Page 60 of The Finder

“Okay,” Emma said. She still wasn’t sure if this was the best thing to do. She was so confused; she didn’t know what to do anymore. She had just hung up when the door opened and Max walked in. She still had Garrett’s phone in her hand. “Somebody called for him. I’ll take it to him,” she said, thinking fast.

Max just nodded and moved into the living room. With her heart pounding, Emma began walking down the hallway. She quickly deleted the call from Kevin so Garrett wouldn’t see it. She was trying to figure out what in the world she was going to do with the phone when it rang in her hand. She jumped at first but then realized this would work to her advantage. It would give her an excuse to take Garrett’s phone to him. She stopped just outside of Garrett’s room and tapped lightly on the door.

Garrett opened the door, wearing just a towel around his lower half. Emma's mouth went dry. She made herself focus on his injuries, so she wouldn’t be distracted by the rest of him. “Your injuries look a little better,” she said breathlessly.

“Shifter healing. I heal fast,” he said in a low voice.

“Oh, your phone’s ringing,” she said handing it to him. As soon as he took it, she turned and walked away from him. She walked into her room and grabbed her purse and a pair of soft grey boots and warm socks. Once she had her boots on, she slipped from her room and made her way into the kitchen. She slid her purse onto a chair that was pushed into the table, so hopefully nobody would notice. If anybody asked about the boots, she would just say she was cold. Emma sat at the table and watched out the window. She hoped she was making the right decision. After a few minutes, she grew antsy. She was nervous; she stood up to pace. She walked towards the front door. Immediately, Max stood up.

“You can’t leave,” he said.

Emma sighed. “Yes, I know. Thanks for the reminder. I’m just walking.”Well, I guess that’s my sign,she thought to herself. If they were going to keep all their secrets and not let her in on anything, then they could go right on ahead. She didn’t have to be a part of it.

Another twenty minutes passed, and Emma started to sweat. She was really nervous now. What if she only made a bigger mess of things? Maybe she should just tell Garrett. She was debating this thought when a police cruiser pulled into the yard. Emma swallowed hard. Max came over to the window from the living room. When he saw Kevin, he cursed.

“Boss,” he yelled towards the hallway. “We got a problem.”

Emma stayed in her chair, unsure what to do. Garrett appeared a moment later. Emma gaped at him. He looked dangerous in a black t-shirt, black cargo pants, and black boots. You couldn’t see any of the injuries on his chest and back, but his face looked so much better already. The deep scratch on his face had mostly faded, and even his eye was no longer swollen. If you looked closely, you could see the bruising; but other than that, he looked fine. He strode towards the door with an angry look on his face.

“Stay here,” he ordered before stepping out the front door. Emma had no intention of doing that. She calmly stood up, picked up her purse, and moved towards the front door. She took a deep breath and opened the front door.

Four heads turned to look at her. “Emma, go back in the house,” Garrett ordered without taking his eyes off of Kevin.

Emma looked away from him towards Kevin. Kevin grinned at them. “She’s with me. Come on, beautiful.” Emma paused for a moment, unsure. But then she started moving forward again.

She heard Garrett’s intake of breath. She didn’t meet his eyes. “Emma,” he said in a deep voice, stepping in front of her.

Emma heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked, and she froze. So did Garrett. “Let her come to me,” Kevin’s voice rang out steady and clear.

“Then put the gun away,” Garrett said, not moving from in front of Emma. His back was to Kevin, but his head was turned, looking over his shoulder.

“Let her come, or I will be forced to use this,” Kevin said.

While Garrett’s attention was on Kevin, Emma slipped around him. “Don’t hurt them. I’m coming,” Emma said as she quickly ran down the steps.

“Emma,” Liam said painfully. He took a step towards her.

“No,” Garrett said sharply. “Don’t move. Let her go.” Those few words hit Emma hard. Tears sprang to her eyes before she willed them away.It’s okay, she told herself.It just confirms that I’m doing the right thing. Without looking back, she opened the door and slid into the front seat of the police cruiser, keeping her eyes down. A few more words were exchanged before Kevin climbed in the car.

“You okay, beautiful?” he asked Emma loudly before shutting the door.

Emma just nodded. Kevin put the car in reverse and started backing down the driveway. At the last second before they turned, Emma looked up. Garrett’s eyes were trained on her. Emma looked away quickly and took a deep breath.

They drove in silence for a little while. “Thanks for coming to get me,” Emma said.

Kevin didn’t say anything. Emma glanced at him, but he didn’t respond.. She went back to looking out the window. They drove for another twenty minutes or so, and Emma realized she still didn’t recognize where they were. “Are we driving into town?” she asked.

“No,” Kevin said.

Emma looked at him startled. “I thought we were going to the police station.”

Kevin chuckled. It was an odd sound, and Emma shivered at the sound of it. It didn’t sound like him. “Oh, Emma,” he said dramatically. “Or should I say, Emersyn.” Emma froze. Kevin glanced at her. “Yeah, I know your real name. I know all about you,” he said.

Emma felt fear grip her. What was going on? “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said in a shaky voice.

Kevin laughed again. “I think you do,” Kevin said in a cold voice.

“What’s going on? Where are we going?” Emma asked.

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