Page 114 of Only for Love
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Grayson
My molars might shatter for how hard I’m grinding them. My head hurts from the last few hours, but especially after Emma hid out in the bathroom. Ryan didn’t stand a chance, but his call-in-the-best-friend ploy deserves a little credit. Sarah popped into the bathroom and came out with a beautiful, albeit exhausted and distraught-looking, Emma Kingsley.
Damn.In that second, I want my name on hers more than I want to breathe. EmmaFord. That is how it should be.
I take a harsh breath and clench my fists, trying to focus on the situation at hand. Ryan and I were joined by Brock. Soon after that, the man who gave me a thumbs-up at Titan arrived. Turned out he—Jared—owns that whole company. Both dudes didn’t give a shit what any of the cops said, and with the exception of Ryan, they cleared the badges out of Emerald’s when Bruno and his gang of thugs were arrested.
All I know is Delta got to work tearing the place apart, looking for intel and whatever else without me. Big surprise. Fight in VIP? Check. A fuck-off from the team because I was sticking close to my girl? Check.
I quickly move to Emma and claim her from Sarah’s side. Both girls have wide eyes. Maybe they weren’t expecting us to be waiting, but that’s how it goes. Titan has questions that only Emma can answer, and I’m not leaving her side. Neither is Ryan.
“Come on.” With her under my arm, I guide her to the main seating area, where the lights have been turned up.
“Hang on, buddy.” Sarah takes her other arm. “We’ll be back.”
“Em—”
Sarah scowls. “Seriously, Grayson, give her a minute. We’ve got to get cleaned up.”
“I’m fine,” Emma offers. “I want to change.”
I narrow my eyes. I know that she’ll be fine, but I don’t want to let go. Still, I do. “Do your thing. We’ll be here.”
The two women disappear, and Brock and Jared grab a seat and huddle over a discussion they obviously don’t want us to be part of. I exhale hard, out of frustration more than exhaustion, then turn toward Ryan. We haven’t spoken, other than the necessary conversation points.
I rock back on my heels. “So, a cop, huh?”
He nods. “Always the plan.”
I nod too. “Right.”
Ryan shifts then runs his hands through his hair. Slowly, he shakes his head. “I didn’t know this crap.”
Bet not. “Seems like if that girl keeps a secret, she does it well.”
Ryan breaks his scowl with a harsh laugh. “Yeah, maybe.” His eyes jump past me, and the girls’ voices enter the room before they do.
They walk in, Emma in jeans and a T-shirt. She’s wiped the streaks of makeup off her face, but her red eyes are still puffy. Her smile has resurfaced though. It’s more confident than I would’ve expected. I don’t know why I expect her to still be shaken. I should have remembered that Emma’s a fighter. She’s resilient.
“Alright.” Jared stands and walks her way. “You met Brock.” He gestures with his head toward the Delta team leader. “I’m Jared Westin. I want to know what you know. Let’s chat.”
The man has an edge that shows the world he’d kill first and ask questions later. But in that grumbling request to talk, there’s something about the way he asks that implies that she should trust him.
Emma nods, and Jared looks to me as though seeking my permission. Fuck if I know why. He hasn’t said more than five words to me. There’s no way I have this job, so why does he care? But I nod.
Sarah wanders over to us as Emma joins them on the other side of the room. I glance around. Not a damn good thing has ever come out of these places. I hate them. Just when my molars are grinding again, Sarah squares up to me.
“Hey, we need to talk.” This little girl half my size and weight has her hands on her hips, and she’s scowling at me as if I were the one with a secret stripper job.
My eyebrow rises. “About?”
“You. Buddy.”
Christ.Over Sarah’s shoulder I catch a glimpse of Ryan fighting a laughing smile.Shit.I paint on a smile and get ready for whatever comes my way. “Alright, sweetheart. I’m game to talk.”
“Oh, no way, Mister Back In the Picture. I’m immune to the looks-and-charms thing you have going on, and I’m crazy happy for Emma and—” She catches herself, momentarily slowing her lecture-slash-ass-chewing.
