Page 43 of Freeing Emily
Liam reaches over and buckles my seatbelt. When I’m safely buckled, he brings his eyes to mine. My eyes flutter at theconcern that radiates through him. The comfort that the swirls of green and amber bring is accompanied by pain.
“I’m so sorry, Emily.” His fingers caress my cheek tenderly and my lip quivers.
When I don’t respond, he presses a soft kiss on my forehead and then closes the door. I watch as he rounds the hood of the car and climbs into the driver’s seat. Turning the ignition, he shifts into drive, and we make our way away from the venue and away from the bloody madness inside.
The drive home is a blur. My emotions are in absolute mayhem. I’m so overwhelmed by them that I sit staring out of the window in a frozen state. Liam drives in silence but every so often, I feel the tingle of his gaze on me.
“Em?”
I close my eyes at the sound of his voice and swallow the lump that is choking me.
“I’m here if you need me.” He says softly, and I feel the burn of tears gathering in my eyes.
I don’t want to find comfort in him. I won’t be strong enough to have him push me away again.
When he reaches a hand toward mine, I gently pull it away without turning to face him. The energy between us is strained and I want to escape it as soon as possible.
I feel my muscles slightly relax with each mile we put between us and the city. The skyscrapers transform into open plains and green forests. The vehicle jostles as it drives from the paved road to the gravel road leading to the estate.
I see the path leading to the garden and my throat tightens. Grief fills me and I struggle to hold back the sob that wants to break through. Everything is different than when I was here last and it’s heartbreaking.
How can a place that once brought me so much joy cause me so much sadness?
The car comes to a stop in front of the mansion. Declan and Rhys are standing at the bottom of the steps in tactical gear, barking orders to the men who are loading weapons into a truck.
My heart begins to race at the thought of them going back.
I’m pushing the door open and running toward them before Liam has a chance to turn the ignition off.
I throw myself into Declan’s arms when I reach him, and he envelops me.
“You’re okay. Everything is going to be okay.” He murmurs against my hair, and I sob uncontrollably.
“Where’s ma?” I ask as I pull away from him.
He scans my body for injuries before replying.
“She’s inside. She’s working on getting information about who would have leaked our location. There weren’t many people who knew about the banquet."
“How is she?” I whisper.
Sadness fills his eyes, and he gives me a small smile. “She hasn’t stopped long enough to let it set in.”
I nod in understanding. The sudden loss of my father in such a violent way, no doubt, has led my ma to push her emotions down. Instead, she’s going to retaliate before the shock wears off.
I feel Liam step up behind me and my body tingles in awareness. I avoid turning around and instead turn to Rhys who pulls me into a tight hug. He cups the back of my head and plants a kiss on my temple.
“I’m glad you’re safe, kid.”
With a fine squeeze, he lets me go and steps back. His eyes glance over my shoulder and harden before he peers down at me and smiles.
My brows pull inward, and I study his face. But of course, Rhys’s poker face shows no indication of what he’s thinking.
“Liam, get ready to head back with us. We’re not going to give those fuckers time to meet at another location.”
My chest constricts.
He’s going back too?