Our comradery is gone apparently.
Conner and I both take a seat and Emmett heads towards José, holding out his arm for a handshake. “José, buddy, what’s going on? What did you need on such short notice? You didn’t mention what it was over the phone.”
José looks at his hand like it’s dog shit and then stands and whips out a gun, pointing it at Emmett’s face.
“Sit.”
That one word has Emmett immediately taking a step back and holding his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know what happened, but we can work it out. I promise.”
I look around the room and note there are five guards. The one that escorted us into the room is standing a few feet behind me and the other four stand close, surrounding us like we’re cattle. Everyone is strapped and everyone is ready to lift their guns to shoot.
José rounds the table and keeps his aim on Emmett. Emmett dutifully walks backward and plops himself down in the metal chair, shutting his mouth like he should have in the first place.
“Bring her out.” José motions to a guard.
Since I already know that Jordan is here, I need to keep my cool when they bring her out. Conner is about to have his heart ripped out of his chest and I need to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid to get himself killed.
A minute later a guard roughly drags Jordan in front of our eyesight. I grit my teeth because there are zero circumstances where I want to see her like this. She has duct tape over her mouth and around her wrists and her ponytail is hanging half haphazardly off her head. She’s barefoot too. I don’t even want to know who brought her here or how, otherwise, I’ll blow my lid.
“Jordan!” Conner yells. He starts towards her, and before I can reach for him, the guard standing behind us grabs him by the neck and pulls him back down into the chair. “What the hell is going on? Why is my daughter here?” He’s starting to panic. And I don’t blame him. I may look calm on the outside, but my heart is pounding.
We just need to hold on a little longer for the calvary to show up.
“What a happy little family we have here,” José says as he grabs Jordan by the hair, taking her out of the guard's grasp. “I think each one of you knows this pretty little princess, sí?” He takes his gun and runs it down the side of her face, smelling her hair at the same time.
Jordan’s eyes flare, and she whimpers behind the duct tape. Her eyes find mine and I shake my head ever so slightly. Signaling to her to not do anything.
I could take the guard out behind me and retrieve my gun that he so carelessly shoved in the front of his waistband, but I don’t because I would still be outnumbered.
But fuck, I want to rip José from limb to limb for touching what’s mine.
“Would anyone like to share with the class why we’re here today?” José asks, putting all his focus on me.
Both Emmett and Conner look at me, but I keep my stare straight ahead on José. I think it’s at this moment he knows I know because he turns his gun on me. I’m half expecting him to fire, but he doesn’t. Thank God.
“This one here, he’s a cop.”
You could hear a pin drop. I feel Conner’s gaze on the side of my face. He knew I was on his side but didn’t know to what extent.
And Emmett, although he started off silent, snarls, “A fucking cop? Are you kidding me?”
José turns his gaze to Emmett, analyzing his reaction, and then points the gun in his direction. “I think you knew, Emmett. And I think you were going to use him to bring me down.”
Emmett’s eyes widen in panic. “What? No! I had no idea. You have to believe me. I did a background check on him. He was clean. Plus, I need you as much as you need me. There’s no way I would knowingly bring a cop into the mix.”
José’s head tilts to the side. “I think you’re lying. Your last bodyguard got a little too cocky for his own good and tried to blackmail me. I think you want to try and take over my empire and fuck me over in the process.”
My eyes widen. That’s a pretty damning statement and now I’m sure José had something to do with the bodyguards’ disappearance.
Like the coward he is, Emmett starts to cry. “I swear. I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship. I need you.” He’s frantic now, trying to prove his innocence, and I think he’s just now realizing how much of a mistake it was to get into bed with someone like José. Greedy motherfucker.
“You’re a bottom feeder, Cahill. So, pardon me if I don’t believe you.”
And then he fires the gun.
I hear a muffled scream from Jordan, and Conner visibly flinches.
Emmett himself screams, the bullet hitting his shoulder. “No. Please don’t kill me.” He clutches his leaking wound as the blood starts to spread across the arm of his cream-colored suit.
