Page 62 of Emeric

My hands twisted together. Hearing Sheldon say that felt like I was being delivered the news all over again.

“Syl…” He moved to stand in front of me, then took my hands in his. “Look at me.”

I shook my head, words not forming. What I wouldn’t give to find a quiet place to curl into a ball and cry in. There was nowhere in this building that was mine. No space where I could feel completely safe to break down. Emeric and Oleander wouldn’t judge me. They’d seen me fall apart. This was different though. This was a life-altering change.

The elevator suddenly stopped. I looked up to see Sheldon had hit the button to halt it. Seconds later, his phone rang.

“We’re good,” he said into it. “Just give us a few.” Sheldon put the phone back into his pocket and focused on me again. “Talk to me.”

“I… can’t.”

“Okay, then let’s sit.” He lowered himself to the floor while holding on to my hand. “C’mon. This is just you and me. Fuck everyone else.”

I gave in and sat. My legs were shaky, my breath sawing in and out of my chest.

“Good, now I’m going to fill you in on something. You know about my past, right?” I nodded. “Okay, what I’ve learned over the years is that home isn’t a place. I mean, it is, but to me, home is Forest. I could live anywhere in the world as long as I had him. I’m not telling you to go confess your love for Ollie and Em, especially if you’re not ready. But maybe a shift in thought will help. You’ve been here a week now. I’ve seen you walking around. You’re comfortable.”

“Because I knew it wasn’t permanent.”

“Sylvan…”

I blew out a breath. “Fine. I was becoming comfortable, but I’m losing my home. I’m allowed to be upset about that.”

“Of course you are, and rightfully so. Do you think Jordan isn’t going to give you another home? You know him. He’ll go out of his way to make this up to you and give you somewhere that you can love again. While the upheaval is fucking brutal, it’s temporary. He’ll make this right.”

“What if it’s too far? What if…”

“Talk to Jordan. I’m sure he’ll be by to see you. Find a location that works for both of you. Also, if you think you can move away and Ollie won’t drive to see you, you’re wrong. He’s had it bad for you for so long. And I see the way Em looks at you both. This could be an opportunity to build something for all of you, not just a home for you alone. If you want it, that is. No one’s going to push you into doing something you’re not ready for, but you can’t go back, Syl. Only forward.”

His words were the truth. That didn’t make them any easier to accept.

28

EMERIC

Oleander was as confused as I was as to why Sylvan walked out. I understood he was upset, rightfully so. Why couldn’t he talk to us though? It stung how he needed to leave to breathe and process this.

I wanted to go after him, to talk to him, to hold him. Oleander said to leave him be. We didn’t want to seem too pushy or like we were smothering him. To wait idly while he was upset was ripping my heart from my chest.

The door to the apartment opened suddenly, pulling my eyes to it, only it was Jordan.

Jordan appeared as upset as we were. “Where is he?”

“He needed some air,” Oleander told him.

Jordan immediately withdrew his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen, and put it to his ear. “Where?” A few seconds later, he ended the call. “He’s behind the building. Kayli’s tailing him. I need to make this right.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I reminded him. “It’s mine. Whoever this is wants me, and you and Sylvan got caught up in it.”

“When Lawson found the location of the safe house listed, there was also a list of details from one of Sylvan’s books. How the safe house and a character’s house were both similar and different. I’d read the book in question. Sylvan had used some details from the house, but nothing that would make it obvious. Even if it was the same, his readers would have never known it was his own home.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. They threatened me. Why would they be after him?”

Jordan shrugged. “I don’t pretend to know what goes on inside people’s minds. I’d rather put a bullet in this person’s head than try to figure it out. Either they want you, Sylvan, or me. Whatever the case may be, it’s a big game to them. Fuck with you first, then Sylvan. When that didn’t elicit whatever reaction they were after, they exposed my safe house—Sylvan’s home—in another attempt for attention. The question, which I hate, is what will they do next?”

And here I thought it wouldn’t get much worse. That it was just someone fucking with me. It could have been a distraught customer or someone I’d put in jail. Now, I had nothing.

“What are you going to do about the safe house?” Oleander asked. “We have nowhere to go now.”