Chapter 18
Emma sat at home later that afternoon re-watching news footage from her father's trial on the couch in her living room.
"Moments ago, a jury found terrorist conspirator, David Nolan, guilty on all counts. The case, spearheaded by federal prosecutor Marcus Tremaine, was a big win for both the United States and the young attorney. Rumors are circulating that a political careers is in the not-too-distant future for Tremaine." The newscaster's voice says in the recording.
Emma pauses the video and reaches for her cellphone sitting on the table just to the left of her. She dials August's number who picks up on the first ring.
"Well, well, well…" His smug voices rings out from her phone speaker. "If it isn't the ugly duckling that turned out to be a swan or well in this case a Nolan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Is it possible to hack a computer tablet to run a PowerPoint presentation?" Emma cut right to the point, she wasn't in the mood for August and his shit today.
"Possible for you or possible for me?"
"Can you do it or not?"
"With both hands tied behind my back if you tell me why."
"You don't need to know why."
"Fine. Give me the tablet's IP address and I'll make it so you can run whatever program you want."
"I already sent it. Check your in-box." Emma replies then abruptly hangs up the phone.
Emma hits play on the video on her laptop and watches Tremaine's falsely emotional and falsely empowering speech to the American people after her father's unjust trail and sentencing.
"Today, I am just grateful that justice prevailed and that this terrible man has been held accountable for his crimes against the American people. As for the future, I have always planned to serve my country however and wherever it needs me most."
Emma shakes her head and slams the laptop shut. She has work to do.
\*****/
Regina is sitting at her vanity in her walk-in closet finishing put on lipstick when she hears footsteps approaching behind her.
"Do you like the necklace?" She hears her husband ask behind her.
"What woman wouldn't?"
"I am just curious as to why you're angrier today than you were yesterday."
"Because yesterday, I didn't have a house full of unwanted guests." She tells him as she gets up from her vanity, waltzes passed him out of the closet. "Wear the teal." She tells him on the way out. The teal tie matches her outfit and his outfit better than the other tie he was holding.
Robert walks towards the vanity and grabs the necklace form its box.
"Fine, you don't like Marcus' politics."
"Oh, I couldn't care less about his politics." She calls out while fixing her hair in front of the mirror in their bedroom. "It's him I don't like."
Robert comes up behind her and places the necklace around her neck and fastens it.
"Well, he's done more for us then we will ever be able to do for him."
"How could I ever forget?"
Regina was more than aware of the lies Marcus told to protect the Mills family. She just didn't like him being in her house longer than he had to.
"This will all be over before you know it, and then we can go to Paris for a few days, you know?" Her husband suggests still standing behind her. "Whatever you like. I want to make this right."
Regina looks up to meet his eyes in the mirror. "Ten you never should have slept with my best friend."
\*****/
Emma sits at her kitchen table watching surveillance footage of Marcus Tremaine on her laptop. She uploads the footage onto her server when she hears a knock on the glass door behind her. She calls out that she needs just a moment as the file finished transferring onto the server. She closes the laptop shut firmly and turns around to find Neal waiting for her at the door.
"Hi." She says while opening the front door.
"Hey. Oh, you look lovely."
Emma is wearing a white capped sleeve sundress with her blonde hair down and curly framing her face. She leans forward and kisses him on the cheek.
"Thank you. You're punctual."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No, not at all. I'll just grab my stuff." She turns and walks towards the front door to grab her shawl and her clutch.
"All set" She tells him as she turns back towards him to find him holding her small hand gun.
Damnit. She knew she should have kept that in a more secure place and not in a drawer which she left open near the patio door.
"Well, aren't you full of surprises?" He remarks with a smile.
"What can I say? I live alone." She says with a small smile. She really hopes he's buying this and doesn't think she's crazy or something.
"We should go shooting sometime."
"We definitely should." She says as she walks towards him, takes the gun from his hands, and place it back into the drawer he found it in. She shuts the drawer firmly making a mental note to move the gun when she gets back to the house later tonight. "Shall we?"
"We shall." He says following her out of the house.
\*****/
At the Stowaway, Henry watched his older brother address everyone at the bar who came out to their father's wake.
"My dad always said that an empty bar is a sad bar. He'd be happy to see you all here today. He may not have wanted a funeral but he did not say anything about a wake, so, everybody, drink up." Killian says while raising a glass. "To Brennan Jones."
"To Brennan Jones" The rest of the bar says before taking a sip of their drink or in some people's cases throwing back the entire drink.
Henry gets up from the bar stool he is seated at and begins to walk away. This was too much for him right now because he knew his father's death was his fault.
He hears August call out behind him, "In honors of Killian and Henry's father, Brennan, the next round is one me."
He hears the bar cheer behind him. He notices that the bar is running low on clean glasses so he walks into the back to grab some clean ones. The least he can do right now is be helpful.
\*****/
Killian forces himself to smile as the rest of the bar cheers when August announces the next round is on him. He turns and walks towards the bar with August follows behind him.
"You didn't have to do that. You didn't even know my dad."
"No but… obviously, he's a—he's a good guy—all these people drinking here to honor him."
Killian goes behind the bar and begins to fulfill people's drink orders as he listens to August talk.
"When my dad bites it, people will be drinking to celebrate."
"What can I get for you, man?"
"Uh, you know how to make a Malibu Bay Breeze?"
"I do. I would strongly advise against it. It's more of a whisky and beer crowd."
Killian pours August a glass of whisky. He hears August clear his throat.
"Well, when in Rome…"
Killian watches as Henry steps around him and starting to place clean glasses behind the bar.
"Ah, hey, sporty." He hears August call out. "Whose fist you walk into?"
"Oh, some rich jerkwad." His brother retorts. "There's a lot of them around this time of year."
"You, uh, planning on getting even?"
Killian shakes his head at the conversation. He doesn't want August encouraging his little brother to do anything stupid.
"Considering I'm half the guys' size with half the friends, no."
"Violence is only one way to take someone down."
Killian walks back over to where August and Henry are talking. He doesn't want August giving his brother any more ideas.
