“Look, guys, I’ve got some information that I don’t think you’re going to like.” Creed started. “This might be bigger than just a stalker. I tracked her back to all the places she’s lived since she left home. In each place, there’s been several gruesome murders.” He paused pulling up something on his phone, showing it to them. “This was the last girl. Nearly identical to your Emily.”
Looking at the picture in horror, he felt bile rise up. Forcing it down, he studied the photo. She was young, had curly blonde hair like Em; even her body was a damn near perfect match. “Son a bitch.” He bellowed handing the phone to Coop. The way her body had been carved up was horrifying— slices all across her arms and legs. The ones on her breasts were the worst. With the slashes going from her nipples and slicing down the sides of them to look like a star made him want to smash his hand through the nearest wall.
Watching Coop study the phone, he was unsurprised to see the constant laughter in his eyes dim, his jaw went as hard as granite, and his knuckles were white from squeezing the phone so tight. “He touches her and I’ll rip his fucking limbs from his body and beat him like a motherfucking piñata!” Coop promised on a dark growl.
“We’re fucking with ya, guys. This sick fuck needs to be taken out,” Linc said sounding just as pissed off as them. “There’s been a total of seven girls that we’ve been able to find so far. But I’m betting there was even more before he found Emily and fixated on her.”
“What else do you have? The police still think she’s faking this bullshit,” Dane said angrily. Every time he thought about the police from her hometown thinking she was off her rocker, he wanted to go smash their faces in.
“Actually,” Creed started with a sadistic smile in place. “We stopped in good ol’ Lincoln, Nebraska before coming here and it seems the detective assigned to her case was one of those good ole boys who thinks every woman cries wolf just because he was burned before. But after Linc did a little convincing, they’re more than willing to give us everything we asked for,” he said smugly.
Looking at Linc, he could only imagine what he did or said to convince them to his way of thinking. He didn’t know Creed and Linc’s entire background, but he knew enough that their mom was married to an abusive man at one point, for years.
Hearing a small moan cut off any other thoughts, Dane rushed to the side of her bed and carefully grabbing her hand with the IV in it. “Em? Baby girl, you’re ok,” he told her, leaning down to kiss her cheek softly as Coop did the same on the other side.
“We’ll go get the doctor,” Creed told them as they walked out.
Watching her intently he waited for her eyes to open, hoping she was alright and praying she didn’t hate them. Though he wouldn’t blame her if she did.
Watching her eyes flutter open and lock onto his, he felt great relief that her look seemed to soften even in pain. He could tell she didn’t blame them. “Hi.” She croaked out. Looking to Coop she put her hand on his cheek, rubbing it with her thumb.
Tightening her other hand around his, he brought it up to his mouth to kiss each of her fingers. “How you feeling, baby?” Coop asked her.
With a shaky smile she tried to play it off, but they could see the shadow of pain in her gorgeous green eyes. “I won’t lie, getting shot fuc—frigging hurts.” She amended when Coop narrowed his eyes at her. “But I’ll live. I think.” She tried to laugh but ended up groaning in pain as the doctor walked in followed by Kennedy and Keeley; who both had tears in their eyes.
“Miss Baxter, glad to see you awake.” The doctor greeted. “I’m Dr. Kosta. You were shot just above the hip bone; a complete through and through. No damage was done, luckily. It was a quick clean-up on our end.” He explained while reading her chart. Looking up at her finally, he said, “You’ll be able to go home in the morning. We have you on antibiotics to stave off infection. Are you in any pain?”
“A little bit.” She meekly answered.
Nodding his head, he said to her, “I’ll send the nurse in with some pain killers for you. In the meantime, do you have any other questions for me?”
Shaking her head no, he quickly left the room.
When the girls rushed forward, he and Coop quickly got up, telling them that they’d be outside before going to see all the guys out in the hall.
“You didn’t have to come. I’ll be fine.”
“Fuck that. Of course, we did, Emily. You were shot!” Kennedy exclaimed letting the first tear slip free. Emily watched it rush down her cheek and land soundlessly on the sheet beside her. Grabbing her hand, she tried to reassure them both that she would be alright.
“I promise, I’m good. It hurts like a motherfucker, but I’ll heal.”
“Language!” They heard Coop yell from the hallway, causing them to break out in a fit of girlish giggles.
“He’s always doing that.” Emily complained.
“Nathaniel and Tyler are the same with me, so I feel your pain, Emmy.” Keeley smiled wistfully.
“Oh my God, Keeley! With everything going on, I haven’t been able to see how you are? Dane told me what happened. Are you ok?” She worriedly asked.
Sighing, Keeley told them everything that happened that morning after they left. How she heard a vehicle pulling up and foolishly thought it was her men, but instead it was her father and he was there to kill her. They still didn’t know how he found her but suspected it might have been from the diner she worked at before meeting her guys.
She was so calm and collected after explaining it all that Emily wondered if she wasn’t holding back for her benefit. “Keeley?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“How are you really? That couldn’t have been easy. I mean it was your dad. I just can’t even begin to imagine how you felt then and now.”
“I feel disconnected to it all, I guess.” Pausing in thought, she continued. “I mean he was never really a father to me, ya know? I always knew one day it would come down to him or me. Thankfully, Nathaniel and Tyler c