Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
I’m starting to see why Emmanuel wanted me in this city to protect his friends. Someone is most definitely after them. Why? I have no idea. But this isn’t just a job anymore. I happen to really like these people. I’d want to protect them even if I weren’t being paid to do it.
Especially Sammie and Jazzy. That little girl is special. I know most people say that about the kids in their lives, but Jazzy really is unique. She has such a good heart and just wants to make everyone around her happy. Even if that means she hides her own feelings behind forced smiles.
We attended another dinner with all of Sammie’s friends, hosted by Antonia and Carlo this time. Jazzy was super excited about it and everything was going so well until the chef sent up a bowl of poisoned soup—soup Antonia was unlucky enough to eat.
I’m now in Sammie’s apartment, waiting for him to come back from Carlo’s. Emmanuel has been blowing up my phone. He’s pissed that Evie was at that table and could have easily been the one to get poisoned. Jazzy too.
As far as I’ve been able to find out, Antonia’s father is the one gunning for Carlo. Apparently he has some intel on the guy. All I know is I have no intention of letting this shit touch that little girl. Or Sammie.
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out, expecting another one of E’s rants to pop up on the screen. It’s not him, though.
Sammie:
Can you come back over to Carlo’s and watch Jazzy for a bit?
Me:
On my way.
Do I want to be babysitting while the “boys” are out hunting down the people after them? No. But it’s the role I’m stuck playing right now.
By the time I make it back to Carlo’s apartment, everyone is there. Charlotte and Evie are in the living room, and I find Louie and Sammie in the kitchen.
“Hey, is Jazzy asleep?” I ask, fighting the urge to run and sink into Sammie’s embrace while keeping a professional distance.
“Yeah. E’s in there with her,” Sammie says. And this is where my training comes into play because the thought of Emmanuel sitting with a six-year-old is… unusual. You wouldn’t know it by my face, though.
“Thanks.” I turn and make my way down the hallway to Jazzy’s bedroom. Where, sure enough, Emmanuel is sitting on the floor, holding a sleeping Jazzy in his arms. I go and sit across from him. “Want me to take her?”
“I want to know what caused her nightmares,” he whispers.
“Yeah, you and me both,” I tell him.
“Has she said anything to you about them?” he asks.
I shake my head. I’ve tried to bring them up to her. The nightmares that have her waking up screaming every night. I have no idea what they’re about and she refuses to talk to me about them.
“I’ve got to go and do some shit. You know the drill. Evie and Jazzy are your top priority.” Emmanuel stands and places Jazzy on the bed.
“You know, I might start thinking you have a heart soon,” I tell him.
“I do have a heart. It beats in another body. Make sure nothing happens to it,” Emmanuel says as he walks out of the room.
I pull the blankets up over Jazzy and quietly close the door behind me. Sammie is waiting in the hallway.
Shit, how long has he been there? Did he overhear my conversation with Emmanuel?
“Hey, there will be guys stationed in the elevator and on each floor. No one is getting up here,” he tells me.
“Okay. So we will be safe, but will you?” I ask him.
Sammie smirks. Cocky bastard thinks he’s untouchable. “Always. You worried about me, babe?”
“I am,” I admit both to him and myself. “Don’t let anything happen to you.”
“I won’t.” Sammie leans in and presses his lips to the middle of my forehead. Usually, I would pull away from his touch when we’re not alone. Right now, I don’t have it in me to do that.
Something isn’t sitting right. You know that feeling that shit is about to hit the fan? Yeah, I have that feeling. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
That feeling hasn’t gone away and it’s making me twitchy. I left Jazzy in the room with Antonia. She wanted to lie down with her stepmom. Which leaves me sitting in the living room with Charlotte and Evie. It’s a little weird. I don’t know these girls well, and I just don’t feel like I belong.
Not because of anything they’ve done. They’re doing their best to include me in the conversation.
I just don’t have a lot to add. They’ve asked me about school, about boyfriends, and all of that.
And my answers have been a lie every single time.
Lying—or being in a role—doesn’t usually bother me.
But with this group, it really is making me feel guilty.
“I’m going to go check on Antonia, see if she needs anything,” Charlotte says, leaving me alone with Evie, aka Emmanuel’s heart.
No pressure at all, asshole.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her about him. Question if she feels the same way. If she’s as into him as he seems to be into her… Although I don’t really think she’s going to have much of a choice in the matter. If Emmanuel says she belongs to him, well, there is no saving her from that.
The ping of the elevator opening has me on my feet. Then the sound of gunshots has me pulling the pistol out of my boot. I shove Evie backwards. “Stay there,” I hiss before sprinting towards the foyer.
I clock them before they can clock me. There’re three of them.
The first guy goes down like a sack of bricks.
The other two step forward, appearing more alert.
I quickly aim and hit the second guy center mass and then step out from behind the wall until I’m in full view of the third asshole.
Raising my arm, I level my sight between his eyes and pull the trigger.
Silence envelops me, but I’m buzzing with adrenaline. “Evie?” I call out, scanning the foyer to make sure no one else is going to try to get the jump on me.
“Yeah.” Her quiet reply comes from behind me.
I spin around and look her over. She’s in one piece, a bit pale but alive. “I told you to stay there.”
Footsteps from the hallway that leads to the bedroom have me spinning around again. I relax a little when I see Antonia. My glare drops to the pistol in her hand and I smile. She’s smart.
“Where’s Jazzy?” I ask her.
“Why?”
“Because we need to get out of here, Antonia. We don’t know how many more of them are out there.” I sigh.
“Who are you?” she whispers.
“I work for Emmanuel.”
“What?”
“Call him if you don’t believe me. But we need to go!” I subtly pull my phone out of my pocket and send Emmanuel a text. It’s better he hears about this from me first.
Me:
The penthouse was hit. Everyone is fine. Three dead in the foyer, though.
Emmanuel:
And Evie?
I look over to the woman in question before typing out a reply.
Me:
Fine. Shaken up a bit.
The next thing I know my phone is ringing in my hand, and I put E on speaker.
“Where’s Evie?”
“Here, safe.”
“Jazzy?” is his next question.
“She’s okay. We all are,” Antonia replies for me.
“Lai, get them to the compound. Now,” he tells me, adding a quiet “thank you” before cutting the call. And I don’t know if it’s the adrenaline wearing off or if I’m in shock, because I could have sworn Emmanuel Lopez just thanked me. He never thanks anyone.
I pocket my phone and turn back to Antonia. “Go get Jazzy. And where is Charlotte?”
“She’s in the panic room with Jazzy. I pushed her in there and shut the door,” she tells me.
“Good. Let’s get them.”
“Stay behind me,” I instruct once everyone is gathered in the foyer again, before taking hold of Evie’s hand. “I need you to be right by me.”
“Why?” she asks.
“Because I like my head attached to my shoulders, and your boyfriend won’t think twice about unattaching it if I don’t get you out of here in one piece,” I tell her.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she whispers.
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t know that,” I mutter under my breath before stepping into the elevator.
I press the button to shut the doors and then bring up the CCTV footage on my phone. The place looks clear. I spot Paz and another couple of Emmanuel’s soldiers in the garage and sigh in relief.
It’s not that I couldn’t manage this shitshow on my own. It’s just that I’d prefer not to. The more people I have to help get Evie and Jazzy to the compound unharmed, the better.