Darkness Falls (Darkness Series Book 3) (13 page)

“So,” Scott caught up with me as I opened the front door to head to the library. “You wanna be my partner?”

“That depends.” I smirked. “How invested are you in this project? Because I plan on pulling out all the stops.”

“I’m all in, girl!” He winked, which earned him an eye roll at the obvious sexual innuendo. It had been a year, but I swore Scott still thought he had a chance.

“Emily!” I heard my name called, and every nerve in my body went on high alert. I didn’t need to turn around to know that voice, and it sent my stomach into a knot
every time.
“Join me for dinner, please.”

“Who’s that?” Scott whispered, most likely as he noted the icy tone she brought to her voice whenever she spoke to me.

“That would be my mother.” I swallowed back a frustrated sob. “I’ll call you later. If we’re going to be partners, start thinking.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He stood at attention.

I took a few shaky steps toward her. I could see she wasn’t in her false friendly mode she used in public. My mind flipped through a million and one reasons why she was here or what I’d done now.

“Mother,” I greeted her right before she entered the Town Car. “I once again wasn’t aware you were back in town.”

“I have some business to attend to,” she said in a clipped tone, as she typed away on her phone.

The entire drive home was silent. I stared out the window while she ignored me.

“Are we ordering or cooking tonight, Mother?” I pulled open the fridge.

“Neither, I just wanted to get you home without a fuss.” Gary came out of my father’s office with a file in his hand.
What the hell!

“Oh, hey there, kiddo, I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.” I ground my teeth together. What the hell was that man doing in my father’s office, let alone my home?

“What are you doing?” I pointed to the paperwork.

My mother pulled out a chair at the table. “Sit, Emily, we need to chat.” I took the chair because my thoughts were negative enough already that I feared I might just cry. Gary joined Mother on the other side of the table. He looked a tad smug, and I wanted to smack him.

“Okay, what do you want, Mother?” I just wanted her to get on with it.

“Emily, I have a buyer for the house.” All the air got sucked from my lungs. “They are prepared to offer more than the asking price, but they want to move in by Christmas.”

“What?”

My mother raised her hands as if fending off my anger. Little did she know I was way past that point; I was beyond anger—I was livid! “I have been trying to get you to put it on the market for a long time now, and you’ve obviously been too lazy or too obstinate to get it done, so I had to do it. Now, six months later, I’ve had three inquires, and this latest one is very promising.”

“You had no right to do that,” I hissed as the words ‘buyer’ and ‘move in by Christmas’ burned themselves into my brain. “You can’t legally sell this house at all. It’s under
my
name.”

Gary put his hand on mine but quickly moved it when he felt me flinch as though seared by his touch. “You’re right, kiddo, we can’t sell it. That’s why we need you to sign the house over to your mother and let us handle all the work.”

Mom reached out for Gary’s hand and gave it a little squeeze as she looked at me. “Honey,” she had the gall to beam at me, “Gary and I got married last week.”
Wow
. “Now, I really want to close this chapter of my life so I can move forward and let the past go.”

Heavy, hot tears filled my eyes. I wasn’t sure what I was angrier about—my mother for practically selling my house out from under me, or that she wanted to move on and forget about the life she once had as my mother. Forget about me, my father, and our whole past like we were never a family at all.

I snatched the paperwork from Gary, opened it up, and saw it was the information on my trust fund my father had set up for me. That was it…I was finished.

“Get out!” I growled at both of them, the heat of my anger making me boil. They stared at me. “How
dare
you? Get the fuck out of my house,
now
!” I slowly stood and placed my hands flat on the table to still the impulse to take a swing at one of them. “Leave now before I call the cops and get them to throw you the hell off my property. I’ll have you charged for trying to sell the house illegally.”

“Emily Grace!” My mother scowled. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that. I am your mother—”

“My mother!” I shouted as I started to shake with the adrenaline that pumped through me. “When have you
ever
been my mother?” I blinked back the tears. I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction knowing her words tore me apart. I took a step toward her, and she stepped back, almost tripping over the chair. “Dad signed this house over to me for this very goddamn reason,
Mother
, because you wanted nothing to do with us, even then. I always felt that, but now I have proof. This is
my
home,
my
memories, this is the only piece of Dad I have left. I would fight you to the grave for this property.” I looked at Gary, whose face had lost his sappy expression and now showed his true emotion—anger. “You think you’re fooling anyone, Gary? I see you for what you are. My mother is a cash cow, and your ticket to the rich life.”

“Emily!” my mother snapped.

Gary shook his head to stop her. “Actually, Emily, you are wrong there. Your mother needs the sale of this house. She’s sunk a lot of money into Doctors Without Borders, and we need this money to start a hospital for those unfortunate…”

“Now your tactic is guilt?” I spat back, interrupting him. “Those ‘unfortunate’ people over there have had more of my mother than I ever have, so as far as I’m concerned, we’re even.”

“Jenny, honey.” He suddenly took another tack. “Could you grab my phone from the car? I want to show Emily the apartment we found her.”

“Of course, what a great idea.” She smiled as she moved out to the living room.

I turned to Gary and saw his face had changed again. It was ugly. “Don’t even, Gary. I’ll ship mother’s shit to wherever, but you both get out of my fucking house!”

“Watch your mouth, my dear.” Gary suddenly stood to tower over me. “This isn’t over.”

“Wow, really? Are you threatening me, Gary?”

He gave me an icy look, then changed it to a sickly sweet smile as Mother returned to the room. “No, kiddo, I’m just making sure we’re on the same page, that’s all.” She gave Gary a quick glance. I swore she knew what he just said to me.

“It’s time for you both to leave.” I grabbed my phone as if to make a call and swallowed back a little fear. I really didn’t know anything about this man.

Gary wrapped an arm around my mother. “Perhaps you’re right.” They turned to leave, but Gary twisted back to face me before he stepped out the door. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Emily.”

I glanced at my mother to see if she was scared of Gary. Perhaps that was why she wasn’t speaking up. I couldn’t tell if she or he was mastermind on this little game they were playing. “Mom?” I nearly cried as I barely held it together.

She looked at me with a resigned expression. “All you need to do, dear, is sign the papers. I simply don’t understand why you are so attached to this damn place. It’s just a house. We have a lovely apartment chosen for you.”

“Maybe to you, but it’s not to me. Why can’t you just leave it alone? For once in your life, give me something I care about without hurting me.”

She shook her head and checked the time. “Always so dramatic, Emily.” She sighed at Gary. “This was pointless. Let’s go.”

The moment they left, I locked the door and set the alarm. I hurried upstairs and into the guest bedroom, where Seth’s boxes were stored from when he moved in. I yanked them free and headed into my mother’s bedroom. I usually never went in there; it made me uncomfortable.

I started to shove all her belongings into the boxes, not that there was much. I didn’t care. I removed anything she could say was hers. I started to cry as the conversation replayed in my head. Why did she have to do this? Why wasn’t it she who died instead of Dad? The good always died first!

By the time I was done, I’d filled four large boxes. I taped them shut and tossed them down the stairs, then sat on the step and pulled out my phone.

Emily: Are you at the station?

Nothing.

Emily: Is Seth with you?

Garrett: I just wrapped things up. Seth is helping Ronnie.

I wanted to scream!

Garrett: You okay?

Emily: Any idea how long he’ll be?

Garrett: At least another hour. Can I help?

I grabbed my keys and filled the car with her boxes. I just wanted to get rid of them.

“Hey, you moving?” Travis joked behind me. His face dropped when he saw I was in tears. “Oh my God, are you all right?”

“No,” I kicked the last box hard and jammed it in the trunk, “I’m not!”

“Emily, what’s wrong? Did he hurt you?”

I barely listened to him. All I wanted was to toss all this crap in the trash. “Hurt doesn’t begin to describe how I’m feeling!”

“Here.” Travis twisted the box so it fit then closed the trunk. “I knew he wasn’t good for you.”

“He’s perfect for her! Match made in hell!” I hissed and opened the driver door.

“Where are you going?”

“I can’t look at this stuff anymore. I’m over it.”

He bent down into my window. “You want me to go with you?”

“No.” I couldn’t even smile to be friendly. “Thanks; I just need this to be over.”

“Okay, why don’t you come over for a drink tonight? Just so you’re not alone.”

I closed my eyes and fought a new round of tears. “Yeah—maybe, thanks.”

I barely remembered the drive over to Gary’s stupid club. I parked at a red curb, only to have the bouncer comment.
Thanks, asshole!
I opened the back door and started to chuck boxes on the sidewalk. Then I emptied the trunk as well. The bouncer merely watched. He didn’t react, and he didn’t offer to help. Although I imagined I looked terrible at that point, I didn’t care.

“Tell Gary this is all of his wife’s crap. She’s no longer my problem.”

The bouncer muttered something into a radio, then nodded at me. “Anything else?”

“Yeah,” I pulled open my door. “Tell him to fuck off, and I’ll see him in court if I have to!”

I jumped in my car, pulled a U-turn without even looking to see if anything was coming, and got the hell out of there.

***

“Hey there, Emily,” Lou greeted me as I walked straight past him into the back offices. I was way beyond the point where I need to check in anyway. I nodded once, and he nodded back. “Emily.” He stopped me and pointed down a hallway. “He’s down there, second witness room on your left. Been a busy day, and they needed some quiet.”

“Thanks.” I hurried in that direction. I just needed to be in his arms before I broke down again.

I reached for the handle but stopped when I looked in the window. A long-legged brunette stepped into Seth and locked lips with him.

I stepped back immediately and into someone’s chest. “Hey, McPhee, what’s up?” Avery’s hands flew to my shoulders as I bumped into him. He looked inside the office and closed his eyes. “Oh, Em, sorry you saw that.” He rubbed his face. “She’s been after him since she arrived at the station.” He took my arm and hurried me down the hallway and back toward the front door.

“Who is she?” I barely got out.

“Ronnie…Ronnie.”

“Ronnie? Is a…girl?” I bit my lip. This was all too much. “So all these late nights, our date he forgot, he was with her?” I held my stomach as it moved violently. The walls closed in on me. I needed to get out of there. “I need to go.”

“Wait, Emily.” He hooked my arm. “Where are you going? Tell me, at least.” My chin quivered, evidence that I was about to lose it. “Oh, come here.” He pulled me into his arms and gave me a stiff hug. Avery wasn’t normally a touchy-feely person. “Life sucks sometimes, and you were dealt a shitty hand.” I sobbed and held onto his arms, needing something to ground me. “Look.” He pulled away and bent down so we were eye level. “Ronnie is new. Once people get word what’s going on, they’ll eat her alive. You know we all love you.”

“Funny, I thought Seth did too,” I said bitterly. I shook my head and attempted to clear the fog. “I gotta go.” I couldn’t think about that. “Thank you, though.”

The clouds hung low, the wind picked up, and the sea turned violent. Large raindrops bounced off my windshield and sent trails down to the wipers, much like the tears that were running down my cheeks. My chest was wet with them and heavy with pain.

Only one other car besides mine was in the beach parking lot. I didn’t know where to go. I felt lost in a sea of anger, hurt, betrayal, and deep, deep sadness.