“Let her go, Prescott, now!”
I sob in relief at the sound of Ryder’s voice. Kyle freezes for only a split second before locking an arm around me and bringing his knife against my throat. The sharp blade biting painfully into my sensitive skin.
“How nice of you to join us, Jameson. I’m glad you’re here to catch the show.” He taunts, but there is no denying the fear in his voice.
I stare at Ryder through blurry vision; his eyes are cold and lethal as he trains his gun on us. “It’s over, Prescott. Just let her go.”
“Actually, it’s not over. It’s just about to start. Put the gun down or I will slit her throat right now!”
Ryder shakes his head. “My bullet will reach your head before that blade even makes your attempt. Now drop the fucking knife and let her go.”
I feel Kyle walk us back, closer to the edge of the cliff. “Yeah? Will your bullet reach me before I push her off this fucking ledge? It’s a long way down, Jameson, want to find out?”
My panic escalates when I hear the rushing creek far below as we get closer to the edge. “Ryder.” I whimper in fear, feeling myself slipping into hysterics.
“Emily, baby, stay calm. Everything’s going to be okay,” he says, moving closer to us.
“Everything is not going to be okay!” Kyle screams psychotically, his tone sounding desperate.
Ryder’s only a few feet from us now. “This is your last warning, Prescott, stop fucking moving or I will shoot.”
He finally stops moving and I think everything’s going to be okay until he says: “I will stop, but not her.”
Suddenly everything happens in slow motion. I get shoved the same time a series of gunshots go off. A scream locks in my throat as I stumble backwards; my hands flail, grabbing at air. Ryder rushes at me and I watch his mouth move as he shouts but I hear nothing, only silence. It feels like I’m not even in my own body anymore, it’s as if I’m looking from the outside. Through it all, I see Kyle fall over the same time as me, and it’s in one heart-stopping second that I realize this is it. I close my eyes, not being able to bear the thought of seeing me crash to my own death. But then I instantly slam back into myself with jarring impact when I smash against rock, the landing not as hard as I anticipated.
My eyes snap open in confusion and it takes me a minute to realize I’m hanging. I look up to Ryder on his stomach, my wrist gripped firmly in his hand. “I’ve got you.” I can barely hear him through the sound of the water rushing below and the pounding in my ears.
I make the mistake of looking down, seeing nothing but blackness, it’s too dark to see anything but I can tell it’s a really far ways down.
“Don’t look down, Emily. Look up at me.” I do as Ryder says, my gaze locking with his intense one. “I’ve got you, baby, I promise. Reach up with your other hand and hold on.” I follow the order and hold on tight while he pulls me up. I weep with relief once I’m locked safely in his arms.
He rolls us away from the edge and pins me under him. “Are you okay? Please fucking tell me you’re okay,” he asks with a gruff whisper.
“I think so,” I mumble, still having a hard time grasping reality.
He starts peppering soft kisses all over my face. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Em.” I have no idea why he’s apologizing but I quickly realizing he’s crying, something that I didn’t think he was capable of. His hot tears hit my face and mix with my own.
I wrap my arms around his neck and revel in the feel of him against me, something I never thought I would feel again. “I was so scared you weren’t going to be able to find me. When they found the wire I…” I gasp, remembering the others. “Oh my god, Ryder. Cassie – they still have her. We have…”
“Shhh. Nick has her, baby, she’s okay. We reached them before I found you.”
I sigh with relief and pray she’s all right. My throat burns at the thought of everything she was put through by the hands of my father. I look back up at Ryder as I think about what happened tonight. “My father’s dead.”
His expression is somber as he nods. “I know.”
“He was going to sell me,” I mumble numbly, still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact.
Ryder’s jaw clenches in fury before he rests his forehead on mine. “It’s over, Em. All of it. I’m going to take you away from here and I swear I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
His comment pulls me from my sad thoughts. “You’re going to take me away from here?” I ask quietly, hoping he’s saying what I think he is.
He trails his soft lips across my battered cheek. “Yeah, baby, I’m taking you back to Florida with me, where you were always meant to be.”
Pleasure warms me from the inside out, and I can’t help but rib him on his bossy insinuation. “What if I don’t want to go to Florida?” I whisper.
He freezes then swings his gaze back to mine. I try really hard to keep a straight face but his expression has a small giggle escaping me. He doesn’t find it funny, and glares down at me moodily. “That shit’s not funny, Emily.”
I smile and slip my hands under his police vest to pull him closer. “I’d follow you anywhere, Jameson. I love you, even when you’re bossy. Now shut up and kiss me.”
He smirks before leaning in and giving me what I want. He brings his lips softly to mine, but I refuse to let him be gentle. I lock my arms around his neck and kiss him with a desperation I’ve never felt. Our moans mingle as we immediately get lost in each other. I hear the distant sound of sirens and a helicopter sounding overhead, but we don’t break. Nothing matters right now but the two of us, and feeling what I thought, only moments ago, I would never feel again.
Chapter 24
Emily
Two weeks later I stand in my living room and take in my empty apartment as Ryder loads up the SUV with the last of my small stuff. A feeling of nostalgia washes over me as I say goodbye to my old life before starting my new one. Though I’m not sure why. The only good parts left of my life here were my job and Cece, and although I will miss the children I worked with, I’m excited to see what the future has in store for my career when I get to Florida.
As for Cece… I swallow past the ache in my throat and tears immediately sting my eyes at the thought of her. She hasn’t answered my phone calls, so I’m taking it that she’s not going to forgive me, and, to be honest, I’m having a hard time forgiving myself. Her father is dead from saving my life. If that didn’t make me feel horrible enough, it turns out he wasn’t a part of the sadistic sex ring my father and the rest of them were a part of. At least not in the way we thought he was.
A large brown envelope was found in a safe at his home office. It was filled with video evidence from the after parties, and a letter of admission stating exactly who was all involved. As it turns out, Paul was only recently aware of what my father and Archer were a part of. He stumbled upon it accidentally, and Archer had threatened Cece’s life if he didn’t keep quiet. It was then that he started collecting as much evidence as he could gather, but when he realized just how many people were in on it, he had no idea who he could trust.
Because of that evidence, along with what Ryder and Nick have, it’s enough to put away a lot of people for a long time. Including my mother. Though she never partook in the after parties, she knew about them. Her reasoning for keeping quiet was all for money, or so I imagine. I haven’t spoken to her nor do I plan to. There’s no point, nothing she says will undo the damage she and my father have done.
Ryder says there’s a good chance Archer will get the death penalty for the murders of Paul and the social worker, let alone any other possible victims he has killed. There is still so much to uncover when it comes to him. It makes me sick to know that poor lady’s body was buried in the well on my parent’s property all of these years. A place that I used to spend so much time at, and thought was so magical, now makes me sick to my stomach. I hope he pays, I hope they all pay for the lives they ruined and the people they hurt.