Chapter 3

OWEN

This is not my plan.

My heart pounds, I feel like shit as I wave the gun around the clinic, but I’ve been left with no choice in the matter.

I can’t grab Emma at the end of one of her shifts now like the original plan, because that fucker sitting in the clinic waiting room with a shit eating grin on his face has ruined everything.

I don’t know what Hudson is doing here, but it can’t be good.

Nothing that man does is good.

“Come with me.”

Emma’s eyes widen. I don’t think she’s processed what’s happening yet. “I’m not fucking around. We need to go. Now.”

I can sense Hudson’s eyes on me. Whether he’s angry or upset by my interjection, I don’t give a shit. The further I can get Emma away from him, the better.

I’m sure she doesn’t think I’m protecting her, but that’s what I’m doing.

Even if she hates me for it.

This is why any emotional involvement is not a good idea when working.

People remain on the floor as I step through the crowds. I need to get closer to Emma now, to make her understand what I’m doing and why I’m doing this. It’s all for her, even if it really doesn’t seem that way right now. “Stop,” she whispers, but I don’t. “Wait.”

“Emma, I need you to come with me.”

I lower the gun just a little. I can’t put it right down, though, not with Hudson in my eye line.

“Someone is after you, Emma.”

“Yes…” she just about manages to rasp back. “You.”

Okay, well I guess I’m going to have to go the whole hog then. Show her what I’ve done. Nothing was supposed to go this way. I feel like shit, but this is the only way.

“The man who watches you…”

“Blake? My father’s man?”

She must be in shock. She’s saying way too much. Luckily, I already know everything. Although I have no idea what the rest of the people in the room are thinking. I’m glad Emma’s co workers aren’t rushing me to save their friend.

They’re too damn scared of getting shot themselves.

“He’s gone.”

I pull out the flashy cell phone which really gives away that I might not be the homeless man I’ve been pretending to be, and show her the photo of the man in a pool of his own blood.

“Oh my God.” She claps her hands to her mouth in horror. “He’s dead.

What happened?”

“He’s been shot, yes. And you are next.”

Her knees buckle. I use my spare hand to hold her, to stop her from falling. Maybe she should flinch away from me, but she doesn’t. The bond we’ve built up stands.

“You need to come with me. Now. I can keep you safe.”

Yeah, I’m not pulling this off well. Not with this damn gun in my hand.

I’m going to have to really blow my cover to get her out of this clinic.

“I didn’t eat Kerosine for breakfast this morning.”

Her eyes damn near pop out of her head. Knowing her father’s password means I’m in her world, even in the periphery. It means I know enough. I’m definitely not ever going to be the poor homeless man who needs her help anymore.

Wilson Anderson is dead.

“How do you know that?” she whispers.

“It doesn’t matter now.” I don’t need to go into all the details. She doesn’t need to know that I’ve been trailing her and that I’ve overheard the password. “We just need to leave.”

I fire a blank into the ceiling to show her how serious I am. It causes screams and panic, but enough of a distraction for me to edge backwards with Emma in my arm.

I know she doesn’t exactly look convinced, but she’s moving and that’s something.

I fire the gun a few more times, continuing to do so down the block. My car is right around the corner, as long as I can get Emma in there, all will be fine.

“Come on,” I bark at Emma because she’s slowing down a little, uncertainty getting the better of her. She can’t stop here, not now. “We have to go.”

I hate the way all the color has drained from her cheeks. It sucks making such a kind person worry, but I can’t forget who her father is and how much this job is going to pay me.

“Stop fucking around, Emma,” I warn. “Things will get fucking messy here.”

When she doesn’t respond, I grab her arm a little rougher this time and drag her with me. I don’t want to hurt her, but the cops will be here in a moment. I wouldn’t be surprised if the sirens have started already.

Adrenaline is pounding through my body as I get Emma around the corner to the car. It’s still there, thank God, since I left it unlocked for haste. There’s no room for mistakes or for anything to slow us down.

“Get in,” I say gruffly once I swing open the passenger door. “Now, Emma. We don’t have time…”

She doesn’t want to. I have to push her in. Just enough to slam the door behind her so we can get the fuck out of here.

I dart my eyes around, grateful for no blue flashing lights or Hudson either, before I jump into my side and speed off.

Luckily I know these roads like the back of my hand. I don’t need to focus on where I’m going, which allows my mind to race like crazy, processing all the thoughts.

What the fuck was Hudson doing there?

Has he been hired for the same job as me? Because I’m not being fast enough?

Why is Vinnie Lucchese so damn desperate to grab the daughter of Dorian O’Connell?

This is supposed to be a bog standard job. I shouldn’t be all fucked up about this.

Thank Christ I have somewhere to go.

I need to sort all this shit out somewhere.

“What’s happening?” Emma asks quietly. I hear her words, but they aren’t really getting through to me. I’m too lost in my frantic thoughts. “What happened to Blake? Where are you taking me? I don’t understand. Why did you do that at work? We help people at the clinic. We don’t deserve to be threatened. Why did you bring a gun like that? Who the fuck are you?”

The car flies around a corner, so quick the wheels lift up for a moment, but I’ve been in high speed drives before. This is nothing to me.

“Wilson, what the fuck are you doing?”

But Emma isn’t used to this at all, it seems. She grips onto the side of the car to stop herself from sliding around. She clips her seat belt in rapidly to keep herself steady, which is probably a good idea.

“Are you trying to kill me, Wilson? I thought we were friends…”

The words fall apart on her lips when she realizes that she isn’t getting anywhere. She slumps down in her seat, sadness crossing her face. But I can’t get caught up in her emotions right now. I need to get us to safety.

Fuck, what I really need to work out is what my next move is.

My plans going out the window like that means I have nothing sorted out. Once we get to the safe house, there isn’t a next move for me. I don’t even know what the hell I’m getting involved in.

I should call Vinnie, but if he’s working with Hudson, then I don’t know…

“Why did Blake get killed?” she suddenly pipes up again. “He was a good person.”

Guilt flows through my veins, but as I always have to tell myself, if good people get all caught up in bad things, then there’s no telling what will happen.

“Do I need to call my father? Since you seem to know him, maybe I should contact him right now. See what the hell is going on. I know he’s in Ireland right now, but it won’t take him long to get here. He can get me out of this mess in a heartbeat. I have my phone with me, luckily, so I can get him here. I can do whatever I need to.”

The reaction she wants is crawling through my veins, but I don’t let it out. I don’t let Emma see that she’s getting to me, even though I seriously wish she’d shut the hell up.

“Wilson, please give me something. I just want to know what’s happening. Have you been stalking me? I thought you were coming into the clinic for help. Are you really who you say you are? I thought we had a

bond. Why didn’t you just tell me that you worked for my dad?” A tear leaks down her cheek.

Fuck.

But I have to stay strong in my convictions. This was definitely the right thing to do. If Emma thinks she’s scared being with me, it’s nothing compared to Hudson.

He’s evil.

A real piece of shit.

I don’t even need to have personal experience with that man to know what he’s like. The rumors around the city of what he’s like tell me everything I need to know.

Of all the people I have ever come across in my life, he’s the one with the least moral compass. No one deserves to be around that.

Least of all Emma.

“Wilson!”

This time as she cries out my name, she shocks me by grabbing the steering wheel and knocking it to one side. There aren’t any other cars around, so no damage is caused but my patience has run out. We won’t get anywhere if she keeps pulling this shit.

I steer into the skid, pulling off on the side of the road.

I wonder if Emma can feel the irritation surging through my veins.

“What’s happening now?” she demands, proving that my inner turmoil is completely invisible to her. “What are you doing? Are we meeting someone here? Is it my father? Because if he is here then I need to see him now. I need to understand what’s happened to Blake and why someone is after me. Has he done something? This has to be because of him, right?”

I step out the car and head over to her side. She has her cell phone clutched tightly between her fingers, looking like she’s ready to make a call whenever she needs to.

I snatch it from her and drop it to the floor.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she screams as I crush it underfoot, shattering the screen and the insides into a million pieces.

If there’s one thing I do know, I don’t need anyone tracking us where we are going.

“I’m really sorry about this, Emma.”

That’s probably the most truthful thing I’ve ever said to her. Only she probably thinks it’s for what I’ve done up until this point, not for what I’m about to do.

I reach in, looking like I’m about to unclip her seat belt, but instead, I grab the special pressure point on her neck which I know will only have one outcome.

“Fu…” Emma starts, but she doesn’t even manage to get her words out. The pressure point starts taking effect and her eyes flutter closed.

Once I see her body slump forwards and I know for sure that she’s passed out, I finally let out a deep breath I didn’t even realize I was holding.

I step back and try to gather myself back up once more.

This is fucked up. Seriously fucked up.

I don’t even have time to digest this and to sort myself out. I still need to get the fuck out of here—only now I can do it without Emma’s demanding questions that I just can’t answer. Now we can just move.