Page 27

Emma

I must have fallen asleep, though for how long I can’t be sure, because when I’m woken by the sound of Ty’s phone ringing, the sun is just starting to rise, peeking through the gaps in the curtains.

Ty answers it and I lay there. I can’t hear the other voice but the expression on Ty’s face chills me to the bone.

After ending the call he turns to me and summarizes what he’s just learned. Something bad went down and Jacob got shot. It’s serious, really serious.

My big strong brother who always seemed so indestructible is now fighting for his life in surgery. Jacob’s always been so much more than a brother to me. He’s my protector, my father figure, my best friend. I can’t lose him.

I hold onto Ty’s strong back, like he’s a life raft keeping me from drowning, as we ride as fast as possible on his motorcycle toward the hospital where Jacob’s been taken. I’m grateful for Ty’s stoicism and strength right now, for the solid warmth of him to cling onto. We pull into the parking lot, tear off our helmets, and rush inside.

“Jacob Miller, where is he?” Ty barks to the receptionist as soon as we get to the desk.

The frazzled and overworked receptionist looks as though she’s about to admonish Ty for his abruptness or perhaps ask us questions to ascertain our relationship with Jacob.

Not wanting it to take any longer than absolutely necessary I chime in, answering the unspoken question. “I’m his sister, Emma Miller.”

The nurse turns her attention to me, scrutinizing me for a moment before saying, “I’m afraid your brother is in surgery right now. His friends are in the sixth floor waiting room.”

“Thank you!” I reply breathlessly, already running to the elevator.

I tap my foot impatiently, willing the elevator to go faster as we go up. Ty takes hold of my hand, squeezing it gently.

“It’ll be okay, Emma. He’ll pull through. If anyone can it’s J-Bird,” he says soothingly.

“How did this happen?” I say in disbelief, my voice breaking.

He doesn’t need to answer. He already briefly told me what went down. I feel so guilty that while I was sleeping with Ty, the other men I love and care for the most were risking their lives. If it wasn’t for me, Jacob wouldn’t have been so reckless. He wanted to take on Kane to protect me and Max.

“It’s all my fault,” I whisper, almost to myself.

“No, it’s not,” Ty says firmly. I don’t look at him, my head hanging down in shame. “Emma, look at me,” he says turning me to face him. “It’s not your fault,” he says forcibly before pulling me into his embrace.

The elevator comes to a halt, and we rush toward the reception together, still holding hands. When we reach the reception area we slow down, realizing two uniformed police officers are talking to Jax and Mason.

“Like we said, officers, it was a hunting accident,” Mason says firmly.

The officers look like they don’t believe a word that he’s saying but they reluctantly tell him that they’ll be in touch. They might have avoided further questioning for now, but surely, it’s just a matter of time before the cops connect them to the scene. The realization turns my blood to ice as I realize I could still lose them if they’re arrested.

The cops leave, eyeing Ty and me up as they do so, but thankfully, they don’t ask us any questions, not yet anyway.

“Emma,” Jax says sorrowfully as he sees me.

“Emma, I’m so sorry…” Mason says at the same time.

They both step forward and then stop, looking as though they want to hug me but aren’t sure how I’d react. As if I might be mad or blame them for what happened.

I step toward them and fall into their arms. They embrace me from either side, holding me close and kissing my head as I sob, both murmuring heartfelt apologies.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault,” I reply.

“We should have tried harder to stop him,” Mason insists.

I shake my head, I know they’re going to be hurting almost as much as I am and that they can’t blame themselves for what happened.

“No. Jacob is stubborn and once he’s made his mind up there’s no stopping him, you know that. Don’t blame yourselves.”

They hug me harder kissing me in turn. Eventually, we move apart, and I ask them to tell me everything, exactly as it happened.

“I want the whole story, no details spared,” I insist.

They nod. “Alright, let’s sit down,” Jax says.

As they relay the events of the night’s events, I become more and more concerned. Now that they’ve seen what Kane is capable of, I’m even more concerned about Max’s safety. I can’t say that I would have acted any differently if I was in their situation. If Kane were in front of me right now, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if it meant protecting the people I love.

“Is Jacob going to die?” I ask, feeling like a little girl.

Not wanting to lie to me, Mason sighs and says gently, “We don’t know. The doctors say the bullet nicked an artery. He lost a lot of blood.”

“They’re doing everything they can. He’s strong, Em, he’ll fight this,” Jax adds, trying to assure me.

I smile wanly at his attempt to keep my hopes up when everything seems hopeless.

My son has been taken away from me, there’s a dangerous mobster still at large hoping to kidnap my son for ransom or worse, and my brother is fighting for his life in the hospital thanks to that same man.

The visceral hatred I feel for Kane surprises me a little. I’ve never hated anyone, not even Adam when he was at his worst, let alone despised anyone enough to want them dead, but that’s how I feel about Victor Kane. The man who’s brought my family so much pain. A man I’ve never even met.

Instead of trying to push that hatred down, that rage, and the pain I feel about Jacob, I decided to embrace it. To let it fuel me and give me the strength I need for what’s to come.

The old Emma would have tried to run, to hide. But I’m tired of running.

I’m not the same, scared woman I used to be when I was Adam’s wife. I’m discovering new levels of passion within myself I didn’t know I possessed. Love, lust, anger, rage.

I wipe my tears, taking deep breaths and pulling myself together, straightening my spine and finding every ounce of strength I have within me.

“It’s time we put an end to this. To Kane. To anyone else that tries to hurt the people I care about. I’m tired of sitting back and waiting for him to strike. It’s time we fight back. Will you help me?” I say, my voice firm and authoritative.

None of the guys seem surprised by my words. Perhaps they know me better than I knew myself.

“Of course. This goes beyond you and Max, Kane was dealing with our enemy, his men shot our president, the Iron Serpents must retaliate,” Mason agrees instantly.

“Hell yeah, I’m in,” Jax enthusiastically adds without hesitation.

“That fucker has to pay,” Ty interjects darkly.

With Mason, Jax, and Ty by my side, I’m feeling more powerful than I’ve ever felt. I will not let this get me down. I will not let Kane destroy my family while I stand idly by like the pathetic woman he thinks I am. It’s time to take action.

He messed with the wrong chick.