9. Emmy
One week later…
“C’mon, Em. Let’s go.”
I glance up from the file I’m working on and frown at Steph. She’s been on me all day to go out for drinks after work, and I’ve explained that I have paperwork to get caught up on. Apparently, I need to tell her again.
“I can’t, Steph.” I nod at my desk. “I’m buried in paperwork.”
I’ve had two new client intakes this week, not to mention the group I lead and my already established patient’s appointments. Things have been busy, and I love it.
“It’ll still be here tomorrow,” she complains.
“And I’ve got a full day tomorrow, too.”
Steph huffs impatiently. “Fine. I’ll go drink alone.”
Rolling my eyes, I chuckle. “At least go home and drink. I don’t want to have to worry about you all night.”
“You’re no fun,” she accuses.
“I know, I know. But I’ll make it up to you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
As soon as she’s out the door, I return my attention to my work. Despite what some might think, I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary. Maintaining a balance between work and life is important.
You need a life to do that.
I don’t know how much time passes, but a knock on my office door startles me. I jerk at the sound and roll my eyes at my jumpiness.
“It’s just me.”
Recognizing Inferno’s voice, I release a pent-up breath. “Come in.”
He steps inside, and my office seems to shrink. He’s a large, imposing man, and I have no doubt he’d command any space he enters.
“I don’t want to bother you,” he says. “I’ll come back when you’re done.”
I stretch my arms above my head, savoring the way my back cracks as I do. “No, that’s okay. I can finish up tomorrow.”
It’s not lost on me that I wasn’t willing to do that for Steph, but I am for him. I don’t even attempt to analyze that though.
“Are you sure?”
Rising to my feet, I nod. “Yep.”
I shut my computer down and grab my coat and purse while he gathers the trash next to my desk.
“Have a good night, Emmy,” Inferno says as I walk out the door.
“You, too,” I call over my shoulder.
There’s no hiding the smile on my face from our very brief interaction so I’m grateful that no one else is around to witness it.
The cold Vermont air stings my cheeks when I step outside, and I duck my head to try to stay warm. When I reach my car, my heart kicks into overdrive, and my stomach lurches.
“What the…” I mutter as I take in all four slashed tires.
Turning in circles, I survey my surroundings to search for the culprit, but I’m alone. That is, until the back door to the building opens and Inferno steps out.
His gaze immediately seeks me out, and even in the dark, I can see the way his body stiffens.
“What the fuck happened?” he demands as he drops the trash bag he was carrying and strides toward me.
I’m taken aback by the intensity in his tone, but it doesn’t scare me. Instead, there’s a gritty quality that I find comforting.
“Pretty sure that’s obvious,” I deadpan, pointing to my tires.
Inferno walks around the Jetta, and I take my cell out of my purse.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling the police.”
He looks like he wants to argue with me, and he even opens and closes his mouth several times like a damn fish out of water. But he says nothing as he nods.
It only takes several minutes for an officer to arrive, and as soon as the squad car enters the parking lot, Inferno mysteriously disappears. I don’t give it much thought as I make a report and answer all of the officer’s questions.
“Sorry about that,” Inferno states when he comes back outside seconds after the cop leaves.
I shrug. “Don’t worry about it. You’re on the clock.”
“Not anymore, I’m not,” he informs me. “I wanted to finish up real fast so I can take you home.”
“Take me home?”
“Gotta get there somehow, right?”
I lift my cell and shake it. “I was just gonna call an Uber.”
Inferno smiles, and I swear the night sky lights up like it’s high noon. “Save your money. I don’t mind giving you a ride.”
“I, well…”
He lifts his hands in a gesture meant to reassure me. “I don’t bite. And it’s just a ride.”
He’s right. I’m being ridiculous. It’s not as if he’s a total stranger.
“Yeah, okay.”
Making sure my car is locked, I wait while Inferno locks the building, and then follow him to his motorcycle. I’ve never been on one, but I’ve always wanted to.
Something to cross off my bucket list I suppose.
Inferno hands me a helmet and helps me get it situated on my head. He grins as he taps the top of it.
“Cute.”
I groan. “Just what every girl wants to hear… that she’s cute.”
“Beautiful,” he says, but he sounds more like a question than a statement.
“That’s a little better.”
“Now, once we get going, I’m gonna need you to hold on tight, okay?”
Every single one of my synapses trigger my internal alarms, and I’m thrust back in time.
I’m gonna need you to hold your breath, okay?
I don’t know if it’s being trapped in the helmet like I was trapped in the fire, or if it’s my memories finally putting all the puzzle pieces together, but the similar phrasing sends me stumbling backward.
“Emmy?” Inferno asks, concern and confusion filling his dark eyes.
I yank the helmet off my head and toss it at him. “Y-you… but…” Scrubbing my hands over my face, I silently pray that this is all a dream, and I’ll wake up at any second. When Inferno remains in front of me, I can’t help but wonder if I’m finally cracking. “You’re dead.”
Inferno’s face pales, but he quickly recovers. “Clearly, I’m not.”
More and more tidbits of information register the longer I stare at him. “You have his eyes. And nose, lips, hair, voice. You have it all. But he died. This isn’t possible.”
“Who died? What are you talking about?”
The way he asks the questions almost sounds as if he already knows the answers, and fear wars with the shock and confusion coursing through me.
“What’s your last name?”
“What?”
“You told me your name is Dean,” I say, trying to maintain my composure. “His name was Dean. What’s your last name?”
His face falls, and he swallows. “Haskins.”
That’s it. I officially belong in the nuthouse.
“You died after saving me in that fire,” I accuse. “How is it that you’re standing right here, alive and breathing?”
Inferno thrusts a hand through his hair, mussing it up, and it takes all my will power to ignore the way it makes him even more attractive.
Not the time or place.
“It’s not what you think,” he says calmly. He reaches for me, but I back away. “Emmy, I swear, it’s not what you think.”
“Then what the hell is it?!” I shriek. “Because none of this makes sense.”
He heaves a sigh. “It was my father who saved you. I’m Dean Haskins Jr.”
“Your…” The boa constrictor wrapped around my body eases slightly. “I didn’t know he had a kid.”
Somehow, that makes my savior’s death worse than it already was.
“It’s okay. I was real young when it happened so I don’t really remember him.”
“You look exactly like him.”
He rocks back on his heels. “So I’ve been told.” When he reaches for me again, I don’t move away. He settles his hand on my arm. “Please, let me take you home. I’ve gotta be safer than a stranger driving an Uber.”
I contemplate his words, mentally weighing the pros and cons. Despite my better judgment—or maybe because of it—I nod.
“Yeah, okay.”
Inferno relaxes and urges me closer to the bike. “I meant what I said… hold on tight, okay?”
I throw my leg over the seat, and he puts the helmet back on my head.
“I will.”