36. Emerson
Emerson
“It’s gonna work,” I told Patty.
“If you say so,” she muttered.
“And remember, no yelling. As soon as that door opens, we all attack. It only works if we take them by surprise. But we can’t scream or backup will come. Just attack. Bite, scratch, pull hair, punch, anything and everything,” I reminded the women.
I was looking around at the women’s faces and I was seriously questioning if my plan was going to work. Only a few were nodding enthusiastically and were fully onboard. The others were a crapshoot whether or not they’d even move.
I was trying not to get pissed and shake some sense into them. My plan to bum rush the man who opened the door and overpower him only worked if we had the numbers. If we didn’t and screwed up, we could all be dead.
I swiped the sweat off my face and fought the tears that were threatening to form. My bladder was screaming at me to empty it, but I refused to relieve myself in the corner the women had designated.
As stupid as it was, that was all I had left, my refusal to piss. I’d been kidnapped, locked in a box, and the threat of a horrific life loomed over me. But I wouldn’t allow myself to be degraded and treated like an animal.
So I was holding it.
It was all I had control over.
But when that door opened, I was going to fight my way out of this, with or without the rest of the women.
“Hey.” Patty placed her hand in mine and squeezed. “Okay. We can do this.”
“Thank you.”
We were silent for a moment, then it happened—the door rattled.
Shit. I was out of time. My gaze sliced to the group of women and all of them looked panicked. Doubt was creeping in, I hadn’t had enough time to convince them to follow my plan.
Patty’s stare followed mine and in a harsh whisper she snapped, “Do it. It’s our only chance.”
She let go of my hand and slowly rose to her feet. For the first time I saw a look of determination. I stood and waited for the others to join us.
The door creaked again, someone was definitely unlocking it.
Please God, let me get back to Thaddeus. Please, please, please, don’t let me die.
The door slowly opened and Patty took off like a shot. I was on her heels and when the time was right, we launched ourselves at the man. Our combined body weight hit and there was a loud clatter, before a very strong arm wrapped around my waist. The man stumbled back but did not go down.
It didn’t work.
He’d easily caught us. This was it, fight or die.
I balled my fist and wildly punched, hoping to connect. I didn’t care where just as long as the man dropped me. My knuckles cracked when they landed on something hard and metal. Not flesh, that was for certain.
“What the fuck?”
I froze.
I knew that voice.
That was Declan.
“Stop, Patty,” I whispered.
She didn’t—the little spitfire was wailing away. Declan dropped me to my feet and wrapped both arms around Patty, trying to capture her arms to prevent another blow.
“He’s a good guy, Patty. You can stop.” I grabbed her arm and shook her. “Patty. Look at me. We’re safe. You did it. You can stop now.”
Patty’s body relaxed in Declan’s arms and a sob escaped.
“You good?” Declan asked. “Can I set you down?”
“Yes,” Patty cried.
Then everything happened in a fury of commotion. I was swept off my feet and I didn’t need to see who had me in his arms. I could feel it. Declan had jumped into the box—I sensed more movement around me and assumed it was Max, Kyle, and Brooks helping the girls out.
But none of that mattered.
Thaddeus found me.
Thad’s already-tense body went solid and I pulled my face out of his neck to see what was happening.
Autumn.
She was there, helping a woman out of the container.
Declan jumped out, then announced, “That’s everyone. Let’s roll.”
I wiggled until Thad put me on my feet and I went to my sister. I didn’t care what she’d told me the last time I’d seen her. When I stopped in front of her, I yanked her into a hug.
“Please come with us,” I begged .
She slowly and loosely returned the embrace.
“Not yet.”
“Please.”
“Not yet, Emmy, I’m not done,” she whispered.
“I’m getting married tomorrow.”
I don’t know why I told her that, standing outside of the container I’d been held in, with other scared women standing around us. But I wanted her there. I wanted her to come with us so Thad could make her safe.
“Happy for you.”
“Please come. I want you there. We can help—”
Autumn’s arms squeezed the breath out of me, cutting off my plea.
“Not yet,” she repeated. “Happy for you, sister. It’s time for you to get back everything I took from you. Don’t worry about me, just be happy.”
“I can’t help but worry. I love you.”
“I love you, too. That’s why I need you to forget about me.” She let go and stepped away.
“Hate to break this up, but we have to go,” Declan announced, and I wanted to punch him again.
I wasn’t done. I needed more time with Autumn.
“You straight?” Kyle asked.
I didn’t know who he was speaking to, but my sister answered. “Yeah. I got the girls.”
“One of us—” Max started but Autumn spoke over him.
“I have backup. Van’s waiting on the street for loadout. You worry about my sister, I’ve got the rest.”
Backup?
Autumn had backup? What the hell?
“Café was empty. Beach was clear,” Declan told her.
She nodded her understanding to Declan then pinned me with her eyes. “I’m serious, Emmy, go be happy. ”
Then she rounded up the girls. I was still in a daze when Patty’s body collided with mine.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’ll never forget you.”
Then she was gone, too.
“We’re out,” Declan commanded and I was swept up into Thad’s arms and he followed Declan.
“I can walk,” I told Thaddeus.
“No doubt you can.”
“Then why aren’t you letting me?”
“Because I can’t walk. Not without you in my arms.”
Shit. He’d been scared, too.
“Thaddeus…”
“Don’t, Emmy. Please just give me this. Me holding you is the only thing holding me together. Just let me carry you.”
The trembling in his voice was killing me.
“Thank you for saving me. I knew you’d come.”
I felt the swift intake of air and the hitch in his voice when he said, “ Agápi mou .”
I shoved my face back into his neck, and I finally lost it.
The terror of being taken overwhelmed me and my body shook with all the fear I’d shoved aside.
I may’ve been a good actress, but when the curtain fell and the mask slid away and the truth of how dire my situation had been hit me, I couldn’t control my sobs.
I felt water surround me, then I was half-floating, half-towed through the small waves.
“Let me swim.”
“I got you,” Thad returned.
“But I can swim—”
“For two hours I didn’t know where you were.
Two hours before that, you’d been taken and I didn’t know it.
Four hours, Emmy. Four fucking hours you were in extreme danger, two of those I didn’t fucking know.
So, I know you can walk. I know you can swim.
But you’re not gonna do either of those things because I’m not gonna let you go. ”
I said nothing. Because, well, there was nothing to say. If that was what Thaddeus needed to calm himself, I’d give it to him. And the truth was, I didn’t want him to let me go.
Not now.
Not ever.
We’d made it to a boat, and I was lifted in. Which was a good thing, because there was no way with the way it was bobbing and my lack of strength, I was getting in by myself.
Thad jumped in, proving he was superhuman, and I was back in his arms. His ass hit the hull of the boat and I was on his lap with my face pressed onto his chest and his in my hair.
“Fuck,” he growled.
“You saved me, Thaddeus. I’m fine,” I reassured him.
“Fuck,” he repeated and his body shook all around me.
“You got to me in time.” I tried again.
“Could’ve lost you.” His voice thickened with an emotion I understood.
“That wasn’t going to happen. I had a plan,” I told him. “I was gonna fight my way back to you no matter what, Thaddeus.”
“Too close,” he went on. “Too fucking close.”
It was, but I wasn’t going to verbalize my agreement.
“I didn’t give up. I was coming home to you.”
“So damn proud of you.”
My heart warmed at his praise but it was still breaking at the same time. My strong, tough warrior was barely holding it together.
“Thaddeus, I’m okay. I promise. I wasn’t hurt.”
“They stole you from our room. They locked you in a goddamned box. That’s the opposite of okay. ”
“You’re right, it wasn’t okay, but now it is. You found me. You made it okay. I’m fine.”
“I didn’t find you. Autumn did.”
What? Autumn? I wanted to know more about that, but that was a question for another time. Making sure Thaddeus was all right was more important.
“Maybe so. But it was you who came for me. I knew you would. Never doubted it for one minute.”
“They were—”
“Stop. It doesn’t matter what anyone was going to do. They didn’t. I’m safe in your arms, and we’re going home—together. That’s all that matters. All I care about is this right here, me being in your arms, safe.”
Thaddeus fell silent, but his hold didn’t loosen.
Sitting in Thad’s lap as the boat sped us farther away from the stupid container, it hit me. A few days ago, I needed him to be strong and hold us together—but now it was my turn to mend the fear. He needed me to be strong so he could move past me being taken.
I could do that.
I could do anything for him.