Page 114 of Fighting For Light
“Come on, let’s sit down,” I tell her.
I help Cordi lower herself onto the couch and then sit next to her, my hand resting on her thigh. Mom comes in with Emerson and Liam behind her.
“So, what did you find out?” Mom asks.
Liam and Emerson look at me; I’m always the one to explain. I don’t know how it started that way, but Emerson doesn’t talk much, and Liam is too much of a smartass. He is more likely to piss people off before he can actually have a serious conversation with them.
Mom paces back and forth as I recount what we found out from each man. Then I lean back on the couch, giving Emerson the floor. I don’t think it’s wise to keep the hired gun alive, but we are a team. It’s a choice we all have to make together.
“The one who came for you, Mom, is still alive. We can use him as a message and send him back to the Costas and Fred,” Emerson tells her.
Her steps pause, and she stares at him for a moment.
“Why?” she commands.
“He’s a hired gun that was sent to take you back to Massachusetts. It makes sense to send him with pieces of the one who went for Cordi as a show of strength.”
She stares at Emerson for a long moment, then resumes pacing.
“What does that mean?” Cordelia asks in my ear. My heart thuds, and I don’t want to tell her, but I know she won’t stop wondering.
“It’s a… message to tell them we will fight back.”
Her eyes widen, and she glances at Emerson. “Got it.”
I rub her shoulder with my thumb and kiss her cheek.
Mom sighs and plops down unregally on the chair across from me. No one speaks as the tension and pressure increases in the room. I haven’t seen Mom this agitated in a very long time.
“He just wants me,” Mom sighs. We all freeze at her words.
“Mom,” Emerson grunts out.
She shakes her head and takes a drink from her coffee, which I’m starting to suspect has whiskey in it. “No, this is enough.I’vehad enough. He won’t… stop. He is sendinghitmenfor my children.“ Her voice breaks, and Emerson shakes his head.
“Mom, you are on crack if you think any of us would let you walk into the lion’s den. Absolutely not,” Liam barks, his voice rising in volume. Fear is written all over his face, and I can see my little brother behind his mask of jokes and crazy behavior. He was the youngest when we ran in the middle of the night. He was old enough to understand why and what was going on, but something tells me it’s instilled a sort of fear in him that if something happens with Mom, it will mean he failed her.
I know Emerson feels similarly. If she isn’t protected in every way, it means he has failed not just her but all of us. I don’t think about myself and how our past has shaped me. I make a point not to. But with Cordelia, I tell myself it doesn’t matter anymore because she has opened a door for me and my family. The renewed sense of hope has affected all of us. While my father is trying to mess it up purely to continue his power trip, it’s made everything harder on all of us. We have a better reason to fight for something bigger than ourselves, somethingnew.
Emerson kneels in front of Mom. He takes her hand, and her eyes well with tears. Memories flash through my mind, knowing they are thinking of the same thing. It’s not an easy pill to swallow, reliving your past over and over again because someone won’t let you move past it.
“You’re not going, Mom. It’s not a discussion. He will never lay another finger on you again. So get that thought out of your mind. We will find another way.”
Mom glances at Cordelia and me, and a tear slips from her eyes. “I don’t want anyone to get hurtagain.”
Cordi sits up and says, “Esmarie, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, but they are right. There is no reason to sacrifice yourself to that animal. I need you here.Weneed you.“ Cordi rubs her hand on her belly.
Mom looks down at Cordi’s belly and nods, brushing her tears away.
After we discussed everything and got Mom to agree to stay where it’s safe, Cordi and I went upstairs.
I close the door behind me, and she sits on the edge of the bed, puffing out a breath.
“I have to admit that was a lot, but at least we have a plan,” she says.
Crossing the distance between us, I get on my knees in front of her, and I press my lips to her belly.
“Thank you, baby,” I say.
