Page 70 of Black Wave

I look at him, lift my lip in a half smile, and shrug. “You heard that too? Well then, my plan worked better than I thought.”

Adrian cocks his eyebrow upward and looks at his father. “So Philip isn’t dead?”

I shake my head. “No, he is very much alive. I never told Emma he was dead. I just made it look like I killed him for allowing Julian to get near Emma. We knew he was close, and Philip did tell me. Jameson, my frat buddy who does my securitysystem for the club, came over and wiped the cameras when Philip was led into the basement. Obviously, there weren’t any cameras in there, so he was escorted out, and the cameras were wiped clean of any evidence. He has been helping me to track Julian and see if anyone from the club is letting Cherry in to help Julian stalk Emma. She could have been taken one night at the club, and I think it’s someone close by working at my club or someone who has access to it. Either way, we will find out soon and end that.”

Adrian looks toward his father. Andrés rubs at his beard in concentration. I don’t know what he is thinking, but I am sure he has something to contribute to helping us find Julian. He stands up, walking across the room to look out the window. I already know that he is looking at Emma down in the courtyard. “We haven't been able to track him following Emma. He has been with his family or showing up at sponsored events, but never anything suspicious. Then, he is gone on business, but there is nothing that we can find or use against him.”

I nod in agreement because I have had the same findings. “We have seen him on camera twice, and he was in Emma’s apartment. I have a feeling his patience is running out.” They are all looking at me.

“Why do you say that?” Adrian’s fists clench at his side.

“Well, he was always just watching her. Now he is coming at her. He has been close to taking her in her place. That is why she is always with me or has someone with her. Philip is finding out some more information and should have something more concrete this week. That’s why my men think he is dead, and Emma doesn't think that because the men would never admit that to her.”

After another drink and a consensus about coordinating information, we decide to step out and join the festivities. Although this took much longer than expected, it was needed. Iwould rather speak about him at the beginning of the trip than at the end. It’s best to clear the air and get it out of the way.

I see Emma outside, and she is drinking a Corona with her cousin, laughing and carefree. I wish I could see her like this all the time. She picks up her cousin’s son, and I walk over to her. She swings him side to side on her hip, talking to him and kissing his puffy cheeks. The boy is laughing as she blows kissy noises on his neck. He grabs her hair and laughs. I wrap my arm around her and snuggle into her neck.

“God, you look good carrying a baby,” I tell her, and she laughs.

“Oh no, we are not having a baby anytime soon.” She eyes me, but I see her joking with me.

“Are you sure? We could start tonight under the stars,” I tell her because I am mostly kidding, but if she says yes, I would definitely put a baby in her, even if the timing isn’t exactly right. With Emma, anytime is the perfect time for me.

“I’d like that, Eduardo.” She kisses me on the lips, and I bite her bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth. She pulls away and hands her cousin her baby, and I take her hand, staring down at her.

“As much as I’d love to carry your baby, Eduardo, I think maybe we should wait. Maybe until…” She trails off, and I know that she is worried about Julian. I grab her face and turn it back to me.

“Soon, babe,” I promise. I kiss her forehead, and her cousin’s band starts to play.

They’re pretty decent. I chuckle as Emma starts singing “The Best of You” by the Foo Fighters. The barbecue pit starts to smoke, and the scent of meat cooking mixes with the earthy smells of mesquite wood burning permeate the air. I take a deep breath in, and my mouth begins to water. Emma looks at me and laughs.

“Did you miss Tio’s brisket?” She leans into me, and I am salivating at the thought.

“Most definitely, yes. The man can cook some brisket.” The song changes into “Warning” by Morgan Wallen. She leads me out onto the makeshift dance floor in the inner courtyard. I feel all eyes on us, but I don’t care. I only see her. We hear her cousin whistle, and I chuckle.

“Was that the dinner bell?” She kisses me.

“Not soon enough. I‘m starving. You?”

She looks at me. “Yes.”

I bring her in and kiss her. “Then after dinner we will take that drive out to look at the stars, and I’ll eat my dessert.”

She swats my arm. “Come on, let’s eat.”

I follow her through the crowd gathered tonight and enjoy the time with my future wife and family.

The trip was over sooner than I would have liked, and we had to return to reality. Emma was sad to say good-bye to her family. The safety she felt there was soon missed, and the anxiety of returning to Houston is palpable. I give her a reassuring squeeze as Eli picks us up from the Houston airport, and we drive home. She looks out the window in contemplative silence.

“What are you thinking about?” I want to know what bothers her.

She looks over at me, smiles dimly, and then returns her gaze out the window. “I’m just worried that I might not be able to enjoy the holidays with my family anymore. I never thought I wouldn’t have my parents or sister. They were taken from me one night, and I never got a chance to say good-bye. What ifI don’t see them again? What if that was the last holiday with them too?”

I grab her hand and bring it to my lips, giving her hand a light kiss. “I promise it won’t happen. You will have us. Always.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Evie would say the same thing, and look at what happened to her. She learned to defend herself and encouraged me to do the same thing, and look at what happened. She promised that she would never leave me.”

The city whizzes by. The holiday decorations are still up, and I wonder where that fucker is hiding. Is he back already watching her? Watching us? Soon. Soon, I’ll have him and make him suffer. Emma will get her revenge and be free of the blackness that shrouds her.

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