Page 37 of Dare You to Catch Me
But as always, the sound of Ace's phone vibrating in his pocket breaks the silence and our time. Surprisingly Ace ignores it as I look up to him, lifting a brow. “You're not going to get that?” He shakes his head. “No.” But it starts vibrating again causing Ace to growl before he reaches in his pocket and pulls his phone out. “It's Caz.”He answers it. “What?”
I watch Ace's eyes grow bigger with each passing second as they darken. He starts clenching his teeth, his fist forming. I know this can't be good and when he looks up to me, I know, it's not.
Ace holds the bridge of his nose as he listens to Caz over the phone, and I swear I see steam coming off his shoulders and when I hear him ask. “What's in Maine that would take him there?”
My eyes snap up before my breathing gets quicker, my stomach twists into knots;Oh, fuck.
Ace notices my change in demeanor as he continues to talk to Caz, trying to get my shit together, I swallow hard.
“Emma, do you know why your father would be going to Maine?”
I take a deep breath before I say. “Get off the phone, and I will tell you.” I guess it's time to tell Ace what hides in Maine, well the many things that hide in Maine, but what I don't get is how my father has found this out, this was a secret of mine that I had no trail of. A place I was going to call home, where I was going to hide after I ran away, but there is so much more to just that.
Ace pierces me with a feral look, his eyes locked on me, as he says. “Caz, I will call you back.”
He hangs up, and his words dangerously bark from his throat. “What the fuck are you hiding?”
“I have a safe house in Maine.” I blurt.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He growls.
“Because my father should not know about it. I have no paper trail, it's in someone else's name, there is no trail connecting me to that house, but it is mine. Ace, that was my one place I could run and hide if I needed to. That's why you couldn't find it when you checked all the Beckett safe houses.”
“He set the South Casino on fire, it's fucking gone, he's targeting you.” I shake my head because I know, if he has gone tothese lengths, he's looking for something he thought he had. “I think he has figured out he no longer has something in his possession and he's looking for that, not me.”
“I'm not playing games, Emma. Tell me everything right fucking now!”
“Our family holds a Medallion that is basically the key to our empire.” I trail off as I shake my head, dropping my gaze, about to spill a family secret that could ruin me. “I shouldn't even be telling you this Ace, but…” I take a deep breath, I have to trust him with this, I have to. “That Medallion can void any contract, any marriage, any blood relation, anything. Who holds the Medallion, holds the empire.”
Ace's eyes widen before he shoots out of his chair. “WHAT THE FUCK!” He paces back and forth as I stand from my chair and walk over to him, wrapping my hand around his wrist making him look at me, he needs to know why, and understand it all at once. “The Medallion is in the safe house, along with 5 Billion Dollars and all the deeds to everything. I took everything I could once my grandfather gave me the Medallion to hide from my father. You of all people know how it is for women in this world, I had to keep this for my own fucking safety, you could easily kill me and go to that safe house and take everything and never look back.” The look on his face is a look of heartbreak and pure rage all at the same time. “You still think I would do that to you? Walk away and take everything from you?”
Tears well in my eyes as I shake my head. “No, I know you won't. I trust that you won't now, but you have to understand where I was coming from. I was only protecting myself. I can show you everything.” He holds his gaze on me, searching my eyes, before he nods and says. “Looks like we're going to Maine, together, and you are going to show and tell me everything, no more fucking secrets.”
Chapter seventeen
EMMA
Iwait for Ace in our room while he discusses the change in our course of direction.
I know he's furious with me, but he also understands, he understands that this was something that had to be kept to myself for my safety. His family too has a Key to their empire, each Mafia Family does, or something with the power typically. My Grandfather gave me the Medallion before he passed. He told me to keep it far away from my father, and that no matter what I chose, what life I wanted, I needed to always hold the key. And to always keep it within my heart, and to pass down to my child, never telling the father. If I chose to walk away, Ryan would have been able to claim my empire and I would have passed it onto him. Of course, when I felt the time was right and I was safe.
I explained this to Ace, which made him realize why I did what I did. But what I am puzzled about is why is my father snooping around in Maine. Is this a coincidence? Fuck No, I know all to well he has found out something, and when he realized the Medallion was gone. He went rampant and somehow has found out something. But even if he finds the house, the Medallion is in a very undisclosed safe place, and Ace soon will realize how powerful, how deep my roots into the Mafia truly are. A life I never wanted, but I know it, I live it, and I can beat it.
I hear thedoor open, then shut as I look up to Ace as I sit in the chair by the window, watching him walk to the chair across from me, he sits down, looking up to me. “Duke is changing route to the nearest port, then we will take a jet to Maine.”
I ask. “Can I have my computer, or a computer?”
Ace cocks a questioning brow. “For what?”
“I'm trying to tell you what you need to know. Quit with your fucking controlling shit. I want to show you something.” I get it, I do, he's mad, fuck I know, but I'm telling him everything, and this is important.
He stands and walks to the bookshelf, moving a book, making me think back to when Ryan did the same in his office, a Collins thing.
He pulls open a safe door then pulls a laptop out, along with my cell phone, and my gun.Mhmm that's where my shit is.
He walks back over and sets all my stuff down in front of me, then sits back down. He nods towards my stuff and says. “There's your shit, now show me.”
My lip curls, and I'm sorry, but I can't hold my tongue on this, not with his tone. “Quit being a fucking dick, Ace. Are you willing to open up and tell me where your key to your empire is secretly hiding?” My eyes burn into his with my stare as I clench my teeth, and he drops his gaze before he says. “Alright, show me what you want to show me.”
