Page 61 of Emma's Element

“This way,” he hissed. She followed without question, sensing the danger. It was then he noticed it had started to snow. Shit! They had to hurry before it accumulated. He didn’t want to leave footprints in the snow, making it easy for the asswipes to follow them. Reaching one of the climbing spots from earlier in the day, Emma grabbed her pack from Marcus and put it on. Then she climbed, with him following right behind her. Marcus had just reached the top and pulled the rope up when the men came into sight. He and Emma lay on their stomachs, peering over the edge at the two men.

“I think I saw them go this way,” Shorty announced. The man studied the ground, looking for their tracks.

“You’re seeing ghosts, my friend. There is no one.”

“I saw them. I know I did.”

“Well, if someone is out here, they will have to return to their campsite eventually. We could wait for them there,” he suggested.

The boss burst from the trees, huffing. “It’s them. Their tent is empty. Find them.” Marcus got his first full look at the bastard calling the orders, and his entire body went rigid.

Charlie.

His brother. The blood roared in his ears, blocking out everything else as he focused on his little brother. The greedy son of a bitch was going to extort as much money from him as he could, as if the thousands of dollars he’d given him over the years meant nothing. It had never been enough with him. He’d text or email with another sob story, complaining about how hard it was to find steady work. Marcus would send a couple thousand to him always with the hope that this time he’d clean up his act. But he never did. Once he’d blown through the money, Charlie would contact him again.

After his accident, he’d decided enough was enough. He’d stopped replying to Charlie’s messages which had become increasingly frequent as the months passed. But he’d never imagined Charlie would resort to this. The plans he’d overheard, the plans they had for Emma caused the knot in his gut to tighten, forcing him to choke back the bile rising in his throat. Once Charlie got what he wanted, he wouldn’t care what happened to Marcus . . . or Emma. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Right. Let’s see if we can figure out which way they went.” The trio turned and headed back to their campsite. Marcus had his arm around Emma, and he was sure she could feel his rage. She gave him a concerned look; the shock was probably written all over his face. When the men were far enough away, she pulled him back from the edge of the rock and stood.

“Marcus,” she whispered. “What is it?”

“Charlie,” he spit out. He lifted a hand, intending to stab it through his hair but noticed the tremble. Locking both arms at his sides, he clenched his hands into fists to control the tremor.

“What?” She didn’t understand. How could she? How could anybody understand this type of betrayal? The one person left in his family that Marcus had supported for years intended to hurt the most precious thing to him, and for what? How did things get so bad?

They’d both been raised by the same sweet woman. Their father had been an ass, but he’d left when Charlie was ten. Their mom had worked hard to erase the damage their father had done to them. But Charlie had never been able to let go of his abandonment issues, nor his rage. And the women Charlie had brought into his life suffered the consequences. The circle of abuse their father had started found its completion in Charlie. And Marcus had been blind to just how unstable his brother truly was.

“That was Charlie,” he whispered. “The blond one.”

“Your brother? Are you sure?”

He nodded, the betrayal cutting deep. “Yeah, I’m sure. Fuck. How did I not see this coming?”

“Shouldn’t we go talk with him? Do you not want to see your brother?” She tried to get to the ropes, but Marcus stopped her. “Let’s find out what he wants, why he’s here. Then maybe I can kick his butt for all the grief he’s caused you over the years.”

He felt a smile tug at his lips even as his worry and confusion sought to drown him. “Emma, you can’t.”

“What do you mean? He’s your brother. I’d like to meet him.”

“Fuck, that’s never going to happen.” At her look of disbelief, he grabbed her upper arms, forcing her to look at him. “Emma, listen to me.” She met his eyes, confusion deep inside them. “He . . . He wants to hurt us.”

“Wh . . . What?”

He pulled out his cell and played the video he’d recorded with the sound low. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth when they talked about assaulting a woman. The comment about the actor had her eyes shooting to his as she grasped the seriousness of their situation.

“We have to get out of here before they find us.”

But she didn’t move, her focus on his screen as the video played again, spinning her father’s watch around on her wrist. He took the phone back and put it away before cupping her face, forcing her to look at him. “Emma, we need to move. I need your help here. You know this area better than I do.” It was snowing harder now, making visibility nearly impossible. The wind picked up, and he shivered. He’d been in such a rush to escape their campsite; he’d left his coat in the tent. They needed shelter.

“Emma,” he attempted again. “Where can we find shelter?”

She blinked slowly for what seemed like the first time since they’d spotted Charlie, then looked at him. He almost cracked a smile when she squared her shoulders, meeting his gaze. There was his fierce warrior. Her eyes conveyed to him her resolve to see them to safety. “Right, shelter. Umm . . . Graham’s cabin is nearby. Maybe eight or nine miles.” She looked around, getting her bearings. “That way.” She pointed away from the rock face, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least they didn’t have to risk being seen climbing back down.

“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her hand. Together they moved swiftly away from the danger and deeper into the woods. Emma stopped for a moment and dropped her pack. She bent to pull out a compass, the Nighthawk he knew and respected at work. She was fully in control now, her experience and training kicking in. She took a bearing and started again, heading a little farther to the right. Marcus didn’t see the drop-off until it was too late, and he was falling. Sliding and tumbling, he landed at the bottom in a creek, and the world went dark.

Chapter twenty-two

“Marcus!”Emmacalledashe fell. She hastily went after him. He’d hit bottom and wasn’t moving. She slid most of the way down the embankment but reached his side quickly. He lay in the water, facedown. Rolling him over, she pulled him out of the water. There was blood on his forehead and the rock he’d landed on, but he was breathing. She’d reached him before he could drown.

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