I clenched my jaw and forced out a fake smile before standing up.

"Well, it all sounds very interesting, Mr. Alexander. I'll have to take a few hours to discuss it with my business partners. May I call you with my answer this evening?"

He nodded. "Of course. That would be fine."

"Have a nice dinner and hang on tight to the girl you have. Girls like that don't come around very often."

"She's very special, and believe me, I don't plan on letting her go."

The pain in my chest felt like someone was sticking a hot branding iron directly on it.

Turning around, I headed toward the door. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"How'd it go, boss?" Rico asked when we were back in the car.

"Just as planned." I glanced out the window. "It won't be long now."

It was just a few minutes after our appointment ended that Reed walked out the front of the building. Rico had done some more digging and found that Reed only lived a few blocks from his office.

Before long, we were parked on the sidewalk across the street from his building. Reed went upstairs and twenty minutes passed before he came back downstairs. This time he wasn't alone. Emily was there. His arms were wrapped around her waist and she was pressed up against him, like she was trying to keep warm. Her long, brown hair was blowing in the wind. He ran his hands through it as he kissed her softly on the lips. It felt like a knife had been stuck in my gut and twisted around.

Rico cleared his throat, and I drew my eyes away from them to his eyes in the rearview mirror. "What do you have planned, boss? This is kind of weird. It doesn't seem like you. You're a little too cool and relaxed. It's kind of making me nervous."

"I have a plan." I seethed. "I'm trying to keep my cool so I don't ruin the surprise. I don't want any interruptions tonight."

My eyes floated back over to them as they entered a black suburban and drove away.

"Follow them," I said, never taking my eyes off the car.

15

EMILY

WE HAD just sat down for dinner when Reed's phone rang. He sighed and glanced back at me, giving me an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take this. It's the investor I met with this afternoon. Will you be okay for a minute? I'll be quick."

"It's fine." I smiled. I hadn't expected to see him for a few more days, so I could part with him for a few minutes. "I'll order us an appetizer and some wine."

"Sounds good." He bent down and kissed the top of my head. "I'll be back soon."

My eyes followed after him until he was out of sight. It was in that moment that it hit me. Really hit me. I was starting to fall for him. I wasn't sure if it was love yet, but I was pretty sure he felt the same. This feeling was different from what I ever felt with Jake, even in our early years. This was more real. It was nothing like the love Jake had for me, or thought he had for me. His sick and twisted love wasn’t love at all. It was all about control.

My cell phone rang, causing my thoughts to dissolve. Reaching down into my purse, I frantically tried to end the annoying ringing sound. I pulled it out and silenced it before I even saw who was calling. After putting it on vibrate, I was about to drop it back into my purse when the screen lit up and it vibrated in my hand. A strange number that I didn't recognize popped up on the screen.

It must have been something for work, but whatever it was, it was going to have to wait. When I ended the call, it began to vibrate again, almost immediately. Even though it was probably for work and it was a Saturday night, I figured it must have been important. I was handling my own clients now and Christine did tell me they could call me morning, noon, and night.

"Emily Anderson," I answered. The restaurant was fairly loud so I pressed the phone hard against my ear.

"And here I thought you were ignoring me," a dark yet familiar voice spoke. In a matter of seconds, it felt like the room dropped twenty degrees. My body went rigid and every hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Blood rushed to my ears, causing a ringing sound, and fear pressed on my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

It was Jake. He had found me.

"I have to say, Emily. You are even more beautiful than I remember. You look simply stunning, but I've always said blue was your color."

My stomach turned and I tried to find a breath. He was here. In the restaurant. Close.

I was too scared to speak, breathe, or move. A tiny voice in the back of my head told me to get up and run, to get out of there while I still had the chance, but I knew I couldn't leave without Reed.

My head remained still, but my eyes stretched right and left, sweeping the room. People were happily enjoying their meals. As my eyes moved around, I couldn't spot Reed or Jake.

"All these months I've been looking for you. All these months I've been missing you. I've yearned for the moment when I would be able to touch you again." He spoke in a low, quiet tone, and to most, it would be described as sweet, but I knew better. I could hear the underlying anger in it as well.

My mind went to a dark place, remembering all the scariest moments in the last few years of my life. This was definitely the scariest of them all. I knew the consequences of running away from him. I knew what he would do to me when he got me alone. He would kill me.

"I can't tell you how hard it is right now to be so close and not be able to touch you, to feel your soft skin against my own. It's killing me inside." His voice was still too soft, sweet.

A small whimper finally escaped me and I tried to choke back the tears but failed. They spilled down my cheeks and I quickly wiped them away.

"Don't cry, Emily. Tears have never looked good on you." The softness in his voice had disappeared. Now, all I could hear was pure anger, and I didn't miss the way he pronounced my name with disgust.

There was silence now, but I knew he was still there. I could hear him breathing. I could also hear the noise of the restaurant through the phone. I knew he was near me, maybe behind me. My mind continued to spin with what to do next. Wondering how I was going to get out of here alive and how I was going to get Reed out of here alive. So many things ran through my head—run, scream for help—but I did nothing. I was frozen in my seat.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, his voice rough and bitter as ever, "but don't think too much or you may end up getting yourself killed, or even worse. The guy you've been spending so much time with could get a bullet in his head."

It felt like a heavy weight slammed into my chest. I closed my eyes tight to keep the tears contained as another whimper escaped my lips.

"I can't tell you how much it has hurt me to see you two together. The way he looks at you, the way he touches you—it's been torture. The pain I've been through the last few months doesn't compare to seeing you with another man. I've been trying to think of a way to explain it to you, to explain to you the pain I've experienced, but I think it would just be easier to show you later, when we're alone."

"Jake, please," I finally whispered. My pleading words were met with an onslaught of tears that I could no longer hold back.

He growled into the phone, aggravated. I could picture what his face looked like right now. His dark, cold eyes would look like pure evil. "Your voice, it's so sweet, Emily. I've missed it, but you are in no position to make demands. You will listen to me if you want your boyfriend to walk out of here alive, do you understand? Believe me. You don't want him to have the same fate as Mike."

Mike? Oh God, what happened to Mike?

"Please, Jake, I'll do anything. Just leave him alone." I sniffed, knowing his threat was real. I would do anything if it meant sparing Reed's life, or anyone else's that I cared about.

"I was hoping you would say that. Now, you need to listen to me very carefully so you don't cause a scene. Get up slowly and make your way to the rear exit door, next to the bathrooms. I'll meet you there in two minutes." He paused for a moment. "And don't even think about running or I'll have Rico pull the trigger that's aimed at your boyfriend’s head right now." The line went dead and I gasped, taking in a much needed breath.

I slowly lowered my phone to the table, trying to remain calm as I swallowed my tears. Reed's life depended on me getting out of here quietly without making a scene. I stood up and walked to the rear exit door as he instructed. Every part of me fought the urge to look around the restaurant, hoping to make eye contact with Reed. I wasn't sure what I would do if and when I saw him. Maybe it was just that I wanted to get one last look at him. I wasn't sure what Jake had planned for me, but I could be sure that I'd never see Reed again after tonight.

Not wanting to make Jake even angrier, I kept my head forward and trained on the bright-red exit sign I could see at the end of the hall in front of me. If Jake said Rico had a gun aimed at Reed's head, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that it was true and he would kill him if I gave him even the smallest reason. And maybe even if I didn't. My stomach twisted and my heart ached thinking of Reed getting hurt.

If anything happened to him, it would be my fault. I was selfish in wanting him. I was selfish for putting him in this situation. I was selfish for not telling him the truth. Maybe if I had just told him everything from the beginning, we wouldn’t be in this situation and Reed would be okay.