Page 137 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“Did you give Emily anything?”
“Negative.”
“Good.” Michael grinned. “Let her get a few licks in before breaking it up.”
An animalistic screech rang out as the door opened, and when Emmett entered the bedroom, it sounded like he was being tackled up against a wall. “Baby, please don’t be like this,” he cried. “I just want to talk!”
Bruce and Michael hung back, listening to the sound of flesh pounding flesh and Emmett’s grunts of pain. The screeching turned into a rage fueled feminine cry, with Jamison recognizing Emily’s voice as she screamed. “I will fucking kill you!”
A handful of heartbeats passed, each thump of Emily’s fists driving her panic higher. Jamison squirmed or tried to, wanting to get inside the room to see her cousin.
“That’s enough,” Michael ordered, and Bruce immediately entered. Following him, Michael carried her through the door and straight into a nightmare. “Easy, Em. We’re just bringing your cousin in for a visit.”
Dizzy from being spun around, Jamison attempted to absorb the details of the room. There was a double-sized bed against the wall with a large man strapped to it. His dark head was turned away from them, but on the opposite side of the room, two twin mattresses were on the ground, and an animal crate was in the far corner.
The only other thing she could see was a dresser and mirror set next to a small bathroom with the light left on. Various pillows and blankets were strewn about like Emily had been wrapped in them before she attacked Emmett.
Not acknowledging Michael or anyone else, Emily continued pummeling Emmett. Claudia stood off to the side, her arms crossed anda smile on her face. She watched with glee as her sister unleashed a fury so savage that it echoed through the halls of the wannabe Haven House.
But just when the beating had gone on for suspiciously too long, Emmett gained control of the situation. Lunging at Emily, he flipped her onto the hardwood. Her head hit with a sickening crack, and she went quiet.
“I told you to behave, Claudia,” Bruce shouted when Claudia jumped in to help. “God dammit.”
Emily could be considered vicious on a good day. Around the office, most employees kept their distance, terrified of her sharp tongue and explosive temper. But for all her rage, she was still a tiny woman. Small and lean, she didn’t have much in the way of physical power.
Claudia was another story.
She had the height that came with the Fairweather bloodline. Taller than even Jamison, she stood at nearly six feet and possessed a powerhouse punch matching her bad attitude. Coming up behind Emmett, Claudia plowed her fist into his neck and head, a rapid succession of strikes that had the man squealing like a stuck pig.
Bruce waited nearly a full minute while Claudia wailed on the small man, and in Jamison’s confused state, she began to grasp that Bruce and Michael wanted Emmett to get hurt.
“Come on now,” Bruce said softly to a crying Claudia after she had Emmett off her sister. Taking her by the shoulders, he gently guided her to one of the twin mattresses. “Calm down.”
From her angle, Jamison couldn’t see Claudia’s face, but she could hear the raw panic in her voice. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt Madison. Let me see her. Please.”
“Easy, Mama Bear. Sit on your mattress.” Bruce continued to talk in a kind voice. “Emily, off the floor and onto your mattress. You know the rules.”
Jamison heard Emily crawling heavily across the floor as Emmett rose to stand. “Why do you hate me, Em? I just want to love you.”
“Don’t push your luck,” Michael warned, then swung around and dropped Jamison unceremoniously on the bed next to the person strapped to its frame. “We’ll take it from here.”
Jamison flopped to her side, immediately recognizing the man chained to the bedpost. He had the same dark hair and jawline as her father, a traitshe’d heard annoyed his parents. Trevor and Heather hated that their only son looked so much like the man who not only held their purse strings, but also the future of Fairweather Holdings.
“Damon?”
His name came out slower than normal, almost as if her tongue was too big for her mouth. She could tell he was breathing since he was lying flat on his back, but there was no recognition or any other movement.
The two silent women came up behind her, placing their hands on her shoulder and hip. Their touch burned like it had in the van, making the blood in her veins boil in a heated rush. Whoever they were, Jamison wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of knowing they were hurting her.
“Damon, can you hear me?” She didn’t sound so drunk anymore and spoke louder. “It’s me, Jamison. I’m here with you.”
The women leaned over her to touch Damon next, his eyes fluttering at the first contact. Their hands massaged his chest in tandem, pressing over his heart as he started to thrash.
“Bruce, he’s coming out of it.” The women’s hands were replaced by Michael’s, and he moved to hold Damon down when his large body strained to break free of the restraints. “Those idiots probably forgot his nightly dose while we were busy.”
“He needs to wake up a little,” Emily said. “They didn’t feed him either.”
“These fucking idiots,” Michael muttered and then spoke a little louder to Damon. “Hey, big guy. Calm down. Emily and Claudia are safe. Madison’s safe. You’ll all be together tomorrow.”
