Emily's Protectors (The Protectors 2)

“Cooper.” She sighed. Not realizing just how high her anxiety was until she heard his voice.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” he asked immediately, sensing she was nervous.

Not wanting them to think she couldn’t go out by herself, she tried to sound cheerful. “Nothing. The ringing, it startled me. We’re having fun.” Even she could hear the falseness in her voice.

“You’re a shit liar, Emily. Now, talk to me before I call Eric and he tells us, which will just piss us both off and your ass will be red by the end of the day.” He threatened. None to quietly, either, if the look of laughter of Kenny’s face was anything to go by.

“Nothing, Cooper, I promise. I just had a weird moment.” She tried to deflect; she really did. My ass is gonna be so sore, she thought almost gleefully.

“Baby girl, the only time you call me Cooper is when I’m buried inside you so deep you can’t see straight or when you’re upset. Now, since I’m not currently being soaked by your delicious pussy, I have to assume you’re upset or something’s happened. Explain,” he demanded. Probably not realizing just how turned on she currently was from his words.

Telling him about her hair standing up and the shiver of awareness was not something she delighted in and had to repeat a couple things because she spoke so low. Knowing that she was on speaker and Dane was listening didn’t help any either. The man was a beast and she knew when he exploded, she did not want to be anywhere in the vicinity.

Waiting for them to say something after she explained was not easy. She was on pins and needles. “Baby girl?” Dane whispered her nickname, but she could hear the anger in his voice, could practically see his jaw ticking and eyes blazing in anger over the line, too.

“Dane?” she whispered back.

“Give Eric the phone.”

Handing the phone to Eric she said, “It’s Dane.”

The horror on his face would have been comical if she wasn’t actually freaked out. “You ok, Em?” Kenny asked her as they listened to Eric and Dane’s one-sided conversation. Nodding her head, she watched as Dane presumably barked out orders and bitched that she was feeling like she was being watched.

Hanging up, he handed the phone back to her saying, “Let’s go, ladies.” Each of them grabbing their arms and almost dragging them away from the shoe store and to the secluded part of the lot where they’d parked.

As the driver, she still didn’t know his name, hit the unlock button on the keyfob, he was pointing towards the vehicle. They were just feet away as an explosion rocked the pavement and sent all four of them sailing through the air.

Pain blossomed in her back and head, and her right leg was throbbing. Coughing and looking around through the smoke, she thought she saw someone running towards her but couldn’t be sure since her vision was blurry and her head was swimming in pain. “Kenny?” She croaked out. “Eric?” She tried for a stronger voice, coughing again from the smoke and dust.

The smell of fuel was nearly overwhelming. And even if they had answered her, she didn’t think she’d hear because her ears were ringing. Seeing movement to her left, she tried to get up and crawl over, but her legs wouldn’t hold any weight. Move dammit! She screamed at herself.

When a hand grabbed her shoulder, she screamed and spun on the person, ready to fight. Noticing right away it was Kenny, she cried out. “Oh God! You’re ok! You are ok, right?” Nodding her head in confirmation, she tried to help Emily to her feet when she felt a stab of pain in her neck and a burning sensation travel through her blood before darkness started to take over.

The ringing of his phone had him jumping from his desk. On edge from his short conversation with Emily minutes earlier, they were worried. “Sheppard.” He barked out.

Hearing coughing and sirens in the distance, he waited impatiently. “Fucking Christ, Coop, they blew up the goddamn SUV!” Eric shouted, sending his heart rate into overdrive and making him impulsively toss the guest chair sitting in front of his desk across the room, shattering it against the wall.

“Where the fuck is Emily!” He screamed louder than he ever had before.

“He got them, man. He fucking got them both when we were nearly blown to shit!” He shouted right back. But Cooper wasn’t feeling the least bit sympathetic; Emily was fucking gone. Going to the door, he flung it open so the handle lodged into the wall, screaming, “Dane!”

A moment later Dane came crashing in the room, already knowing full well what happened. Ripping the phone from his hand, he punched the speakerphone button growling menacingly. “Where the fuck is our woman, Eric?”

“I don’t fucking know!” He screamed at them. “We got separated from the explosion —”

“Explosion?” Dane choked out, interrupting him.

“The SUV was blown away when Chad unlocked it. Any closer and we wouldn’t be having this conversation, and you’d be picking your girl up in pieces and fitting her in a body bag. So stop fucking screaming at me and get Creed and Linc on the line and find out who this motherfucker is!”

“Kennedy and Emily?” They heard a devastated voice whisper out from behind them.

Cursing, they turned in unison to see Keeley standing there shaking like a leaf. “Ah fuck, lil’ bit. Don’t you worry, we’ll get them.” Dane tried to soothe.

Pretty soon Nate and Ty were standing in the room with them, looking paler than normal and placed a phone call no sibling wanted to make to their parents.

Waking up with what felt like cotton in her mouth and her head pounding, Emily slowly opened her eyes to look around. Blinking rapidly, she realized she was alone and in what could be a basement or maybe cellar of some kind? Her hands were tied in front of her and her feet were chained around her ankles, with the metal biting into her skin with every move. The walls were cement and the ground was cold and hard. Her body hurt from head to toe. Trying to get her bearings, she looked around a little more to see if there was a door. Sitting up was more difficult than she could have imagined.

Startled by a thump and murmurs overhead, she paused in her struggles to get up. Listening intently, Emily waited to make sure that whoever had her didn’t realize she was awake yet. Letting out a deep breath, she was finally able to sit up against the wall.