25. Pearl
Pearl
“I’m sorry,” I pleaded as I tried to wiggle my way out of his grasp. “Please. I regret it. After this, I’m all yours, okay? But I won’t be yours if you hurt me, right?”
He paused and leaned back. It was enough for me to push him off and crawl my way out from under him as quickly as possible. But just when I thought I was about to make it, his hands grabbed my ankles.
Just as I was about to scream my lungs out, my prayers were answered. The front door was kicked in, and two guys dressed in casual clothing came in, holding guns.
“Get down!”
I immediately buried my head on the floor as several loud pops went off.
He went down, and the weight of his body was on me. I sobbed as I tried to get out from under it, but he was too heavy. I could feel the warm blood seeping into my back. Panic raced through me.
“Get him off me!” I screamed, my voice hoarse. My hands were clawing against the floor to pull myself from under him.
I didn't want his body anywhere near mine. I didn’t want him touching me. I wasn't even sure I wanted to look at him dead. I just wanted out of this.
The two men rushed to do as I asked, but I still couldn’t stop shaking.
It was only when someone else walked through the door that I felt some relief. I recognized her.
Jax. The girl who had been in Emerson's apartment. I was so goddamn happy to see someone I knew.
“Please—”
I reached for her, but she was already there helping me up.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her eyebrows pushed together with concern.
I forced a nod because what else was I going to say? No, I’m not fucking okay. I almost got murdered by my stalker, and now I’m covered in his blood.
“Are those… your guys?”
She looked around at the men who were now handling the body. Nothing about them said they were part of her security company, except for the fact that they kept looking at her.
“Yes, but not all of them. The other half is with Emerson.”
At the sound of her name, I clutched Jax’s shirt and forced her to look at me.
“Emerson? Is she okay? He said something about her. He didn’t hurt her, did he?”
Jax shook her head, but she didn't answer me right away.
“Please. Please tell me she's okay.”
Whatever it was, she didn't want to tell me. But that only made me freak out more.
“She's been taken.” Her voice was tense.
“Taken? Where? Who took her?”
She helped me up and started pulling me away from the apartment.
“Don't worry about it, we'll get her back. First things first, we need to get you to a safe place. Some clothes, some food—”
I stopped us in our tracks.
“I'm coming with you. Wherever it is, I don't care. I need to make sure she's okay.”
“Absolutely not,” she said as she tried to drag me along, but I was using the last of my strength. I wasn’t budging. Not on this.
“The longer we stand here arguing about this, the longer it'll take to find her. Now take me with you, or I'm going to fucking scream again.”
She stared at me for a moment before a smile spread across her face.
“I can see why Emerson’s obsessed with you. Let's go.”
I was unable to stay still as our van pulled up to a random spot on the outskirts of the city. We were surrounded by abandoned buildings and multiple shipping containers, and I could hear water, but I didn't know where it came from. It was too dark to tell.
In the distance I could see some construction work and some cranes that had been abandoned.
Where the fuck are we?
“We had some guys following her,” Jax said from the passenger seat as we came to a stop.
My fingers dug into my thighs. My heart had been racing ever since the attack, but that was not the reason now. I couldn't stop worrying about Emerson.
I felt so guilty for leaving her. I was sure my stalker had everything to do with this, but Jax had confirmed there was another party at play. Someone I hadn’t truly thought about for years. But I couldn’t say I was surprised.
Once a piece of shit, always a piece of shit.
“It’s her father, you're sure?” I asked, leaning forward. Jax nodded.
“It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that he's likely the one behind all of this. I knew he had a bone to pick with Emerson. She told me all about it when she had us look into him.”
Fear constricted my chest, making it hard to breathe.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. He was supposed to be in jail, just like my stalker, but they were both out somehow. This had to have been planned.
And Emerson… She didn’t deserve any of it. It was like he had just been waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in and destroy her life even more than he already had. He wanted to see her suffer. He always had.
To be honest, I was never fully sure of why he had kept Emerson as a child. He obviously hated her and saw Emerson as nothing more than a punching bag.
I was angry for her. And to think he had her somewhere and was probably hurting her even now made me even angrier.
Up until now I never thought I had this much rage in me. Guilt, fear, hurt—all those were normal for me. But apparently all it took was for someone to hurt Emerson, and the claws were out.
He better not have hurt her.
There was a buzzing in Jax’s pocket, the sound breaking through the obvious tension in the car. She pulled it out.
“Team three confirms there are men in the building on the right. Likely armed. Let's go get her. Pearl, you stay here.”
Just as I was about to complain, she looked back at me with a hard expression. I couldn’t believe this was the same girl who’d seemed all casual and playful when we first met. This was her in full-on work mode and ready to save her friend.
“Emerson would kill me if I got you hurt, so for my sake, please…”
I sank back into the seat and nodded. Disappointment washed through me. I should've known she would never let me leave the car.
“Please get her back to me.”
She gave me one long look before placing something on the center console.
“We will. Safety’s off. Point and shoot if you need to. Just in case.”
They all walked out, and I watched them as they disappeared between the abandoned buildings.
When they were finally out of sight, I looked at what she’d left for me.
A gun.
Pitch black and with the power to save or kill a person. A power that seemed too heavy for me to bear. Too important.
I knew next to nothing about guns. I’d never fired one. And still I grabbed it without a second thought.
Fuck this. Emerson’s in danger. I'm not hiding any longer.
I snuck out of the car and went in the same direction they had, holding the gun with both hands. I weaved in between buildings and containers, being careful not to step on anything that might give me away.
The night air was silent. So much so that my breathing and heartbeat felt far too loud.
When the gunshots started in quick succession, it almost sounded like one of those first-person shooter games, nothing like I would've expected in real life. But each of them felt like it was hitting me straight in the chest.
At the end of each bullet was likely the end of someone's life.
Emerson, please be safe.
I crept along the corner, getting closer to the sound. I knew I was putting myself in danger, but it didn’t matter. Emerson would've done the same in a heartbeat, and I knew it. I knew her.
Leaning over, I could see Jax and her men standing among what looked like dead bodies before heading further in.
I stayed behind, not wanting them to see me, but for some reason, something called me back.
Turning to look behind me, I noticed a warehouse. It looked like any other out here, almost falling apart, except that the lights were on, dim, but enough for me to spot them.
Jax was the professional. I knew that. But for some reason, my heart and gut told me that Emerson was in that building.
So I headed straight for it, trying to walk as fast as I could without making a sound. My hands were slick with sweat, the panic of each second without knowing Emerson was okay weighing on me.
When I finally got there, I could see figures walking inside, so I moved to the side and peered into one of the broken windows.
My heart caught in my throat when I saw Emerson on her knees, two men behind her, holding her, and her father right in front of her.
I almost didn’t recognize him. He’d been a drunk before he was arrested, often not showering or taking care of himself.
He had changed so much that he looked like a mini mob boss.
But even though he was dressed in a nice suit and had gold teeth that gleamed in the dim light, the evil smile on his face was the same.
There was a gun in his hand, pointed right at Emerson.
I could run back and get Jax’s team. Or I could fire. There was no guarantee I would hit her father, but at least it would buy us some time.
Think, Pearl.
With shaky hands, I brought the gun up and took aim.
Do it. Do it. Pull the trigger.
Now.
Do it. Do it.
All I could think about was that if I didn't do this, Emerson would die. I couldn't let her die. My world would never be the same without her. I loved her. I had always loved her.
She would do anything for me—she’d shown me that time and time again. And so would I.
Not willing to risk missing the mark, I turned and shot off my gun into the air.
The two men behind Emerson reached for their guns, and two more I hadn't seen started walking toward the entrance, so I kept down, crawling against the pavement, making sure they didn't see me.
Just as I rounded the corner, I heard more shots, and two bodies falling to the floor.
Jax is here.
A violent hope started expanding in my chest.
I peeked inside again, and there was only Emerson and her father in there. He looked unfazed and was still aiming the gun at her, but I could see the sweat shining on his forehead. He heard the shots. He knew someone was coming.
They seemed to be talking, but I couldn't make out the words.
It’s now or never.
I brought up the gun, trying desperately to stop my shaking hands.
Do it, Pearl.
With one sharp exhale, I pulled the trigger.