Now or Never(5)

Jay could do nothing more than watch in horror as it slammed into her with a grinding crunch. Her body went flying, coming to rest in a heap on the hard ground twenty feet away.

No. This wasn’t happening. Not again. No.

“Em.” Jay dropped to his knees at her side. “Baby, look at me. Em?”

Crimson blood trailed down her face and her neck lay bent at an awkward angle. Cuts and bruises marred her limp body.

“No. Em, baby, please.” Tears burned like fire in his eyes as he brushed the blood-caked hair from her face. Her eyes stared back at him, cold, vacant.

“You think you can help her? Save her? Protect her?” Jay whirled around, intent on pounding the shit out of the monster who’d done this to her, but he was gone. In his place stood a face far more terrifying.

“Stay away from her!” Jay reached back for Em, but she was gone, too. His heart slammed against his ribs in a violent assault.

“She doesn’t need you anymore. You don’t deserve her. You can’t keep her safe. You’ll only hurt her.”

“I would never—!”

“That’s what you tell yourself, now. That’s what you’ll keep telling yourself . . . until it’s too late. You’re toxic, Julian. Poison to everyone around you. You’re responsible for your mother’s death. You’ll be responsible for hers, as well.”

“Nooooo . . .”

A shrill ringing accompanied Jay’s vocal roar back into the land of the living. His chest ached from how hard his heart was pounding as the house phone continued to demand his attention.

A dream. Only a dream.

No, a nightmare. His worst fucking nightmare.





Chapter Four





Em



“I can’t believe you’re covering for that bitch.” Ash weaved through the morning traffic at a pace that had taken Em some getting used to. At least she didn’t clutch the door handle for dear life every time they were in a car together anymore.

“She offered me her weekend shift and I can really use the tips.”

“Still . . .” Ashlyn shook her head and honked long and hard at the jerk who cut her off. “I don’t get why you’d do anything to help her out. I wouldn’t help her out and it isn’t even my boyfriend she’s gunning for.”

It was true. Sahara had had a thing for Jay from the day they started working together and she made no bones about showing it every chance she got, despite the fact that it was common knowledge him and Em were together. But, money was money and every little bit helped.

Em sighed, resting her head against the cool glass of the window. The sun was starting to rise and the glimpses she caught of the horizon between buildings were beautiful.

“Tired?”

Em nodded without dragging her gaze from the window.

“The nightmares?”

Em nodded again.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not really.” There wasn’t much to tell Ashlyn that she didn’t already know.

Em and Jay’s past wasn’t common knowledge by any means. They’d worked hard to keep their private lives private. But Ashlyn was the most persistent person Em had even met. The girl was like a leech—only friendlier—and if there was something she really set her mind to, it was damn near impossible to stop her. Getting to know Em seemed to have become her life’s mission not long after they met. The allure of the unknown, maybe. But Em was afraid Ashlyn had bitten off more than she could chew when one night in a fit of sleep-deprived, stress-induced hysteria, Ash had found her sobbing her eyes out in the bathroom at work. She’d broken down and told her. Everything. All of it. Her entire story.

When she’d finally gotten a grip, Ash hadn’t looked at her with disgust or even pity. She’d simply grabbed some toilet paper and help Em clean up before they went back to work. That sealed it. Ashlyn was the first real friend she’d had, besides Jay, since . . . forever.

“Same old, same old.”

“Your uncle again?”

“Who else?”

“He can’t hurt you anymore, Em. You’re safe now. You’re golden. And we’re about to go kick some breakfast ass!” Her enthusiasm over defeating the morning meal made Em smile. Besides being persistent, Ashlyn was also the most energetic person Em had ever met. She was the perfect counterbalance to Em’s usual timidness.

***

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!” Em followed closely behind Ashlyn as she burst into the small hole-in-the-wall eatery they called work in all of her morning glory.

Mason glared back at her from behind the ticket counter where he was tying on his apron. “If I have to smell those eggs and bakey much longer, I might hurl.”