“Something’s not right. I’m in Alabama, and we just rushed Natalie back to the hospital. Her painkillers were being administered by a staff member. Apparently, she stored them up and took a bunch at one time. She’s hallucinating. Serena’s with her now, but Natalie keeps spewing something about being sorry for bringing Ember into this.”
“Into what?”
“I don’t know! But Ember’s not answering her phone. Cruz and Chloe say they haven’t seen her today.”
“When are you coming home? I’ll try to get Finn to cover me, but it will be at least an hour before he can get here.”
“I’m leaving the hospital now, but my gut is turning. Something’s going on. I can feel it to my bones.”
At his words, my own stomach twists and a sense of dread washes through me.
“I’ll find out what’s going on, Thad. Ember wouldn’t keep anything from me.”
“I’ll come by when I get to Nashville.” He hangs up, and I dial Finn’s number.
“Holy fucking shit. What the fuck is happening here?” Max’s statement freezes me.
“What are you talking about?”
“Call your dad now. Tell him to stand down.”
“Why?”
“Man, just do it.” He reaches for my gun, but I get to it first.
“Tell me what the fuck is going on.” I snatch the high vision binoculars from his hand and focus on the small alleyway we’ve been watching for hours. My heart stops as I watch Ember and a man walk from the restaurant toward the warehouse. When Dade Lewis comes to the door, my vision goes red. She stares at him for a second, exchanges a few words, then follows him inside.
“James, you have to stop! Ember’s in there! Abort!” Max screams into the phone, but I don’t hear any more.
I’m out of the car with my gun in my hand, running in the direction Ember disappeared. Before I can get to the door, two strong arms grab me and pull me back into a wall. ATF agents restrain me as Max yells to let me go. My arms flail, trying to get free, but they hold, telling me quietly to calm down.
As soon as I hear the gunshots, my protective instincts kick in and I’m able to get free. Max pushes me forward, following me into the warehouse. Black and blue uniforms swarm the place, but I’m too busy looking for Ember to stop.
Gunpowder fills the air, but no more shots are fired. When I get to the doorway of an open office space, panic seizes in my chest. Ember lies on the ground underneath the enormous man from earlier. Once he’s handcuffed and pulled off of her, she rolls over, her eyes locking with mine.
Absolute horror fills her expression as she tries to speak. An officer starts to handcuff her, as well. I move to stop him, but my dad’s arms wrap around me strongly.
“Let her go, son. I’ll make sure she’s okay, but she’s got a lot of questions to answer.”
Watching the woman I love being led away crushes me.
Chapter 43
Space
Robbie
Fury builds inside me and threatens to explode as I watch Ember’s interview with the officer and ATF agent. She alternates between fiddling with the hem of her shirt and picking at her nails. Her skin is so pale; she looks like she may pass out. Each time she replays her story, my anger builds a little more.
Every person involved with this raid knows she’s innocent, but protocol requires she be interviewed a number of times before she can be released. My dad has the family lawyer in the room with her, but only as a precaution.
Since they hauled her in, she’s only been allowed to talk to my dad and the lawyer. At first, I was belligerent, screaming at anyone who would listen to let me see her. But when my dad explained I was going to be locked up for threatening an officer, I had to rein it in. Somehow, he was able to get me into the observation room to watch the interviews. Finn and Max are beside me, most likely to make sure I don’t go crazy again.
When the interview is over, the agent and officer leave as the lawyer talks to Ember quietly. Her head slumps as he pats her hand.
“You’re up.” Dad walks into the room, signaling to me.
As much as I’ve wanted to get to her, now I dread it. I’ve been asked to talk to her and see if there are any inconsistencies. Against my better judgment, I agreed. To me, we should be having this conversation at home.