Chapter 132

Will walked out of the room laughing and shaking his head. How different Emma was from her friends. He knew Emma could be bold when she wanted to be, but it definitely was not her default setting. They were good for her, he decided.
Before stepping into Emma’s room, Jess’s words looped in his mind. Was he ready to tell Emma how he felt? More then anything he wanted to take that step with her. To be a real couple. Not bound by contracts or false pretenses. No arrangements. What an idea.
Jess was right. About all she had said. He did need to tell Emma of his true feelings. But there was a lot he was dealing with in his mind. All of the things that he kept bottled up were finally bubbling over, and he could longer ignore them. He was determined to do this the right way. And so, before going back in to see Emma, there was something he had to do.
While Will sorted out his life, the police along with Captain Whitlock were still searching for Robert Stewart. So many people had been arrested in connection with his crimes.
“Will won’t have any damn employees at this rate,” the captain lamented. “Where is my search warrant?” he yelled.
“We’re working on it,” an officer answered.
“Why is it taking so long? This is madness! We have proof, actual evidence that this man is guilty of heinous crimes. And now we have him on something recent! We need to get into that house! We all know that’s where he is!”
“Apologies, sir. These things take time.”
“I should have had that in my hand by now!” he pounded his fist on his desk. Everyone around him flinched. “I swear, a random group of people is more efficient than a whole police force! If I don’t have that warrant in my hand within the hour, I am storming that house on my own! Protocol be damned!” The room was silent as no one dared to breathe too loudly after his outburst. The truth was that everyone agreed with him. Robert Stewart was dangerous. Every second he spent at large was another second someone could be harmed.
Armed security had been placed at every entrance and exit of the hospital, but that didn’t mean he still wouldn’t at least try something. He was certain they would find him if they could only get inside that damned house.
Alex assisted him by keeping eyes around the city. It was unsettling to the say the least that there hadn’t been any movement. Everything was as still as frozen lake. It was serene. Too serene. Somewhere beyond their reach, moves were being made. Captain Whitlock could feel it in his blood. And he feared that he would be too late.
He was getting to mobilize when finally someone ran up to him.
“Sir, we got it!” the person waved a paper in the air.
“Go! Go now! Everyone move out to Robert Stewart’s estate! I need SWAT, I need snipers, I need everything! Let’s move!”
It was cacophony of chaos as the police force made ready to move in on Robert’s home. A fleet of police cars flooded the streets and a song of sirens blasted throughout the city. They reached Robert’s home.
“I want this block cleared!” he called out as he emerged from the squad car. “Ensure that everyone is safely inside their homes! I need a team to search the woods nearby!”
Several officers broke off to their assigned tasks. The scene outside the mansion was mayhem. Red and blue lights flashed for miles. They bounced off the nearby homes and cars, casting everything in their urgent hue.
“This is the police! We have a search warrant!” He could feel his heartbeat in his ears.
No answer. Fine, he had expected that. What criminal would happily open their door to a squadron of police? Good, he thought. Makes the game more fun.
“Surround it!” he commanded. His forces circled the home, guns pointed at windows. He kicked the door open, and they poured into his home. It was barren. No movement, no lights, no noises. This is bad. “Fan out and search! He’s in here somewhere!” Checkpoints had been established all over the city, so there was no way Robert could be anywhere.
Heavy footsteps filled the house, rattling crystal vases and gilded chandeliers. Captain Whitlock made his way up the stairs and came to a set of grand French doors carved from some kind of luxurious wood. He’s known enough of high society standards to understand that the room beyond those doors would hold all the secrets he needed. He kicked the doors in, with his gun drawn.
“Put your hands—” he stopped at the sight in front of him, his arm lowering. His blood ran cold and yet boiled in his veins at the same time. “Fuck.”
Back at the hospital, Will had made a few more calls. Satisfied with his progress, he decided to finally go back into Emma’s room. She too had been cleaned up and pampered by Sabrina. Her hair had been washed, styled in her signature loose waves and bangs. A light sprinkle of make up had brought some color back into her face.
“You look like you feel better,” he commented, leaning in the doorway. She looked at him and smiled.
“I do. I’m so happy Sabrina did this. I’m so much more comfortable now.”
“I’m glad.”
“Where have you been?” Emma asked, annoyed with the tone of longing in her voice.
“Did you miss me?” he grinned, walking towards her.
“Shut up,” she blushed, looking away as he perched in the seat next to her.
“I was taking care of a few things,” he answered.
“Um… So, Sabrina told me that none of you have slept since you realized I was missing.”
“I guess we haven’t,” he ran his fingers through his hair.
“It’s been like 36 hours!”
“Has it? Feels like so much longer than that.”
“Why haven’t any of you rested? This can’t be good for you.”
“Adrenaline, I guess. I’m sure Spencer has gone off to sleep somewhere. Sabrina as well.”
“What about you?”
“I won’t be able to rest until Robert is caught. Until the bastard who did this to you is captured, I won’t rest.”
“Will…” she started. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.
“Don’t worry about me,” he kissed her hand, turning her thoughts to mush with that tiny gesture. “I’ll be fine. You’re the one who is important now.”
Neither of them pretended that they didn’t feel the flow of electricity between them. No one had kissed Emma in any way since him. Her entire body tingled, and she fought the urge to launch herself at him. It was crazy how her reaction to him hadn’t dulled at all with the passing of time. How could something so chaste as a kiss on the hand put her under his spell?
Will had to admit he was proud of his restraint. It was everything he could do to keep from pinning her to that bed. The fact that the bed she was laying in was a hospital bed did help to quell the fire in his soul.
“So,” Emma whispered, doing her best to keep herself under control. “What are we going to do?”
“About what?” he whispered back.
“About us. I thought about what you said, and you’re right. We aren’t who we were. And I would like us to try. If anything for Lizzie’s sake. She deserves a family.”
“That’s true. But I don’t want to know what you want for Lizzie. Do you want me?” His golden eyes pierced through her soul. “There are so many things I want to tell you.” His hand reached for her face, and brought her closer to him. “But none of none of it matters if this isn’t something you want.”
“Will…” Emma whimpered.
He got closer to her, the faces mere inches apart.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.
A memory invaded her of the last time he said something like that to her. I’ll only do what you want. But you have to tell me. I’m not strong enough to stop unless you say you don’t want me…
And just like that time, she didn’t have the strength to stop him. Say something, Emma, she reprimanded herself. Was she ready to open that door? If this happened, there was no going back.
“Say something,” he said, his lips brushing hers. “Tell me to stop.”
“I… I don’t want you to stop.”
He’d never heard a sweeter melody. His mouth descended on hers, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Their bodies were alight with passion as the kiss deepened. Their lips mashed against each other, as if trying they were trying to destroy each other. It was hungry and desperate and spoke of months of closeted longing. Her hands wound his hair, reveling at the familiar feel of his thick strands. Will’s arms looped around her back, pressing her body into his.
An urgent beeping filled the room, forcing them apart. Emma’s heart rate was through the roof, and any minute and a gaggle of medical personnel would rush into the room if she didn’t calm down. Their foreheads touched as they caught their breath.
“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “That was building up for a while.”
“Yeah,” she panted. “I had almost forgotten what that felt like.”
“Forgot?” Will pulled back, affronted. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to remind you.”
Emma giggled as he closed in for another kiss. His phone rang, interrupting them.
“This better be important,” he said through clenched teeth. He looked at the screen, and saw it was Captain Whitlock. “I have to answer.” Emma nodded, trying hard to hide her disappointment.
“Will,” the captain’s voice spoke to an emergency. “We found him.”
“Great. You need me to go to the station?”
“No. To the morgue. He’s dead.”