before you get Ace? I would like a minute alone, please.”
She hands me the glass of whiskey. “Yes, ma'am. Of course. Would you like help?”
“No, I'm fine, thank you.” I drink down the whiskey in one gulp, leaving fire in its path before I scoot to the edge of the bed. Every movement or turn of my body sends a shooting pain up my spine and down my legs, ripping a hiss from my lips.
“Mrs. Collins, please let me help you.”
“I'm fine.” I growl and stand, my knees feeling weak and my body like I have been hit by a truck, but slowly I make my way to the bathroom.
I pull my ripped and destroyed dress from my body, looking into the mirror at my body covered in bruises and cuts, the blood dried in my hair, flashbacks of my beating hitting me in full force.
My hands slide up around my black and purple throat, my fathers hand prints perfectly visible on my skin, I swallow and get into the shower.
Letting the water rain down over my head, the water below red colored from the dried blood in my hair from cutting my head in the explosion.
I knew my father was going to do something, he now knows Ace and I are wed, his plan ruined and now I'm on his hit list, but tonight, he got a taste of his own daughter. ..
The emotions riding a roller coaster through my veins, I finally break and fall to the floor.
Every emotion I have shoved down since my dance with my father has surfaced in full force, breaking me as I bring my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them, letting the water rain down my body, mixing with the river of tears flowing from my eyes. I sit here and let everything out.
ACE
Knowing what I am about to do is going to definitely ruin my chance with her. It breaks me, I don't want to lose her.
There's a knock at the door before Abigail appears, her eyes tell me everything before she says it. “Sir, she's awake and in the shower but.” She pauses. “She told me to wait to get you, but Sir, I think she needs you now.”
I shoot out of the chair and walk to the door. “Thank You Abigail.” I look back at my father. “Get it ready Papa, we'll leave in the morning.”
He nods with his understanding and I am out the door. My quick steps turn into a run as I bolt down the hallway and up to my room.
When I get to the bathroom, her sobs cut me in half, breaking my heart seeing her curled up, sitting on the floor as the water runs down her body.
I kick my shoes off, before I strip down and climb into the shower with her, sitting on the floor I pull her into my lap and she looks up to me.
“It's not going to stop until I'm dead.” Her words come out in a pained whisper before she buries her head in my chest, and I hold her tight, my eyes roaming her body riddled with bruises making me cringe.
“I promise you, Emma, I won't let that happen.” I take her face in my hands, making her look at me as my words spill from my mouth.
“We are going to go somewhere tomorrow, until things calm down a little and I can get a plan together to make my attack. But I promise, you will get your revenge on your father.”
She nods, seeing the fight in her eyes slipping away, I pull her into my chest again and hold her tight, before she whispers the words.
“Just don't leave me, Ace.” I swallow hard, knowing I can not make that promise, because I will be leaving her, somewhere she will be safe, until I can end this war with Luca and catch her father for her.