“Don’t move. I need just another minute,” Teagan instructs, but I want to rage. I will completely obliterate the love of my life’s heart in another minute.
Samantha’s hand descends, and I hear Emma gasp, forcing my attention to her.
“You need to get her out of here in case this doesn’t work,” Liam demands.
Gritting my teeth, my nostrils flare, and I channel the anger for the person on top of me. “Can’t you see we’re fucking busy? Get the fuck out of here!”
My eyes close at the sight of Emma’s tears.
“No, stay and watch as I carve the last of you from them, and then maybe you’ll finally recognize your place, you gutter troll,” Sam sneers. A combination of pleasure, victory, and menace fills her usually stiff face.
I’m going to fricassee Samantha’s entrails and feed them to her sister-fucking brother.
I will my angel to move.
Leave baby, please, I’m begging you.
“She needs to go now,” Teagan snaps. “This will be done any minute now, and if it goes wrong, I don’t think I need to explain the rest to you.”
“Get the fuck out,” I spit.
My heart shatters at the bereft look on Emma’s face as she stumbles from the room, slamming shut the door to her heart forever.
I’ll fix this, Angel. I promise. I silently pledge.
Samantha’s hand roams, and her touch feels like acid against my skin. “I’m glad you finally chose right,” Samantha squawks as she lightly drags the sharp point of the blade up my chest. I have to force myself not to ram my knife through her neck to shut her up.
“You know how annoying you’ve all been.
Emma this and
Emma that. So fucking annoying,” Samantha prattles on. I only hear every third word of her whining-just enough to ensure she’s not about to stab me.
Time ticks by, each second putting even greater literal and figurative distance between Emma and us. It feels like another eternity passes when Teagan finally shouts, “We got it!”
My shoulders sag in relief as I repeat her statement, “We got it?”
“Yes, you’re fucking free!” Teagan squeals, and I hear the guys cheering.
“We got what?” Samantha questions, her earlier smile sliding off her face as she scrunches her nose and pauses her movements.
Wasting no more time, I push her off me and stand, ignoring her disgruntled shriek. “Rid of you,” I seethe, striding past her. My hand is on the doorknob before she replies.
“You’re fucking dead!” Peering over my shoulder, I laugh as I watch her push the detonator over and over to no avail. Samantha’s accusatory icy blue glare up at me. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Whatever was necessary to rid ourselves of you,” I snap.
Her face blooms four shades of red before she laughs, “Do you think she’ll take you back after what she just saw? I’m not a complete idiot. I knew you fucking dicks were up to something,” Samantha singsongs as she stands. “Why do you think I had Brittany tell her you called her?”
My blood turns cold.
No, Emma will forgive me. I just need to-we need to explain everything. “Shut the fuck up, Samantha. Your time is about to expire. I’d run if I were you,” I bark, then open the door. I look up and down the hallway, but my angel’s gone. That’s when I see it-a trail of red. “Fuckkk! This can’t be happening,” I mutter as I run in the direction of the path of blood while Samantha’s mocking cackles chase behind me.
LIAM
“Fuck, fuck, fuuucccckk!” I shout, losing the battle on my composure. Everything was perfect. Not a minute out of place. How did we screw this up so badly?
“You’ll make her understand,” Teagan encourages.
I loosen my bowtie, then unbutton my collar, hoping the foot compressing my throat eases. “How can you know that for sure?”
“Because of the love in that girl’s eyes. You’ll all have to fight hard for it, but she’ll see reason once you explain.”
Trying to take solace in Teagan’s words, I work harder to finish the last stage to deactivate the chip. Even though neither Samantha nor anyone else with a detonator can blow Karl up, we still need to ensure it’s safe to remove. “I can only hope you’re right, Teag. Emma has changed each of us for the better. Her love made me confront my demons because she could never truly have a place in my heart if I wasn’t up to doing the work to heal. None of us are even halfway, but we’re closer than we’ve ever been before,” I confess.
“And that’s exactly why I have zero doubts that you’ll earn her forgiveness. You’re all willing to do the work-it’s not just lip service. Each of you wants to be worthy of her,” I hear her sigh. “Now get the fuck out here and go see your girl. I’ll finish this, and then I have an idea I want to test.”
I don’t wait for her to change her mind or ask if she’s sure. I pull my earpiece out and jump from Karl’s Jeep, racing inside to meet the guys. Emma’s already en route to the hospital, and I have no intention of arriving far behind them.
KARL
I
‘m nearly to the end of the hall when I have to stop short. Reign, Elias, and Fernando are blocking my path.
“Move, I need to get to her,” I growl, then step back to avoid Reign’s fist.
“You think you deserve to see her after what you caused?” Elias barks.
I don’t have time for any of this. I can still see the crimson trail on the carpet. “We’ll explain everything later. Now, move the fuck out of my way before I make you.”
“You assholes have done more than enough. We did warn you, and while Emma is like a sister to us, that doesn’t mean we can’t still remove you from her life until someone she deserves comes along,” Reign snarls. “None of you are good enough to drink her piss.”
I grit my teeth and shout, “You don’t think we know that? You don’t think each slice to her heart is like fifteen to ours for having to be the ones wielding the knife?
She’s our everything!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.