Page 78 of Emma's Element

Chapter twenty-nine

Emmadidn’tthink.Sheacted. “No!” She lashed out to knock his arm away from Marcus just as the shot rang out. Grabbing the arm with the gun, she used all her strength to keep it pointed at the ground and elbowed Charlie in the gut, hearing a grunt of pain. Marcus shoved to his feet with a punch to Charlie’s jaw.

Charlie managed to wrench his hand from Emma’s grasp and pistol-whipped her, knocking her to the ground. Stunned, she lay in the grass for a moment as pain radiated from her cheek and eye socket in nearly the same exact spot as the last time he’d struck her. She slowly tried to rise to her hands and knees, shaking off the pain and dizziness that clouded in. The men grunted nearby, fists hitting flesh. She needed to move, aware it was crucial that she aided Marcus.

Move Emma!Get up! Marcus needed her. Charlie would not win. He would not take someone she loved away from her. Unsteadily gaining to her feet, she looked for Marcus. The two were on the ground near the edge of the bluff, wrestling for the gun. Emma stumbled to reach them, falling to her hands and knees once before she could get to them.

Breathing heavily, she forced herself to close the distance between them. Squeezing her eyes shut to stave off the dizziness briefly, she opened them when the sound of rocks and debris sliding down the side of the bluff reached her ears. She looked at the men fighting on the ground. As soon as she latched her eyes on Marcus, they disappeared.

Emma screamed out Marcus’s name. They had tumbled over the edge. She stumbled blindly to where they disappeared, fearing it was probably already too late. Falling to her hands and knees, she looked down. Her breath caught in her throat.

Marcus was there, holding on with one hand to a root sticking out of the ground. He was trying to find something to hold on to with his other hand. Charlie was nowhere in sight.

“Marcus.” His name came out with a whoosh of relief. His beautiful blue eyes looked up at her.

“Emma, no! Get back,” he ordered. “The ground is too unstable.”

“Give me your hand,” she cried, ignoring his order and reaching for the hand not holding the root. She grasped it as a bit of earth crumbled out from underneath her.

“No, Emma! Please!” he shouted. “Move back, or you’ll fall too.” She shook her head, tears nearly blinding her as she latched on to his hand, refusing to let him go. Refusing to give up. There had to be a way. She just needed to hold on a little longer. She’d been helpless to do anything to save her teammates that night on the rescue boat; she refused to be powerless in this.

“Sweetheart, please,” he begged as more of the ground crumbled. “Let me go. It’s okay.”

She shook her head again. “No. You can’t ask that of me. I can’t let you go,” she sobbed.

“Emma, look at me,” he asked. She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again and looked into the eyes of the man she loved more than life. “I love you, Sweetheart, but I can’t let you risk yourself for me. Please move back.”

She shook her head repeatedly as the earth crumbled around them. Just then, more hands reached around her, grasping hold of Marcus. A cry of relief escaped from her as someone grabbed onto her legs and pulled. Logan and Graham surrounded her, each with a hand on Marcus as they worked to haul him up. Annika and Natalie had her legs and were dragging her away from the edge.

“Let go of him, Emma,” Graham coaxed. “We’ve got him.” It was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she trusted her teammates to have her back. Slowly, her eyes never leaving Marcus’s, she loosened her grasp and let the two women tow her away. Once she was at a safe distance, they held her in their arms as she waited for the Nighthawks to pull Marcus to safety. She couldn’t breathe. Not until he was safe. Not until she knew for sure they were both safe. Not until he was in her arms again.

Within moments he was up and crouching in front of her. He grasped her chin in his hand, turning her head to assess the damage Charlie had dealt her. “Are you okay, Emma?” he croaked. She bit her lip, trying to will the tears away. She was done crying. They were safe. No more tears were needed. But try as she might, she couldn’t stop them. With a sob, she threw herself into his arms.

“Fuck, Emma!” he sighed, clutching her to his chest firmly. “I love you.” He kissed her temple as he held her tight. “It’s okay. We’re safe now. You’re safe.” He continued to croon at her until the worst of her tears subsided.

Twoweekslater,Emmafidgeted in the back of the limo, pleating the skirt of her gown over and over again. She’d never been so nervous in her life. She could make condescending quips while facing down armed men, but she didn’t know if she could face this. A big hand covered one of hers, interlocking their fingers. Her hand was raised to a set of warm lips, and she looked up into Marcus’s aquamarine eyes, finding her calm.

“Don’t be nervous,” he crooned after placing a kiss on her knuckles. “They are going to love you.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I don’t need them to love me.”

He smiled, his gaze warming her. “Then why are you so nervous?”

“I just don’t . . .”

“Don’t what?” She could see the concern in his eyes now. Those deep blue orbs filled with worry and love . . . for her, it made her insides melt.

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she admitted, “I just don’t want to embarrass you.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “That could never happen.”

This would be her first public appearance with Marcus. Why she chose this event, the LA premiere for his last Titan movie, she would never know. It was a huge night for Marcus, and she was terrified she’d be an embarrassment to him. “I’m not used to this type of thing. What if I say or do something stupid?”

“Just follow my lead. And if someone asks you something, be honest. They won’t be able to resist you. They’ll love you just as much as I do.”

A tiny smile curved her lips but soon slipped as images of the last time she’d been in the spotlight flashed through her mind. She honestly didn’t care what anyone thought about her anymore, but it would cut her deeply if any negative press about her hurt Marcus and his career.

Marcus cupped her cheek, turning her head to face him. “Sweetheart, what is it?”

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