19. EMMA #3
It is nice to see how Bear and Ace interact together, they are brothers at heart, it is clear for the world to see.
I step over to Ace and his arm reaches out, snaking around my waist, pulling me into him.
He looks down with those blues as they bore into mine, asking.
“You good?” I nod with my words. “Yeah, I am.” The feeling of my father within my reach, unconscious on the floor, not having to look over my shoulder for him. I'm fucking great.
I get up on my tip toes and place a soft kiss on Ace's cheek, then whisper over his skin. “I'm fucking great baby.” Another soft kiss to his cheek, before I drop down on my heel, taking a step back. The corner of his lip curls to a smile before he says. “Let's get the fuck out of here.”
Bear and Ryan start to walk out of the room as Ace ushers me out behind them, trailing behind me, as our men grab my father and drag his ass down the stairs. As I get to the lower floor and head for the kitchen pantry which causes Ace to question me. “Now what are you doing?”
“Just one more thing. My father was always right to think I hid stuff in the closet, but I never hid it in my closet.
I hid it in the kitchen where I knew he wouldn't go.” I open the pantry door, before walking in, dropping to one knee, shimmying a board on the floor, popping it open.
Reaching my hand in, I pull a lever and the back of the pantry wall opens like a door.
Still holding my gaze with Ace, I watch his eyes widen, his mouth parting.
I push the door open so Ace can see and when he does his mouth almost falls to the floor. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes, 5 Billion dollars.” The locked boxes on the shelves all contain money. Money I have slowly taken from my father and money I have earned racing. I don't need that much but it was my way of fucking my father.
“Baby Girl, you are one smart twisted woman.” I snort a laugh before my eyes snap up to our men.
“These need to go too.” One by one, they come into the room and take a locked box from the wall and carry them from the house.
I walk over to the table where a small briefcase sits, knowing it contains the deeds, all the important contracts, whatever I could get my hands on to use against my father.
I wrap my hand around the handle before picking it up and walking out of the pantry with the case gripped tightly in my hand.
I walk to a drawer and pull a long lighter that I had stashed, before I turn and look at Ace with a mischievous smirk to my face. “Let's burn this bitch to the ground.”
“Are you sure you want to do that, Baby Girl? ”
“It's not a safe place anymore.” The words burst from my tongue before I turn and walk to the window, swallowing hard, I flick the lighter, igniting the flame, I stare at the flame for a minute.
My lips start to quiver as tears sting my eyes.
I grit my teeth, trying to bite back the tears, I touch the flame to the curtain, and drag the flame across the curtain.
The curtain quickly ignites, spreading quickly with the dryness to them, but I continue my trail, running the flame across furniture. My safe house, everything I worked for, everything I fought for, all my secrets, everything that meant something to me, it's all gone, it's all fucking gone.
I can't fight it anymore. I can't fight.
The tears gush from my eyes, blurring my vision, continuing to light my future on fire and watch it go up in flames.
I'm broken. The events that have played out recently, learning my mother is alive, it's just too much.
My heart feels heavy in my chest, not sure if it wants to burst, or just fall deep in my gut and hide away forever but the tears flow like opening the floodgates, feeling my tears fall to my chest.
I let go of the lighter, dropping it to the floor, before I look around, the flames hot against my skin, the smoke filling the air, making it thick to breathe.
“Emma let's go!” I turn and look up to Ace with my very heavy eyes, my heart beating at a pace barely detectable; I'm done, I'm broken.
My eyes close and my head falls forward into my hands, breaking into an ugly cry, feeling my knees buckle beneath me, I start to fall to the floor, but Ace catches me, scooping me up. I bury my face in his chest, his words whispering out. “I gotcha, Baby Girl.”
Ace carries me out of the house, wedding style, my arms loop around his neck, still holding the briefcase in my hand. I peek over his shoulder and look up, and watch the flames fill the house before I tuck my head in his chest, finding comfort in his warmth, needing it.
Why me? Why did I have to have fucked up parents, fuck one bad parent is enough, two... what's the fucking point in having me if you hate me that badly.
ACE
She has finally broken.
I knew this would fucking happen. Learning her mother was alive was too much. She has been put through too much in a short period of time and has never had to endure this much stress, I can say that.
They all wronged her, they all took her future from her, used her for their own benefits, and I won't stand for it any longer.
Today is the day she stops having things taken from her and she will be treated the way she always should have been. And my father will stay the fuck away from her, I will make sure of it.
She hasn't stopped crying yet, soaking my shirt with her tears, I squeeze her tighter as I continue through the forest, away from her house that is about to fall to the ground to a pile of coals.
She is nothing like she put off, acting like she knew nothing. She fucking knows it all. She found her own ways of this life and her secret hiding spots are fucking brilliant, the Medallion in the cave. Fucking smart, smart move.
I would have never thought to do that, to be honest, and it makes me even more proud of her.
EMMA
My adrenaline starts to slow, the reality of our events painting a clear picture in my memory, finding a sense of security and power all at the same time, knowing I have my father.
Finally feeling like I can breathe, the tears drying from my eyes, I come back from the lost place I have been, while my head has been tucked against Ace's chest.
I don't know how long Ace has been carrying me through the forest before I look up to him and whisper out.
“I can walk, put me down.” His eyes look down meeting mine, that playful smirk curling from his lips as he shakes his head.
“Not a chance in hell Baby Girl, I'm not putting you down until you are in that helicopter.” I turn my head and see a helicopter sitting in an open clearing ahead, before I turn my head back around, meeting Ace's gaze, with a playful tone. “Really?”