Layers Crossed (33 page)

“It doesn’t
matter now. You’re right I don’t care about the fucking land. It
wasn’t for me anyways, but I do care about your father suffering,
burning to death the way he left me for dead at that dance to save
Donna Jo. I’ve carried the scars with me my entire life.” He lifted
his right sleeve along with the machete to show the shriveled skin
on his arm: white and hairless ripples of scarred flesh. White
light reflected on the blade, bringing my attention back to the
flex in Huntz’s bicep.

I spread my
feet apart in a stern stance before stepping in front of Eric. This
man had done enough to this family, and I would not let him hurt
them anymore.

“What are you
doing?” Eric whispered.

“Trust me,” I
replied.

“You be a good
girl and step aside. I’ll chop him up and then we can have some
fun.”

“Not before I
cut your dick off, you asshole!”

“Emma…”

“Trust
me…”

Huntz rushed
at us both, his machete high in the air. I pushed Eric down to the
ground before ducking under Huntz’s swing and jutting the piece of
glass I held in my hand right under his arm, into an artery. Blood
squirted out and Huntz yelped in pain, covering his underarm with
his other hand.

“You bitch.”
He pulled the piece of glass out of his flesh and threw it to the
ground. “I’m going to tie you up and fucking make you want to die
before I gut you.”

“The problem
you have, you bastard, is that I just sliced your main artery. It
won’t take long before you bleed out.”

“Then I guess
I better hurry.”

He rushed at
me again, but this time as he raised his arm I could tell he was
struggling. His lower swing forced me to bend back as the machete
came down, missing me again. I side-kicked his leg. His knees
buckled for a moment, but unfortunately for me as I found my stance
I stepped on the piece of glass he’d thrown to the side, cutting
into my foot.

Shit! Hopping
on one leg I was useless. I knew if Huntz could get a good run at
me with that weapon, he had a good chance of getting me. As I
thought about a move that would do the least damage to my body,
Huntz approached again, this time raging hellfire in his eyes. I
sidestepped, but the pain that shot through my leg spasmed my
muscles, and instead I fell to the ground, right in Huntz’s path.
The machete was aimed straight for my head. He would fucking
decapitate me in less than three seconds!

People often
say that life flashes before your eyes when you’re about to die.
And they’re so right. I saw the face of each of my family members
at our happiest times, when we laughed and joked; my niece’s and
nephew’s cute little faces squirming when they tried a pickle for
the first time; my brothers training me and spoiling me rotten when
I was young; my sisters-in-law taking care of my broken heart when
David died; and David. I saw his face too, smiling at me and
saying,
It’s not your time.
And the face of the man whom I
loved – Eric – as he soothed my soul with his kisses and mended my
deepest fears of falling in love again. I was the one who had
failed him. The justice he sought would never come. In that brief
moment, I wished I could go back in time to change its course,
foresee Huntz and his accomplice hitting me and Hunter on the head,
step a foot further to the right to miss the piece of glass which
would ultimately be the reason Huntz eventually bled out, but also
the reason I failed to survive.

A loud scream
echoed through the forest.

The next time
I opened my eyes, I saw Eric flying from the side right into Huntz,
pushing him out of the way and falling with him onto the
machete.

I jumped up to
my feet, screaming. There was nothing else that would come out of
my mouth as I saw Huntz fall back onto a broken tree limb
protruding from the trunk which pierced his torso, killing him
instantly. My entire body stilled as my gaze fell on Eric at
Huntz’s side, with the machete sticking out from his back.
Motionless, Eric lay face down on the ground.

“No! No, no,
no, no, no! Please!” I cried stumbling toward him. But he didn’t
move. “Eric, please don’t die, please. I can’t lose you.”

I touched the
machete that had claimed him, pulling my finger along the trail of
smeared blood on the blade. I followed red blobs with my fingers to
under his arm, lifted, it and noticed that it had only skimmed the
fabric of his shirt, lightly cutting into his skin, right between
his torso and his arm.

“Eric, baby.
You’re all right. Please tell me you’re okay.” I gently rolled him
over onto his back and heard a painful yet welcome grunt.

“Open your
eyes, please.”

“I’m good, Em.
I’m good.” He reached with his hand to his forehead where a bruise
was already forming. A big gash opened, spewing blood onto his
face. I ripped a piece of his sleeve off his shirt and pressed it
to the cut to somewhat stop the bleeding.

“Huntz…” He
tried to sit up.

“He’s
dead.”

“You’re
sure?”

“Eric, there’s
a branch sticking out of his chest. I’m pretty sure that means he’s
dead.”

“Good.” He
slouched, shifting his body in pain.

“You’re going
to have a nasty scar from that cut.”

“I thought you
liked scars.”

“I love them,
especially on the man I love.” I leaned lower and kissed the lips I
thought I’d never feel again. “You saved my life.”

“I’m glad I
could be of some help, and I’m so happy this nightmare is
over.”

Far in the
distance, a fire engine siren roared. The smell of smoke was now
prominent, shaking us up and reminding us that there was another
disaster not far away.

I covered my
mouth, saying, “Your parents.”

“Let’s
go.”

Eric grabbed
me under my arm and my knees, lifting me. “Eric, you’re weak. You
cannot strain yourself.”

“There’s no
fucking way I’m letting you walk with that cut. Please don’t argue,
Emma.”

And the next
thing I knew I was snuggled against his chest, feeling his heart
beat on my cheek and his pecs rise and fall with each breath. Eric
was almost running. I wasn’t sure how he knew the way, but I had a
feeling his memory had been triggered. And now, all I could do was
hope and pray that his parents were safe. As much as I wanted to
expect the best, something told me we should get ready for the
worst.

C
HAPTER
30

Emma

By the time we
got to the Waters farm, the family home was engulfed in flames.
While the glow could be spotted from further away, the flames came
into view as soon as we passed the forest. When Eric pulled out
onto the main road, I didn’t expect there to be much left of the
house. I wasn’t sure how Eric managed to drive with so much
composure – or maybe it was the adrenaline feeding him – but I’d
never seen him weave on the road past all holes and mounds so
quickly.

“Eric, slow
down, please.”

“I’m not going
to crash, Emma. I just need to get there.” We were lucky enough to
find Mr. Front, the butcher, along the way. He lent us his
truck.

“I
understand.”

I didn’t say
another word until he pulled up behind over a dozen cars. The fire
truck had run out of water and was turning around to get more from
the lake. In a town this small, there were no hydrants or
sufficient safety measures to fight these kind of blazes.

“Stay in the
car,” he ordered.

Like hell I
will
.

As soon as he
ran off toward the fire, I stepped out of the car. My feet ached as
I stumbled forward, skipping over every second step after him.
Julian was the first to see me and he ran over, lifting me into his
arms.

“You all
right, Em?”

“Yeah, just a
nasty cut on my foot. Huntz is dead.”

“Something
tells me there’s more to that story.”

“We’ll chat
when this is over. Bring me to Eric, please.”

Julian carried
me to where Eric was standing, pulling on his hair. His chest was
rising and falling so quickly, I thought he might have a heart
attack.

“You were
supposed to stay in the car.” Eric’s brows furrowed.

Julian
laughed. “I thought you already knew how well Emma listens.” But I
don’t think Eric heard him. He just stood there, hopeless and
speechless. All I wanted to do was hold him.

“Casualties?”
I whispered into Julian’s ear.

“None.”

“Then maybe
someone should tell him!”

Tristan put
his arm around Eric, saying, “Don’t worry, walls can be rebuilt;
lives can’t. We got here just in time. The ambulance took your
parents to the hospital.”

“You mean,
they’re alive?” Eric’s jaw dropped open.

“Yes, although
they’re in critical condition. Huntz took some anger out on your
father, but they’re in good hands.”

I’d never seen
a man fall to his feet and cry so hard.

“Let me down,
Julian. Please let me down.”

My brother set
me down by Eric. I took him into my arms and hugged him as tightly
as I could from the side. Once he composed the first wave of
emotion, Eric must have gotten another kick of adrenaline. I
nodded, looking at his face, and said, “It’s time to go. There’s
nothing you can do here now.”

Max, the
family dog found us, and buried his head in Eric’s lap.

His friend
Derek who was standing nearby, coughing into his sleeve, added,
“She’s right, Eric, you need to go to the hospital too.”

“Where’s
Hunter?”

“We sent him
off in one of the ambulances as well.” Julian tapped me on my
shoulder. “Come on, Em. We’ll take you guys. It’s over an hour
drive.”

He lifted me
up while Tristan took Eric under his arm. I sat in the back seat of
Derek’s truck, cuddling into my man, while my brother drove. It
seemed like the longest trip of my life.

“Thank you,”
Eric said. “Thank you for saving them.”

“We were
lucky, Eric. You were right to send us there. And thank you for
saving Emma.”

“She’s quite
the fighter,” he chuckled. “You should be very proud of her.”

“We are.”

“I would have
died if it wasn’t for you, Eric. You know that,” I whispered.

“Let’s keep
that between us, please.” He gave me a humble kiss, and I leaned
against him.

At the
hospital, at my brothers’ orders and flashing of identification
cards, the doctors took care of my foot and Eric’s cut as if they
were treating the President himself. Both his parents were in the
recovery room. His father had undergone surgery for a broken leg,
fractured ribcage that punctured his lung and apparently had brain
swelling. He was in intensive care, in an induced coma, with his
skull still open to relieve the pressure. His mother had a burnt
left arm and would undergo long treatments to heal the flesh with
future skin grafts. But the important thing was that they were
alive, and that justice was finally brought onto John Huntz.

Sitting in my
bed, all I wanted was to go see Eric. Tristan got my crutches and
helped me maneuver through the hallway, when I saw Missy sitting in
a chair against the wall.

“I’m so sorry,
Emma. I didn’t know he’d come back to my house. He never has
before. I’ve seen him a few times only. But not to my house.”

“Missy, it’s
all right. It’s not your fault. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why are
you here?”

“Blake had to
come in for smoke inhalation. The Fields brothers and your brothers
pulled Mr. and Ms. Waters out of the house.”

“You didn’t
tell me it was that close.” I looked up at Julian.

“We came out
with Joanne first. It took a bit longer for Mr. Waters because of
the broken leg. He was barely conscious, mumbling.”

“Missy, there
was someone else with Huntz when he hit me. Do you know who it
was?”

“No.” She
shook her head. “I’m sorry, he never introduced me to anyone. And I
didn’t see them.” I wondered whether that person was a threat and
what Huntz had promised him in return for his help. Hopefully, it
was just someone he hired. My gut twisted in an argument.

“That’s all
right. How about if I introduce you to your half-brother then?”

“What?”

I took her
hand into both of mine. “Missy, you have a family your father
deprived you of. You have a mother who had loved you very much,
until the day she was lied to and told that you died at birth.
There’s no need to hide any longer.”

Her hand flew
up to her chest as she repressed a sniffle. “And a father who
wanted you to be his own and to love you as his own. The Waters are
your family. Donna Jo is your mother. Eric and Annabelle Waters are
your half-siblings.”

“That’s
impossible.” Missy shook her head sideways. Tears were running down
her cheeks like a river.

“You’re not
alone. You never were. They had no idea who you were, and your
mother mourned you for years.”

I took her
hand and stood up, leading her into Eric’s room. The reunion
squeezed my heart. The connection between her and Eric was
immediate. I’d never seen anything like that in my life, and it
made this job so worthwhile. Even Julian shed a tear as he wrapped
his arm around me.

“I guess that
family dinner should have an extra guest, then.”

“You betcha.
As soon as we can get Annabelle, Eric’s sister, into town, we’ll
have a huge family dinner, with a bonfire and games and songs.”

“I’ve missed
you, Emma.” Julian kissed the top of my head.

“I’ve always
been here, just a little lost for a while. Eric found me. He helped
me find me again.” I sat down at Eric’s side and kissed him on his
cheek.

“Thank you,”
he said.

“You have
nothing to thank me for.”

“You gave me
my family back.” He squeezed Missy’s hand.