Lucas

When the well-dressed woman in high heels comes through the door, Emilia lets go of my hand. Stepping before me, she covers her mouth like she can’t believe who she’s seeing.

“Why the hell would you bring her here?” Ben growls at Creed. That’s when I realize it’s Nic, Ben’s little sister, whom I haven’t seen since I was 17.

“She’s here because we need her,” Creed answers.

“No. Nah-uh. Nic, out. Now!” Ben points to the door, almost stomping his foot like an errant child.

“Riiight. Cause telling me what to do always works out so well for you.” Nic laughs, not at all bothered by her brother’s ire.

“You can’t be here, Nic. He’s a wanted criminal.”

“An alleged criminal. You remember the whole innocent until proven guilty thing, right? Anyway, not that I need to explain myself to you. I’m here at Creed’s request to represent Emilia on a personal matter.” When she ends the sentence, her eyes land on Embree. “I’m here for you.”

That she doesn’t respond worries me. Laying a supportive hand on her back, I ask, “Embree, what do you want to do? If you want to leave, say the word and I’ll get you out of here.”

“Absolutely not.” Creed stands abruptly. Nero lunges, stopping just short of reaching him. A vicious growl accompanies the sound of snapping jaws. Staggering, Creed’s back hits the wall with a loud thud. “She…she can’t leave. We have a plan.” His eyes are wide and trained on Nero, who stares him down with his teeth bared.

“Nero los,” I command. With one last look at our mutual enemy, he returns to my side. Wanting to shield her from Creed’s prying eyes, I step in front of her. “What do you want to do here, Emb? Stay or go?” I ask again.

“I’m alright. Let’s just hear what they have to say and then we’ll go.”

“You sure?”

When she nods, I take her hand, then turn to face Creed. With Nero disarmed and sitting at my feet, the two agents have moved to his side. When he notices Embree’s hand in mine, he clenches his jaw and shoots me a threatening glare. In defiance, I return his stare. The near certainty he took advantage of her after luring her from my protection has me seeing red, and I want nothing more than to wrap my fingers around his neck.

“Alright kids, mind if the adults take over?” Nic reaches for Embree, pulling her away from me and leading her to a chair at the table. “Creed, you too. Sit.”

After Embree takes a seat next to him, he shoots me a condescending smile before looking into her eyes and taking her hand. The deliberate move has the desired effect and makes my blood boil. The contempt I feel for this man grows more intense, especially as I palm the wet fabric concealed in my hand. I want to believe nothing happened between them, but the way she looked coming out of the bathroom before collapsing into my arms does nothing to allay my fears.

I will get the truth from her.

And if he did what I think he did, I will fucking end him.

That’s a guarantee.

On the verge of doing something I’ll regret, I turn away, moving to take a seat on the old couch at the other end of the space. I’m a man of action. Someone who grabs the proverbial bull by the horns and executes solutions. I’m not used to sitting around stewing in this type of angry helplessness. It puts me on edge. Everything feels tight. My muscles, my skin. Like I’m a tightrope whose ends are frayed and about to break. As if sensing my discomfort, Nero lays his head on my lap. Running my fingers through his dark fur, my brain continues to race.

Creed showing up out of the blue, a week after the FBI showed up at her door to threaten her, can’t be a coincidence. Plus kidnapping her while holding us at bay, only to later lead us back here. None of this feels right. He’s up to something and as much as I’d like to get her the hell away from him and this place, it’s not my call to make.    

For the next few minutes, I listen as Creed and the two agents recount the events that led us here. How while investigating sex trafficking cases involving foreign nationals, they uncovered evidence that linked those individuals with a non-profit organization that cares for children and families in war-ravaged nations. How, after digging deeper, they discovered the organization was controlled by rich and powerful Americans who not only funded its operations but also profited from illegal activities hidden beneath their philanthropic pursuits. Illegal activities that include not only the trafficking of human beings but also of guns, drugs, and even money laundering.

“That’s when the task force was created,” Agent Halder continues. “Under the direction of the President, the goal was to infiltrate the operation to gather evidence and find out how deep the corruption goes. Only a handful of people knew what we were doing, yet the information was leaked. In an attempt to impede the investigation, someone in the Justice Department—we don’t know who—falsified evidence, making Creed the target of the investigation. Elements of the FBI, CIA, DEA, and ATF are working together to discredit him, by pinning the very crimes he was investigating on him.”

Regardless of how I feel about the guy, even I can agree the situation is one massive clusterfuck he doesn’t deserve. Still, he knew the risks. Taking on the wealthy and influential, particularly those who can turn the government against you, is a task that shouldn’t be taken lightly. What he was doing was not only dangerous to him, but to his family, and he should have taken them into consideration before he volunteered for the assignment. Unlike Emilia and the girls, he had a choice. And he chose to pursue the case anyway. Not only did he put them at risk, but he also failed to put safeguards in place to ensure they were protected if his mission failed.

No longer able to sit through this, I make my way to where Ben and Dominick stand. Briefly glancing at Nero, who takes a seat at my feet, I notice how closely he’s watching Creed. Apparently, my dog doesn’t trust the motherfucker either.

“Look. We get it. Shit’s fucked up and you’re screwed,” Ben acknowledges with a hint of impatience. “You said you have a plan that helps Emilia and the girls. How about we just focus on that?”

Mouth gaping, Creed looks at Ben for a moment and then says, “Since when are you such an asshole?”

“Since like forever,” Nic snickers, her smile growing ever wider when Ben sends her a dirty look.

“Oh, I don’t know, Creed. Probably since it came to my attention that you chose your career over the safety of your family.”

As the two men glower at one another, I notice Embree’s pulled her hand away from Creed’s. Instead, she sits back in her chair, shoulders slumped, with a faraway look in her eyes. I want to go to her. I want to take her in my arms and reassure her I won’t let anything happen to her. But then I remember how easily she slipped through my fingers earlier. I let her down. Just as I did my parents, my sister, and my team. I’m in no position to make her any promises, so I don’t. Instead, I opt to let Ben handle what needs to be done. 

“Nic. The papers.” Creed says, sounding defeated.

Reaching into her briefcase, she pulls out a red folder, which she hands to him. “If you’d prefer we do this in private, I can ask everyone to leave.”

“No,” Emilia answers defiantly. “Whatever he has to say, he can say it in front of my friends.”

With a hard swallow, he nods. “When this assignment came across my desk, I recognized it as the opportunity of a lifetime. The mission I’d trained for my entire career. The one that would bring me that much closer to completing my life’s work of avenging what happened to my sister. But... I also saw it as a case that would either make or break me. The risks were high. Too high when it came to you and the girls, which is why I made the decision to end our marriage. Emilia? Please look at me.”

When he pauses, I watch Embree closely. The ache in my chest grows as I’m forced to sit by while this asshole prepares to crush her.

“When I presented you with the divorce papers, I couldn’t tell you what was happening. The mission was classified. Plus, I never thought you’d fight me on it.”

“You didn’t expect me to fight?” She snaps as if slapped awake by his words. “You didn’t expect me to stand up and fight for our marriage? For our life? For our children?”

“No, that’s not… what I meant was that after two years of me constantly being away working cases, I thought you’d be okay with ending things. Especially since you’d already gotten used to being without me.” When she just sits there gaping at him like he’s shocked her into silence, Creed rushes on. “I might have gotten it wrong then, but not now. Now, after everything that’s happened, I need you to sign these.” Sliding the paperwork toward her, he says, “Today.”

“Emilia.” Jen leans forward, her hands clasped together in front of her. “We have mutual friends willing to not only backdate the divorce filings but also to create a paper trail that should offer you and the girls some protection.”

“I recognize how hard this is, but I have to be honest,” Creed tells Embree. “The chances of me making it out of this alive are almost nonexistent. I’ve come to terms with that. That being said, I refuse to allow the repercussions of my actions to affect you or the girls. To do that, we need to sever all connections the three of you have to me. It’s why aside from the divorce papers, I’d like to ask Ben…” Turning his attention to him, he drops yet another bomb. “I need you to adopt my girls.”

The room erupts in gasps of disbelief, the loudest coming from Embree, who stands with her arms leaning over the table as if she needs it for support. “What?”

“Emi, Creed thinks it’s best that he voluntarily terminate his parental rights to the girls,” Nic explains.

“Why? How could you do this? They’re your daughters. They know who you are. How would I ever explain it to them?”

“I know that. Don’t you think I know that?” He’s exasperated, his face red and anguished as he stares Embree down. “If there was any other way, I wouldn’t do this, but there isn’t. They can’t be connected to me. This is going to end badly and when it does, the media, the world… they’ll see me as a traitor. A man who not only betrayed the federal government and the oaths he made to defend it, but also a man so despicable, that he participated in the sale, degradation, and exploitation of human beings.” With a pained breath, he collapses back into his seat and then rubs the palms of his hands over his eyes. 

It takes him a few seconds to regain his composure, and when he does he adds, “Creed Preston is done for. And anyone connected to him will become fair game, as the media, victims’ organizations, families of the victimized, and those desperate enough for vengeance aim to extract their pound of flesh from those I love. I won’t let that happen.”

His pain is palpable. His eyes shine with heartbreak, but it’s hard to feel sorry for the guy, especially as I try to stomach the look of utter devastation on Emilia’s face.

“Plus, you’ve seen what I’ve become. The only way to beat them was to become them.” As if ashamed, he drops his gaze. “Unfortunately, there’s no coming back from that. You’d be smart to keep them away from me.”

As the room falls into silence, my thoughts hang on his words. “You’ve seen what I’ve become. The only way to beat them was to become them. You’d be smart to keep them away from me.” It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as memories of my time at war come rushing back. War and desperation have a way of bringing out the worst in humanity. As a soldier, I’ve seen it firsthand, not only in the enemy but within our ranks. I’ve been privy to the way the most vulnerable among us are used and abused as a means to an end. Sacrificed, often without remorse, for causes deemed greater than the worth of a human life.

It changes you. Even standing on the side of good, you never forget, especially as the line between good and evil is often blurred. Knowing what I do about his line of work, I can only imagine the things he’s seen, never mind what he’s had to do to survive in that world. Then, as I remember the wet, lacy fabric in my pocket, my stomach turns. His reference to her seeing what he’s become paints a terrifying picture that sends fiery rage burning through my bones. Clenching my fists, I take slow, deep breaths, knowing that to get her out of this place and back to safety, I must remain in control.

“This is the only way.” Nic’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “In the state of Pennsylvania, for a parent to relinquish parental rights, someone else must claim responsibility for the child. It’s why we need Ben’s help.” Though the words are meant for Embree, her eyes remain trained on her brother.   

“Uh. Creed, I’m flattered, really, I am. But I can’t make a decision like this without my wife. Plus, we’d need time to discuss it. To think it through and figure out if it’s something we can commit to.”

The room falls silent again, amplifying the quiet sobs coming from Embree, who’s crying into her hands. Unable to help myself, I go to her. Crouching next to her chair, I rub what I hope are soothing circles along her back.

“I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of time, bro. We have a brief window. Five hours to turn the paperwork over to the people who will process and create the paper trail we need to make this look legit,” Nic adds.

“Then my answer is no. I can’t do it. Creed, you have to understand. We haven’t shared this with many people yet but, Jen and I have a baby coming. A decision like this would have consequences that could put my own family at risk,” Ben explains.

“You don’t have to do this, Ben.” Emilia looks up from her hands, tears streaming down her face. “I agree, it’s too much. I don’t need anyone to adopt the girls. Let’s just sign what needs to be signed, and I’ll take full responsibility for them.”

“Emi,” With a gentle tone, Nic lays a hand over Emilia’s. “Someone has to adopt them. We can’t legally terminate his rights without someone else stepping up. It’s the law and the only way this will work.”

“Then let me. I’ll do it.”

Want to read ahead? The next 2 Chapters are available FREE if you FOLLOW ME on REAM!!! (https://reamstories.com/arianaclarkauthor)

Please remember to like, comment, & review. For updates on this and future stories, remember to follow me.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note:

While Creed's choices are the reason Emilia and the girls are in danger, it's hard not to feel sorry for him. Creed's backstory is incredibly sad and will be revealed in its entirety toward the end of the series when he gets his own set of books—and his much-deserved happily ever after. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter. Do you see Creed as the bad guy or just another victim? Also, would love to know who you think has volunteered to adopt the girls.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEW CHAPTERS post at 3:00 PM EST on Tuesdays & Thursdays!!!