Chapter 49
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The drive to Mulberry Lane was about twenty minutes outside of town. Any other time, Titus would have appreciated the tree-lined road and the several large farms on it, but today worry for Emelia consumed his thoughts.
Titus couldn’t believe Emelia had been so close all this time. Five hours had passed since she was taken. In those hours, a lot could have happened, and he prayed she was still alive and unhurt.
He and Colt rode together, while the remaining men split into two groups. Titus was careful not to speed through town, but he blew across the country roads and encountered very few cars and no cops. They got to the father’s house and parked in the woods surrounding it.
Chase already had the back down in his truck bed and opened the chest containing their equipment.
“What’s the plan?” asked Finn as he pulled on a vest, inserted an earpiece in his ear and tucked a gun at his waist. Titus thought it was a little overkill since they were all trained in hand-to-hand combat and could kill easily.
But the police would be involved at some point. And even though they were there first and Titus wanted nothing more than to break every bone in Stein’s body and then slowly kill him, what he didn’t want was for Emelia to see that.
“Recon first, Finn,” replied Chase, checking his own gear. “Why don’t you see if douchebag’s vehicle is there and disable it if it is. The cabin has one window and no back door. There’s an outhouse fifty feet away. Stein doesn’t have anywhere to go unless he runs into the woods.
“Ford, cover the window,” Chase continued. “Zach, cover the road. That cocksucker isn’t getting away from us.” Chase pointed at Titus and Colt. “You two are with me. We’ll breach the front door.”
They waited in the woods by the cabin. It was eerily quiet, no birds chipping, no breeze causing branches to move or leaves to rustle, not even their breathing. Titus was anxious to get to Emelia. Was she all right? Alive? His heart was racing. They needed to get to her now.
Finally, Zach whistled. The moment had arrived. Chase, Titus and Colt ran towards the front door. Colt kicked it in, and they all stopped short.
The love of his life was tied to a chair and lay on top of Tim. Stacy was hog-tied. Somehow, the two of them had managed to take down Stein, who struggled to get up but couldn’t.
And that fucker Stein had his hands around Emelia’s neck. He was a dead man.
Titus growled, grabbed the chair holding Emelia, and set it upright. Then he pulled Stein up by his hair with one hand. “You hurt my woman.”
With that, Titus punched Stein in the gut. He wanted to do more, much more, but Emelia was staring at him with wide eyes. He didn’t want to add to her memories of this and released him. Stein fell to the floor and vomited.
Emelia lying across Stein was the damnedest thing Titus ever saw, and maybe later he’d laugh about it, but right now he had to get the love of his life to the hospital.
The more he thought about it, the more he admired her courage and ingenuity. Who would have thought to attack a man while still tied to a chair? It looked like even Stacy contributed.
Zach, Ford and Finn entered. The cabin became cramped with six big guys, the two women, and Stein on the floor, leaving little space to move.
Titus straightened the chair and inspected Emelia. Even with a black eye and bruises on her face, with her wrists and ankles bleeding, the smile she gave him would brighten the darkest room.
“I knew you’d come,” Emelia cried.
“Always.” Titus kissed the top of her head and promptly untied her with a knife. Colt was doing the same to Stacy.
The guys were trussing Stein up, who kept screaming at them. Chase called the police.
Titus picked up Emelia to take her to the hospital. He glanced at Stacy, sitting in the corner, tears streaming down her face. “Maybe we should bring her too.”
“No.” Emelia stared at the woman, and her voice hardened. “She did this to herself. Let the police deal with her and Tim.”
“Fine by me, sweetheart.” Titus couldn’t fault her; he would have done the same thing in her position. Stacy wasn’t an innocent in this. He heard Chase calling for an ambulance as they left.
On the way to the hospital, Emelia filled him in on what she’d learned about Stacy’s role in this fiasco and how she stole the key to her bakery and trashed her apartment. Stein was responsible for the graffiti and slashing her tires. She also shared with him about the money Stein supposedly hid and that Stacy became involved because of her brother.
“Hate to burst his bubble, but I found his father’s box, and there was no money hidden in it or even in the storage area,” said Titus. “I’m willing to bet the father found it and spent it.”
“Good.”
“Wow. This is a side I’ve never seen from you.” Titus chuckled. “I kinda like the take-no-prisoners attitude.”
Emelia smiled. “Well, I hurt, and I’m not feeling especially charitable right now. They both messed with my life, and after dealing with Wyatt and leaving my hometown, I swore no one was going to walk over me again.”
“Damn straight.”
As they arrived at the emergency entrance, Naomi, Joy and Isabelle met them. The women fawned over Emelia, but Titus’s heart was racing, as he was anxious to have her examined. The nurse led her to a bed, took Emelia’s information, and told them the doctor would be in shortly.
He held her hand and reflected on how this could have turned out so differently and how devastated he would have been if it had. Titus couldn’t imagine a future without Emelia.
Titus listened to the women chat for a few minutes before politely, he thought, asking them to get a cup of coffee and come back in a while.
Isabelle huffed, but Naomi understood he needed time to process this with Emelia. He watched them walk down the hall, then got up to pull the curtain closed.
“I thought they’d never leave,” Emelia whispered. “I love them and I’m happy to see them, but I want…” Tears fell from her eyes.
Titus rushed to her side and pushed her hair behind her ears. “What do you want?”
She gave him a small smile. “I want you to hold me. I want you to promise you’ll never leave me. I want all of your love.”
Titus shook his head, staring at the woman who stole his heart—looked at her bruises and cuts, her bleeding ankles and wrists, and thought about how courageous she was in the face of danger. How she took charge of her life. This was the woman he wanted by his side. Forever.
“Sweetheart, I will hold you, and I promise I’ll never leave you.” He leaned over to kiss her. “But you never have to ask for my love. It’s a given until the day we die and beyond.”