Page 93 of Hard To Love

When I came up with this plan, I was confident that I would be able to pull this off. But, standing here looking into his eyes had me second-guessing myself. This was the same man who represented all that was good in my life over the past two and a half years.

“You don’t have to say anything, just know that I’m always going to be here for you.” He lifted his hand and tenderly cupped my cheek. The look in his eyes told me all I needed to know. He was still in love with me. My heart raced taking in the severity of the situation. God, this was all too much. I didn’t want to hurt him even though I knew I had to.

Cassie stared wide-eyed at me then took a tentative step towards us. “Brad, do you mind if I steal your date away for a second?”

“Not at all. I have to go outside and take a phone call anyway. I’ll meet you guys back here in a couple.”

Liam looked across the bar and just rubbed his chin. “I think I’ll wait here for Jack.”

Cassie nodded her head to the side. “Alright then, we’ll be right back.”

As I turned away, Brad reached for my hand. “I won’t be long, okay? And please stay with Cassie.” His eyes were soft and they were filled with so much hope, it killed me.

Cassie grabbed my elbow and maneuvered us through the crowd towards the line for the bathroom. We walked past the row of anxious females waiting their turn, and stumbled into an unoccupied corner at the end of the hallway.

Her hands looked like they were stuck to her hips as she scolded me. “What the hell is going on?”

“This isn’t working.” I told her with a shaky breath. “I should have known I couldn’t do this.” My head fell against the wall in exasperation.

“What can I do to help?” She offered with a sad, familiar look on her face.

I closed my eyes and thought about her question. “Did you talk to Chase yet? I need to see him.”

She was supposed to call him and fill him in on the change of plans. There was no way I would have been able to make it through the rest of my dinner while avoiding his avalanche of text messages. I convinced myself that it would be easier to have her deal with him, at least for me.

The panicked look on her face made my heart stop. “Um, Emily. I’m sorry. I tried to find him but he hasn’t been in his office all night and he hasn’t replied to any of my text messages.”

A sinking fear crept through my body. I felt like a tightrope walker that just realized they didn’t have a net underneath them. If Chase wasn’t here and wasn’t answering his phone, then where was he?

“Emily, don’t panic.” Her tone was soft and comforting, but it did nothing to soothe my anxiety.

I raked my hands down my face feeling the fear work its way through my system. “I need to find him. Can you stall Brad for me? I’m going to go up to his office and call Nick.”

She placed her hands on either side of my arms and leveled her gaze on mine. “Everything will be okay. I promise.” She said, and then lifted her hand to swipe the mascara that was spreading under my eyes. No matter how hard I tried to keep the tears on lockdown, they kept finding a way to escape.

“Now, go find your guy.”

Her words gave me a false sense of security as I zig-zagged my way through the mass of people, panic starting to build with each step closer I got to Chase’s office.

I smiled at a few of the familiar faces I saw along the way, but the clock was ticking and I was running out of time. I was terrified by the thought that this could all blow up in my face. I sucked at this shit!

Once outside his office, I paused to catch my breath and smoothed out my skirt. As I started to push open the door, the voices coming from inside caught my attention. I recognized the first voice immediately. Megan’s fake, catty laugh could be heard from a mile away. It was the second voice that had me frozen in place. What the hell was Brad doing in Chase’s office with Megan? My heart raced at an unhealthy speed as I placed my ear up to the door and listened in.

“You told me those drugs belonged to Chase, and his brother Colin. Why did his friend Nick seem so confident that this was a set up? I swear to god, Megan, if you lied to me, I will hand your ass over to the State’s attorney as a conspirator.”

“Relax Brad…” I heard Megan’s voice drop into a mocking tone. “You’re getting exactly what you want. You’re finally getting your girl back and I’m going to get what should have been mine all along. Chase has been so blinded by his little precious Emily, it’s time he remembers what it’s like to be with a real woman.”

“Watch it; don’t talk about her like that.” I heard Brad say.

I covered my mouth to prevent a loud gasp from escaping my throat. “Whatever.” I heard her pause. “Anyways, keeping Colin’s bed warm at night isn’t exactly slumming it, but he’s just a fraction of the man his brother is. Like I said before, when I found the drugs, you were the first person I called. I wouldn’t be surprised if the drugs were Colin’s. The guy’s life is a train wreck, always choosing a reckless path. Besides, he’s nothing like his brother. Colin really isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.”

“I am an officer of the law and I’m only concerned with the facts. You told me those drugs were in a locked safe that belonged to Chase, not Colin. I swear, if I find out those drugs weren’t his and you played me, you’re going down.”

“What is your problem? It shouldn’t matter to you who they belong to. Chase and Emily are no more. You should be happy.”

“I’m not looking to frame an innocent man. No matter how much I may despise him.”

“Please, stop trying to take the moral high road here. You were plenty willing to play dirty when you thought those drugs belonged to Chase. Plus, I knew Chase would protect his brother at all costs. I had no doubt that this would be the outcome.”

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