The next morning, it was Jamie that awoke first. After spending the last night taking some well needed rest, his body finally felt alive enough to go about with his daily tasks. As he brewed some coffee for himself in the kitchen, he pondered over the important things he had to get done today.
It was good that his mission in this city was coming to an end, but there was still one more person they had to take down before he could finally finish it. But that was the tricky part, this person seemed nowhere to be found. Jamie and Tom had been working on tracking him for weeks now only to be met with a deadend with every turn they took.
The toughest part about his job was undoubtedly tracking the rogues, for they tend to live underground. However, given their sources and all the extra information they get from their first vict
Things fell into a slow rhythm over the next few days. Emma stayed indoors for the most part as the boys went about to run some errands and got some more work done. She wasn’t sure how much more time she had with Jamie until he decided to leave town, and although he addressed the issue, he didn’t give her a concrete answer as to what would happen to them if he decided to move.She would follow him, of course, she thought, but what about her goal? What about the legal battle she was caught up in? What about her education and her career? She couldn’t spend the rest of her life living on the sidelines and let Jamie take control of everything. She needed to find a niche, and for that to happen, she had to find a starting point again.Resolute to get things moving in her life, Emma decided to ring Nathan to d
“Barlough?” Jamie asked in surprise. “Is that where you’re from?”“Why do you sound so surprised?”“Because I’ve known that place my entire life.” He said, “I have quite a lot of friends there. I never expected that you would be from there too.”“Then perhaps you’ll know my parents too?” Emma mused, “George and Isabella Payton?”“Doesn’t ring a bell,” he added quickly. He already knew of her parents and had done a thorough research about their origin. They have lived there their entire lives and were barely involved in any conflicts in town. They were the few humans who did
“Oh, don’t call me that, child.” He said, “You’re a nobody to me.”Emma’s pulse sky-rocketed as she heard his strict cold voice once again. She was all too familiar with that tone, for she had heard it several times in the past whenever he meant to punish her. More than anything, it hurt to hear him speak to her that way. She pitied herself as she reminisced how she thought she could trust her uncle and aunt to have her back after her parents passed away.“What are you doing?” She asked.“Well, shouldn’t I be asking you that?” He gritted, “What the fuck are you doing with Rogers?”“Rogers?” Emma as
He felt his blood boil as he gripped the steering wheel. Pressing on the accelerator, Jamie let the speed calm his nerves. Emma’s recent phone call was still playing in his head and as he reminisced her words, he felt as though his blood boiled. Consumed by anger, he found a desperation to destroy something, watch it crumble in front of his eyes just so he could find an outlet. However, he struggled to place an object that he could direct all his frustration to. When he came to the bottom of it, he realized that only found himself to be responsible for everything. How could he let himself be so gullible? He should’ve seen this coming. Out of desperation to meet Ben and find out important information, he overlooked the fact that it was precisely this that Ben was aiming for and he merely fell prey to it. At the very least, he should’ve asked for Tom to accompany Emma to the restaurant, or asked Elena to come home instead. Letting her go alone was out of the question all these days for
Although an amused smile rested on Emma’s face, her mind had long drifted away from the current scene in the room. After her conversation with Jamie, she joined Elena and Tom for dinner in the living room while Jamie remained in his bedroom to make a phone call. Tom had been trying to hit on Elena since the moment she walked in, or probably much before that, and while his attempts at wooing her friend amused her for a little while, her mind caught up on things that were bothering her all along.When she confided in Jamie about her dreadful evening, revealing to him how her uncle had warned her against trusting him, Jamie’s reasoning as to why he would say such a thing was hardly convincing enough for her. Unlike what he thought, she wasn’t ready to accept that her uncle was merely using that as a ploy to get into her head and suspected that there was something deeper t
“What was that phone call you had to make last night?” Emma asked as she looked ahead into the sky. The sun was fast approaching the horizon and within a few minutes time, it would completely disappear from the sky, leaving behind traces of its presence. Jamie glanced at her with wonder, surprised by her sudden question. She has been eerily quiet the entire day, remaining inside her room for most part. In fact, she seemed so aloof that when he offered to take her up to the terrace, he was sure she would decline. Surprisingly enough, she agreed, but he didn’t count on her speaking to him at all. “It was my father,” Jamie said, earning a curious glance from her. “Oh?”“Yeah.” “Does he have a hand in this?” A chortle left his mouth, “No, he has far better things to take care of than help someone with their personal vendetta.” “Thank god.” “Anyway, I called him to find out what he knew about your uncle. I told him he wanted to meet me yet stood me up.” “Is your father going to be
“Thanks for helping me with this.” Emma sighed as she fell back on her bed. Beside her, her best friend was just closing up the zip of a bag that the two girls have spent the last hour filling with clothes and other travel essentials. “Don’t be silly.” She said, “Besides, you know why I’m actually here.” An amused smile crossed Emma’s face as she looked at Elena’s mischievous look. As the latter took the bag off the mattress and settled down on it, Emma propelled herself on her elbow and raised her eyebrows at her. “Are you here to meet your boyfriend then?” She asked, referring to Tom. Tom and Elena have been on three dates in the past one week, much to Emma’s amazement. It was the first time she was seeing her best friend commit so much to a guy, much less a guy like Tom, who screamed playboy in every way. Elena was no prude, but he was a bit excessive for even someone like her. When asked if it bothered her that he was like that, she simply said she was yet to see that side of
As she got off the bus at Leanor street, Barlough, Emma felt as though she traveled back in time to her childhood. Despite the many new constructions and changes in the layout, the city of Barlough retained its originality and aura, making her feel like she had never left the place. It was the same bus stop that Emma stood at for years as a child, waiting to go to school. It was the same place where her father would drop her off before he set off for his day, and where her mother would pick her up at the end of hers. As she looked back, she realized that she only had fond memories of this place. Only the end for them was bitter. Tipping the conductor, Jamie came to stand behind her, entwining his fingers with hers. As she felt his familiar touch, she gave him a quick smile. “This way?” She asked. Nodding, he stepped ahead to lead the way. Jamie had already booked a hotel room for their stay here, and he made sure it was in the familiar part of the city for Emma. She couldn’t be mo