A stranger she had to escape from.
Chapter Seven
When Emmy pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, she was bawling her eyes out. Cursing and weeping, she climbed out of the car. She glanced around, making sure that she didn't see Jake standing beneath the eaves of her building. When she didn't spot anyone, she crept inside and rushed up the stairs to her apartment. Her goal was to pack and then head straight to her parents' house. As far as she was aware, neither Jake nor Sebastian knew where her mom and dad lived. She would be safe there.
She was just in the middle of unlocking her apartment when Mary Lou stuck her head out her door. The woman was wearing a bright green face mask. Emmy jumped back in fright, half-worried that she was seeing a toad monster. Unfortunately, Mary Lou must have thought that she looked just as horrible because her mouth fell open in shock.
"What the hell happened to you?" Mary Lou stared at her rain-soaked appearance.
"No time to explain." Emmy managed to unlock her door. "I have to get out of here."
"What?" Mary Lou stepped toward her, her eyes wide with concern. "What's going on? Why are you acting like this?"
Emmy whirled around, shaking from head to foot. "I can't explain. Just get in your apartment and lock the door."
"But why?"
"Just lock the door!" Emmy screamed.
Mary Lou did a double take but then scampered back to her apartment.
Emmy rushed inside of her place and headed to her bedroom. She seized an overnight bag and stuffed clothes inside of it. Despite the fact that she was sure she had more pants than underwear, she didn't care. She swung her bag over her shoulder and was just about to head out the door when the thought of Sebastian made her pause. The guy would undoubtedly try to come after her. At the moment, she was willing to do anything in order to stop that from happening. She pulled a pen and paper from a drawer. Quickly, she scrawled a note on the piece of paper.
Sebastian,
I know you've been lying to me, so don't you dare try to figure out where I am. I don't want you in my life. You're too dangerous, and I can't trust you.
Emmy
She hesitated before placing the note on the counter, but then she remembered the frightening face of werewolf Jake. That was enough to make her set the note down and run out the door.
****
By the time Emmy made it to her parents' house, it was near eleven o'clock. Still, when she banged frantically on the door, she heard the sound of footsteps. Her mom opened the door and did a double take when she saw her. Emmy realized that she must have looked terrible. After all, she'd made her mom look horrified on more than one occasion, but she'd never seen the woman look quite so green.
"Emmy, what on earth?" Her mom blinked rapidly.
Emmy barged inside, getting her mom's frilly pink nightgown damp.
"Mom, I'm going to stay here for a while." Emmy dumped her overnight bag on the floor.
"What's wrong?" her mom asked, wringing her pudgy hands.
Instead of answering, Emmy stared at the woman.
"Oh my God, were you raped?" Her mom clapped her hand to her mouth.
"No, Mom, I wasn't raped." No one in her family had ever been raped, but her mom was ever vigilant. "I just need a break from Seattle."
"I told you that a big city was no place for a woman alone." Her mom tutted. "And you shouldn't have gone out in the rain."
Emmy shrugged, shaking from head to foot. But she wasn't shaking from cold. No, she was shaking because she kept thinking about Jake and Sebastian and her unborn baby. There was so much for her to be stressed about. Another tear trickled down her cheek before she could stop it.
At the sight of the tear, her mom's maternal instincts went into overdrive. "Oh, sweetie, don't cry."
"I'm not crying," she said through gritted teeth. The only thing she hated more than crying was crying in front of somebody else.
"Of course you're not." Her mom soothed her by running her hand over her arm. "Say, we have stuffed peppers left over from supper. Why don't I heat you a plate, huh?"
"Is there cake, too?" Emmy sniffled.
"Is there ever not cake in this house?" Her mom wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the kitchen. "Come on, now."
She allowed herself to be led into the kitchen. The kitchen was adjoined with the dining room where her dad was drinking beer and reading the newspaper. When he saw her, he froze. Normally, her dad was calm, but at that moment, his face became red and his eyes narrowed. To her, he looked like a strange sort of bearded beet.
"What happened to you?" Her dad looked like he was itching to get his hand on his hunting gun.