OWEN
What is she doing?
That’s what I can’t wrap my head around.
What the fuck is Emma playing at?
I know she has the gun, but the fact that she hasn’t even attempted to use it on me is weird. I haven’t tried to fight it off of her because I don’t know what her aim is.
I also don’t want to fight her.
If it wasn’t for the gun-oh, and the fact that she’s basically my kidnap victim-I’d be trying to work out what’s going on with us. But I can’t relax enough to do so; not when she’s about to put a bullet in my brain.
I miss her.
Right now, I’m in the city, trying to keep up appearances, and I actually miss her.
The days we’ve spent together, roaming outside the cabin perimeter and hanging out, have been awesome. The best days I’ve ever had.
But the nights are even more powerful and etched in my mind.
Whether we’re kissing like teenagers, cuddling up on the couch watching movies, or fucking wildly and pushing one another to the edge… it’s awesome.
But how will it all end?
It’s going to implode one way or another, that much I’m certain of. Yet I can still sit here, sipping on my coffee, waiting for Samantha, like my whole world isn’t about to crumble.
I mean, if Emma doesn’t kill me, Vinnie might.
I’ve never let him down before. I’ve always completed every single job that I have ever been asked to do, so this really is going to go bad.
But I still can’t fucking stop myself.
It’s like I’m a drug addict and I can’t get enough of her.
“Owen.”
I jump as Samantha slides into the chair beside me, stealthy as a ninja.
Fucking hell, no wonder she’s always got the best information.
“I got you a coffee.” She slides another mug my way. “And the deets.”
I nod seriously. “Okay, what have you found out?”
“So, the Flynns have got an arranged marriage situation with Emma.”
My heart sinks. “Tell me more.”
“The Flynns want Emma to leverage and gain control over the
O’Connell operations in Ireland.”
My eyebrows furrow. “And what about the guy?” Samantha pulls a face. “He’s a bad person. Scum.” Fuck.
I don’t like this. Any of it.
It isn’t right.
I will not let Emma marry some bastard just because they want power.
She’s a human being, not some commodity to be traded.
That’s bullshit.
“Oh, and you wanted to know about Hudson as well,” Samantha reminds me. “From what I can find out, he’s gathering a small army of contractors, basically amping up his efforts.”
“To find Emma?”
She offers me a one shouldered shrug.
Shit.
“What the fuck is he up to?”
“I’ll keep my ear to the street, Owen. As soon as I know, you will.”
I sigh heavily. That doesn’t feel quick enough. Not that I blame Samantha-if there was anything I needed to know urgently, she’d have told me.
“Okay, well thanks for everything.”
I watch Samantha leave, wondering what she’ll find out.
Thank fuck I know I can trust her.
If there’s anything to find out, she will get it to me as soon as she can, so for now, I guess I just need to carry on as I was before.
I finish both my coffees before I leave the cafe, but I don’t head back to the cabin right away. Now that I’m here, I kinda want to do something nice for Emma.
She’s been stuck with me for ages now. I’m sure she could use a night to relax.
I head to a grocery store which I love, to pick up some of the finest food I can find. I want to cook Emma something she’ll love to eat, to give her a good night.
I know we can’t exactly have a date or anything like that, but I would love to do something close to it for her.
Maybe just play into the fantasy for a night, pretend that things are real.
Just until it’s taken away from us; however that will happen.
Not that I want to think about things coming to an end.
I stop in my tracks as I leave the store because another shop across the road has caught my attention. A couple of stores actually.
One selling fancy dresses. The sort I would like to see on Emma, especially if we were going on a real date.
Another selling fancy jewelry.
Will that be too much?
I’m not exactly thinking straight. I’m kinda lost in the fantasy now. I’m not thinking about what’s right and wrong… I know what I want.
“Hello, Sir, can I help you?” an assistant says with a giant smile that screams commission as soon as I step into the dress store. “Do you have anything in mind?”
“Erm, yeah I think I want a little black dress.” Emma will look good in black.
Hot.
“Okay, is this for someone special?”
I nod and smile. There’s no way in hell I’m about to give this woman any details.
“Okay, and do you know her size?”
I do actually. Mostly because I bought a lot of clothing for Justine when she was alive, and I can see that Emma is basically the same size. “Great, we can work with that.”
The store assistant doesn’t stop talking as she takes me around the shop, showing me anything and everything, but since I already know what I have in mind, I don’t have to worry too much. I don’t need to listen to her…
“This,” I snap the moment I see it. The dress. That’s what I want to see Emma in.
“This one? Are you sure? We have lots in this style I can show you.” “I don’t need you to show me anything. That’s the one I want.” She’ll get her commission, but I’m not letting her talk me into more.
When I know what I want, that’s it.
Once I’ve got the dress in a bag, I go to look for jewelry too. Not that I need to look for long.
Instantly, pretty much right away, I spot something that reminds me of
Emma.
A bracelet with little diamond stars all along it.
Emma is a star to me.
I don’t think she knows it, but she really is a star. She’s certainly lit up my nights.
I can’t stop smiling as I head to my car… until I see the figure leaning up against it.
Urgh, what the hell is he doing here?
“Hudson?” I frown and stare at him. “You good?” God he looks uptight. Like he’s got a stick up his ass.
“Owen, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
“You have?”
He tries to catch a glimpse of what I have in my bags, but there’s no way in hell I want him to see.
“I heard that Vinnie Lucchese hired you to kidnap the O’Connell girl.” Shit.
A lump forms in my throat.
How does he know about this?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hudson.”
“Well, I’m still pretty sure you’re the guy I saw in the clinic that day. The day I was going to take her. I’m sure it was you in some fucking weird disguise or whatever.”
I shrug, playing it off as much as I can.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t been hired to do anything with any woman.”
Paranoia trickles down my spine like egg yolk.
I don’t know how Hudson has found out any information about me. I pride myself on being more discrete than that idiot, but maybe he has his own ears to the street. I have Samantha, who knows who he is working with -I doubt Samantha would work for a guy like him.
Either way, I can’t let him find out anything about me.
“Well, the rumors on the streets suggest that you have her, Owen, so I would watch your back if I were you.” Is that a threat from him or everyone else?
I suppose it doesn’t really matter.
“I don’t need to worry about anything. I haven’t done anything wrong and I don’t have anyone. Thanks for the warning, though, Hudson. I appreciate it. Guys like us… we have to look out for one another, don’t we?”
I shoot him a wink, but it seems like Hudson isn’t done with me yet.
“What do you have there? Gifts for a lady friend? I didn’t know you were dating someone.”
“I’m not dating anyone…”
“Sure looks like it. Who’s the lucky lady?”
I shake my head. “No lucky lady, but I do need to get the hell out of here.”
Hudson puts up his hands, like he’s going to stop me. What the fuck is going on with this guy? He’s starting to fucking piss me off if I’m honest.
I step to him.
Hudson immediately backs off.
Sensing what an idiot he’s being, he throws his hands in the air, laughing.
I smirk.
He can try and make it out to be a joke as much as he wants, but I know he freaked out for a moment there.
That’s all I need.
“So, it isn’t what I suspected then? Huh? You don’t have a mob boss’s daughter captured and hidden away somewhere? That mob boss hasn’t come all the way from Ireland to take her back from you? I must be hearing it all wrong.”
I shake my head and ignore him. The more I give into the rumors, the more they’ll spread.
Hudson just needs to learn to shut the fuck up.
“I have to get out of here,” I mutter while I push passed him. “I don’t have time for this. I don’t have time for your shit, Hudson.” Hudson laughs.
A nasty evil sound.
Urgh, that is gross.
“Well, you know I’ll be seeing you soon, Owen. Keep your eye out for me.”
I spin around to stare at him, to try and suss out exactly what this sly little comment is supposed to mean, but it’s too late.
He has his hands stuffed into his pocket and is walking away from me.
But I sense something underneath the surface of his words.
A definite undertone.
Keep your eye out for me.
He’s going to see me soon… what is that supposed to mean? We don’t often plan on meeting up with one another. We have no reason to.
Does he know where I’m staying? No one is supposed to know about the cabin, but what if he does?
Does he know for sure that Emma is still with me? He suspects, but does he know?
He keeps suggesting it, but to know for certain would take things to a brand new level.
It would really put me and Emma in danger. Danger that I haven’t even anticipated yet.
My hackles have well and truly risen.
Hudson has never really been much of an issue for me. He’s always in the background, but never a problem. Just a rival for the job contracts that I want, but not a person that I have actively had a reason to hate.
Until now.
Now, he’s threatening Emma. There’s a chance that he will do whatever it takes to get her from me. That man can be relentless… I wouldn’t put anything past him.
There might come a time where I need to get rid of him once and for all, to make sure that Emma is safe. I haven’t ever planned on killing Hudson, but if there is any chance that he’s going to hurt Emma, then I will. I’ll destroy him. Anything for Emma, anything to keep her alive.
Of course I’ll still have to worry about the O’Connells as well, but that’s a different issue entirely.
At least I’m already sleeping with one eye open. Hyper aware of everything around me. It doesn’t feel good, but this is what I need to do.