The Kents

Forty Eight

I reach the end of the stairs and hear her footsteps behind me.

I don't turn and I don't stop heading for the door.

I step outside, walk to my car, climb into the driver's seat and instantly fire the engine.

"Umm-where's Emma going?" Andrea speaks from the back seat as she notices Emma storm out of the front gate.

"I don't know, and I don't give a fuck..." I hiss and silence follows.

I drive to the O'Neil's house, the girls step out of the car and I head to the company.

I try so hard to stop my mind from bringing up any thoughts related to her, but it was like holding on to an ember of fire, trying to extinguish it by closing your palm... My whole body was tensed, my veins were strained, and my breath was short and heavy.

What the fuck was I supposed to do with her?!

What she thinks, what she feels, what she wants, needs, hopes for. Everything about her became a liability to me!

She weighs me down and I let her! I let her because I'm afraid of what she's capable of doing to me...

I, all of me, have been put right under her mercy.

She isn't aware that day after day, she empowers me. She dethrones me...

I drive the fastest I could to the company. Wanting the speed to claim all my focus and help me avoid thinking about her.

'Luke, where's Emma?!'

Erik texts...

"Just what I needed right now..." I mutter under my breath before throwing my phone on the desk.
A moment later it rings...

"What?!" I pick up.

"Luke where is she?!" He yells.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know you idiot?! Call her phone, not mine!" I almost hang up but he warns me not to.

"It's off! Her phone is off! Goddamn it she's sick Luke! Do not add up to her pain! She did not take any of her meds! Go look for her and get her back here or I swear to God I'll never let you approach her again and do not for a second doubt my words this time!" The line goes dead...

I've forgotten all about her meds...

What if she was in pain right now and no one was there for her?

my chest constricts at the thought of her...

No God, please don't punish me like that..

I grab my keys and hastily get out of my office.

I roam the streets not being able to guess where she could be at!

She doesn't have the keys to my tree house. She couldn't have possibly gone there!

Stacey is with Erik and Scott's home too...

"Goddamn it Emma! Where are you?" I punch the steer wheel.

On another thought, I dial the douchebag's number.

"Hello Michael, do you know where Emma is?" I try to sound as calm as I could ever be.

"Ah, nope. Is everything okay?" He asks and I start to doubt every word he utters.

"Where are you?" I ask him.

"I'm at the company." He answers and I almost lose patience.

"Mine or yours?" I ask.

"Yours, I'm at Ben's office." He says.