Page 59 of Risking it All

For someone who was never home, Sawyer had a fully stocked pantry. I grabbed a bag of baked chips and headed back to the kitchen island to eat and continue talking myself out of calling Sawyer. I just wanted to know that he was OK.

Opting against calling Sawyer, I decided to finally call and check in with Emerson. At this point, she was probably either worried sick about me or thought I was dead. I dialed her number from memory and put the phone on speaker before digging into my sub.

“Emerson Cruz, how may I help you?”

“Hey, Em,” I said cautiously.

“Oh, thank God. I was pulling my hair out wondering what I should do, Zenny. I came close to having Cruz look for you. Your folks have been pressing up on me for information, but I haven’t told them anything. They don’t know if you ran away or were kidnapped. I figured that was a good thing.”

“It’s a great thing.”

“On the other hand, something happened.”

“Something like what?” I quizzed.

“A woman came to the shop a few days ago. It might have been a week now. She was asking all kinds of questions about if I knew where you were and if I’d heard from you. I think she was one of the St. Thomases or affiliated with them, because she asked if I thought you would try to run like your sister did.”

“No one even knows what happened to Zara?”

“They got her, baby. I heard someone found her.”

“Did they . . .” I cut myself off, unable to complete my thought.

“No, but they have her. The lady told me that if I heard from you anytime in the near future, I should tell you that if you don’t return willingly and fulfill your obligation, they were going to take the twins too. She made it sound like your dad was more than willing to give them to their organization for a fair price.”

“They’re not even supposed to have to enter the marriage pool.”

“I guess things changed. She wanted me to make sure you knew that they might not be so nice if they have to start taking people by force after a contract was made willingly.”

I could barely breathe, but I managed to gasp. “Emerson, oh my God!”

“I don’t know if she was just bluffing or what, but I said that I would tell you. Even with that threat, I don’t think it’s safe for you to come back, baby. What do you think they will do to you for trying to run?”

“I might not have a choice, Emerson. I don’t want the twins paying for my mistake. I already had to step in for Zara.”

“Now they have her, and they still aren’t satisfied,” she mentioned.

“I have to figure something out. In the meantime, don’t tell anyone you heard from me.”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Thank you for everything, Em.”

“You’re welcome, baby. I love you, Zenny.”

“I love you too,” I told her.

I ended the call and pushed back from the kitchen counter to stand. Emerson might have been skeptical about the woman’s threat, but if I knew my father, he would go through with it just to punish me for defying him. I racked my brain trying to figure out what I could do. I kept moving until I made it to Sawyer’s bedroom.

I considered calling him, but I knew he would try to stop me from doing what I had to do. He might even offer to come with me, but I didn’t even know where he was or how long it would take him to get back to me. He said he had a long drive ahead of him, and he had already been gone for hours. Besides, it wasn’t on him to put himself in the line of fire for me and my sisters.

The St. Thomases, and even my father’s men, wouldn’t think twice before they killed him. That thought alone made my head hurt. I couldn’t let anything happen to Sawyer. I loved him too much to even consider it.

I went over to his closet and found the black duffel bag at the top. I pulled it down. It was way heavier than I expected. I had no idea what was inside, but I was hoping for a gun. I might not have needed it, but I would have been a fool to assume that the people waiting for me would welcome me back with open arms.

Once I had the bag on the floor, I unzipped it and took a shuddered breath when I found two handguns on top of stacks and stacks of money. I removed one of the guns and pulled a few bills off one of the stacks of money. I didn’t need much for my journey, so there was no need to be greedy.

After stuffing the money in my pocket, I grabbed the gun and rushed over to get the purse I had been carrying and shoved it inside. Before I changed my mind, I searched until I found the keys to Sawyer’s car. Apparently, he drove his truck. I had completely lost my appetite but didn’t want to leave his kitchen in a mess, so I made sure to take care of my trash before I left.