“The fuck is she doing?” Gage asks as we all walk toward her house. The streetlamps are on, but we stay as close to the shadows of the trees as we can.
We all watch as she paces back and forth in front of the windows pulling at her hair. I understand that she’s upset with me, but this is more than that. Her movements are jumpy and she’s destroying things in her own home. It’s a psychotic break.
Tripp blows out a breath and adjusts his hat. “You think she’s got Sav in there?”
“Hope not,” Heston says. “Cause that’s a fucking Glock.”
He points toward the house and we all turn to look. Through the window illuminated by a chandelier in the living room, Emma pulls a handgun off the mantle and turns it over in her hand.
Gage pulls a gun out of the back of his waistband and checks the chamber.
None of us are surprised that Gage was packing, but I’d secretly hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. The options of how to handle this start running through my head. With the guys as backup, I could walk up to the house myself and see if she’d let me in.
I have no idea if Savannah is there or not, but I’m not willing to risk waiting to find out when Emma clearly has a weapon.
With a sigh, I turn to Heston. “You got anything?”
He nods and Tripp starts laughing, pulling his hat off his head and looking back at the truck down the street. “Man, I didn’t bring anything.”
“It’s fine neither did I. So we’ll split up,” I say with a newfound urgency. I may feel a little helpless and not completely confident about what to do, but I have no idea whether or notSavannah is in more danger than anyone realizes, so the clock is ticking. I have to keep my cool anddosomething. “Heston, come with me to the front door. Gage and Tripp, y’all go around back. See if you can find a way inside to look around while we try and get Emma talking.”
“Did you call the cops out here? Should we wait?”
“Yeah, they’re trying to keep protocol. Not sure I have the patience to wait on their asses.” I probably would have been willing to sit tight and wait for them to show up if I hadn’t seen Emma through the window with that gun. “Let’s go.”
Tripp and Gage veer off to the side of the house, slipping through the gate in the backyard as quietly as they can. Last I knew, she didn’t have a dog. So as long as they don’t make enough noise to alert Emma that they’re lurking around, they should be able to try the windows and doors for a way in.
I stalk up the cement walkway toward the front door with Heston slightly behind me. Before I reach up and press the doorbell, he reaches behind his back, adjusting his shirt over his gun, and then gives me a sharp nod.
It’s silent for a moment once the ding of the doorbell echoes on the other side of the door. I cross my arms and take a deep breath, but then think better of it and put them back down casually at my side. If I’m going to get her to let us in and talk, I don’t want to seem imposing.
When the front door swings inward, I bite down on my molars to keep me from stalking toward her, pinning her against the wall, and demanding some answers. One hand is behind her back, her hair is a ruffled mess, and she’s chewing on the side of her lip relentlessly.
“Hi, Emma. I was hoping we could have a chat,” I say in the most even voice I can manage at the moment.
Her eyes dart between me and Heston, but she doesn’t open the door any wider or step back to let us in. “What’s he doing here?”
“He was just with me when I decided to stop by and check on you,” I lie. She still doesn’t usher us inside, so I take a chance and gingerly step over the threshold.
Her lips form a thin line as I pass by her and walk into the house. She tries at first to close the door behind me, but Heston’s hand shoots out and stops it from slamming in his face. Any person, man or woman, would cower at his expression. Emma twitches with annoyance, slumps her shoulders, and steps out of the way after realizing that he isn’t going to take no for an answer.
As my gaze rakes over the dining room table just off the front entryway of the house, I spot several pill bottles and empty small plastic bags. She must catch on to what I’m looking at because she shuffles in front of me to cut off my line of sight. When she steps within a few feet of me, Heston’s footsteps creep closer behind me.
I inhale through my nose and eye the hand behind her back. There aren’t any sounds coming from the back of the house, so either Tripp and Gage are better at being quiet than I thought, or they can’t find a way in.
“Emma. I need to ask you again if you’ve seen or heard from Savannah.”
She narrows her eyes at me and in a flash, her once-hidden arm whips around in front of her. With the barrel of her gun in my face, I raise both of my hands in the air. Her chest rises and falls with an angry huff with the sound of Heston turning the safety off of his gun behind me. He moves to the side of us with it trained on Emma.
“You’ll never find her,” she grits through her teeth, moving her aim between Heston and me frantically. “Itoldyou. She’s gone.”
“Let’s put the guns down and talk about it without anyone getting hurt,” I coax her.
“No!” Emma screams. “Quit worrying about her and start worrying aboutus, Warren. I was good when I had you and I’m getting you back now. The problem is finally out of the way. You don’t have to think about her anymore, don’t you see? I’m right here and she’snot!”
Her words are grating and rushed. I swallow hard, mulling over what she could mean bythe problem is finally out of the way. My patience with her is wearing thin and I want to demand information, but my options are limited. Any further escalation is going to result in someone hurt or worse.
With her free hand, she scratches the side of her face and her eyes begin to well with heavy unshed tears. It hits me that she is unwell, plain and simple.