Chapter 17


Emma squeezed her eyes shut.

Tears began seeping out of the corners and she quickly brushed them away. She needed to separate her emotions from this situation and put her investigator hat on. Emma took a deep breath and grabbed her bag rummaging through until she found a pair of latex gloves. She had learned early on that contaminating evidence was a big no-no and now always carried gloves.

Adrenaline was still shooting through her veins, making her heart race uncontrollably as she pushed herself up and off the floor. Glass crunched under her shoes as she finally moved out from behind the table that had acted as a shield. Mary Margaret was on her phone and was still visibly shaken by the shooting. Graham was nowhere in her immediate sight but she didn't need to be worrying after him.

Emma was starkly reminded of why she chose to distance herself from people. Those closest to her never stayed or were scared away by the dangers of her job. Maybe there was a reason why people were always leaving her?

The sound of sirens echoing in the distance did little to reassure her as she trudged through the damage.

'There has to be something here!' Emma told herself as she began searching for any evidence or clues left behind. She needed to find something to link the attack to Gold or even to help find the son of a bitch.

People were beginning to crowd on the street as two Ambulances screeched to a halt outside of the restaurant. Emma ignored the activity as she saw the glint of something metal lodged into the bar. Moving closer to investigate, she found several bullets stuck in the thick wood that needed to be wedged out. Emma reached over the top of the bar to rummage for a knife. She quickly crouched down and used the tool to get the bullets out of the wood. Emma held the bullets up into the light for a quick look, hoping they weren't too damaged.

"Are you a cop?" a deep voice questioned from behind her. Emma turned her head slightly and caught Graham's figure out of the corner of her eye.

Damn. How long had he been watching her?

"No!" Emma denied immediately, probably too quickly as Graham simply quirked an eyebrow. Technically she was not a cop.

"I step out for a few minutes and all of sudden you are playing crime scene investigator." Graham said with a tight smile as Emma turned around to fully face him, quickly shoving her hands in her pockets. She was not going to lose any of her evidence to him.

"It's not what it looks like..." Emma told him with a shrug, "Someone is after me! Shouldn't I investigate?"

She hoped her casual way of shrugging off her activities would convince him. One look at Graham's face told her that he wasn't buying it.

"I know you Emma." He told her.

"No! You knew me." She retorted bitterly. He was just another person that had drifted out of her life.

Graham shook off her dig at him, "I know you. Something has not been adding up since I came onto the scene and I think I just hit pay dirt."

Emma's ship was sinking and fast, she needed to bail herself out and fast.

"I think the adrenaline of the situation has you seeing things that just aren't there." She told Graham with a small smile, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Does Jones know?" Graham asked quietly, noticing the small frown on Emma's face before giving his head a small shake, "No. He thinks you need protecting."

"I..." Emma began before he cut her off with a growl, taking a large step until he was right in front of her.

"What are you trying to pull Emma? I should have put it together sooner!"

Emma read disappointment and confusion in Graham's eyes. She could continue to deny his accusations but it would probably impede her work in the future. Emma had always been able to trust him in Foster Care, was now any different?

"If you are in trouble..." Graham told her softly. Emma shook her head quickly.

"I'm not in trouble." She whispered back, "I'm undercover."

With those two words Emma felt a weight lift off her chest whilst Graham looked slightly dazed. A small smile reached his lips and he lifted his hand up to point at her.

"I knew it!"

"Shhhhhhh." Emma hushed him instantly. Now was definitely not the place to be having a heart to heart. Graham was a professional and his face instantly sobered up.

Her hands were still clamped around the bullets inside of her pockets. She pulled her arm out and slid the glove off and with the bullets still inside she shoved the whole lot back into her pocket

"We need to get you out of here." He grabbed the side of her arm and began to lead her out of the restaurant. Emma's eyes darted around, looking for Mary Margaret. Relief soared through her when she found her friend being questioned by a police officer. There were people everywhere and Emma knew that now was the best time to disappear.

Graham guided Emma to the car and all but shoved her inside. He slid into the driver's seat, started the engine and eased the car into the traffic. They drove several blocks before Graham suddenly pulled over to the curb.

"You know I have to call this in." He told Emma delicately as he pulled out his phone.

"No!" Emma exclaimed passionately, "He will only worry."

She knew that Graham needed to call Killian; it was part of his job...an important part.

Graham ignored her outburst and dialed Killian's number.

"Sir, there has been an incident."

Emma sat in silence as Graham relayed the events to Killian. She could hear Killian's concern in the loud way he berated Graham through the phone. Graham accepted the reprimanding with grace and agreed to swing by Killian's penthouse to give a proper debriefing. Emma knew it was simply an excuse to check for himself that she was okay. She wasn't looking forward to it as she was still annoyed at Killian for taking her off the investigation.

Graham dumped his phone into the centre console and pulled the car back into the traffic.

"So spill," he demanded, eyes still concentrating fiercely on the road.

"I escaped the foster system when I was 16..."


Emma had given Graham a quick rundown on her past work as a bail bondsman and her move to becoming an Agent. She didn't linger on her past but instead focused on giving him the details of her undercover assignment.

"No one knows. It is a complete coincidence that Mr Gold has been targeting me." Emma finished up as they pulled off the street and down towards an underground parking lot.

"This is such a mess." Graham told her as they were stopped at a security station. He flashed his I.D badge and the guard cross checked his information with his computer screen.

"Mr Jones is expecting you. Parking Bay 6." The guard informed them as he raised the heavy metal roller door.

Emma was not only astounded by the security measures but appreciative. Someone of Killian's stature needed this level of protection.

"You've been here before?" Graham questioned Emma as they pulled into a free parking space. The question sounded rhetorical and she knew what he was assuming.

"No and I don't like what you are implying." Emma told Graham bluntly as she slammed the car door shut.

Graham gave her a cheeky grin and a wink, "I have seen the fireworks."

"There are no fireworks. None!" Emma gritted out between clenched teeth as she followed him to a bank of lifts.

Graham pulled his I.D out and swiped it into a recess next to one of the lifts. Emma was impressed; the lifts all appeared to be private entrances for each apartment.

The ride up the lift seemed to take forever and Emma felt the unwanted knots in her stomach twist in anticipation.

"Top floor?" Emma questioned Graham who simply nodded.

'Of course!'

The elevator doors opened and as Emma stepped out she was met with stunning polished concrete floors and immaculate wood paneling. She was a big fan of the industrial look and gave herself a minute to take in the details. Emma was appreciating the exposed red brick when a she caught a blur in her peripheral vision hurtling towards her.

Emma turned the face blur and was immediately swept up into strong arms. The familiar scent of Killian Jones wafted into her nose and she instantly relaxed. His arms pulled her closer into the curve of his body and she nestled her head into his shoulder. His warmth seeped into her body and Emma let out a small sigh of pleasure. Killian's head rested on top of hers and she could feel his breath in her hair.

"Do not do that again." He whispered the order, his arms closing even tighter around her.

Emma caught Graham's knowing smirk, "None?"

He was referring to her denial about fireworks so she simply stuck her tongue out at him before pulling away from Killian. His usually vibrant eyes were clouded over and Emma knew he had been concerned about her. She gave him a smile and patted his arm.

"I'm okay." She whispered before he told her another bombshell that was sure to cause friction.

"You will not be leaving this apartment!"


To Be Continued.