Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
EMMETT
Pulling my phone out, I call Grimm . He was a great asset when I went on my murder spree to get Blair back and with his unusual hobbies, I have a feeling he’ll be inclined to help me once more.
“ Wuddup baby? Kinda busy right now,” Grimm grunts. A laugh starts to bubble up in my chest as the tell-tale sign of slurping comes through the phone.
“ Are you getting fucking head right now?” I laugh.
I hear some shuffling behind the line and he clears his throat, “ I cannot confirm nor deny that. What's up?”
“ I need your help. I’m at the house getting ready to leave, can you meet me here? You’ll get to torture some people-” I’m cut off as I hear him moving around and he blurts out a response before hanging up.
“ I’m on my way.”
I shake my head, I should have started with that. Not even head could keep him from his one true love, torture .
Soon after, Grimm enters the garage, ready to fuck some shit up. Throwing the bags I packed while waiting into the trunk, I watch as Grimm quickly gathers his own tools, tossing them into a bag and then dropping it into the trunk alongside mine.
“ You know we won’t need much?” I say. “ Probably just a gun and a few rounds of ammo.”
Grimm looks at me as if I had insulted him, “ You never know what you’ll need, Em .” He admits while shaking his head.
I chuckle, “ Fair enough.” Closing the trunk, I round the car and get inside at the same time I see Blair swinging the backdoor open. My eyes harden on her as Grimm just chokes back a laugh.
“ Absolutely not, Blair . There is no fucking way I’m willingly putting you in harm’s way.” My tone is serious, and she knows I’m not budging on this.
“ Emmett , I am going whether you like it or not. I am not some fragile, broken girl. I can handle this and I want to help.” She slides into the backseat, grabbing her seatbelt and clicking it in place before crossing her arms. “ You wouldn’t even be going to fuck any shit up if it wasn’t for the information I gave you! I want to help.”
When I don’t respond right away, she shoots me a hard glare as she continues to speak, “ Unless , you don’t think I’m capable of doing it because you do think I'm broken?” She raises an eyebrow at me in question. Obviously , I don’t think she’s fucking broken.
“ Blair -”
“ No . You do not get to make this choice for me. I’m safer with you than sitting at home by myself. Drive . ”
Her assertive tone is making my cock hard but I won’t let her know that. Grimm must catch on because he finally releases the laugh he’s been holding in. Shooting daggers at him, I start the car and take off.
“ Okay . But you do not leave my side fucking once, not for a second. I’m serious Blair . If you do, you won’t like the consequences, and neither will your ass.” Looking in the rearview mirror, my warning doesn't seem to phase her as a soft smile splays on her lips and she looks out the window.
As we make our way to our destination that Eli provided, I fill Grimm in. “ While this does involve torture, the main purpose is to rescue my mom.” His head whips in my direction like I just stated the impossible, and in reality, I may have. I did see her dead and lifeless, after all.
“ Emmett .. What the fuck do you mean?” He asks, clearly confused.
I sigh and explain the details, “ When Blair was held captive, she had to go to an event. At the event, she believed she saw my mom. I told Eli about it and with the help of some details Blair could remember, we were able to find the man that would have been with her.”
I take a deep breath and continue. “ It said the man's guest was Sera . The photo looked like her, Grimm . I can’t explain it but I felt like it was her. This gala was solely for those involved in human trafficking. Considering James was a part of that world, it doesn’t feel that crazy.”
I don’t know whether I’m trying to convince him or myself at this point. He just nods and that’s as much support as I need. The rest of the drive is silent as we make our way to Ricardo’s .
Pulling up to the property, there isn't a sprawling gate like the majority of my victims' homes had. No large amounts of security measures to keep people out. We’re able to drive straight to the front of the house. The minute our car pulls up, I spot the guards standing by the front door. Before I can say anything, Grimm pulls a gun out and shoots both of them directly between the brows.
I hear Blair gasp but Grimm's choice surely just let whoever’s inside know that we're here.
“ Fuck .” I'm hopping out of the car and ripping the trunk open, grabbing the guns that I had packed. Grimm pulls out a giant torch I wasn’t aware of, and a gun, leaving his bag of tools inside the vehicle.
Taking a gun, I put it into Blair’s shaking hand.
“ You shoot everyone who isn’t me or Grimm . Got it?” She nods her head, fear and anticipation swirling in her eyes. Grabbing her hand, I pull her behind me as Grimm leads the way inside.
He opens the door, both torch and gun aimed out and ready to use. A man comes toward the entryway, anger radiating off him as a vein in his forehead protrudes, his own gun flailing in his hand with his erratic movements.
“ Who the fuck are you? I’ll shoot you dead if you don’t start talking!” He shouts.
My anger rises as I spot the 8-ball on his neck. With a deadly tone and even deadlier intentions, I lift my eyes from his tattoo to his face.
“ My name is Emmett . I’m here for Sera Blackwood . ”
All the color drains from his face as he raises the gun straight at me. I don’t hesitate as I make sure I'm fully in front of Blair . A shot goes off making me close my eyes as I wait for the pain to register but it doesn't.
A guttural shout fills the air making me crack my eyes open to see Ricardo bent over, clutching his shin.
“ You fucking bastard!” He shouts as Grimm raises his gun up and blows the smoke from the barrel like he’s in some fucking movie shootout.
My heart rate starts to decrease at the reality that I’m fine, and more importantly, Blair is safe behind me. She clutches onto the back of my shirt while peering over my side to look.
“ I would say sorry, but I’m not. I don’t appreciate it when people point guns at my friend, Ricardo . I take it very personally.” Grimm fakes sadness, using the barrel of the gun to mimic a tear on his cheek.
“ I don’t know who Sera is you fucking-” Ricardo doesn’t get to finish his sentence as Grimm swings the gun and hits him in the head.
“ Yes , you do,” I growl, even as uncertainty swims inside me.
“ I’m her son, Emmett Blackwood . I don’t take kindly to liars, Ricardo . The last person that lied to me ended up choking on her own blood. Try again.”
“ I’m not lying. I’m telling you, I don’t-” I clap my hands together effectively shutting him up.
“ I guess we're doing this the fun way, huh?” I say towards Grimm .
“ I guess so,” he responds in a sing-song tone. He grabs Ricardo as he curses and shouts at him. I walk over to help Grimm restrain him as we bring him over to a kitchen chair and tie him up.
Once tied up, Grimm heads back out of the house to grab something from the car. Coming back inside, he shakes the gas canister and smiles, “ I told you that you never know what you’re gonna need.” Laughing , he walks over and starts to dump the gas on Ricardo .
Although Grimm brought a torch lighter, I grab the smaller lighter from my pocket. I’m about to walk towards him when I feel a light tug on my shirt. Looking over my shoulder, Blair eyes the lighter in my hand and then holds her palm out. “ Do you wanna give him a little scare, baby?” She hesitantly grabs the lighter while giving me a nod and then walks over to him. Flicking the flame to life, she holds the little fire close enough to his face that he can feel the heat but not close enough to light him.
“ I saw you, you know. At the gala. I was there too, against my will.” Blair says, her voice isn’t as soft as it normally is. “ It’s actually pretty idiotic to get such a large tattoo on your neck when you’re in this business ,” she tilts her head, looking at the 8-ball on his throat. “ Makes it really easy for your enemies to not only target you, but to find you, too.”
Pride swells in my throat as she looks more like a lioness than a gazelle in this moment, making a grown man piss his pants as she holds a flame to his gasoline drenched body. There’s no one to blame but himself. He created this mess all on his own.
My beautiful, destructive, obsession.
Blair wrinkles her nose while looking down at his pants. You can't see the wet stain due to his clothes already being covered in g asoline, but you can smell its pungent scent along with the smell of gas.
“ Pathetic . You know, I didn’t piss on myself while I was held captive by a vile man similar to you. While I was raped and beaten, I didn’t show weakness as quickly as you have. All it takes is a little lighter?” She waves the tool in front of him, making him whimper.
Seemingly done with the games, she brings the lighter between his legs, “ I’m going to ask you one time and one time only. If you don’t give me the answer I need, you and this entire house you’ve spent your millions on, will go up in flames. Where is Sera ?” She demands.
“ B -basement. Basement . S -she’s in the basement,” Ricardo stutters.
“ Which is where?” His chin juts out and points towards a door down a hallway, on our right. Blair nods her head as she gets what she wants and tosses the lighter on his lap, letting the flame lick at his gasoline covered skin.
His eyes widen in shock, his blood curdling screams filling the room. “ I told you what you wanted to know! Please !”
Blair shrugs her shoulders, letting out a small chuckle, “ Whoops .”
I’m moving and pulling her back before the lighter can reach his lap. I don’t know if it’ll make a flame big enough to hurt her but I am not about to find out. With Blair safely tucked back against my chest, I watch as his body goes up in flames, as his screams become engulfed by red and orange, and his skin sizzles and drips off the bone.
Kissing her temple I whisper in her ear, “ So proud of you, brave girl. You did so well." She gives me a pleased hum while I release her body and grab her hand, leading her to the basement. Grimm stays back to watch our human bonfire while we head in the direction Ricardo pointed us to.
The door locks from the outside, keeping whatever is inside, trapped. I unlock the door and yank it open. My heart pounds in my chest and I feel Blair's hand tighten around my own.
With each step down the darkened stairs, my heart rate increases. I don’t know what to expect, but with the way my gut is twisting, I know it can’t be good. Entering the dim room, I look around and don’t notice anything out of the ordinary for a basement.
As my eyes start to adjust to the space, I spot a figure in the corner of the room. The organ that was beating too fast, stops altogether when I spot it.
“ Stay here,” I whisper to Blair , unsure of who that is or what to expect. Letting go of her hand and comfort, I slowly make my way over to the figure.
As I inch closer, I’m able to make out the blonde strands of her hair. My heart leaps and a lump forms in my throat. There is no way. Absolutely no fucking way. I saw her hanging, her lifeless eyes, her porcelain skin turning blue. There is no way-
“ Mom ?” My voice cracks as the words leave me. I don’t know if it's the shock or my brain short circuiting but when she turns her head and those blue eyes meet mine, I feel a piece of my soul crack.
Her eyes fill with enough tears to fill an ocean as she stares at me. Her voice shakes as she speaks, “ My sunshine?” She places her hand on the wall next to her, using it to help her stand. Her hair is greasy and dirty, and she wears a long white dress that's littered with stains, but her eyes still flash the same warmth they always did when looking at me. “ Is that really you?”
She runs over to me and I don’t know how to react. My body mimics autopilot mode as her arms wrap around me and I feel like that six-year-old boy again. She pulls back and places her cold palms on my face. I still haven't said anything. I can’t speak.
“ I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I left you.” Tears stream down her dirty cheeks, leaving a path of clean streaks as they do.
“ How are you alive?” They’re the only words I can manage to speak. With her chilled, bony fingers against my face, it almost feels like she is dead.
“ Shhh , sunshine. Not now. I’ll explain everything soon.” She gives me a soft smile and I can see her trying to hold it together. Much like she always did for me.
The initial shock starts to wear off and I look behind me at Blair . We’re in a similar environment to the one we escaped not too long ago, it could potentially be triggering for her, and I need to make sure she’s okay, too.
“ You alright?” I ask softly and she responds with a light nod.
Taking my mother’s cold hand in mine, I start to lead them from the room when she gasps abruptly, making me pause. I look back at her to see her staring ahead of me. Following her eyeline, it's directed to Blair . “ I saw you,” she says. “ I saw you at the gala.” She looks back at me, her eyes shining with tears again, “ You saved her too? ”
My heart picks up at the notion that I saved Blair . That I saved them both. Smiling over at my little obsession, I respond, “ She saved me first.”
Blair’s cheeks heat as she smiles back at me. She gives me a lingering look before turning and heading up the stairs. Looking back at my mom, I gently squeeze her hand, then begin leading her out of this cage that she’s called home for who knows how long. “ Let's go home, mom.”
With a soft, hesitant smile, she follows, anticipating what other demons await her outside of these four cement walls.