Page 77 of Emma's Element

Pulling up in front of the house six minutes later, he parked on the street so as not to alert Charlie to his presence. Knowing Emma had planned to spend the afternoon in her favorite spot on the bench in the backyard, he bypassed the house and made his way quietly around the side till he could see the copse of trees.

Emma calmly faced his brother, whose gun was pointed directly at her. After finding Emma facing down his father, he’d hoped never to see her in such a dangerous position again. And now, here she was, confronting another deranged member of his family, another enemy.

He listened to their conversation, the vehemence in Charlie’s tone startling. He’d never heard his brother sounding so confident, yet his voice revealed the rage and hatred he directed entirely at Marcus. Charlie accused him of abandoning him to their father’s wrath. More guilt infused him. He’d had no idea Harrison had been forcing Charlie to work for him. If he’d known, he would have . . . He wasn’t exactly sure what he would have done, but he was never given a chance to find out. Things could have been so different if Charlie had spoken up and told him what was going on. Perhaps the brothers could have worked together to take Harrison down. That was a fantasy that was no longer worth the time dwelling on.

The last remaining vestiges of that fantasy shattered when Charlie placed the muzzle of the gun on Emma’s chest, screaming in her face. Charlie planned to kill Emma so that Marcus would suffer. His stomach dropped, and his lungs seized at the thought of Emma’s death. He struggled to control his breathing as the rage he’d felt when Harrison attacked Emma was back, the red haze almost blinding.

Marcus was about to charge Charlie like he had Harrison, but his brother called out to him. “Come out, Titan, with your hands up, or she dies.” Charlie moved quicker than Marcus thought capable. In a blink, he had Emma in a chokehold, keeping the gun pressed into her side.

Marcus stood straight to his full height; his hands raised over his head as he slowly approached them. “Let her go,” he growled.

Charlie laughed and motioned with the gun. “Down on your knees.”

Having no other choice and not willing to risk Emma’s life, Marcus dropped to his knees. Charlie laughed again. “I was hoping you would join us, Titan. Now I don’t have to hunt you down after taking care of Emma here.”

“What do you want, brother,” Marcus growled, sneering the word. This man was no brother to him. There had always been a wall between them. Marcus had done his best to protect Charlie from their father, but there had been something dark and disconnected in his brother. He had hoped that one day he’d be able to get through to Charlie, but now he understood the truth.

Had there been anyone in his life who was real?Mom.Her kind eyes came to his mind. He would look into those warm blue eyes and feel fiercely protective while at the same time knew that he was truly loved. Though their eyes were the polar opposite in color to each other, he felt the same things when he looked into Emma’s eyes.

He met those dark chocolate pools, saw nothing but love, loyalty, and strength. His protective instincts flared to life, just as they had with his mother the day he first stood up to Harrison. He would do whatever it took, offer whatever it would take, even his own life. He prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

Charlie looked a little too at ease for Marcus’s peace of mind. He had no doubt now that his brother was capable of despicable things; he hoped that didn’t include murder. Marcus needed to use all his acting skills to stall long enough for the cavalry to arrive without Charlie becoming aware of his intentions.

“Just need to tie up a few loose ends. You two destroyed all my hard work.” His knuckles whitened as his grip on the gun tightened, face red with anger.

“Won’t do you any good to kill us,” Marcus stated. “The authorities will know exactly who to look for.”

“They’d have to find me first. Oh yeah, and prove it, and there’s no evidence to tie me to anything. Face it, brother; you’ll never beat me. You’re not smart enough.”

“You think so?” challenged Marcus. A momentary flicker of doubt and hesitation clouded Charlie’s eyes. “I don’t know why people keep thinking of me as just a dumb actor, always underestimating what I’m capable of.”

Emma shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. “Idiots. All of them,” she muttered.

“And they should never underestimate you either, Sweetheart.”

“I know, right? Why do people keep doing that?”

“What are you talking about,” Charlie asked, losing some of his bravado.

Emma’s hand slipped into her pocket. She pulled out her cellphone and held it up for Charlie to see the connected call. Marcus did the same with his cell. “You see, as an actor, I’ve conducted a lot of business either on set or on the road. I’m usually never in a place with easy access to pen and paper, so I have this great little app that records my conversations. It’s been recording every word you’ve spoken since about the time she informed you it was a mistake to come here. Great exposition, by the way. Truly Oscar-worthy.”

Emma snorted. “I told him he should think about becoming an actor.”

An angry growl emerged from Charlie’s throat as he raised the gun and pointed it at Marcus’s head. Emma’s laughter died, a sound of denial slipping from her lips. Marcus was just grateful his unhinged brother’s gun was no longer on Emma.

Charlie prodded Emma forward until they stood directly in front of Marcus’s kneeling form. He could practically feel the fire of his brother’s rage radiating from him. Looking up into eyes so like his own, he knew he’d been wrong. His brotherwascapable of murder.

“Mom would be so disappointed in you,” Marcus asserted, shaking his head.

“Shut up,” Charlie thundered. “She never cared about me.”

“That’s where you are wrong. I can’t tell you how many times she took a beating to protect you. They argued over you many times. Dad thought you were a reject and blamed mom, and each time, she stood up for you. She’d always been so proud of you. She knew your potential. She knew how smart you were.”

“That’s not true.” Charlie shook his head vigorously. The hand holding the gun rose to his ear, tugging at it as he denied Marcus’s words.

“Apparently, she saw something in you that Dad and I never saw. But now . . . I’m glad she’s not here to see this. I don’t know what happened to all that potential she saw in you, but I’m positive she’d be ashamed of you had she lived. And that would have hurt her more than Dad’s fists ever did.”

“Shut up,” Charlie howled, the gun now pointed directly at Marcus’s forehead. “Say goodbye to your superhero, Emma.”

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