Redemption (27 page)

“So now Emma will stand in for Air?” That would assure her a position at the end, but what about Jake?

“I don’t know. The fact he transferred his power might mean the person he sent it to could fill his vacancy.”

“Are you planning on going to Shreveport with us?”

Marcus raised his eyebrows. “If you and Emma will have me. Alex was a cakewalk compared to what you’re going to face in Shreveport. You’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“So you think we should knowingly fall into Aiden’s trap?”

Marcus’s mouth twisted. “No. It’s definitely a trap, but we need Emma and she’s determined to do this. If we can reunite her with Jake and bring him to our side it’s a double victory. She’ll be more focused and we’ll gain Jake’s power. It’s worth the risk. Let’s get to Shreveport, scope it out and see if we can swing it to our advantage.”

While Will wasn’t fond of Marcus talking about Emma and Jake so matter-of-factly, he was right. And it only proved how right Marcus had been earlier. And it also proved Marcus’s point about Will needing to think with a clear head and not with his emotions. Damn, he wished he could leave Emma out of all of this, but the reality was that Emma
was
all of this.

As Emma neared the hotel, Will hurried in front of her and opened the door. They walked in soaking wet and received odd looks from the people in the lobby. Will wasn’t thrilled that they drew so much attention, especially since the son of the presidential candidate lay dead on the basement floor of the Crescent Hotel. How would Warren’s staff play that one off? They’d probably pin it on some political extremist group.

Will opened the door to their room and Emma brushed past him, her face still an empty mask. She opened the bag, pulled out some clothes, and headed for the bathroom.

Marcus stood at the doorway. His gaze shifted to the bathroom door, then to Will. “I have to get my things. Do you want to meet in the hotel parking garage in thirty minutes? I’ll pick you up at the exit.”

Will ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah…”

“Will.” Marcus’s voice lowered. “I know you’re in a difficult spot here, but we need to leave St. Louis as soon as possible.”

Nodding, Will looked at the bathroom door. “I know. We’ll be there.”

Will bolted the door after Marcus left. He found Emma sitting on the side of the tub in her wet clothes, staring at the blood splatters on her splayed hands.

“Emma,” he said softly, squatting in front of her. “Let me help you get undressed.” He slipped her shoes off first then reached for her shirt, pulling it up carefully over her bruised arm, thankful she didn’t resist his help.

Helping her to her feet, he tugged off her skirt and tossed it onto the floor. “Why don’t we take a shower before we go?”

She looked up, wide-eyed. “I have to go to Shreveport. I have to get Jake.”

“We will, I promise.” He kept his voice gentle and calm. “We’re just going to wash off first. We have a long drive ahead of us and you’ll feel better if you wash off all the… grime.”

Her chin trembled. “You mean blood. So I can wash off all of Alex’s blood.” She crossed her arms and rubbed her hands along them.

Will didn’t answer. Instead, he turned on the water, then stripped off his own clothes before removing Emma’s undergarments. He helped her into the water and she closed her eyes. Will washed her hair and her body, being gentle when he noticed the bruising on her side before washing his own. When he was done, he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her to him in an embrace.

“I thought you left me,” she mumbled against his chest.

Will leaned his head back to look down at her, pain crushing his chest. “Emma, how could you think that?”

She looked up at him with teary eyes. “I didn’t do what you asked. I didn’t touch Alex.”

“Emma.
No
. I would never leave you.
Ever
. I’m sorry. I should have prepared you more or made sure you’d practiced or not had you do it all. You weren’t ready. I should have recognized that.” The truth was that he had, he’d just hoped she’d come through in the end. Now she paid for his mistake. Will knew she had broken her arm and he suspected her ribs from the bruising she still had. What else had she endured? “What did he do to you in the elevator? Why didn’t I feel all of it?”

“I blocked it from you.”

“
Why
?”

“Did you feel pain in your arm?”

“Yes, but—”

“Alex wanted to see if he could hurt you by hurting me. If you felt half of what…I needed you to be strong enough to get me out of there so I couldn’t let you feel it.”

“What did he do, Emma?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. Once I get some sleep, I’m sure I’ll wake up and be fine.”

“I should have been there.”

“You were. You got Alex out and away from me.”

“No, Emma. Marcus got him out.”

“Oh.” She pressed her cheek to his chest. “Yeah, I that remember now.”

“Marcus wants to come with us to Shreveport.”

Several seconds passed. “Do you want him to?”

“I think he can help us. I think…” He hated to bring this up now, but she needed to be prepared. “Shreveport is bound to be an ugly mess. I think we need all the help we can get. Marcus helped us today and it’s in his best interest to continue to help us.”

“But for how long?”

Will released a long sigh. “I don’t know. But he could make the difference in getting Jake back.” He felt like an ass pulling that card, but there was truth in his words.

“Okay.”

They had to go soon, but he knew she wasn’t ready. “Emma. We need to talk about Alex.”

She tried to pull away, but he held her close.

He brushed a wet strand of hair plastered to her cheek. “You saved me. You know that, right?”

She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Alex would have killed me. I was about to pass out until you distracted Alex and he released his hold on me.”

“I killed him.”

“You may have pulled the trigger of a gun, but he was nearly dead from my stab wound.”

“He may have begged me to do it, but I killed him out of hate and revenge. I shot him in cold blood. And then I did it again. And again. And again...”

“Emma, he was already dead.”

She shook her head, rubbing her cheek on his skin. “No. Not the first time. I murdered him.”

“If you hadn’t done it, he might have recovered, as difficult as that is to believe. You did the right thing.”

“I know. That’s just it. I know.” Her face rose as she searched his eyes. “So why does it feel like I didn’t?”

“He would have killed us both, Emma. Jake too.”

Pursing her mouth, tears filled her eyes again. “No, he wouldn’t have killed Jake. I’m positive of that. I made him trust me, and I led him to his death.” She shook her head. “I’m as bad as they are. Worse. At least we know what we’re facing when we see them.”

“Emma, don’t do this to yourself.”

Her eyes hardened. “I murdered a man. I have to be honest about it.”

He knew her lack of emotion was from shock, but it worried him. At some point the dam would break. It made her unpredictable. Nevertheless, time was running short. “We need to get dressed. We need to meet Marcus.”

She dried off and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, then pulled her hair into a ponytail. Her attire, along with the hard look in her eye, reminded Will of the first time he met her.
That might not be a bad thing.

***

Marcus’s sedan idled at the curb by the parking garage exit. It was new and shiny and exactly like something an element would drive. Raphael had once given her a Lexus. Emma scowled in irritation. Did they all drive luxury cars?

The trunk popped open and Will loaded their bags as Emma reached for the back door. She looked back at him, suddenly unsure that going with Marcus was a good idea. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Will closed the trunk and moved next to her. His eyes softened. “Do what?”

“Go with him.”

He leaned toward her, lowering his voice. “This is your call, Princess. If you don’t want to go with Marcus, we’ll go alone.”

Her breath hiccupped in her chest. This was all happening so fast. Marcus had saved her from Alex, but did that mean she could trust him? Alex’s vacant eyes flashed through her head and panic rose from the pit of her chest, but she shoved it down. She didn’t have the time nor the mental stability to think it through. “You really think we need him? We can trust him?”

Will hesitated. “I think siding with Marcus is our best shot at getting Jake.”

“But what about later?”

“Honestly? I don’t know about later. Let’s just concentrate on now.”

She nodded, a lump burning her throat. Who knew if they even had a tomorrow? They’d get Jake, then go from there.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Will looked over her shoulder at the street. “We need to go. Things are about to get ugly here soon, and we have a long drive ahead of us. You’re sure you’re okay with going with Marcus?”

“Yeah.” No, but she didn’t have a choice.

“If you change your mind at any point, just let me know, okay?”

Her panic rose again. “But we won’t have a car. We’re leaving ours here.”

“Then we’ll get another one. If we leave with Marcus now, we’re not stuck with him.”

She wasn’t sure she believed that, but she trusted Will, especially now. “Okay.”

Emma climbed in the back seat and Will slid in next to her.

Marcus turned around. “You have two choices. We can drive straight through, or we can take my plane, which will be much more comfortable and faster.” His gaze turned to Emma. “The choice is yours.”

“Fly.” She wasn’t a fan of flying, but it would get her to Jake faster.

Marcus pulled the car into the street, passing several oncoming police cars. Their flashing lights filled the street with a red glow.

Will took Emma’s hand and squeezed.

What had she done?

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Alex’s face. Alex carrying his suitcase and telling her he’d help her find Jake. Alex in the elevator when he realized she’d betrayed him. Alex with blood oozing from his chest, his pleading eyes. Right before she pulled the trigger.

She couldn’t hide from what she’d done. She could close her eyes and see it all play out on an endless loop in her head or she could face the results. She trained her gaze on the circus outside Alex’s hotel. She deserved to watch. She deserved the pain. She deserved so much worse.

What had she become?

Jake. She did it all for Jake. The end justified the means.

Marcus pulled into a small airport parking lot, and Will helped her out while Marcus grabbed their bags and headed toward a small jet waiting on the tarmac. Arm around her waist, Will led her to the plane, treating her as if she would fall to pieces at any moment.

Didn’t he know she was already broken?

The plane had three rows of seats and was so similar to Alex’s plane that she stopped in the doorway and took a step backward.

Will stood behind her, blocking her exit. “Emma. Are you okay?”

She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. “I…”

The memory of Alex picking her up from Raphael’s house and saving her from Raphael’s mistreatment rose up in her mind.

“I can’t…I …” She spun around, pushing past Will, stumbling down the steps. She stood on the tarmac, frozen.

Will raced down behind her. “Emma, what’s going on?”

Chin trembling, she looked into Will’s worried face. “I see him everywhere.”

“Alex?” His eyes narrowed. “You mean his ghost?”

She shook her head. “No. Memories. He saved me from Raphael. He came to Tennessee and helped me escape and flew me to Kansas City so he could take me to you on a plane just like that.” She jabbed a finger toward the aircraft. “And how did I repay him? After I lied to him and betrayed him, I blew his brains out.”

“Emma.” Pity filled his words.

“Oh, God. What have I done?” Her breath caught in her chest and she forced herself to take a breath.

He took her hands in his. “Just take slow deep breaths, okay? After you feel a little calmer, if you decide you want to drive to Shreveport, we will. Okay?”

She gulped air and nodded.

Marcus stood at the top of the steps, watching and making her even more anxious.

She tugged her hands, but Will held tight. “Marcus is ready to go.”

Will’s eyes hardened. “Fuck Marcus. He can wait.”

She wondered, for what seemed like the millionth time, how she’d ever gotten lucky enough to be blessed with this man. Inhaling a deep breath, she leveled her chin. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“We can drive.”

“No. I’d rather fly. I’m sorry. I promise I won’t freak out.”

“Emma, you have nothing to apologize for.”

Tell that to Alex
.

Will led her into the plane again, and she blocked out all memories of everything and everyone, concentrating on the here and now.

Alex was everywhere. She couldn’t escape the image of his vacant face, his blood seeping into the water. She didn’t know she was hyperventilating until her face began to tingle.

Will handed her a glass. “Drink this. It’ll help you calm down.”

She took it with shaky fingers, bringing the glass to her mouth and gulping in two swallows. The alcohol burned her throat, and she fought to keep from choking.

He pried the glass out of her hand, then pulled her head to his shoulder, stroking her hair.

The alcohol worked its way into her bloodstream, relaxing her muscles but not her mind.

“Not much longer, Princess. We’re almost there.”

When the plane landed, she sat up, furious with herself. Will had killed countless numbers of men, some because of her. Will had stabbed Alex, and his hands had been covered in Alex’s blood. Will wasn’t freaking out and losing his mind. He’d sucked it up and moved on.

That’s what she would do.

No more expecting Will to pick up the pieces of her heart that she left in a trail behind her. She needed to stand on her own two feet.

Will eyed her suspiciously but remained silent.