Chapter 6 #2
“Then you can understand my concern here, right?”
A hefty dose of silence fell between them.
“Look, I get it, okay?” Janie tried to appease her friend while concealing the fact she’d recently been followed. “But you weren’t here, Dev. You didn’t see the look in that girl’s eyes. She was scared. Like genuinely scared. It’s why I went to her place to begin with.”
“What do you mean?”
“Amy didn’t feel comfortable leaving her own apartment to meet me in public.
That’s why I went to her apartment instead.
I think…” She gave her lips a quick swipe with the tip of her tongue.
“I think she felt as though she was being watched. I think someone was after her, and I think Amy knew it. That’s why she went to the Washington Post
The sounds of the lively city came from all around while Janie waited for her friend’s response. When she did, Devon’s tone held a gentleness that hadn’t been there before.
“I know you want to help this girl, Janie.” Her sincerity was clear. “And that big heart of yours is one of the reasons I love you so dang much, but you went through hell with your last story. Between being followed all the time, and the threats—”
“I know.” Janie cut her short. “But I’m being careful.”
I called Emmett when that car was tailing me, didn’t I?
“‘Careful’ is subjective,” Devon quipped before releasing a sigh. “I just don’t want you having to constantly be looking over your shoulder.”
“I know. And I appreciate that. Truly.”
Devon wasn’t wrong to be worried.
The intimidation tactics implemented by those being investigated because of her had been terrifying, at times.
But if she’d let the fear drive her from uncovering the truth back then, those responsible would still be stealing millions from her city and state.
And there was more on the line with this one than taxpayer dollars.
“A woman’s life is at stake,” she reminded her friend.
If it hasn’t already been lost.
For the next several seconds, the phone grew quiet to the point she had to check to make sure Devon hadn’t hung up.
“You promise you’re being extra careful?”
The question made Janie smile, knowing it stemmed from concern for her safety. “I have a literal team of people watching out for me.” She sidestepped a teen who was looking down at his phone. “All former special ops, I might add. Plus, I already told you I was being careful.”
“You didn’t promise.”
She felt her brows rising high on her brow. “Seriously?”
Naturally Devon refused to budge on the matter. “Yes, seriously. I want to hear you say it.”
“Fine.” She chuckled. “I promise to be careful.”
“You’d better be,” her friend warned. “Because if something happens to you, I’ll be on the next flight out there just so I can kick your ass.”
Janie’s laughter escaped into the afternoon air as she made it to her car. “I’m always careful.” She grabbed the key fob from her purse.
Devon huffed out a sarcastic breath with a chuckled, “Liar.” But then, “You need help with anything, you know I’m here.”
“I’m not dragging you into this one any further than I already have, Dev. Besides, Emmett and his team have everything covered.”
“Oh, yes. Let’s talk about Emmett.” Devon said his name with a seductive, throaty drawl.
Janie slid behind the wheel and shut her door with a stern, “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“You know exactly what.” She started the car. “Emmett is my point of contact for the team. That’s it. Nothing more.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“I’m serious.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
After a slight pause in conversation, Devon came back with a teasing, “But you wish it was more.”
“I’m hanging up now.” Janie checked her mirrors before pulling away from the curb.
“You know I love you, right?”
“I know.” She smiled. “And I love you, too.”
Minutes later, she was pulling into the parking garage at her hotel. Like the night before, she purposely chose a spot as close to the illuminated elevators as possible. As she cut the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt, her phone began to ring.
With her doors still locked, Janie retrieved the device from the cup holder, where she’d left it for the drive. Her heart kicked a smidge harder when she noticed the caller’s name.
“Hello?”
“It’s Emmett. Is this a good time?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
“Have you had dinner?”
The unexpected question left Janie’s pulse quickening with surprise. Was he really asking what it sounded like he was asking? It couldn’t be. Surely she was mistaken.
One way to find out.
“Do you mean . . . Are you asking me to dinner?”
A deep cough and a feminine giggle reached her ears half-a-second before Emmett’s rushed apology.
“Sorry,” he rumbled. “I should have been clearer. I’m in the car with Blake and Gwen.
We just picked up some pizzas from a place that’s not far from your hotel.
Gwen had the idea that we could bring the food there and discuss a possible lead Blake found while we eat. But if that doesn’t work for you—”
“Pizza sounds great, actually,” Janie interrupted a bit more enthusiastically than intended.
Right on cue, her stomach began to growl, and she prayed Emmett and his teammates hadn’t heard the unpleasant sound. Thankfully no one mentioned it or the utterly mortifying assumption she’d made regarding Emmett’s presumed dinner invitation.
“Perfect.” His deep voice made its presence known once again. “We’re about six minutes out.”
“Okay. Do you guys just want to come up to my room? The suite has plenty of space for us all to sit and eat, and we’d be able to talk more freely than in the hotel lobby or bar.”
“Sounds good,” he agreed. “We’ll be there shortly.”
“See you then.”
Janie ended the call, got out of her car, slid her phone into her back pocket, and hit the button to lock the doors. A short ride later, followed by a long walk down her floor’s narrow hall, and she was back inside her room.
She didn’t bother with the lights, instead using the bit of sunlight filtering into the generous space through the windows’ sheer, white curtains to see as she made a purposeful—and hurried—trip to the en suite bathroom.
Less than a minute later, with her bladder empty and her hands thoroughly washed, Janie re-did her ponytail and quickly touched up her face.
A quick spritz of body spray topped off her feeling of being more refreshed, and a quick glance in the mirror later, she flipped of the bathroom lights and left the room.
Janie was two feet from the opened doorway leading from the bedroom to the suite’s spacious living room when a gloved hand appeared out of nowhere, and someone grabbed her from behind.
What the . . . No!
On reflex, she began frantically clawing in an attempt to pull the hand away from her mouth. But the man holding her refused to relent.
Use your feet!
She continued in her efforts to get her mouth free while kicking back with one of her booted heels with as much force as she could muster. The man grunted in pain, and she would have smiled if not for the hand covering her lips in a painful grip.
Janie’s horrified gaze scanned her immediate area for something—anything—that could help her get free.
At first, she saw nothing, but like a person missing the forest for the proverbial trees, it was the wall directly in front of her—the one directly to the left of her bedroom doorway—that might possibly be her best chance of escape.
Please, God, let this work!
With the man holding her backside against his front, she lifted the sole of her boot and pressed it against the wall. Janie’s animalistic growl was muffled as she shoved herself backward as hard as she could. The unexpected move took her attacker off guard, and they tumbled to the floor together.
Their bodies landed against the carpet with a thud, and the hand covering her mouth fell away. But rather than scream, Janie used her adrenaline-induced energy to quickly scramble to her feet and run away.
She took off in a terrified sprint, pulled the phone free from her back pocket and tapped Emmett’s name in hopes he’d pick up before it was too late. As Janie reached the door to the hallway, Emmett answered the call.
“Hey, Janie.” His voice filled the room.
Though it wasn’t her intent, she’d inadvertently put the call on speaker.
“Emmett!” she hollered his name in fear. “Someone’s here, in my room, and they’re trying to—”
She was picked up from behind in an unyielding hold before being thrown bodily to the floor like a pro wrestler inside the ring. Janie cried out in pain as the phone went flying through the air. It landed somewhere in the distance, well out of her reach.
“Janie!”
Emmett’s worried voice called out to her, and tears of hope filled her eyes when she heard it. If he and the others were already on their way up, there was a chance they could make it to her room in time.
“Help!” She screamed for him and the others from the top of her lungs. Using her arms and legs to fend off her attacker’s advances, Janie slapped and kicked while begging Emmett and his team to hurry. “Please! He’s going to—”
An explosion of pain erupted on the side of her head.
She was stunned into submission, her limbs growing limp as she struggled against the darkness pulling her under. Janie groaned, her lids falling and rising in several slow blinks. If she could just get his face to come into view . . .
Those hopes were destroyed when she realized his face was covered with a mask. Black. Full-face. Nylon like the kind used by skiers or thieves.
The man brought his face nose-to-nose with hers, his green eyes cold and empty as they stared into hers. “Enjoy your freedom now, you nosey bitch.” His breath stank of coffee and stale cigarettes. “Because the next time you see me, you won’t be so lucky. Until then…”
She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered when he ran the tip of his tongue along the skin of her cheek. Janie froze, her pounding heart feeling as though it was trying to claw its way free from her chest.
Without another word, the man rose to his feet. A long, terrifying moment later, he was gone.
Thank you, God!
She rolled to her side with a wince, the carpet’s plush fibers caressing her palms. Janie’s arms quivered beneath her as she pushed her upper body from the floor. She was halfway to a seated position when Emmett and his teammates burst through the door.
He, Blake, and Gwen all had their guns drawn. The matching expressions on their faces were nothing short of deadly.
They were ready for battle, fully prepared to put an end to the threat. What they didn’t realize
“H-he’s already g-gone.” She pointed to the door.
“Asshole must’ve taken the stairs.” Gwen’s sandy blonde hair went flying as she spun on her heels and took off for the hall.
“I’ll watch your back.” Blake didn’t wait for permission before taking off in the same direction.
“You’re sure there’s no one else here?” Emmett asked as he stood to do a quick search of the suite.
“I’m sure.” Janie started to nod but stopped short when the move heightened the throbbing inside her skull. When she swayed in her efforts to get up from the floor, Echo’s leader rushed back to her side.
“Easy, there.” His gentle hands held her steady. “Let’s just sit for a second so you can get your bearings.”
That sounded like a wonderful idea to her.
She didn’t nod or give a verbal response that time, but Janie did take heed to his wise suggestion. With slow, careful movements, she rested her butt against the floor and waited for the room to stop spinning.
“That’s it. Nice and steady. In through the nose, then out through the mouth.” He demonstrated the move. “There ya go. Just like that.”
She continued working to bring her racing pulse back down to a less alarming rate, and all the while, Emmett’s assessing gaze never once left hers.
“Better?”
Surprisingly, she was, but when Janie made the mistake of trying to nod again, she was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness. She closed her eyes and, in an absentminded move, brought a hand up to her tender cheek.
She must not have hidden her wince very well because with her next breath, Janie heard Emmett’s low, angry growl. The man must have been too pre-occupied checking her pupils to notice sooner.
And now that he had—
“He hit you?” The utter rage in his voice sent a sliver of ice racing through her veins.
She startled when he reached up and brushed some hair from her face. Not because he’d been rough or had caused her pain in any way.
No, contrary to his menacing tone, his touch was gentle. Sweet. When Janie opened her eyes, and their eyes met once again, she barely contained her gasp.
In the few times she’d seen Emmett in person, his gaze had been totally unreadable. But now that he realized she’d been physically hurt, it was as if something inside them had changed.
His stare was harder than before. Its rich, brown hue so dark it had nearly turned to black. There was a protectiveness there, too. A responsibility he shouldn’t bare. After all, it wasn’t as if any of them could have predicted the unsettling turn of events.
Unsettling? How about downright terrifying? You could literally be on the floor dead.
“Thank you,” Janie blurted before she forgot to say the words. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did . . .”
Her chin started to quiver, and his ruggedly handsome face began to blur. Not wanting to bawl like a baby in front of this man, she quickly forced the tears away.
A muscle in Emmett’s strong jaw twitched, but his voice was soothing when he spoke up again. “You’re safe now, Janie.” He rested his palm ever so gently against the uninjured side of her face. “I’m here, and you’re safe.”
Janie covered that same hand with one of hers, praying he couldn’t feel her trembles of fear. “Thank you,” she whispered again. Despite her efforts, a single tear fell.
Emmett used his thumb to brush it away, issuing a final, solemn vow. “I’m going to find the man who did this to you. And he won’t ever hurt you again.”
The sincerity in his voice was a comfort she very much needed in that moment.
But even as scared as she felt, Janie knew better than to believe Emmett’s promise was one he could keep.
She’d stepped into the hornet’s nest, and though she believed he meant what he’d said, even a man like Emmett Shaw couldn’t guarantee her safety or survival.
Enjoy your freedom now, you nosey bitch. Because the next time you see me, you won’t be so lucky.
Someone out there wanted to kill her, and they wouldn’t stop until she was dead.