Page 74 of Fighting For Light
“I’ll call Liam,” Emerson grunts.” Are you sure he wasn’t here for you?” he asks.
“No, I’m not, but I didn’t like the way he was looking at them.” He’s silent for a moment, and I keep checking my surroundings. Every instinct in my body tells me something is off.
“Hello?” Liam says.
“Someone was watching Cordi and Mom,” Emerson says.
“Dammit. I’ll check cameras,” Liam spits. “What’s the plan? If they are putting eyes on Cordi and Mom, it makes me think our esteemed father has multiple games at play.”
“And we don’t know the new rules,” I mutter.
“Okay, Mom needs to move hotels tonight. You both need to move the RV, get on the road, or get a hotel. Your next stop is Cali, right?” Emerson asks. I grunt in agreement.
“I think Mom and Liam need to go on a surf trip,” I say.
“Awe, come on, man. I was just with her for two months. Emerson, it’s your turn.”
“Yeah, because she wants to be in the gym with me all day and night.”
“Why don’t you…I don’t know, maybe go somewhere new?” I suggest.
Liam laughs. “Yeah, because our ray of sunshine, homebody, brother wants to go somewhere. Hell, Emerson going somewherewouldtip them off.”
“Asshole,” Emerson grumbles.
“Okay, guys, so one of you is going to come here, and then what?” I ask.
“And then Liam takes Mom somewhere,” Emerson answers. “I’ll do recon on mom’s house, yours, and the beach house. Liam, you, and Cordi act like everything is normal. Go to Cali as normal, and I’ll meet you there.”
“I can’t run with her, Em. She’s pregnant. Stressing her out is bad for the baby.”
“It’s against my better judgment, but you should head home after your comp. I’ll call Mom’s security company and add someone to your house.”
“Are you sure we’re not making them sitting ducks?” Liam asks.
“Cordi needs a good bed and a roof over her head without moving every twenty-four hours. No one will get to her. I know it’s a risk, but she needs rest,” I say.
“I’m still amazed you’re married, to be honest,” Emerson says.
“Andshe’s pregnant, Emmy. Our brother is going to be aDaddy,“ he says.
“Stop calling me that,” Emerson grits.
Liam continues talking, completely ignoring Emerson, “I thought you might become a monk at some point, Kai. You know, like some kind of Evil Knievel monk.”
I huff a laugh despite the reality. “Never thought I’d be a husband or a father, either.”
“I get it, Kai, just be careful. Watch out for each other. I guess it’s better to be somewhere you know than in a place you don’t,” Emerson says. “Liam will be there in a few hours. Go tell Mom the plan, and I’ll leave you to decide what to tell your woman.”
“There are no secrets between us, Emerson.”
“That’s probably a good thing,” Liam mutters.
“See you soon. Be careful,” Emerson says.
“Will do.” I hang up the phone and go back into the RV.
Stepping back through the door, Mom looks at me knowingly. Cordelia is leaning back on the couch, calm but worried.
