Chapter 13 Miguel
Chapter thirteen
Miguel
“Ithink we should set Camila, Felix, and Mr. Higgins up in the apartment I found, and go find Emery,” Luis stated. “We’ll check every fucking building in Brooklyn if we have to.”
Once we had all recovered from the shock, we started debating on what to do, and what felt like at least an hour later, we were still discussing.
“I agree with the sentiment, but that would take forever,” I replied.
“And it isn’t an option,” Felix argued. “If you think for a second that I will sit by while my daughter is in danger, you’re not thinking clearly. I’m helping.”
“Sir, no disrespect,” Nico said, “but we promised Emery we would keep you and Camila safe. We won’t be able to look for her as quickly or effectively if we’re also looking out for you.”
“We’re talking in circles,” I complained. “Every second we take to make a decision is a second longer Emery is with that freakshow. Whatever we’re going to do, we need to do it now.”
“Or maybe,” Mr. Higgins said, a smile forming on his face, “that girl is capable of saving herself.”
“Pequenino!” Camila cried as she pushed past us.
I turned to see Emery walking toward us.
Her face was bruised, and she was breathing heavily, but she was safe and in one piece.
We hung back to let her parents have a private moment with her.
She looked shaken, and the more I looked at her, the harder it became to ignore the proof of that fucker putting his hands on her.
“Thank you for keeping my parents safe,” Emery said when her parents finally released her.
“It was nothing,” I assured her.
“To you, maybe, but to me it was everything,” she replied.
“Are you ok?” Luis asked tightly.
“I’m fine. A little beaten up, but fine.”
Nico approached her and grabbed her chin, gently turning her head side to side to get a good look at her injuries. “Where is he?” His voice was soft, but didn’t hide the anger beneath. Nico wanted blood. We all did.
“By now? Probably a zombie. He isn’t someone we have to worry about anymore,” Emery replied. “Mr. Higgins, are you ok?”
“Nothing a little sleep won’t fix,” he assured her. “Good to have you back with us safe and sound. These boys were going out of their minds.”
Emery blushed as she glanced at each of us in turn. “It’s good to be back. Justin was more deranged than I ever gave him credit for.”
“Why don’t we get inside for the night?” I suggested. “Then you can get cleaned up and tell us what happened.”
Luis led us to the apartment he had found, and as soon as we were through the door, Camila pushed Emery into a chair and grabbed the first aid kit.
“You boys get dinner together. We’ll eat when I’m done patching Emery up,” Camila ordered.
We put together an assortment of foods from Camila’s bag and set them out on the kitchen table. Some of the food wouldn’t last as long, so we pulled those foods out first. Once Emery was cleaned up and bandaged, we all sat to eat.
“This is quite the spread,” Camila praised. “Well done.”
I don’t know why, but her approval hit a soft spot inside of me. Even after Eddie’s death, Camila had never treated us differently. She had never blamed us, though I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had, just like I hadn’t blamed Emery.
“We wouldn’t have it if it weren’t for you, Camila, so thank you,” Nico said.
We sat down to eat, and once we’d eaten, all eyes turned to Emery. “What happened, Piccina?” Felix asked.
Emery closed her eyes for a second and took several deep breaths before launching into her story.
Finding out that Justin had essentially murdered Darla and Lani had been a surprise.
I knew the guy was a grade A creeptoid, but I hadn’t pegged him as a murderer.
Of course, I hadn’t expected him to kidnap Emery, either.
If any of us had gotten that vibe from him, we would have killed him on the spot.
“It’s a good thing the zombies got him,” I said when she had finished. “Because if they hadn’t, we’d be hunting right now.”
“I might go hunting anyway,” Nico growled.
“None of that,” Camila scolded. “Emery is safe, and Justin is no longer a problem. Let’s not put ourselves in danger for some unnecessary vengeance.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Nico mumbled.
Camila patted his cheek as she stood to clear the table, and I nearly laughed out loud when Emery’s mouth popped open in shock.
I don’t think she considered how quickly we would bond with her parents, but shared trauma is a powerful thing.
From the moment we got separated from her, we had one goal: get back to Emery.
And when we found out Justin had taken her.
.. well, we shared that terrifying moment as well.
Plus, we genuinely respected Emery’s parents. Always had.
Once dinner was cleaned up, Mr. Higgins retired to one bedroom, and Emery and her parents took the other. Nico, Luis, and I bedded down in the living room so that we could easily take shifts standing guard.
“We should have picked up on how dangerous Justin was,” Nico commented from his post at the window.
I watched him from the couch. Nico had always taken his role as leader seriously. He took any failure or misstep personally. I knew the lives we’d already lost weighed heavily on him. Not seeing Justin for the psychopath he was would stay with him for a while.
“We had no way of knowing he would do what he did, Nic,” Luis said from his place on the recliner. “That isn’t on us, and certainly not on you.”
“Still. We failed Emery,” Nico replied. “From now on, one of us is always at her side. I won’t let her get separated from us like that again.”
“Agreed,” I replied.
“That was my fault,” Luis said softly. “I was right there at the tree with her. Everything happened so fast, I don’t know how we got separated, but I won’t let it happen again.”
“Maybe you all should stop blaming yourselves for shit you can’t control.” We all jumped and turned to see Emery standing in the kitchen.
“And how long have you been standing there listening to us, Princess?” Nico asked.
“Long enough. My parents fell asleep, so I thought I’d talk to you about our plans for tomorrow.” Emery came into the living room and perched on the arm of my couch. It was hard to see her in the dark, but from her posture, she still looked worn out.
“You should be resting, love,” I chided gently.
“Perhaps, but I’m not tired yet, so talk to me about our plans.”
“The current plan is to cross the bridge into Manhattan in the morning and try to find another evacuation zone,” Nico responded.
“Hopefully, there are still some that didn’t get overrun.
If we can’t get out that way, we’ll cross to the mainland somehow and get as far from populated areas as possible. ”
“Do we have any idea of how far the infection has spread?” Emery asked. “The news only ever focused on the New York City area.”
“From what I could find before everything shut down, there were isolated incidents and proof that it was spreading, but for the most part, it was localized to the more popular areas,” Luis said.
“It won’t stay like that forever. I don’t know that it’s containable at this point, but if we can get out of here, we should be able to find a place to hole up and prepare for the inevitable. ”
“But first we have to make it out of the city alive,” I said. “With a smaller group, that should be easier.”
“Emery, there is something that’s been bothering me,” Nico said, “and while I’m pretty sure you already know this, it needs to be said out loud.
We never would have abandoned or sacrificed your parents.
And we never would have abandoned you. If you hadn’t escaped Justin, we would have found you, somehow. ”
“And we wouldn’t have stopped until we did,” I added.
“I know that,” Emery replied quietly.
There was an awkward silence as Emery opened her mouth to speak several times but stopped herself.
We waited patiently, letting her work out what she wanted to say in her head.
The air around us seemed to pause, as if the universe understood that we were at a pivotal moment and was waiting for us to get through it.
Finally, after a labored sigh, she spoke.
“I need to apologize to you for how I’ve treated you since Eddie’s death.
” At once, we started to tell her she didn’t need to apologize, but she cut us off.
“No, please, just let me say this. I know Eddie’s death wasn’t your fault.
That you guys were kind of friends. I also know that you have always looked out for the neighborhood, especially our building.
You weren’t the ones who killed Eddie, but you were the ones I wrongfully held responsible.
For that, I’m sorry. I’ve never doubted mine or my parents’ safety with you.
And I’m sorry for acting like such a bitch these past two years. ”
“Are you done?” Nico asked.
“Yes?”
“Good.” Nico crossed the room in two steps, tangled his hand in Emery’s hair, and crashed his lips to her.
As they kissed, I felt a stab of jealousy.
This was the second time Nico had kissed her, and I hadn’t kissed her once.
But that was all about to change. I sat up, and when the kiss ended, I reached over and tugged on Emery’s arm to make her tumble into my lap.
She squeaked in surprise, but didn’t move to get up as I ran my hands up her back.
I pulled her closer, but didn’t press my lips to hers.
Instead, I stared into her eyes and waited for her to kiss me as I gently stroked her back.
Emery looked unsure, her eyes darting to Luis and Nico before landing on me again.
“It’s ok, Em. While we don’t usually share, it’s been an unspoken agreement between us for years that we would for you.
” My words made her eyes widen, and I would be willing to bet all the money we had that she was blushing as well.
I trailed my hands up her sides and brushed my thumbs across her ribcage, just below her breasts, and her eyes fluttered shut.