Page 57 of Redemption's Inferno

“You’re not?” Jamie interrupted, frowning. Joe had hooked up with Jamie’s friend Josh in Ottawa during the trial but he didn’t know if they were still seeing each other.

Joe shrugged. “He has a successful practice in Canada and my company is here. There’s nowhere for us to go with this, so we decided to be friends. At least for now, anyway.”

Talk turned back to business and it was almost dinnertime before they finished. Everyone dispersed to get ready for the evening. Emilie had been hoping to get in a nap but there was no time for that now. She had a ton of paperwork to go through and Becca was exhausted so she’d told her to go home. Sebastian had promised to come by and hang out for the evening—without Misty—so they could spend time together and she was looking forward to it. Chains and Joe disappeared to do a security sweep—once a month they went through the club to ensure no one had set up any type of recording devices—so she had quiet time in her office to get back in the swing of things. Though she was a little tired, it felt good to be home and back at work. For the first time in her life as an adult, she was truly happy.

Chapter 21

Weeks flew by in a whirlwind. September turned into October and as the beginning of hockey season approached, everyone was getting busier. With Becca’s due date rapidly approaching, they tried to have a routine in place so her absence wouldn’t be as acute. Emilie and Chains were at the club six days a week, sometimes working all night and other times only going in for a few hours in the afternoon. She was training him to manage if she and Becca were both out, and he and Joe coordinated security duties so their jobs were somewhat interchangeable. Joe knew enough about the club to help manage in an emergency and most days the club practically ran itself.

Emilie was finished early today because she and Chains had a romantic evening planned. The club was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so Mondays were usually paperwork days and no one went in at all on Tuesdays. Hockey season officially started on Wednesday, so this was almost like a last hurrah for the end of their summer. They had reservations for dinner at a new restaurant that was getting rave reviews and then they were spending the night at a hotel. They rarely had much privacy with so many people in the house, so Chains thought of this as a way for them to spend some quality time together.

Overall, things were going well between them. She’d worried that between them living and working together, they would tire of each other, but they’d found a rhythm that worked. Chains functioned on less sleep than anyone she’d ever met and no matter how late they got to sleep, he was up fairly early so he worked out with Jamie, Viggo and whoever else was around. He’d spent a lot of time helping Jamie get back in shape earlier in the summer, and now he was pushing him even harder because Jamie desperately wanted to be ready for hockey the moment his wrist was properly healed. Chains did that five days a week, so Emilie used the time to catch up on her rest and spend time with Simone. Because of how much time they spent together, they also made sure to spend time with friends. Chains and Dante enjoyed MMA fights and would go to any that were happening in Las Vegas. Emilie made sure she had lunch with Becca and/or Kate every few weeks and she and Kate had thrown a huge baby shower for Becca just last weekend.

So Chains and Emilie were really looking forward to a romantic evening alone. She locked up the club, set the alarm and headed out to her car. It was only 2:30 so she had time to take a nap, shower and get ready for an evening out. She couldn’t wait to dress up and see Chains in a suit. He’d never worn one to her knowledge and it had become a game with them, with him promising he’d wear one but he’d surprise her with it. Unfortunately, Jamie couldn’t keep a secret to save his life and he’d let it slip that Dante had taken Chains to buy a suit and was going to encourage him to order a tuxedo as well. Jamie had turned bright red the moment it slipped out, but Emilie was too excited to be upset and promised not to let on she knew.

The hair stood up on her arms as she approached her car; something was off. She hesitated, her hand instantly going to her phone as she looked around. Something was different and she couldn’t immediately tell what it was. Because Chains had drummed it into her to always trust her gut, especially now that they were together, she called him.

“Hello, love.” He answered right away.

“I don’t know why, but I’m out in the parking lot and afraid to go to my car.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know!” She let out a halfhearted laugh. “Maybe I’m being silly but you said to trust my gut and…” She swallowed as she zeroed in on the back of the SUV. “The hatch isn’t closed. It’s down, but I can see now that it’s open.”

“Walk across the street to the burger place,” he said firmly. “I’m on my way! Do not approach, Emilie! I don’t care if you did it yourself and forgot—I’d rather be safe than sorry. You understand?”

“Yes, I’m walking across the street.”

“Five minutes!” He disconnected.

* * *

Standing in the doorway of the fast food restaurant across the street, Emilie saw Chains screech into the parking lot of the club four minutes later. She watched him and Dante get out of his car and slowly approach her SUV. Chains pulled something out of his pocket and she winced when she realized it was a gun. Could someone really have just now decided to come after him? She was furious and terrified at the same time and started walking across the street when Chains stuck the gun back in his waistband and began talking to Dante. He looked up as she approached, his mouth stretched into a thin line.

“What is it?” she asked, looking at him worriedly.

“It’s just some vandalism,” he said quietly. “Why don’t you take my car home and Dante and I will clean it up and file the police report.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You realize this is the first time I’ve caught you in a lie?”

He scowled. “Em…”

“Don’t ‘Em’ me!” She brushed past him. “What’s in the fucking car?” She looked inside and blanched. A skinned cat’s bloody carcass had been set amongst the random items she kept in the back, with a note attached that read, “THIS IS JUST A HINT OF WHAT I’M GOING TO DO TO THE PUSSY YOU’VE BEEN SHAGGING.”

“Is this someone who doesn’t approve of us being together?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even. “Or related to what happened at your mum’s? Or something else?”

“I don’t know.” Chains’ jaw was set, his eyes hard, the vein in his neck twitching.

“Do you want to call the police?” Dante asked.

“No!” Chains was furious.

“Yes!” Emilie spoke at the same time.

“We should call Joe,” Dante said.

“You should go home,” Chains said gently, pulling Emilie against him, one hand on her face. “Let us take care of the car. Go nap and then get ready for tonight, yeah?”

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