Page 35 of That Last Secret
Not that any of this matters much. When Emiline made a comment about me hating her, I didn’t deny it. I couldn’t even look at her after she asked. I didn’t have an answer because the first thought it my head was that it would be better this way. It’s better if she thinks I can’t stand her so I don’t feel inclined to give into temptation.
“Nothing happened,” I lie. “I went home and went to bed. I was exhausted from working a couple of nights before that.”
“Right,” Silas says with a nod.
He doesn’t believe me, and I don’t blame him.
I throw my head back on the headrest of my driver’s seat and close my eyes, trying to think of how I’m going to say this. Since that night, things have taken a strange turn with Emiline. It started a turmoil of emotions inside me, making avoiding her harder and harder.
She trusted me with a secret she hasn’t even told her brothers, or the girls, for that matter. Then, I had her on the back of my bike. We already know how much I think about that feeling repeatedly.
To top it off, I can’t get the thought of another man’s hands on her out of my head. The idea of Mason’s hands all over her over spring break made me only want it to be my hands all over her. My head was flooded with the irrational thought of not wantinganyman to touch her again.
She’s not mine to be protective of. She’s not mine to rage in jealousy over. Yet I can’t help but groan in frustration because it’s actually pissing me off that I’m still thinking about these things.
That I’m still thinking abouther.
“I know I’m just your work partner, but you can talk to me about shit, you know,” Silas says. “Don’t hold that all in.”
I glance over at him in the passenger seat, and from the look on his face, I can tell he means that.
“You’re more than just a work partner,” I reassure him. “I consider you one of my good friends.”
“Aww, I feel the same way, Bennett,” he says, making a heart with his hand over his chest.
That forces a smile out of me. “Fine. I need to get it out anyway,” I pause before turning my face in his direction. “That night—” I start to say, but I’m cut off when the dispatcher’s voice cuts through the radio speakers.
“All units on hand to City General Emergency Room. The patient is armed and dangerous.”
My stomach bottoms out, and I’m ready to vomit all the pieces of the hoagie I just ate.
“Lockdown in progress,” dispatch continues.
“We’re two minutes out,” Silas says to me, buckling his seatbelt.
I can feel his eyes on me while I continue looking straight ahead through the window with my hands white knuckling the steering wheel because my mind is swirling with a million thoughts.
Is she working tonight?
Is she okay?
Is she… alive?
I snap myself out of it. “Forty en route,” I respond through my radio as I throw the car in drive. I floor it as fast as I can to the hospital in hopes there are no victims.
Especially none named Emiline Ford.
“All clear.” I hear Silas say into the radio on his shoulder, letting dispatch know everything is under control.
When we showed up here, security had successfully apprehended the suspect for us and had him pinned to the ground with his arms behind his back, a pocketknife lying a few feet from him.
He got violent with the nurses because they were busy tonight, and his girlfriend wasn’t getting the attention she needed from the staff. These are typical frustrations nurses have to deal with in the Emergency room. Still, this man took it to a whole new level when he came out of their room swinging a pocketknife in the air and threatening to stab someone if they didn’t figure out what was wrong with her.
I found myself worrying about Emiline the entire situation.
Even if my eyes didn’t find her once.
The quick report given to us when we arrived said there were no victims. Yet, I still couldn’t help but think Emiline was here somewhere, maybe keeping a safe distance to protect herself.