Chapter 160

The next morning came, and Emma felt as though she’s been hit by a bus. She was disoriented for a moment, but then the previous night’s events washed over her like a violent tidal wave beating a shoreline.
“Holy shit,” she whispered, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. It was as though she’d aged ten years overnight. A weariness seemed to drape over her shoulders. But she couldn’t give in to her weariness. There was no time to rest. She freshened up in the bathroom and went to check on Lizzie.
“Good morning,” Alex greeted her with a loud yawn. There were dark circles under his eyes. Clearly, bad sleep was on the menu last night.
“Good morning. Are the babies still sleeping?”
“No. Sabrina is with them downstairs. They’re eating breakfast. I came to get you.”
“Okay. Shall we head down?”
“Not yet. I wanted to tell you that I was able to get a hold of that cloud drive file from Will’s car. I set it up on a laptop for you at the table. The CCTV footage from Will’s neighborhood, however, is going to be a problem. That footage, along with the footage from the front of the police station, was tampered with.”
“Like someone messed with it?”
“More like someone destroyed it. It’s been completely erased. Like it never existed.” Whether it is anger, sleep deprivation, or a combo of the two, Alex was snappy and short. “That bastard is twenty steps ahead of everyone. I just wish I could get my hands on him.” He snarled, wrapping his hands around an imaginary throat.
“Hey, hey,” she soothed. “I’m angry too. But we need to keep our heads clear.”
“I know. I just hate that it’s him. I just wish I could have five minutes alone with him.”
“I’d bet there are many people who feel the same,” Emma assured him. “Don’t worry. All of us together can end this.”
“Confidence looks good on you,” Alex smiled and pat her shoulder. “Let’s get some breakfast.”
Emma pondered Alex’s compliment. Confidence? Is that what this is? When she thought about it, there weren’t very many people in life that would describe her as confident. Herself among them. Well either way, she found that she liked it. There was a power in trusting yourself. Something she’d never done before. What changed? She wondered. There was no need to question it. It was just something that needed to be embraced.
In the dining room, Sabrina was perched in between two happy, loud, babbling babies sitting in highchairs. When Emma walked in, Lizzie released an ear-splitting squeal. Her baby noises were getting very close to actual words.
“Good morning, baby girl,” Emma cooed and picked up her child. “Are you having a fun time?” Emma kissed her forehead and placed her back in the highchair.
“Does this baby always wake up in such a happy mood?” Sabrina asked. She had matching dark circles to Alex.
“Usually.”
“Damien, take some lessons. I swear, that child of mine wakes up like he’s been possessed by a demon,” she commented. “Ready to get to work?”
“Yes.” Emma sat in front of the laptop that Alex had set out for her.
“Now, I’ve got the file… But it’s password protected. I didn’t want to try to unlock it because we only three tries before we’re locked out completely. But for what I could tell, it looks like it’s a date.”
“Okay. Let me try.” Emma pondered what dates would be important for Will. She input the date Conrad passed. Error, damn. She tried his birthday… another error.”
“You only get one more chance,” Alex warned.
“I know.” She thought about what possible date could be good enough to use as a password. It would have to be something no one else… something very personal… She typed in one last date and the file open. “Got it!”
“Great! What was the password.”
“The date we met,” she said with a wistful smile.
The file from Will’s car was up. It detailed the route he took, the speed he was going, and how long he stopped at any given time. It was interesting to look at, like a living map. There was something she noticed. Before arriving to the station, Will had stopped somewhere. Emma clicked on it and it showed it was a coffee shop, just half a block over from the station.
“I’ve got something!”
Alex came up behind her.
“What’s up?”
“This here,” she pointed at the screen. “He stopped there for several minutes, and there isn’t an intersection here or anything. It’s saying a coffee shop is there.”
“Oh, that’s Big Sal’s Deli. Back when Will and I were… regulars at the station, we would stop by there a lot too. He could have stopped there without thinking.”
“It’s across the street and a few doors down from the station. He could have seen something or have some CCTV footage of his own!” Emma jumped up. “We have to go over there! We have to talk to him!”
“I’ll call him. Hold on.” Alex took out his phone and dialed the number to the coffee shop and put the phone on speaker.
“This is Big Sal’s,” a young girl’s voice answered. She had a thick, Italian accent. Not like from Italy, Italian. She sounded like an Italian gangster. “This is Angela. How can I help you?”
“Is Big Sal available to talk to you?”
“Who’s asking?” she sounded bored and suspicious.
“Tell him it’s Alex Rossi calling.”
“Rossi?” her tone brightened up with urgency. “Sure. Hold on.”
“You’re important,” Emma commented, with an eyebrow raised. Alex winked.
“Alex Rossi,” an older gentleman’s voice boomed over the phone. He sounded exactly like those Italian mobsters from the movies. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Hey there, Big Sal. How are you?”
“Thriving. What can I do you for?”
“I’m calling about that explosion at the police station yesterday.”
“Oh yeah. I saw that. Part of my storefront got busted up in that. Thankfully, none of my customers were injured.”
“Listen, Sal. I’ll help with the damages to your storefront if you do a favor for me.”
“Anything for a Rossi. What you need?”
“The station’s CCTV footage was damaged in the blast.”
“I figured that. I’m wondering why that haven’t asked for mine. My camera has a view of the whole block.”
“Perfect! That’s what I want. Send me the file, and I’ll make sure they get it.”
“Consider it sent. You want it through the usual channels?”
“No, no. I need it sent directly to me.”
“Okay. Leave the details with Angela. I’ll get it to you within 24 hours.”
“Make it sooner. Thanks, Big Sal.”
“My loyalty to the Rossi’s is eternal.”
Alex hung up the phone and looked over to Emma. Her face read as a giant question mark.
“What?” he asked.
“‘My loyalty to the Rossi’s is eternal’,” she repeated. “Do I even want to know?”
“No,” Alex and Sabrina answered in unison. Emma threw her heads up in defeat.
“Never mind. But good! We’ll get the info we need and then we can clear Will’s name!” She jumped up and down and clapped with jubilation. “We’re going to do it!”
“I’ll call Sam Weaver and let him know what’s up. He can tell Captain Whitlock officially. Then, I’ll call Captain Whitlock myself and tell him unofficially,” Alex smiled and backed out the room.
“It’s like a light switched on inside of you,” Sabrina commented. She sat across from her friend, resting her elbows on the table.
“What do you mean?”
“That last time I saw you like this was when you were prepping for that design contest. Just focused and driven. The way your eyes sort of… burn when your determined like this. I missed it.”
“I could say the same about you,” Emma smiled at her friend, her heart feeling full. “You’re so good at all this press and media stuff. For so long both of have just been accessories to these men. Just like arm decorations for them. And now…”
“We’re badass bitches who are taking charge and fixing what they broke,” Sabrina eyes sparkled with renewed vigor. They looked at each other for a moment lamenting how much time they’d lost but celebrating who they were becoming. “I want to do this. Go into PR. Maybe have my own PR consulting firm. You’re right. I’m good at it, and I love it.”
“You should do it! In fact, it’ll be perfect for my big plan!”
“About that big plan… are you sure we’re going to be able to pull this off?”
“Yes. But everything else has to be in place first. The company has to be stabilized; Alex needs to come out publicly in support of Stewart Industries. He has a lot of pull in this city and so it will be great for the company. Then Will’s name has to be cleared and we need to get that crazy asshole that started all of this captured. Then… and only then… can the final phase be implemented.”
“So, I know what my part in the plan is. But what about all the other parts?”
“That’s where Spencer and Jess come in. Once they come up for air that is,” she smirked.
“Knowing Jess… she probably has him tied to a bed and convinced him he likes it,” Sabrina laughed.
Emma drank in the moment. The moment when a spark comes to life. There was a spark in Sabrina that had died somewhere along the way. But now that spark was a roaring fire. It burned inside of her, and she was becoming who she was supposed to be. They all were. And soon enough they’d be able to live their lives without the constant threat of danger looming over them.