Page 60 of Killing Emma

I grimace. “I just don’t think it’s safe to tell anyone.”

Jude nods, raking his fingers through his hair. “I think you’re right. I found a tracer in our system. I was able to back it out, but he’s prying, Luca. He’s prying hard, and I need to check your system.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t dug up this location,” I say, leading him back to the front door. “Manny had it, and he knew how important it was to keep it under wraps. The fact he didn’t blab it makes me feel bad for knocking him.”

Meh, actually… Not really.

Jude stays quiet on it, probably reading my face. Jude is good at shit like that. Actually, Jude is good at almost everything except the actual doings of this kind of job. He’s never had the balls to kill someone, himself. But damn, if he did…

As we step into the entryway, I don’t see Emma. I keep my eyes peeled as Jude and I head upstairs for the cave—the place I just fucked her. The door is still open as I step inside, and my brows instantly raise.

Emma is sitting at the computer, watching an interview with Jared. My demons are back to gnashing their teeth inside their cage, and I’ve never wanted to murder someone so fucking bad. The things I would do to that man. Maybe then she’d move on.

He fucked someone else.

He hired someone to kill you.

I want to shout at her, wring her pretty neck until she gets it. But I take a deep breath and shut my eyes for a few seconds instead.

“You have to bury the rage, Luca. Emotions lead to mistakes—especially rage. And love, but you’ll never understand that one.” Victor’s voice plays like a record in my head.

“You really shouldn’t torture yourself with that,” Jude’s voice comes out painfully soft, so fucking understanding in a way that I just can’t.

Emma spins around in the chair, but not before hitting the spacebar to stop the video. I expect to see tears in her eyes, her poor little heart breaking over her sick obsession with her ex-husband.

“Are you sure it’s him?” Emma asks the nerve-grating question for the hundredth fucking time.

Jude is silent as he steps forward, grabbing the spare chair. He takes a seat and positions himself right beside her. His shoulders almost brush hers, and jealousy rips at me in an embarrassing way. I’ve never felt this kind of shit, but I’m starting to realize this is the norm for me now.

“Here,” Jude reaches across her to the keyboard and mouse, adjusting it in front of himself. “I can show you—after I make sure there’s no tracer.”

“Ivan?” Emma surprises Jude.

He turns to me, his brow deepening. “How much have you told her?”

I shrug, already sensing the disapproval. “Almost everything.”

Jude shakes his head, mumbling something under his breath as he returns to the keyboard. The room fills with silence for the next ten minutes as he removes the tracer on the system. He then heads for the deep, dark web.

“Is this where people advertise for murder?” Emma’s voice is small.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Jude answers her. “I can’t get into the Big Man’s files, but I found Jared this way…” He navigates to a discussion. “He makes this for Fury, which is a false company that’s used—and that doesn’t really matter, but that’s what leads him to us. It changes constantly. Anyway,” Jude blows out a sigh. “This has since been deleted, but if I follow the trail…” He clicks through multiple screens, and my stomach flips as it ends with the GPS location of Emma’s house.

Emma leans forward, reading the date and time stamp. “He did this from my house…” Jude clears his throat, looking back at me with concern.

“Yes,” I answer without any emotion. “He did it right under your nose.”

“Wow,” Emma draws out. “That’s…”

“A lot to process for you, I’m sure,” Jude says quietly. “I’m really sorry this is happening to you.”

I’m not. She should fucking hate him.

“It’s okay,” Emma turns to Jude. “But maybe I’d have been better off dead.” She says it in a joking tone, but it’s devoid of humor. She means it. That’s how bad this is hurting her, and I want to hurt him.

But she doesn’t want that.

My eyes flicker to the window, taking in the now overcast skies. It’ll be only a matter of time before the summer storm rolls through the valley. If Emma was a storm, I’d be the willow beneath her, bending to her every fucking wish. I’ll let Jared live. For her. But only for her. Even though she still… loves him. Even though it feeds the monsters inside of me—will I self-implode if it continues?

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