Carter Reed Part 23

"I hear you. I'll be missing you around these parts."

"I won't."

Gene chuckled, low and gravelly, "Bye friend."

Carter's goodbye was a command, "Find the boyfriend." When he hung up, there was no regret or doubt. Carter punched in the number for her driver and told him to bring her home as soon as possible. When that call was done, he stood and left his office. He knew he would pretty-up the conversation as much as he could, but for the first time in a long time, he was scared. He wasn't used to being scared of anything, but that's all he'd been with Emma since she came back into his life. Terrified.

Mike waited beside the car next to the curb. I took two steps when I heard my name being called. Theresa was outside the hotel with her hand in the air. When she saw that I was waiting, she hurried over. "Hi! I bet you're shocked to see me like this."

To say the least.

My tone was cool, but I was curious. "What's up, Theresa?"

She nodded with her cheeks puffed out. "Okay. Here I go." A deep breath. "I've been a b.i.t.c.h. I know I have. I'm really sorry. I have no excuses. I really don't, but the idea of what he did and the whole story about what you did really had me confused."

"It wasn't a story."

"I know it wasn't. Trust me, Noah's hounded me for days when he found out that I've been less than friendly to you."

I narrowed my eyes. "You're doing this because of Noah?"

"No, no! I don't do anything because of Noah. Life would probably be easier if I did, but I'm too stubborn and thick-headed. I'm doing this because it's taken this long for me to realize that I was wrong. If you did what you did, why you said, then you don't deserve going to jail and I understand why you couldn't come forward. I wouldn't have the courage to stay here and try to have a normal life after that. I get it. I do. I really do." She grimaced. "And now I'm babbling. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for not being a friend. There's no excuse. I should've said this stuff to you a long time ago, not wait until a month later because I was embarra.s.sed."

"You were embarra.s.sed?"

"Yeah," she let out in big breath. "Big time. I'm an idiot and I know we weren't great friends, but I felt like we were going to be. Do you think I could have a do-over?"

Suspicion clouded over me and I couldn't help to wonder if she had struck a deal with the cops? Was she a plant now, trying to get information on me or Carter? "I won't talk about Carter."

"No, no. That's fine. I understand."

"At all. I won't talk about what we said I did."

"I know. I really do understand." She grimaced again, looking up and down the street.

Mike had closed the door to the car long ago, but he stepped away from it now. His presence was enough of a reminder not to mess with me.

Theresa grinned at him and waved. "Heya, Mr. Bodyguard-Whose-Name-I-Never-Learned. I'm not going to hurt her again." She turned to me, a small plead in her eyes. "I'm really not. I know I did when I turned my back on you. I won't do that again. I was lucky enough to find a genuine friend. I'm not going to screw it up." She chuckled, "You're one of the only friends that I could hang out with Noah too. I was surprised when he told me that he and Carter still work out together."

"Me too," I admitted.

"So am I pressing my luck by asking if you'll give me another chance?"

I wasn't going to trust her, but it wouldn't hurt to have a friend to talk with at work or the potential night at Octave. And at that thought, I suggested, "I'm heading to Octave tonight with a friend. Do you want to come?"

Her eyes got big. "Really?"

I nodded. "Why not? As long as you don't judge my friend when she gets wasted."

"Have you not seen me when we've gone out?" She laughed. "I tend to drink more than I should. Noah's always on me about it, but I like to blow off steam."

"Okay. Yeah, we'll see you there. I'll text you later what time we're heading."

"Are you going straight from your place or...?"

I hadn't thought about it, but I ducked back inside the cafe. Amanda was behind the front register. "Do you mind if a coworker of mine comes with tonight?"

She shrugged, but she looked surprised. "Sure."

"Should we get ready at your place?"

"Oh. Yeah." She nodded more vigorously. "We can drink wine and get ready together."

Our eyes met and I knew she was thinking the same thing. Just like old times. She flashed me a grin. "Eight tonight?"

"Sounds good." I waved before I ducked back out. "See you at eight."

Theresa had been fidgeting as she waited on the sidewalk. Her head popped back up when I came out. I told her, "Pick you up at 7:30 and we'll get ready at my friend's place. She'll want to drink wine before we go."

"Sounds like my kind of friend."

Mike stepped close to me. His low baritone sounded behind my ear. "Emma? There is a call for you."

I nodded. That was his reminder that we needed to go. I waved to Theresa. "7:30 tonight."

"7:30! See you then. I'll have everything ready to be ready."

"Okay."

As I got into the car and Mike sat up front, he'd been doing that since I now only needed two guards, I couldn't wipe the smile from my face. So many ups and downs, but Amanda was right. It was time to move forward and not feel guilty because of it. Wherever Mallory was, I hoped she was doing the same. A night out with Amanda and Theresa would be interesting, but I knew it would be fun. Then I stopped thinking about it as we drove home. The usual excitement to see Carter kicked in.

When we got there, he was waiting in the kitchen, and I tossed my purse on the counter and threw my arms around him. Pressing my head into his neck, I exclaimed, "I'm going out with the girls tonight. I hope that's okay. Theresa extended an olive branch and she seems genuine. I don't know if she is, but tonight will be fun anyways. Amanda's going too. We're going to go to her place to get ready..." I looked up and my voice faded.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Carter?"

He never hugged me back. Every muscle in him was tense and rigid. He could've been a statue made of stone. His jaw clenched as he gazed down at me.

"Carter?" I asked again. My heart picked up as I looked into his eyes. There was something-no, it couldn't be. My arms dropped as if burned and I stepped back. I started to shake my head. No way.

But as he spoke, he said what I knew he was going to say.

My gut felt kicked in. I was sucker-punched as he said, "They found Mallory today."

I kept shaking my head and moving away. I wanted to detach again. I wanted to go anywhere else. This wasn't happening. "Don't," gurgled from the bottom of my throat. She was safe. She was away. She wasn't what he was going to say. There was no way. Ben never would've allowed that to happen.

"Emma."

"No."

"She was pregnant."

Oh G.o.d.

I fell to my knees, or I would've. Carter caught me. He cradled me to his chest and he tucked his chin into his favorite place. His lips brushed against me as he said it, "She miscarried and bled out."

She was dead. He was telling me she was dead.

I looked away. I tried to be away. I didn't want to hear this.

"Emma," he whispered as he brushed some of my hair down. "Emma. Look at me."

I didn't. I wouldn't.

"Emma."

"NO!" I ripped out of his arms and staggered back. When he reached for me, I batted him away. "No, I said!"

His arm fell back to his side.

I killed him for her. She was going to die and I stopped it. I killed him. I took him away so she could live and now he was telling me-I refused to believe it. I shook my head again. "No. I don't believe you."

"The police found her."

"Where?"

His eyes narrowed. "You can't go there."

"Why not?! She was my family." She left and I thought she was starting over. That's what Amanda said. Amanda was always right. They were starting over. I was starting over. We had all survived. And now Carter was saying that all of us hadn't survived. Not her. I looked at him and whispered, "It should've been me."

He jerked me against him and wrapped his arms around me. "Not you."

"It should've been me."

His arms tightened around me. "Not you. I'm sorry. I'd kill every single person to keep that from happening."

"Well, you did." I pulled away. "I got out. That's what you wanted. You wanted me here and safe. So congratulations. I'm alive, but if I had stayed there, they could've traded me for her. She would be alive and I'd be dead instead-"

"Her boyfriend killed her!"

I froze. Ben? There was no way, but as I turned and stared in Carter's cold eyes, I knew it was true. He would never lie, not about this. "What did you say?"

"Her boyfriend killed her. He went nuts, Emma. She was pregnant. Whose kid do you think it was? I'm guessing not the boyfriend's."

I reared back as if slapped. His cold tone whipped at me, but it was true. What he said was true. I shook my head. "Ben would never hurt Mallory."

"He would if he was high on something," he clipped out. "My guess, Franco got him hooked. He didn't want all that cash to walk away. When the boyfriend found out that she was pregnant, he snapped. It wouldn't be the first time a guy went into a rage."

From the knowing tone in his voice, I stopped dead. My heart even held for a moment. "Have you done that?"

"To the woman I love? No. To those who would hurt her? Yes."

I was struck speechless again. Carter hadn't blinked an eye when he responded. He seemed calm even. He was, I shivered, the cold-blooded stranger to me again.

"That boyfriend of hers-"

"He wasn't really her boyfriend. He never had been."

"He wanted to be. I'm guessing he was p.i.s.sed when she dated Dunvan. I'm guessing he thought he had put in his time, waited it out for her to finish with the last guy and he was next in line. Then when she started dating Dunvan, he was over all the time. He was calling? Maybe even stopping by the apartment when she was out with him?"

How did he know this?

Carter continued, "When you went to him, he was able to be the knight in shining armor. I bet he loved that. He had it in the bag. He probably convinced her that first night that she couldn't stand the feel of Dunvan's touch, she wanted another man's touch."

"She didn't want to feel him anymore. She wanted to feel me. She wanted another man's touch."

I remembered Ben's words and the scratches down his back. He hadn't even looked remorseful except that she was crying. He had made her cry again.

"Emma?"

I focused on Carter again and blinked, startled. Why did he have to be so beautiful? And his wolf eyes, icy blues. Why did he have to save me? I murmured, "You should've left me alone."

He drew in a deep breath.

I kept going, numb now. "You should've let them kill me back then. I could've been with AJ all these years. You would've been fine. You were going places. You got accepted to college before. Why didn't you go?"

He leaned back against the counter. His arms slipped to my hips and he held me loosely between his feet. "You want to have this conversation now?"

"Indulge me."

He stared at me, studying me. "Why now?"

I shrugged, turning away.

He caught my chin and pulled me back. "Why, Emma? What's going on in that head of yours?"

I didn't move from his hold. I wanted to lean into him. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me again and I wanted everything to go away. But it wouldn't. She was dead. I had felt it. I knew something was wrong, but Amanda convinced me everything was fine. I had bought it. I really thought Mallory was happy somewhere, off with him, but Carter was right. Ben had done all of those things.

"You're right."

"About?"

Everything hurt. "About Ben. He said she wanted another man's touch. I thought he really loved her."

"He was sick in the head." He tugged me closer to him. I closed my eyes when he moved to my neck and pressed a kiss there. I belonged to him. Why did I even fight against it sometimes? A feeling of being claimed, liking it, was mixed with emptiness. Mallory should've been alive. She wasn't. I was, and I was with Carter. I was with my soul mate while she had her baby cut out of her.

He murmured against my skin, "You tried to save her, but you can't give your life for hers. She's gone, Emma."