I’m sorry, Luna, it’s not in my nature to run from a fight. Even if a gun is involved.
I charge for him, as a loud bang hits my ear, and blood soaks through my top. Fuck, I never expected it to go down like this.
Emmet
We pull up outside the storage facility, and make our way towards one of the doorways. The moment we step inside, a shot hits the air, and we all freeze.
“Please, tell me that was a car backfiring,” Aer says frantically, his eyes shooting around, as Tucker places his hands on his shoulders.
“Breathe, it’s okay. It doesn’t mean the worst has happened.” His mouth is pulled into a tight line, and I don’t think he believes his own words.
“We need to split up, we can’t just stand here and wait for someone to appear.” Thallon starts to head towards the direction of the shot, and I can’t move. I’m supposed to be able to handle anything and everything, yet, I’m frozen.
“We can’t go off alone. If there’s a gun wielding maniac out there, it would be better if we pair off.” Tucker makes sense, maybe we should listen to him.
“Agreed, who’s going with who?”
“I think I should take Aer, and we should go that way.” He jerks his thumbs in the opposite direction of where Thallon is headed, and my brows pull down.
“What, why? We need to get to her, Tuck. We can’t leave her.” Aer is crying. Shit, fuck, he doesn’t cry. None of us do.
“Aeron, we are not leaving her, but I can’t head towards the gunshot, and clearly Thallon is willing to go. If I’m wrong and it hit our girl, I don’t think I can handle seeing her like that, I can’t watch the girl I love…” He swallows hard as his eyes squeeze shut, and Aer presses his forehead against Tuck’s.
“It wasn’t our girl. Darius is here. There would have been more than one shot. But let’s do it your way, I’ll always follow your lead.” He swipes at his face, but it doesn’t help. There are too many tears, only it doesn’t look like water to me. All I can see is red, and instead of Aer’s face, I’m picturing Star’s.
“Emmet, come on. We have to go. We’ve already wasted too much time.” Thallon storms back over, grabs my arm and starts pulling, and it’s the only thing that’s making me move. Move, don’t be weak. She needs me, why can’t I move?
“I can’t, why can’t I do this?” I shout, and his fist meets my chin, before he steadies me.
“Because you don’t want to imagine the girl we all… care about dying on the floor. Don’t you think it would be worse though, if she is dying and we’re not there to help her? Pull your head out of your ass, and move it. Or I’ll leave you behind.” He charges off, and I finally find the strength to chase after him.
I shouldn’t be in charge of the Harkwright businesses, not if I can’t handle this. Tucker should be, or if he doesn’t want it, then Thallon. They’re not losing their heads right now, I am.
“You should take over,” I shout, and he stops right before a set of doors that has the word offices above it.
“What are you talking about now?”
“I can’t handle this, and I can’t be in charge of people. This is just proving how much of a pussy I really am. I’ve given too much of my power away.” I feel so defeated, as my hands shake, but I know this isn’t the time for this conversation. So why did I say it?
“That’s what love is, giving up your power and allowing yourself to be weak. Because you know that they would never look at you any different, if you haven’t realized that yet, and if you can’t be okay with it… then maybe you don’t deserve her.” He reaches for the door, right as it swings open and Darius appears.
“Fuck me, you had us worried for a moment there.” He laughs, but Darius doesn’t react, he just stares at us, before he’s pushed forward and Cole appears, with a gun in his hands.
“Go back to your Academy, and stay there. You’re not needed,” he orders, and I bristle, as if I’d ever take orders from him.
“What the fuck are you doing? Let him go before I make you,” Thallon barks out, and Cole just shrugs.
“You can do that, but I’m a pretty good shot, just ask Matthew in there. Oh right, you can’t.” His eyes are withdrawn, but there’s a manic energy about him that has me on edge. “If I shoot him, then we’ll lose our chance to get Luna back from your sick fuck of a dad. So, it’s your choice, Emmet. Either let us go and I’ll save her, or fight me and we’ll lose her for good.”
“What are you talking about? What does my dad have to do with this?” I don’t care that I’m shouting, there is no way I can hold onto my calm now.
Footsteps sound behind us, and I know Aeron and Tucker are on their way.
“He took her, apparently to meet her dad. Only, according to Darius, he took her to a cemetery instead, and now they’re on the move again. Definitely not heading towards the police station or the Academy.”
“Arthur ordered Matthew to kill me once he got Luna away. I don’t know why or what he has planned, but it can’t be anything good. If it wasn’t for this fuck wearing a vest under his jacket, I would be dead.” Darius clenches his fists as he glares at the ground, and I can relate to the powerlessness that he must be feeling.
“We’ll be on our way then, unless you have a problem. Don’t forget, Emmet, either she leaves with me, or she stays with your dad. Who is the lesser of two evils in that scenario for you?”
“No, you can’t just take her from us.” Aer tries to run at him, but Tucker holds him back.
“I’ll be doing her a favor, getting her away from the poison that is your entire family. But I guess what it really comes down to, is how much you actually care. Which is why I’m asking Emmet, and none of you. I know you’d make the right choice.” He looks over everyone, his finger shaking against the trigger, the stupid fool. “Do you care enough to let her go, knowing that she’ll be safe and away from your father, or are you that controlling and obsessive that you will fight me on this, knowing that you’ll lose her either way?”
“Emmet,” Aer pleads with me, and I hold my hand out.
“Go, but believe me when I say this, Cole. You better run far and wide, because there isn’t a country big or far enough that will keep me from getting to her, if I learn that you’re there.” I feel as though I’m on the verge of cracking my teeth with how hard I’m clenching them, but it doesn’t matter. As Cole leads Darius away, and I have three sets of eyes staring into me.
“What do we do now?” Tucker yanks at his hair, and I sigh hard.
“Now, we wait. Did you see Darius, he wasn’t scared? Do you really think someone like Cole could overpower him, or even keep him at gunpoint? He’s in that position because he wants to be. We just have to hope he knows what he’s doing.” My shoulders sag as I wait for the distance sound of a car starting to life, and then we head for the exit ourselves.
“I hope you’re right, man, because I refuse to lose her to him or Arthur,” Thallon screams deadly intentions, and for once, I think we’re on the same page and even the same team.