I've been driving for hours now. However I have to stop. I pull into a rest stop and go to the bathroom. Then I come back to my car and turn on my phone. I had turned it off so it wouldn't distract me. I look at it, ten missed calls. One from Alice, I listen to her voicemail: Emmett, why didn't you say good bye? I had a super awesome ninja outfit to give you! She would have an outfit to give me.
The next is from Edward, I listen to his voicemail: We already said good bye so I'm going to make this quick. Bella is a mess. You. Better. Not. Die.
Then comes a missed call from Bella herself and her voicemail is even quicker than her husband's: I love you Em, stay safe.
I smile and see that Jasper called also. I listen to his voicemail next: She's going crazy, Emmett! She wants to come after you. She's been crying. You need to text her or call her or something; talk her out of it, because I can't!
I put the phone down and stare out the window. I look down and remember I hadn't locked the doors. I lock them and then look at who else called. The other six missed calls, all from Rosalie. I take a deep breath and prepare myself to listen to her voicemails.
Voicemail 1: Emmett, it's Rose. Why didn't you say good bye? Call me back.
Voicemail 2: So you're not answering your phone… no wait, your phone is off, it went right to voicemail. Emmett, turn your phone on!
Voicemail 3: I'm going to come after you, I swear I will! Jasper will cave sooner or later and tell me where you're going.
Voicemail 4: Screw Royce, he doesn't matter, leave this to the police.
Voicemail 5: Actually, forget that don't leave this to the police. They could arrest you for every thing you've done.
Voicemail 6: I won't call you back again, not until I can figure out where you're going. Then I'll call you and I'll come after you and we can solve this problem TOGETHER. Until then, stay safe… please.
"Damn it Rosalie," I say after I've deleted all her messages. I make sure I deleted every one else's also. Then I turn off my phone again. I can't talk to them, any of them. It might not be a safe thing for me to do. I start the car and drive off. Royce is in some warehouse. Who knows what he's doing there, but who cares? I'm going to get him and hopefully I'll have the element of surprise.
I finally get there, exactly a day after I left. So it's night time now, but I don't feel like sleeping. It could be the four coffees I've had or maybe it's the adrenaline I always feel before the kill. Adrenaline rush before the kill; a cliché saying used by many. Whether it's an assassin or psycho killer; they all talk about the rush of adrenaline. It's true though, you never think it could be until you experience it. I've experienced it so many times.
The tingle at the bottom of my spine and the sweat on my forehead and the back of my neck; it all coincides with the voice in my head telling me what I'm about to do is wrong. For once, that voice is shut up instantly. Usually it takes so long for the adrenaline happening in the rest of my body to reach my brain and convince the voice that what I'm doing is right. But now, the voice is hardly even there. Royce deserves to die. What I'm going to do is the right thing.
Quickly I run up to the building. I try the front door; amazingly it's unlocked. They expected you were coming, I think. However, then I wonder if they know I'll circle around back. But they might expect that I won't circle around back and go in the front, just to through them off. I shut the door and lean against it. For once in my life I don't know what to do. When I became an assassin, when I became a protector, when I proposed to Rosalie, when I didn't kill Edward for knocking up my sister despite them being married… the point is I've always known what to do. Now I don't; I can't think straight. All I can think of are the voicemails Rose left me. 'I'll come after you and we can solve this problem together,' she had said.
I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut. She left that message about twenty two hours ago. By now she could have found out the location and could be on her way. Non-stop would take her a day getting here, just like it took me. That would mean if I don't hurry she might be here in two hours, give or take. I don't have time for being indecisive. I clench my teeth and yank the front door open. I'm standing in a wide open lobby-type space. I look around and spot three security cameras. They aren't moving and from what I can see, I'm not in their path of sight. Ironically, the front door seems to be a blind spot.
Deciding that I don't care of the cameras are on and can see me, I dash across the lobby area and down a hall way. At the end of the hall is a staircase. I enter the stairwell and shut the door to it behind me. I close my eyes, not that it makes a difference; there are no lights in the stair well. At least out in the lobby there were two, dim lights. What my next move from here will be, I'm not sure of. The building has five stories and is under construction. I think Jasper said it was going to be some type of warehouse or office building. I don't exactly remember… I wasn't thinking straight.
So I start to walk up the stairs I get to the first landing and decide to not check that floor yet. I work my way from the top down. Plus if Royce is on the top floor, he'll expect me to take longer to get to him. I climb the stairs, quietly yet quickly. After awhile I get to the top. I quickly open the door as quietly as I can and then I freeze. There's no floor. There are just support beams everywhere and I can see directly down to the fourth floor. That's when I hear voices. I shut the door before I'm seen or heard. There were people on the fourth floor.
I sit down on the top steps and think for a minute. I bet that the fourth floor is where I'll find Royce. He's always on the top floor, it makes him feel powerful and what not. Obviously it makes him feel dominant to be at the top of everything. I stand up and look out the small window in the door to the 'fifth' floor. Down below I don't see many walls built. I see the makings of walls, but only the beams, no dry wall. Incredibly I see what looks like a huge set up of multiple security cameras. Three screens displaying the front 'lobby'. So they do know I'm here. None of the screens display the stair case. They must not know where I am then.
I walk down the stairs and reach the fourth level. I inhale, exhale and open the door. I can still here the voices and I know I'm blocking the exit so I do something daring. I slam the door. They probably saw the door open on the security cameras anyways. Quickly I walk toward where I know the security cameras are. When I get in the open area I see only one person. Surprisingly, it's a woman. She is standing with her back to me, looking at the screens. Her hair is mahogany and she's tall. She reminds me of someone I used to know.
"Hello Emmett," she says in her soft voice and I know it's her.
"Heidi," I say. She turns and smiles at me.
"It's been years, Emmy," she says and she starts to walk toward me. My eyes narrow and I feel the suspicion in the back of my throat. No, maybe that's vomit. Seeing Heidi makes my heart ache. She left me for Royce. Shortly, before I started working (un-knowingly) for Royce.
"Where's Royce?" I ask.
"Why waste our time talking about him?" she asks.
"Because last time I checked," I snarl, "he was plotting to kill me… oh and he's my step brother and aren't the two of you dating, if not sleeping together?"
"Oh, we stopped sleeping together about a year after you and I separated. He wanted to try a real relationship… that didn't work though," Heidi says, getting closer. She feels with throwing distance. Okay so she was always in my throwing distance but now she's in Bella's throwing distance; not to rip on my little sister but it's true that she doesn't throw very far at all.
"Well real relationships never were your thing. What did you do, cheat on him?" I say. I see something that looks like hurt cross her face but then she's smiling again.
"Yes, actually," she says and I'm not surprised at all. "But you know; I can't just quit working for him. You know what happens when you do that."
"You work for him?" I ask.
"Yep, you know; you're not the only assassin he was fond of. The two of us… we're both the best and in the end he chose to get rid of you," she says and suddenly she's behind me. I wasn't even paying attention to her moving. I was looking at the screens. I thought I saw a person in the lobby. Before I can turn around my hands are tied behind my back. Heidi forcefully leads me closer to the screens and sits me in a chair. Unfortunately, the chair is not facing the screens and I can't try to get another look at the person I thought I caught a glimpse of.
Heidi ties the already tied up hands to the back of the chair. Then she ties my feet. So I admit, I could have gone about this a completely different way. However I never had expected Royce would be having Heidi take care of me for him.
"So now what?" I ask. "Does Royce the Coward show his face now that you've got me tied up?"
"Not exactly," she whispers; she bends down close and looks me in the eye. "He had different plans for how tonight would go."
"Like what?" I ask.
"Like when darling Rosalie arrives he wants her to walk right in on you… with me," she purrs and sits on my lap. I realize what she means and curse her and Royce. Then I pray that Jasper and Edward had the will power to not tell Rose where I went.
"Get off Heidi," I say through clenched teeth. I think about Rosalie and how much I love her. She can't come in here with Heidi trapping me this way. What would she think? It would be horrible. I look over Heidi's shoulder and see that where Rose would come in she wouldn't even see the ropes from her angle. She would think the worst; heck I would too if I were in her position.
"I like sitting in your lap, Emmy," she says. "It takes me back to the good old days."
"Why? It's not like we ever had sex," I say and try to avoid looking at her too close face.
"I wish we had," she whispers and nuzzles her head against my neck. Heidi kisses my neck, and then my jaw; I close my eyes tight. How could this happen to me? I oh know; bad shit always happens to me. I just forget about it because the presence of Rose had made me hopeful. Heidi moves her mouth to my face, getting closer and closer to my lips. That's when I hear a gasp. Heidi turns around in my lap and I open my eyes. I look over Heidi's shoulder and sure enough, there is Rose. I see tears in her eyes.
Heidi turns back to me and wraps her arms around me and cuts the ropes tying me to the chair and tying my hands together. I'm still looking at Rose. She is looking down. So she doesn't see Heidi cut the ropes. She still doesn't know I was trapped there unwillingly. Heidi quickly unties my feet before Rose looks at us again. Then when Rose looks at us she stands up and so do I. Rose walks over and looks at Heidi then at me.
"Where's Royce?" she asks.
"Through that door," Heidi says.
"Thank you," Rosalie says and then she looks at me and smacks me in the face.
"Don't, slap him!" Heidi says.
"I was hoping you would say that," Rose mutters and then she slaps Heidi. My eyes widen and I see Heidi raise a fist to punch Rose. So the two get in a fist fight and I simply stand there and just watch.
"You stupid bitch," Heidi says as they fight each other.
"Yep that's me, the stupid bitch. But Emmett is stupider… because he hasn't gone after Royce yet!" Rosalie shouts. I know she's mad at me; but I take the hint and run to the door Heidi said would lead to Royce. As I open the door I enter a room and suddenly hear a gun shot. I turn back around but before I can see what happened between Heidi and Rose, Royce is there; closing the door.
"Royce," I say.
"How are you brother?" Royce asks.
"Don't be dramatic you ass-wipe, we're step-brothers," I say.
"We were," he says and pulls out a gun. I reach for mine and realize it is no longer there. Well shit, Heidi took it from me. Now this is a problem.
Cliff hanger. Don't worry; I don't know if I'll even be able to stand the suspense. I'll update quick as I can. Please review and thank you for reading. Remember, Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.
~EM~