Page 107 of Hurt Me Not
“Emerson, I love you,” I confessed. “I know I’m the worst assistant in the world, and I'm annoying and a hindrance, but I love you. And all I’ve ever wanted was for you to love me back.”
“Pearl, you're harder on yourself than I could ever be. You’re perfect in every way. I'm sorry. I think I…”
When she stopped talking, I screamed again. I buried my head in her chest and let out the loudest scream I could.
“Don’t!” I screamed. “Don’t leave me alone!”
But this time she didn't answer, and her hand fell to the ground.
“Please! Please, we’re in here! Someone please save her!”
A laugh pulled my attention to her father, who was slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position.
“So fucking pathetic,” he said with another laugh. “You’ve always been so fucking annoying.”
My head snapped to him. Violent rage stormed inside me. My vision tunneled. My blood pressure rose so high I felt seconds away from fainting.
I watched as he reached for the gun, but anger and loss were fueling me now.
“Has anyone ever told you you’d be better off dead?”
I pulled the trigger without hesitation. Multiple shots rang through the air, and I didn’t stop until the mag was empty. Only then did the doors open, and Jax and her team flooded the warehouse.
Her wide eyes caught me immediately, then fell to Emerson.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “Please save her.”
Chapter 26
Pearl
“Ms. Meadows, do you need me to repeat the questions?”
I blinked hard, my mind coming back to the present. The two blobs in front of me came into focus. Police officers. The same ones who had been bothering me for days about the same thing.
My head was pounding. Tiredness was taking over my entire being, sinking into my bones.
“How long are you going to keep bothering me?” My voice was devoid of emotion. I couldn’t bring myself to pretend for them.
“Until you give us an answer on where James Blackwell went,” the one on the right said. His hat hid an obvious balding, and his face was greasy, the harsh fluorescent lighting making it look worse than it probably was.
“I told you I don’t know,” I spat. “My answer isn’t going to change. You’re wasting your time.”
“Do you know what happened to him or not?” the one on the left intervened. My eyes shot to him. His hands rested on his belt, and he was giving me a look that told me he thought I was nothing more than a bug under his foot.
“I’m not answering anything else without a lawyer.”
He tilted his head to the side with a cruel smirk.
“Well, I don’t see one here for you. Come on, just tell us what you know. How about this: we will take you down to the station just for a few questions, and then you can get back to yourfriend?—”
“She’s my girlfriend, you prick,” I hissed.
He visibly puffed. His fellow officer stiffened.
“That’s it, I’m taking you?—”
Perfectly manicured hands and a business card were forced in front of him. All our eyes shot to the woman in a dark red pantsuit and matching heels. Her blue eyes were narrowed at the officer, and her jaw was set.
