Pulse (Collide) (13 page)

Emily looked up from her desk to the clock on the wall. “One minute left.”

Scurrying from their seats and into a jumbled line, fifteen first graders slung their backpacks over their shoulders, tripping over one another to be first to the door.

“Miss Cooper, will you be here tomorrow?”

Emily walked over to the wide-eyed girl, her dimpled smile waiting patiently for Emily’s answer. Emily knelt down in front of the child. “I sure will. Mrs. Nelson won’t be back until next week.” The little girl’s smile widened as she brushed wisps of blonde hair away from her face that’d made their way out of a tight braid. The bell chimed, and the race began. “Don’t forget to bring in your permission slips for the field trip next month.” Emily glanced down the line as each child hastily shuffled past her. A percussion of “Okays” erupted along with a rumble of chatter through the hall as they fled from the room, excitement dotting each tiny face.

On a sigh, Emily stood and made her way to her desk where she gathered papers she needed to grade. After shoving them into her canvas bag, she scooped up a novel she’d begun reading during her lunch break. Walking over to the door, she gave the classroom one last glance and exited the room. She’d barely turned the corner when she ran smack into Laura Fitzgerald, another substitute teacher who’d started a few weeks before. Native to New York and what Emily would consider a “Club-O-Holic,” Emily was pretty sure what she was about to say.

“Just who I was looking for. We’re going out tonight.” The tall, leggy brunette smiled, her brown eyes wide with excitement. “Webster Hall’s having ladies night this evening. Wanna come? Brooke, Cary, Stephanie, Angie, and Melinda are going. I know it’s a Thursday, but hey, you only live once, right? We’ll all snooze while they’re in library tomorrow.”

Clubbing assumption correct, Emily smiled and continued making her way past the front office. “I can’t. I’m going out to dinner tonight with my boyfriend.” Emily shrugged into her coat. “Next week?”

Laura frowned, then realization crossed her features. She raised a plucked-to-perfection brow, a curious grin sliding across her lips. “The new boyfriend?”

Smiling, Emily nodded and made a show of checking her watch. Wanting to pick up something to wear for the evening, she’d planned on trekking a few blocks over to a small boutique Olivia had showed her when she’d first moved to New York. Still needing to stop at the post office to drop off a change of address, she knew she’d be pressed for time to get ready.

“Maybe swing on by after dinner?” Laura asked hopefully, keeping pace with Emily as she pushed through the front doors.

“Yeah. Maybe. I’ll text you later.” As they stepped out into the frigid, mid-December air, Emily wrapped her scarf around her neck. “I have some papers to grade. If I can get them done early enough, I’ll come out for a while.”

“Shit,” Laura exclaimed, turning back into the building. “I forgot my keys. Sounds like a plan. We’ll be there after ten.”

Emily waved and watched Laura disappear into the school. After sliding on her gloves, she started down the stairs. The parking lot had mostly emptied, the school busses gone. A winter breeze plucked at the hem of her pencil skirt as she reached in her purse for the forms she would need to give to the post office. Her heart fluttered when she glanced at Gavin’s address. Still afraid they were possibly moving too fast, Emily soaked in the fact that when Gavin looked at her, his eyes moved over her face as though memorizing every line and curve. He’d easily led her through the maze of conflict they’d found themselves in with love and determination she’d never experienced. In difficult conversations, he’d mentally held her hand as though keeping her from falling off a cliff. He soothed her, loved her, and admired every flaw she had. But above everything, he’d never given up on her. Two magnets drawn together from the beginning, even when she’d threatened to tear them apart, Gavin was the one who kept them together. Emily simply cemented their fate when she showed up in Mexico. A trip she’d never regret.

Sighing with warmth from a future filled with the unknown, but one she was sure would bring them to where she and Gavin needed to be, Emily’s stomach fell away when she heard Dillon’s voice calling her name. Her pulse pounded, the sound of it loud in her ears. A small gasp left her lips as her eyes widened, her vision filling with darkness in the bright, late afternoon sun. She shivered and turned in his direction. Arms crossed, leaning against his car, he stood across the street, his eyes pinned to hers. Without a second thought, Emily pulled her phone out of her purse.

“What are you going to do, Em? Call the cops?” he yelled, his voice stinging through the air like a hive of angry bees. “I’m more than a hundred feet away from you, and I’m not on the school property.”

Emily didn’t look up, nor did she answer him. She opened her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed 911. When the dispatcher came on the line, Emily heard Dillon laugh.

“911. What’s the nature of your emergency?” the female asked.

“I need an officer at Hamilton and Stone Avenues,” Emily stammered. Her eyes snapped between Dillon and the half-empty parking lot.

Dillon shook his head, his smile maliciously bemused as he strolled across the street, both hands tucked in his pants pockets.

Unable to move, terror chained Emily to the ground as she watched him step onto the sidewalk. Panic beaded in her stomach. “I’m in the parking lot of Brody Elementary School. I have an order of protection against my ex, and he’s here.”

“What’s your name?” the dispatcher questioned. Her tone was so insanely calm, it scared Emily. Staring at Dillon, Emily swallowed, her words stuck in her throat. She didn’t answer. “Miss? Are you still there? I need your name.”

With each uneven breath Emily took, and memories warning her mind, Dillon’s whispered threats pulsated through her thoughts.
“You’ll force me to hurt you both.”

Both…

Her natural instinct to run turned into something else. Sliding her phone closed, Emily waded through her dread of him being there as her fear bubbled into anger. She had pure, honest, and good now with Gavin, and she understood the evil in Dillon more so. She had happiness beyond comprehension and loathed the misery she’d once allowed. She had pleasure and no longer endured pain. Though she felt as if she couldn’t breathe and a clamor of nerves danced in her gut, the desire to no longer remain his prisoner, or allow him to hurt Gavin, overtook her. She stepped forward, her shaky legs leading her straight in Dillon’s direction.

Standing just beyond the chain-link fence surrounding the school, Dillon cocked his head to the side. He sent her a shark’s smile, all teeth. “I’ll repeat it for you, so maybe you’ll understand this time. I’m not on the property. I’m on the sidewalk. I may not have measuring tape with me, but I’m good at math. I’m still more than a hundred feet away.”

“The cops are coming, Dillon.” She meant the words to sound strong, but somehow Emily sensed he knew they weren’t.

“I loved you, and you actually made me hate you,” he growled, his eyes liquid poison. “How could you do this to me? I took care of you and you fucking embarrass me the way you did?”

“You think you took care of me?” Shocked, Emily stared at him, her tone sharpening. “You know what? I take that back. For a while, you had me convinced you were taking care of me, but you had me fooled. You knew what I went through as a child. What I saw. You promised you’d never turn into those men, and you did. I just didn’t realize it when it started happening. You used my mother’s death against me. You knew I was vulnerable, and you ate it up. That’s not love. That’s sick and twisted. And just a bit of information for you, Dillon. Love’s not being embarrassed at what happened. Love’s being heartbroken over the way things ended between us.”

“You don’t think I’m fucking hurt?” He went to step forward but stopped.

“No,” Emily answered. “I don’t think you’re hurt. I think your ego’s bruised. You never loved me. Never.”

Fists balled at his sides, he clenched his teeth. “I did love you, but you fucked my friend!” Emily felt that all too familiar fear creeping back in. She fought against it as she continued to stare at the man who’d meant everything to her before he tore them apart. “And just a bit of information for
you
, I didn’t use your mother’s death against you. You fell the fuck apart, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I did the best I could.”

“Did you think I wasn’t going to fall apart?” Emily choked back a sob. “She was my mother, Dillon! My mother!”

Dillon shrugged, a wicked chuckle flying past his lips. “Your relationship with her was strained. Give me a break.”

Emily eyes went wide, her pulse thudding wildly. “What does that have to do with anything? Strained or not, she was all I knew.” Emily paused, unable to believe the monster he’d hidden beneath a camouflage of good for so long. “You’re a fake. A chameleon. Where, in that shallow heart of yours, did you even conjure up the ability to do what you did for her before she died? Tell me. Because I can’t begin to even understand it.”

“Neither can I.” Another shrug as his darkened eyes stared into hers. “As fucked up as she was, she didn’t deserve my help. No wonder you gave up on her right before she died. Even you knew the mess she was. You couldn’t even help her. Or should I say—didn’t want to help her.”

Even though she knew he was continuing his rampage to hurt her, Emily’s world stopped, anger coiling deep in her veins. “Go to hell,” she hissed. “You’re cut from your mother’s evil flesh. It’s obvious you enjoyed being in jail because you’re about to go back. This time, it’ll be longer than a few days. I only wish they could drag her with you for giving birth to such an asshole.”

“Fuck off, whore,” he growled. “I’m not going to jail. I know my rights and my limits.” He leisurely rocked back on his heels. “Again, I’m on the sidewalk, and there’s not a fucking thing you can do about it, Emily. Not one fucking thing.” He looked down the block at a group of teenagers crossing the street and brought his eyes back to hers, the malice in them pinning her like a target. “That is… unless you want to call Gavin and tell him I’m here.” Pausing, he shook his head and laughed. “Now, that would be some fun. I’ll go back to jail—and enjoy every single second—knowing you had to watch me beat his ass to a fucking pulp right here on this very sidewalk. That’d be worth a few nights of my freedom.”

As though he’d turned on a switch in her head, something inside her shifted, something words couldn’t describe. She clenched her canvas bag, her fingers digging into her palm. She made her voice sound unaffected though she felt anything but. “That’s right, Dillon, idle threats. Something you’ve always been good at.” She cocked a brow, feigning disinterest. “You barely draw blood. I, out of anyone, would know that. Right?” She lifted her hand, rubbing the spot on her lip where he’d hit her. “Just so you know, it barely stung. My first graders can throw a better punch.”

“You fucking cunt,” came his retort, the words spewing out of him as if they tasted of acid. Mindful to remain on the sidewalk, he inclined his head and spit at her.

It didn’t reach, but Emily didn’t dodge it either. She stayed as still as stone. Her breath rattled in her throat as she stared at him, her heart thumping. A man’s voice caught her attention. Stepping back, she watched an officer ease from a patrol car, the casualness in his stride unnerving.

Hands on his hips, deep lines gouged his face as he approached. “What’s going on here?”

Emily shoved her hand in her purse, pulling out her court documents. “I have an order of protection—”

“Nothing,” Dillon said. “She’s wasting your time.” He shot Emily a glare, and yanked his wallet from his back pocket. “Here’s my PBA card.” He passed the card through the fence. “My uncle’s been a detective at the Brooklyn North narcotics in Bed-Stuy for the last twenty years.”

The officer looked it over. He nodded, a smile lifting his mouth. “Look at that.” He slid the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association card back through the fence. “I bet he knows Anthony Armenio.”

“I grew up with Anthony Jr. and Anna.” Dillon looked into Emily’s eyes, his stare cold as he slipped the card back into his wallet. “My uncle used to bring me down to the—”

“Excuse me,” Emily interrupted, shoving the documents into the officer’s hand. “I hate to interfere with this friendly conversation, but he’s violated an order of protection from the court.”

“I haven’t
violated
anything,” Dillon argued, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Patience depleted, Emily snapped her head in Dillon’s direction. “Yes, you have! You’re not supposed to fucking be here!”

“Hey, hey,” the cop warned as he glared at Emily. “Calm down.”

“I will not calm down,” Emily rebuked, flicking her eyes to his badge. “It’s your job to keep him away from me,
Officer
McManus.
” She stepped back and crossed her arms. “
Please
do the job my tax dollars pay for, and take a look at the order.”

With a lift of his brow, the cop rubbed his chin. Aggravation danced over his features, but nonetheless he tore his stare from Emily’s. Looking at the papers in his hand, and appearing to be in no hurry, he flipped through them. “He hasn’t violated this order, Miss Cooper.” He handed the papers back to her. “As far as I can tell,
you
may have violated the order, though.”