Chapter Nineteen
Emma rubbed the dirt away from the window so she was able to see into her apartment. Her stomach dropped. Everything was gone—absolutely everything.
She looked down into the alley where the stairs were located on the side of the building. A shiver raced down her spine as the shadows seem to grow before her eyes. The sun was setting, and it would be dark within minutes. She didn’t have time to dwell on things she couldn’t change.
Emma climbed back down and headed to the house. The utilities should still be on. She didn’t know if it was as bare as the apartment. Devon had never talked about it. The few times she’d brought up wanting to know what happened after Devon got her mom out of the house, he’d told her when he knew the whole story, he’d tell her then.
That had been a few weeks ago.
Fortunately, a taxi was driving by when she got to the street. She hopped in and gave him the address.
“Miss, I have to tell you that this isn’t a good part of the city. You shouldn’t be here by yourself.”
“I know. The time got away from me. Thank you for stopping.”
“I’m glad I was here.”
Her eyes scanned the house she’d grown up in when they pulled over to the curb. She handed the driver some money.
“Thank you, miss. You be careful.”
“Thank you, sir. You, too.” She closed the door and turned to the place she had always loved and felt safe in. Her gaze checked the yard, making a list of the things that needed to be done. She went around to the back and found the key her grandmother had hidden for as long as she could remember.
After she let herself into the house, she turned and locked the door behind her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned on the flashlight. Her first look at the kitchen made her heart drop.
The light above where the table used to sit looked like it was yanked out of the ceiling. Cupboard doors hung off hinges, and broken dishes were scattered all over. The old country kitchen sink was shattered, which made her sick to her stomach.
That had been one of the things she loved the most about the kitchen. The porcelain sink was over a hundred years old, the original one. When they had redone the room, everything was done with the sink in mind. All three of them had loved it and would have never gotten rid of it.
The refrigerator and stove were still there but so dirty she knew it would take her a while to clean.
The first time she had visited the house after her mother was out, the place had been a bit dirty, and some of the antiques were missing because her mother had sold them, but the place had been intact.
Someone had come in afterward and destroyed things, and it made her heart break into a million pieces. The fact she was already hurt because she left Devon made it nearly impossible to take a full breath and keep her limbs from shaking.
Emma walked through the house, and each room took a little more of her control. When she got to her old room and saw the destruction, a sound like a wounded animal escaped her mouth.
She raced into her bedroom closet to a spot she had visited only when her life had been in chaos, and that was usually after her mother had dropped her off after a few days.
She wrapped her arms around her bent knees, laid her head down, and sobbed until she was gasping and gagging, and her eyes were swollen.
The piles of her scattered clothing cushioned her as she lay down and closed her eyes. She just needed a little time to rest, and then she’d start making a list of things that needed to be done.
Fortunately, her mother had been unable to get into the family money, so Emma didn’t have to worry about work right away. She eventually would get a job because she wouldn’t be able to stay home every day and not interact with people.
A little while later, a sound caught her attention. She caught a scuffling sound and whispering. Oh, God, the bad guys were back. She scrambled further back in the closet and behind a box of her stuffed toys and waited.
The people walked up the steps. She could tell they were men by their deep tones. They came down the hallway and stopped in the few rooms before her own.
The air rushed out of her lungs when she heard Devon’s voice. Thank God. She started to move when but stopped when she understood his words.
“When I get my hands on her, she will not be able to sit down for a week.”
Emma shuddered and crouched back. There was no way she’d let him find her when he sounded that angry. She also considered it was better to leave things the way they were. After they left, she’d make sure she sent him a text or an email, telling her to leave her alone.
For the time being, she would hide and pray he didn’t find her.
The light in her bedroom came on, and she bit down on her lip to keep from crying out for him. The thought of never sleeping in his arms at night made the tears start to fall again. God, she would miss him for the rest of her life.
She pressed a hand to her mouth when the closet door opened, and he turned on the light.
“Man, this house is so fucking big, and she’s so damn tiny, it will be next to impossible to find her.”
“I don’t care how long it takes. I will find her tonight,” Devon said.
Emma recognized the man, Zachary, she had met earlier.
Her shoulders relaxed when the closet light turned off and then the bedroom light next. She heard them move down the hallway. She would wait until they went into another room, and then she would fly down the stairs and away.
As quietly as she could, she crawled to the door of the closet and stood. She listened to the sounds coming from another room and started to make her way to the bedroom door. A shadow over her shoulder caught her attention. When she saw Devon standing by her bed with his arms crossed over his chest, staring her way, she didn’t think twice but turned and fled.