Page 92 of Freeing Emily

“Grand. How goes it here?” I ask, taking his offered hand in mine and shaking it.

“The weapons we received this morning all appear great. No damages were noted, and the ammunition is all accounted for.”

I nod as we make our way inside.

“Good. We have an MC in Arizona that needs a shipment in the next two weeks or so.” I scan the warehouse. Boxes are loaded and unloaded in different vans and trucks.

“Right. Right. I’ll have everything ready to go in a few days.”

I bring my attention back to him. He’s a stout man with a bald head. He smells of cigarettes and gunpowder.

“Show me the books,” I say, turning on my heel and striding toward the office at the back of the building.

James’s strides are quick as he tries to keep up with mine. I’m not as tall as Declan or Rhys but he still has to make an effort to match my steps.

“Payments to Cormac were made for the next two months. The men have received their payments for the month, and we are stocked on all shipping supplies.” He says, huffing and puffing.

I step into the office and round the desk, taking a seat. James pulls the folders that hold our documents – we don’t want to risk the Feds or rivals hacking into our system, so we document with pen and paper.

For the next few hours, James and I go over the books. It’s tedious but it’s safer than getting caught. Everything is stored in a fireproof safe that only Declan, Rhys, James, and I know the code to.

Once we finish going through everything, we exit the office and I assess the weapons and ammunition. We have a small, private shooting range in the warehouse where I personally test the weapons.

After ensuring the gun isn’t loaded and flicking the safety on, I set the rifle down on the table in front of me.

“Excellent.” I nod in approval.

James steps next to me and picks up the weapon, handing it off the one of the men who accompanied me. He leaves the room to clean it and load it into one of the many boxes we have here.

I slap James on the back, and he tenses. Despite working with us and being around us regularly, Declan, Rhys, and I make him uneasy.

“I’ll be back in a few days to check on everything. Good job, James.”

He nods quickly. “Thank you, sir. I’ll see you then.”

I leave and make my way toward the SUV. Climbing in, I order the driver to take me back to the estate and return for the other two men who will be staying here.

I need my woman.

“How are your symptoms?” Dr. Morrison asks from the other line.

Over the last two months, I’ve been slowly reducing all of my medications until I’m completely off them.

The withdrawals have been manageable and not too overwhelming for the most part. I owe a lot to both Dr. Morrison and Liam for that.

I haven’t told Liam about the supply I keep in a hole that I made behind my dresser. I don’t plan to use any of it. But it’s nice to have the security there.

It’s stupid, I know but it helps me.

“They’ve been good. I don’t have many panic attacks. My nightmares are also few and far between. It’s been really good.”

“That’s wonderful. You haven’t mentioned if you ended up getting a second opinion regarding your eyes. Do you still plan to do that?”

I need to. I know I’ll need glasses; I just don’t want to face another reality of what’s been done to me that’s irreversible.

“Emily?” Dr. Morrison says and I startle.

“Sorry! I got lost in my thoughts for a second.” I chuckle nervously. “I haven’t gone in to see anyone. I don’t know if I am ready to face their recommendations.”