Emily's Choice (22 page)

“I can’t
believe she’s running around with him again! I remember when she first got here
and would talk about her stalker all the time.”

“I’m going
to head over to Lila’s place and see what’s going on, if anything. Her father
said he was staying with Lila. Who knows what’s going on over there. He might
have them both under lock and key.”

“Fred’s on
his way. He says to stay outside until he gets there.”

“Then he
better hope he gets there before me. If Emily’s inside, I’m not waiting on Fred
to rescue her.”

“You might
get yourself killed, and then what good would you be?”

“Gina, she’s
the love of my life,” he yelled into the phone. “I’m not going to let her be
harmed if I’m there to stop it.”

“Jason!”

He swore
under his breath and hung up. He jumped into his truck and peeled out of the
parking lot. Lila’s place was only five minutes away and he was there in less
than two. Bonus to a town with little to no traffic and zero streetlights.

“It’s too
bad for you,” Lila announced as she entered the room. Casting a disgusted look
down at Edward, she shook her head. “Someone needs to take out the trash.”

Emily stared
wide-eyed at Lila.

“I just got
off the phone with Jason. It doesn’t seem like your chat with him did the trick
after all.” She raised the gun and fired.

It took a
moment for the pain to register. It started out as a slight burning and then
her shoulder exploded in fire. She writhed in pain, trying her best to keep her
head about her. She didn’t want to give Lila the satisfaction of screaming.
Blood oozed, warm and sticky, down her shirt and off her shoulder.

“Damn, I was
aiming for your head,” Lila said nonchalantly, looking down at the gun. “Oh
well. This will do.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it to
face Emily. “You need to call him again, and this time get it right. I want him
to call me, groveling, begging me to be his.”

“I don’t
know what more I can say or do,” Emily pleaded.

Lila stepped
closer and put the muzzle of the gun right at Emily’s temple. “You better
figure it out. I won’t miss a second time,” she threatened.

The steel
was warm against her
skin,
a potent reminder of what
Lila was capable of. Despite her best efforts at not showing fear, she
shuddered. She needed a solution that didn’t involve another phone call to
Jason. Nothing she said to him would change his mind.

With Lila
listening in, she wouldn’t even be able to give him hints about who had her or
what she needed in order to be set free.

“I-I-I don’t
know if me calling him again so soon will accomplish your wishes,” she
stammered. Her hand felt cold, her whole body felt cold, actually. But what was
really weird was she was sweating like she’d just run five miles.

Lights
flashed on the wall, and Lila turned her attention to the window. She walked
over and moved the curtain to the side ever so slightly. Peering through, her
face lit up.

“Looks like
I was wrong. He does want me after all.”

She
practically skipped to the door and pulled it closed behind her, leaving Emily
in the dark with Edward’s corpse.

Her shoulder
throbbed, and she wondered how long she could lie here before she bled to
death. Could she even bleed to death from a shoulder wound?

The room
began to spin and Emily couldn’t figure out why. It was like riding one of
those carousel rides. They were fun and she really wanted to take Sadie on one.
Maybe, if they were still here next week, she’d take her to the rodeo. Usually
there was a carnival in the parking lot, which garnered just as much traffic as
the rodeo itself.

Maybe Jason
would want to join them. She was so tired of fighting. Lila had admitted she
hadn’t done anything with Jason that night, right? Why hadn’t she listened? Why
hadn’t she given him a chance to explain? She’d wasted so much time. She should
have had more faith in him. More faith in their relationship.

The room
continued to spin and she felt tired. She wanted to close her eyes and let it
all go.

“Don’t go to
sleep, Emily. Stay awake. Jason will be here soon.”

“Mama G?” Emily
tried to rub her eyes, sure she was seeing things, before she remembered they
were tied down. “How are you here? I miss you so much.”

“Don’t go to
sleep, Emily. Don’t go to sleep. He’ll be here soon.”

“I should
have listened to you. Why didn’t you make me? What are we
gonna
do without you? I love him, Mama G. I always have. It just hurt so much.”

“Stay awake,
Emily!”

“I’m so
cold, Mama G. Can’t I just rest my eyes for a minute? Lila is crazy. I’m sorry.
I think it’s my fault she is.”

“Stay awake,
Emily. He’ll be here soon.”

“I’m so
tired, Mama. So tired. Of fighting. Of living far away. Of being without all of
you. If I hadn’t been so prideful, we’d have had all this time with you. Sadie
would have grown up with you. You can’t really be gone. We need you too much.”

“Stay awake,
Emily.”

“Why won’t
you say anything else to me?”

“Stay awake,
he’s coming.”

“I can’t do
it, Mama. I’m so tired. I’m just
gonna
close my eyes
for a minute.”

“Emily! He’s
here. Wake up!”

“You’re
here!” Lila exclaimed, throwing open the front door and grinning widely.

“Where is
she?”

“Who?”

“You know
damn well,” he shouted. “Where is Emily?”

“Haven’t the
foggiest.” She waved a hand in dismissal. “Come inside, let’s have a drink.”

He took a
menacing step closer. “Where is she?” he asked through clenched teeth.

Lila looped
an arm through his and hugged him close. “I’m so glad you came to your senses.
We’re
gonna
be perfect together. I love you so much.”

He looked
down into her upturned face. Her eyes were glassy and her cheeks were flushed.
He figured she’d already been at the booze, and if that was the case, he wasn’t
getting any straight answers out of her. He decided to humor her until Fred
arrived. Which better be soon, he thought to himself, casting a surreptitious
glance over his shoulder as he allowed her to take his hand and lead him into
the house.

“Maybe a
drink wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he said as they walked through the foyer and
into the living room.

“I’ll go get
it,” she said in a singsong voice.

“I’m just
gonna
use the restroom
real
quick,”
he improvised, thinking he’d check the bedrooms down the hall by the bathroom.
Maybe he could find Emily before she got back with the drink. And where the
hell was Edward?

“Oh! Don’t
go down there,” she exclaimed, clamping onto his hand. “Use the powder room by
the kitchen.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been
purging and there’s a bunch of piles of trash down there. It’s embarrassing.
You know how I like everything to be neat and tidy. Please?” she asked, tugging
on his hand.

He looked
down into her eyes and noted a bit of fear hidden there. Why would that be?
Unless she had something to hide. He would bet his life savings that Emily was
down that hall somewhere. “Okay, whatever you say.”

He stopped into
the powder room to cover his lie. He flushed the toilet and washed his hands,
knowing if he skipped it, Lila would know something was up. He found her in the
kitchen, staring out the window into the inky blackness.

“I made you
a Jack and Coke, okay?”

“Sure,” he
said, a bit taken aback that she knew he’d entered the kitchen. She was still
gazing out the window, and it was rather unnerving.

He accepted
the drink from her and took a small sip. He had to keep his head about him if
was to be any good for Emily. “So, what do you want to do?”

“I don’t
care. I’m just so glad you’re here.” She turned and smiled at him. Then she
picked up her drink and walked over to his side, snuggling in and taking his
arm, wrapping it around her shoulders.

“What have
you been doing tonight while you waited for me?”

“Oh, a
little of this and a little of that.”

“Saw your
mom and dad tonight. They said you had company. I’m not interrupting anything,
am I?” he asked, looking around the kitchen.

“Oh no.”
Lila giggled. “I already took care of it. That was the trash I was talking
about earlier.”

“Anything
you need help with?”

“No, not
right now, anyway. Let’s just enjoy each other’s company.”

He let her
lead him out of the kitchen and back into the living room. She had a blazing
fire in the hearth despite the summer temps outside. She sat down on the
loveseat, directly in front of the fireplace, and patted the seat next to her.

He sat down
on the edge of the cushion, too much nervous energy to sit back and relax. He
needed to be on his toes, had to be ready, in case Fred ever showed up. What
was taking him so long? And where was Edward?

She pulled
on his arm. “Snuggle with me. Doesn’t the fire make you want to take a nap?”

“I’ve been
sitting most of the day,” he said, explaining his reluctance to sit back and
relax with her. He stood and moved over to the mantle.

“It’s been a
long day, hasn’t it?” she asked. “Emotionally and mentally exhausting.”

“Yeah,” he
replied. “And it’s not over yet,” he muttered into his glass as he took another
sip.

He watched
her lean her head back against the cushion, her eyes fluttering shut. He stood
rooted to his spot, holding his breath, hoping against hope that she really was
falling asleep. When her drink tilted and spilled all over the carpet, he took
his chance.

He ran out
of the room and back down the hall toward the kitchen. Just before he got
there, he turned right and headed to the back of the house. First up was the
bathroom. He flipped the light on, looked behind the shower curtain, but found
nothing. Turning the light off, he went to the next room. One of two guest
rooms, she used this one mostly for crafting and as her office. He checked the
closet and under the bed. Nada.

Next up was
the second guest room. He tried to push open the door, but it only opened a
small bit. Something on the floor was blocking the way, but he couldn’t figure
out what. He reached in and flipped on the light switch. He poked his head in
and looked down, briefly closing his eyes at the horrific sight in front of
him. He squeezed through the opening and stepped over the body. He didn’t
bother to check for a pulse, the whole right side of his face was destroyed. He
now understood what Lila had meant about the trash and he figured he’d found
Edward.

He glanced
up and his eyes were immediately drawn to the bed. Emily lay there, still as
death, blood covering her chest and beginning to drip down the side of the bed.
He took a tentative step toward the bed, afraid of what he’d find.

He prayed.
He begged. He bartered. Anything and everything, so long as the love of his
life was still alive.

He reached
out a shaking hand and touched his fingers to the side of her neck. Relief
flooded through him when he found it. A pulse. Weak, but it was there. He
hauled out his phone and dialed 911.

After giving
the particulars, he hung up and quickly untied
Em’s
wrists. Afraid to hurt her more than she already was, he sat down next to her
and picked up her hand. It was freezing. He tore off his shirt and pressed it
to the wound in her shoulder. He had no idea how much blood she’d lost, but it
looked like a lot. A whole lot.

“I told you
to stay away from this end of the house!” Lila screeched from the door.

Jason
started and jumped from the bed. He turned to face her and found a gun pointed
at him.

He held up
his hands. “Lila, baby. Put down the gun.”

“Why do you
love her? Why?” she screamed. “I’ve wanted you from day one. I’ve loved you
every day since I met you. I’m available. I want you. I love you. Why isn’t
that enough? Why has it
never
been
enough?”

She was
waving the gun around and Jason was afraid it was going to go off any minute.
She wasn’t paying attention to it, and based on what he’d seen of Emily’s
chest, not to mention Edward’s fate, Lila had no qualms about using it.

“Lila,
please,” he begged. “Please, put the gun down.”

“NO! No, I
am so tired of being ignored. Of not being good enough. Of never being yours.”

“Honey,
please. Put the gun down and we’ll talk. We’ll be together, I promise. Let me
just get some medical attention for Emily. And then you and me, we’ll pack some
bags and take a nice trip away. We can go to Paris or Hawaii or Italy.
Somewhere, just the two of us. How does that sound?” He held his hands out,
taking a couple steps toward her.

She lowered
the gun. “That sounds lovely, Jason. Do you really mean it? Really?”

“I do, baby.
I do. Just you and me.” He got within a half step of her. He reached out. “Let
me have the gun, honey.”

A loud crash
sounded from the front of the house, and it seemed to bring Lila out of the
crazy trance Jason had just put her in. She raised the gun and pointed it
straight at his head.

“Who is
that? Who did you call?”

“Just the
paramedics, Lila. For Emily. Don’t panic, we’ll still go away, together.”

“No! I
remember another time you were all sweet to me. Took me to lunch, my favorite
restaurant, and then tricked me into going to the doctor and dropped me like a
hot potato when we learned I’d miscarried our baby.”

“I was a
different person back then, Lila. Emily had just left and I was beside myself.
But you’re right. You’ve always been right. Why should I be with someone who
doesn’t want me? Especially when I have a wonderful woman, like you, waiting
patiently for me?”

She shook
her head. “No, I don’t believe you. I don’t. You don’t love me. You never have.
Never!”

With a
shaking hand, she raised the gun again and pointed it straight at him. “I
thought that the best revenge would be to kill Emily. But now I know that’s not
the case. The best revenge is killing
you. And letting
her live with that for the rest of her life.”

“Lila, NO!”

He heard a
shot.

He saw Lila
crumple at his feet.

He saw Fred
poke his head inside the door.

And then he
turned back to Emily. He only had eyes for her.