Chapter Twenty-Nine
Emerson
I ’d probably broken at least five driving laws during the journey. Not to mention the fact that I wasn’t even insured to drive Orion’s car in the first place. But right now, I was choosing my battles. Car insurance and traffic laws were not the priority. Clover was.
The road ahead was dark and deserted, the glow from the city lights fading in the distance as I drove deeper into the outskirts of New York. Everyone of sound mind was tucked away in bed, getting a restful night’s sleep. Not me though. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get a restful night’s sleep again.
My hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white as I navigated the potholed, forgotten streets. Each bump jostled the car, but I barely noticed. My mind was consumed with one thought: Clover.
How the hell did he get to her?
The navigation system announced my arrival at the location he sent. It was an abandoned warehouse, looming in the distance. A decrepit structure silhouetted against the night sky.
The building was a hulking shadow, its windows broken, and walls tagged with graffiti. It looked like the perfect place for nightmares to come to life. My worst nightmare is coming to life. An old place, long forgotten by everyone except those looking for trouble.
I drove up to the entrance, the car's headlights casting eerie shadows on the rusted metal doors. Parking the car, I turned off the engine and the sudden silence was almost deafening. For a moment, I stayed still, my heart pounding and hands trembling, taking a moment to gather the courage to face what was waiting for me.
Please notice I’ve left, Orion.
Stepping out of the car, the gravel crunched under my sneakers. The air was thick with the smell of rust and decay, only adding to the unease tingling down my spine. The cold night air hit me like a slap in the face, but I barely noticed because each step toward the entrance felt heavier than the last.
The large metal door to the warehouse stood slightly ajar, a sliver of darkness inviting me in. Pushing it open, the hinges creaked loudly in the stillness and the sound startled my already on edge heart. I hesitated for a second, half expecting Miles to jump out and scream “boo!” at me before I grew a second wave of confidence.
Inside, the warehouse was even darker, the few remaining lights casting eerie shadows that danced across the floor. I stepped in cautiously, my eyes scanning the vast space.
“Miles!” I called out, my voice echoing through the cavernous room. “I’m here, alone, like you asked! Let Clover go! ”
For a moment, there was only silence, and I wondered if this was all a trick, a sick twisted game, but then I heard it—a soft whimper from somewhere in the depths of the warehouse making my heart clench.
Clover.
His laugh cut through the darkness like a knife, a sound so demonic that it sent a shiver down my spine. "You're always so predictable," he said, stepping into the light.
His face was just as I remembered—twisted with that same cruel smile. But his eyes... there was something even more dangerous in them now. He stood in the middle of the room, his presence as menacing as ever. He was holding Clover by her hair, her hands tied, tape over her mouth. She looked at me with wide, terrified eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks, the salty liquid mixing with the crimson blood oozing from her forehead. She tried to yell something through the tape, but Miles yanked her hair, and she whimpered in pain.
“Let her go, Miles,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “I’m here. Just let her go.”
He chuckled, a low, chilling sound that reverberated along the tarnished walls. “Oh, I will. But first, we have some unfinished business to attend to.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the fear at bay, refusing to let him win. He wanted me scared, petrified even. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of getting what he wanted. “What do you want?”
He took a step forward, pulling Clover with him. “I want to ruin you the way you ruined me,” he hissed. “I want what was taken from me. My life back. Unfortunately, thanks to you, that won’t be happening. So, I’ll settle for destroying your life the way you destroyed mine. An eye for an eye, right?”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I glanced at Clover, trying to convey strength through my eyes, but she knew as well as I did what Miles was capable of.
“I didn’t take your life away from you, Miles. You did that yourself,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. "This is between you and me. Let Clover go."
He laughed again, the sound slithering down my spine like venom. “Brave words. But we both know you’ll do anything to save her, so for now, she stays.”
I took a deep breath, every fiber of my being focused on staying calm. “Just let her go, and I'll do whatever you want.”
Miles' smile faltered for a moment, replaced by a look of pure hatred and fury. "You'll do whatever I want anyway,” he demanded. “But fine, I'll play your game. Follow me."
He turned and walked deeper into the warehouse, dragging Clover with him, and I followed, every muscle in my body tense, ready for whatever might happen next. My mind raced, trying to think of a way out, a way to save Clover without giving in to whatever Miles demanded .
We reached a dimly lit area, and he threw a bruised Clover into a wooden chair. “Clover,” I whispered, heading towards her.
"Ah, ah," Miles warned, stepping between us. "Not so fast. We still have that unfinished business. "
I looked into his eyes, trying to hide my fear. But the smirk on his lips told me he saw right through my facade. He always did . I was a deer in the headlights around him, and he loved it, thrived off of it. "What do you want from me, Miles? What is it you want me to do ?"
He leaned in close, his voice a low, menacing murmur. "Piece by piece, we’re going to unravel your precious little life. Starting with that firm you love so much."
I swallowed hard, my mind racing. I needed to find a way to get Clover out of here, to end this nightmare once and for all. Then Miles stepped away, turning to grab his phone from the makeshift desk in the corner, and I saw my chance.
Adrenaline surged through me, and without thinking, I dashed forward, grabbing Clover's arm and pulling her up from the chair. For a fleeting moment, I thought we might actually make it. But then, like a nightmare came to life, Miles was upon us.
He caught me by the arm and swung, his fist connecting with my face in a blinding flash of pain. I lost my balance and crashed to the floor, the cold concrete hard against my cheek. Stars burst in my vision, and I heard Clover scream, but it sounded distant, like it was coming from another world.
Dazed, I looked up at him through a haze of pain. He loomed over me, his face twisted with fury. "You never learn, do you?" Miles sneered.
I struggled to sit up, my head spinning, but he kicked me back down with his foot.
Clover whimpered, trying to crawl towards me, but Miles shoved her back with his hand. "Stay put," he ordered with a snarl, his voice cold and commanding while shutting the door to the room so we couldn’t break free as easily again.
He turned his attention back to me, crouching down so his face was inches from mine. "You know, I tried to stay away from you all those years ago," he said, his tone almost conversational. "I recognized you the moment I saw you at Morningside Heights, roaming around the campus trying to get your bearings. Those photos of you from the newspaper after your parents died... They stuck with me. Such a tragic story—a young girl losing her parents in a hit-and-run."
His words hit me harder than his fist. I tried to push myself up, but my arms were trembling too much to support me. "What are you talking about?" I managed out, my voice shaking. “You already knew who I was before that night at the party?”
“Long before.” His smile turned thin and cruel, the night air no longer the cause of my shivering. “Did you ever find out who hit them, by the way?”
“You know we didn’t.” I frowned, not having a clue what he was badgering on about. “If you knew who I was, why didn’t you say something? ”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“I don’t understand…”
“You really shouldn’t be so trusting, Em. You never know what baggage someone is carrying around with them.”
“Well, you’re the perfect example of that, aren’t you?”
He ignored my comment, continuing with his deranged tangent. “That heart of yours, it truly knows no bounds.” He cocked his head to the side. “It doesn’t care what monsters it climbs into bed with.”
“What’s your point, Miles? That you targeted me from some old photos in a newspaper?”
“Well, Em, I’m glad you asked. Now we can get onto the best part of this evening’s agenda.” He clicked his tongue, a sardonic chuckle rippling up his throat. “I wonder what your parents must think, watching their precious little girl sleeping with the man who killed them.”
I blinked; my mind unable to compute what he was trying to say. “W-what? I didn’t-”
"Your parents' deaths weren't just a random hit and run. Well, it was, I guess. I didn’t know who they were at the time, obviously, but I was the one driving that night. Drunk out of my mind too, but I remember it all. The crash, the blood... shit, it was bad. So, I ran, changed my name, and thought I'd gotten away with it."
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My parents' deaths, the reason my life was shattered was because of him? The man who had tormented me for so long is the same man who took them from me?
No, that doesn’t make sense.
He’s just trying to make me break . It’s his specialty, after all.
“You’re lying,” I demanded, shaking my head. My mind refused to believe it. He can’t be. I would have known, wouldn’t I? “But… but you’re from Virginia,” I reasoned. “No, I don’t believe you.”
“I saw you on campus,” Miles continued, ignoring the horror on my face. “At first, I meant to stay away. Really, I did. I knew I shouldn’t tempt fate. I’d been in the clear for too many years and it would have been stupid to risk that. But the more I saw you, the more intrigued I became. You were so... different from the girl in those photos. So broken , like a butterfly with a damaged wing. Your darkness called to me, entrapped me in a web of curiosity. So, when I saw you at that frat party, I couldn't resist. I had to get closer. I guess, I figured I could forgive myself if the daughter fell in love with me. But you… you were just a reminder of the people I’d left behind, the family I ran from, and I hated you for it. Of course, I couldn’t exactly leave you either. As much as I hated you, I didn’t want anyone else to have you either. So, I broke you even more, sliced your heart into dozens of fucked-up little pieces, and left you trying to piece it back together while I went and hooked up with someone else. Pity you survived that night, would have saved me a few inconveniences if you hadn’t.”
He stood up, pacing back and forth, his anger growing with each word. "If I stayed away, I’d still be living the life I planned to live. Or maybe if you weren’t so fucking annoying and didn’t need sense constantly slapping back into you, I could have left you behind and forgotten all about you. But you... you made me lose control. And because of you, everything fell apart. You got me sent to jail , Em. You and that dickhead of a brother of yours." His gaze diverted back to me, the vindictive smile returning as he continued walking back and forth. “Least I didn’t get sentenced for killing your parents though.”
Tears streamed down my face as I tried to register his words. I didn’t give a damn about the things he said about me, but my parents... “You killed them?” I whispered, my voice broken. "You killed my parents?"
Miles stopped pacing and looked down at me with a twisted sense of satisfaction. “Yes. And if it weren't for you, I'd have gotten away with it and moved on when I left Hartford without a second thought. But you had to ruin everything.”
His words hit me like a physical blow. I could hardly breathe, my mind spinning with the horrifying realization. “You... you ruined my life,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“And you ruined mine,” he snapped, his eyes blazing with hatred. “If I hadn't gotten involved with you, none of this would have happened. I would have been free. I had plans , Em. Plans that didn’t involve going to fucking jail.”
I tried to process everything he told me, the truth crashing down on me with an insufferable weight. “You sick bastard,” I drawled, still riddled with a blurry haze as the dots slowly connected in my head.
Miles laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. “Call me what you want. It doesn't change anything. You're mine to break, the same way you broke me, and there's nothing you can do about it.”
I forced myself to sit up, ignoring the throbbing pain in my face. “You ruined your own life, Miles. You choose to hurt people. You chose to run. And you'll never get away with it. You killed my parents; you almost killed me. You deserve everything you got and so, so much more.”
His eyes flashed with rage, and for a moment, I thought he was going to hit me again. But instead, he grabbed Clover and pulled her to her feet. “Enough talking,” he growled. “You're going to do exactly what I say, or she pays the price.”
I looked up at Clover, seeing the terror in her eyes, and I knew I needed to find a way out of this. I couldn't let him win. Not again. Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I pushed myself to my knees, ready to fight, ready to do whatever it took to save Clover and end this nightmare once and for all.
But before I could do anything, loud banging echoed through the warehouse, the sound thundering off the walls with a loud rumble and slicing through the suffocating tension. The door Miles had shut burst open, making my heart leap in my throat, and suddenly, Orion came storming through in all his powerful, lethal glory, followed closely by my brother, Atlas, Cole, and Hague .
Orion didn't hesitate. He barreled into Miles, his eyes blazing with fury, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the floor. In a beat, he was hovering over Miles with relentless rage, throwing punch after punch, his anger palpable in the confined space. Each punch landed with a sickening thud, followed by grunts of pain from Miles.
“You piece of fucking shit!” he roared, each word punctuated by each deathly blow he threw at Miles, who could barely defend himself.
Atlas rushed to my side, helping me to my feet. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice tight with concern.
I nodded, though I'm not sure if I believed it myself. My face still throbbed from Miles' hit, and the shock of his confession lingered in my mind. “Clover—”
“Cole’s got her,” he reassured me, glancing over his shoulder.
Cole was already working on untying Clover’s hands. She collapsed into his arms, sobbing with relief. Hague stood by the door, his alert eyes scanning the room, watching for any more threats.
I watched as Orion continued to pummel into Miles, the sound of fists meeting flesh reverberating through the dingy room. Part of me wanted to look away, to shield myself from the violence, but I couldn't tear my eyes away. This is the least of what Miles deserves.
Orion didn't stop until Miles was too beaten to move, his face a bloodied mess and curled over in fetal position. Breathing heavily, his clenched fists painted crimson, Orion stepped back and looked at Atlas. "He’s all yours," he said, his voice cold and deadly. "Make sure he pays for everything he's done. Do not make it quick."
Atlas nodded, his jaw set and his expression darkening. “Gladly,” he muttered, moving towards Miles, who groaned in pain on the ground. I knew my brother well enough to recognize the resolve in his eyes, and right now, Miles should fear Atlas more than Orion because this was as personal for him as it was for me.
He hauled Miles up, pinning his arms behind his back while Orion turned to me. His fierce expression softened instantly, and he crossed the distance between us in two quick strides.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice breaking with emotion as he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. His arms wrapped around me, strong and reassuring, holding me close as if he was afraid to let go.
I buried my face in his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of him, feeling the warmth of his body against mine. "I am now," I whispered, my voice muffled against his shirt.
He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, then leaned in and kissed me. A fierce kiss filled with passion and desperation, and it made my heart race for an entirely different reason.
It was a promise, a reassurance that he was here, that I was safe now. The chaos of the night melted away for a moment, and all I could feel was him holding me together, physically and mentally. His hands cupped my face, his touch gentle, as if he was afraid I might break .
Orion brushed a strand of fallen hair from my face, his eyes filled with a mix of worry and relief. “It's over,” he murmured. “He's not going to hurt you anymore.”
“I was scared, Orion,” I admitted, my voice shaking. “He… Did you know he killed my parents?”
His jaw set. “We found out tonight.”
I blew out a breath. I was going to need more than a few minutes to digest that one.
Orion kissed my forehead then my cheeks, his hands never leaving me. “I’m so sorry, baby, I shouldn’t have left you.”
“It’s not your fault, I’m the one who made you leave. Besides, he already had Clover.” I didn’t want Orion to blame himself even for a single moment. “None of us could have predicted he would do that.”
Behind us, Atlas dealt with Miles, his face a mask of determination. Cole supported Clover, who was still shaking but looked up at me with a small, grateful smile. Hague kept watch, his posture tense but ready to defend us if necessary.
"You're safe now," he repeated, as if saying it enough times would make it real.
“I love you," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
He smiled, a real, genuine smile that lit up his face despite the splatters of Miles’ blood sprayed across his skin. Even in the most gruesome circumstances, he still looked so gorgeous.
"I love you too," he said. "More than anything. Come on, baby, let’s get you home.”