Page 100 of Cut Me Down

I’ve already blocked the location and tracking for her phone on anyone’s device but mine and Carter’s. I'll have to do the same for Serena’s phone now. Among other things. Keeping her safe also has to become a priority of mine. If anything happened to her, Ashia couldn’t handle it, and there would be no question if she despised me or not.

I make my way out the back window and down the escape to the back entrance of Cut Me Down. Dropping down to the concrete below as softly as possible before walking up to the back door. As I walk up to it, I see Emmett through the crack of the hinges. He's behind the door on the other side. Holding something with a hint of steel in his hands. As I walk through, he tries to raise a shot gun to my face, but I grab it and move it out of the way. He struggles, but I hold him there, and silently pray that doesn't accidentally pull the trigger and alert anyone to my presence.

“Haven’t you people done enough!?” He yells.

“I didn’t do this.” I say gently to him as he relaxes. Quickly realizing who I am.

“Is she alright?” He asks as the fear overtakes his face again. “When I got the call, they said that she wasn't here, and I got so scared. I tried to call Richard…”

“She’s okay, I got here in time.” I assure him, sensing the obvious dread in his voice.

“I-I had to run home. There was a problem with…” I cut him off again. It's not going to do him any good to blame himself.

“They would have found her anyway, Emmett. It’s not your fault. I came to give you this.” I hand him an envelope. It’s a hundred thousand dollars. He won’t count it in front of me, and I'm glad, because I don’t have time. “For the damages, and for Ashia’s absence.”

“How long will she be gone?” He inquires.

“I'm not sure yet, I'm hoping after tonight only a few days as promised. But however long it takes.” I step in closer to him. “Did you get that letter from Dranan Hugo?”

“Yeah, what business opportunity is he talking about?” He crosses his arms.

“He’s going to want you to sell the building to him. I understand you don’t want to, and I’m not telling you to, but I’m afraid he’ll do much worse damage than this if you don’t cooperate. If he tries to reach out before the date in that letter, don’t respond. Just wait until the party. Hopefully I can get rid of him by then.” I look around at just the damage done to this back room, and a deep sense of regret seeps into my bones. What would have happened if I didn’t get here in time? What would have happened to Ashia if a bullet had gone astray or ricocheted and hit her? I notice Emmett looking around with me before his gaze meets mine.

“Did they come here because of you?” He asks seriously.

“I don’t think so. They were looking for Cooper and came to ask Ashia where he was. I don’t know if they thought he was hiding out with her, or if they knew he showed up to kill her but never made it out. I just don’t know. I’m waiting for word from our moles to know for sure.”

“All of this because of that piece of shit. I knew I should’ve done more to help keep her hidden, but I figured after so long and her restraining order that she would be okay. Especially once he moved to Seattle, I thought we’d never see or hear of him again.” He shakes his head lightly.

“This isn’t anyone’s fault but Coopers. He made his bed, and now he’s lying in it somewhere deep inside Hell’s walls. Dust will pay for this. I’ll make sure of it.” I turn to leave, unable to look at the scene and think of the what ifs anymore, when he grabs my arm.

“You take care of her, ya hear me? And when she’s ready to come back…” I jerk my arm away and step up to him so he can feel the seriousness of my response. No one is going to tell me how to take care of my woman.

“She knows she’ll always have a place here, Emmett, and I’ll always take care of her. But let me make one thing extremely clear. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Even if that means she never steps foot inside this building again. You don’t ever have to worry about her well-being with me. Clear?” He then nods, and I make my way back out to the fire escape.

Tony is smart, I'll give him that. When I told him South Park Drive, I didn’t mean the street name towards the north side of town. On the southern part of town, there’s a greenery park that connects to a section of the Greenway outlined in nothing but trees and edible fruit bushes. It’s one of the most peaceful places in town, and people have started to call it ‘The Drive’, because they say it’s like taking a Sunday drive through the countryside when you walk through it. I obviously didn’t trust him enough to give an exact location over a phone call, but I’m impressed he figured it out so easily.

From the investigations the police department has put on our organization, I’m sure Tony knows that we have to use codenames and aliases to stay hidden. Carter checked for any outgoing phone or radio signals around us, and the only one he could find was mine. Tracking pings his phone at his house, and I actually appreciate the thought he put into this meeting. Perhaps he really is looking for help.

He’s here, he just doesn’t see me yet. There aren’t many differences between his DMV photo and how he looks in person. Though, I didn’t expect him to actually have some muscle mass to him. It’s not much, but definitely more than some of the other cops here in town. He came out of uniform, and in his own vehicle while wearing very bland, darker clothing to try and not raise suspicion to anyone who might see him. Though his blonde hair doesn’t do anything to help him hide in the dark. If my girl wasn’t the one that cut his bald fade, I’d think it makes him look like Forest Gump. I stand in the shadows with my hood up to avoid him from seeing my identity and wait until he’s close enough to start talking to him.

“Find out anything else?” He flinches and sharply turns as I scare him. His eyes are wide and he’s obviously paranoid. Serena was right. Pansy-ass momma’s boy. He releases a pent-up breath and clenches his fist together to gain some control.

“They’re being fucking paid.” He says with an anger I wasn’t expecting.

“Yeah, I figured that. How do you know for sure?” I say as I look around. Keeping an eye out for anyone who might be listening.

“I was leaving when the mayor finally left Chief Brantley’s office. He said ‘make sure you rein in your officers, Bruce. I’d rather Hugo give us cash than headstones.’ I never thought the Chief would be so low.” He shakes his head in disappointment, but I’m not dumb enough to stop doubting him right off the bat.

“You’re a better man than most, if you're not with them.” I see the anger visibly show on his face from that comment. His face turns red, and he grinds his teeth. The unsteadiness in his stance changes drastically, and he looks strong as stone now. He’s truly offended and upset at the accusation I made.

“What?” He almost yells but catches himself so he doesn’t draw attention. “If I was with them why the fuck would I ask for your help?”

“A trap. False information. Anything really.” I say as a matter of fact, which only irritates him further.

“I wouldn’t do that!” He looks around when he notices how loud he’s being. “My family has protected this city for…”

“Five generations. Yeah, I saw that too.” He truly seems to be taking this seriously and really is concerned about what is happening. Perhaps he is trustworthy.

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