Unjustly Destroyed (Incapable Part Two) Read online

  Unjustly Destroyed

  MARIE SKYE

  Copyright © 2016 Marie Skye

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1533487863

  ISBN-13: 978-1533487865

  Published by Marie Skye

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover designer: Cassy Roop

  Editor/Proofreader: Silla Webb

  Beta Reader: Leilani Peters

  Formatted by: MadHat Books

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  Acknowledgements

  About Marie Skye

  Prologue

  Grayson

  I paced the waiting room covered in blood. Her blood. I refused to leave even for a second. People were giving me horrified looks, while I gave zero fucks. The woman I loved was in there fighting for her life, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it. I looked down at my hands, I was shaking so bad. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched. Chace stood there looking at me with sorrow in his eyes. I didn’t need that shit right now. It’d been three hours. Three fucking hours.

  The waiting room trickled out, and all who was left was everyone here for Emmalin. I looked around the small waiting room. She had no idea how truly loved she was. I sat with my head in my hands, praying for something. Suddenly a pair of white shoes walked in my view.

  “Family of Emmalin Ross?” I felt a nudge, and I slowly looked up. I couldn’t speak. Chace squeezed my leg, and I cleared my throat. “She’s mine,” I spoke gruffly. The doctor walked closer, looking at me sympathetically.

  “I’m Dr. Stiles. Ms. Ross had extreme amounts of blood loss before arrival…”

  Her lips were moving, but it was like I couldn’t hear her.

  “She went into cardiac arrest twice en route to the hospital…”

  Let her be okay, let her be okay.

  “Her heart stopped, during surgery…”

  Please be okay, don’t leave me.

  “Unfortunately, in cases like these, because…”

  God, please no.

  “To make her more comfortable…”

  Fuck.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  My world faded.

  Present Day - Six Weeks Earlier

  Emmalin

  Everything came crashing back in a split second. He was smiling. He was fucking smiling. It can't be. I gripped the wall to keep from falling. He gave me a wink before turning and walking out the door.

  Chapter One

  Grayson

  “Mr. Mandrake, if we could get another picture.”

  I put on my best smile, sighing inwardly. “Just one more.” I was tired. I just wanted to get to my room with Emmalin. I scanned the lobby for her, and didn’t see her. I took one last picture, and my eyes roamed around the lobby again, since it had started to clear out. Where the hell did she go? I started to walk further out and saw a small crowd had formed in a corner, and someone ran past me. I made my way over to the crowd, and Emmalin was balled in the corner, rocking herself back and forth.

  “Fuck, Emmalin.” She was shaking and staring off into space. I cupped her face, but it’s like she wasn’t there; she just kept chanting something.

  “Tyler!” I called out.

  The manager came over. “Sir, do we need to get medical attention?” I shook my head no. “I don’t think so, we just need space.”

  Tyler came running over. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know, she was just like this.”

  Molly jogged up beside Tyler. “I have her meter.”

  I began taking her blood sugar, impatiently waiting for the number. After a few seconds, I shook my head. “I don’t understand; it’s fine.” I looked at Tyler. He studied her, with her arms wrapped around her knees as she whispered something none of us could understand. He leaned closer and grasped her face in his hands, gently saying, “Willow.” All of a sudden she stopped and slowly peered up at him with tears in her eyes. Tyler’s eyes grew wide. He immediately stood up and looked around the lobby, then from me to her. “Let’s get her to your room, Grayson.” I nodded.

  I took Emmalin straight to bed. I didn’t know what the fuck that was about. She just completely shut down, but something or someone scared her. I called Benny and had the security feed sent up immediately.

  “What are you searching for?”

  I looked at Tyler. “I have no fucking idea. Something or someone scared her bad enough to cause her to shut down like that. You have any idea what it could be?”

  “I wish I did. I haven’t seen her like that since…” His voice faded.

  “Since what?” I had gone over this feed ten times already, and I wasn’t any closer than when I started. With the lobby packed, it was hard to pinpoint anything. I just kept rewinding it back to where she was standing off to the side, and then walking around the lobby.

  “Since I used to see her under that damn tree. It’s almost as if-” He stopped talking and faced the window before turning and looking at me. “But that’s not possible. We both know that.”

  We stood staring at each other. It took a lot for Emmalin to reveal what happened. Tyler took the blame for killing her stepfather, to keep her safe. They were young, scared, and knew there was no way to explain a dead body.

  “I have to go, but keep me updated.” I nodded as he left, still going over the feed, getting frustrated and also getting nowhere.

  An hour later, Emmalin came out of the bedroom with her hair damp and skin a bit red. And we’re back to that again. She smiled at me as she sat across from me. “So, do you do roller coasters?”

  I moved my laptop to the side, walked over to her, and pulled her up. I moved her shirt off her shoulder, examining her skin, and she flinched. “What did I tell you about this?” She shrugged her shirt back on and turned to walk away, but I held her firm. “And what did I tell you about walking away from me? Seems you’ve forgotten a lot of things.” She dropped her shoulders and rested her head on my chest.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “What happened back there?”

  “I don’t know. I think I was just low or something.” I watched as she went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.

  “We took your blood sugar, and it was fine.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I was just tired maybe. It’s been a long week. Maybe I was just overwhelmed or something. And the plane ride over pr
obably just wore me out.” I watched as she continued to ramble on and on about complete bullshit.

  “Emmalin, are you done lying to me, or did you want to keep going? I’m already thinking of ways to punish you for them later, but please, if you want to carry on, by all means.” She stopped talking and crossed her arms, glaring at me. We were interrupted by a knock on the door. She gave me a pointed look before answering it. She walked back in, followed by Tyler.

  He looked between the both of us. “What’s going on?”

  I gave her a heated stare. “Emmalin’s lying.” Her head shot up.

  “I don’t need the both of you ganging up on me. If I don’t want to talk about it, then I don’t want to talk about it. This isn’t a fucking therapy session, so how about the both of you leave me the hell alone.”

  Tyler held his hands up in a defensive pose. “Hey, no one is attacking you here. We’re looking out for you because you basically scared the shit out of us downstairs in the lobby, and frankly, you’re scaring the shit out of us right now.” She looked between the both of us, hands clenched, preparing for battle. Always preparing for battle. She shut her eyes and took several deep breaths.

  “I thought I saw someone I knew, and it brought back old memories. It triggered a reaction, and I didn’t know how to deal with it, other than shutting myself down because I knew it wasn’t real. That’s it.”

  “Who did you think you saw?” Tyler asked in a scrutinizing way. He gazed at her with that big brotherly look.

  “No one,” she answered, not meeting his eyes. “Just drop it.”

  I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her. Emmalin was finally diagnosed with PTSD, and we were dealing with it day by day. I kissed the top of her head. “Are you sure? You’ve never had an episode like that.” She nodded and gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  “I’m going to go for a walk before dinner.” I grabbed her hand. “Perfect, I’ll go with you.” She sighed.

  “That was an excuse for some me time. I want to walk around a bit; window shop, maybe get you a gift.” She gave me a chaste kiss, and I grabbed her and deepened the kiss. “A gift is completely unnecessary; you know that. Are you sure you’re okay?” I cupped her face. She nodded and saluted Tyler on the way out. Tyler looked at me unconvincingly. I went back to the security feed.

  Emmalin

  As soon as I reached the elevator and saw I was alone, I tried not to have a panic attack. I knew lying to him was going to reach a shit storm later, but I had to. I first needed to focus on not losing my shit.

  I reached the lobby and started observing everything and everyone around me carefully. Call it paranoia, I guess.

  “Hey, Emme!”

  I turned to see Abby running toward me and smiled. Meredith was behind her with Noah. “What are you guys up to?”

  “I was planning on taking them out to the theme park, but I’ve got such a migraine. I just can’t do it today.” Noah looked up at me with his sad eyes, wearing his Thor cape.

  “Well, I can take them for a few hours while you rest.” Meredith looked from me to the kids. “Oh, Emmalin, I can’t ask you to do that. We can go tomorrow.”

  “Mommy, please!” Abby jumped up and down.

  I laughed. “It’s fine, really. I don’t mind.” I crouched down until I was eye level with Noah. “What do you say, Noah, would you like to spend the day with me?” He grinned and nodded. I looked at Meredith, and she smiled at his excitement.

  “That would be great. Thank you so much.” I took Noah’s hand.

  “I’ll have them back before dinner.”

  ***

  “How about this one?” Noah looked up at me with his big blue eyes. He definitely had the Mandrake cerulean eyes going on.

  “You’re not tall enough for that one, buddy.” He frowned as I peered at my watch. “We have about a half hour until we have to be back. How about a face painting of your favorite superhero?” His face lit up. “Great!” I turned to Abby, who was no longer standing beside us. A wave of panic started fluttering over me as my hand tightened around Noah’s.

  “Abigail!” The whole time we’ve been together, I felt like something was off but thought it was all in my head. Noah ran to keep up with me as I rushed through the crowd shouting Abby’s name. I rounded a corner and saw her bouncing a ball.

  “Abigail!” She jumped when I called her. “Don’t ever leave my side. You know not to run off.”

  She looked up at me with wide eyes, and almost frightened, at my sudden outburst. She held up her ball. “I went after my ball; he found it for me.” She pointed to a man standing next to her, and I stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. Those very same eyes. My grip tightened on Noah’s, and I was sure I was bruising him. I moved him behind me, and in the calmest voice I finally spoke.

  “Abby, come stand by me.”

  “But—”

  “Abby! I said come stand by me right now.” Abby dropped her ball and ran over to me, and I quickly grabbed her, pushing her behind me. I stood there, shielding them, shaking, never taking my eyes off him. He retrieved a piece of paper from his front lapel. Holding it up to gauge my attention on the paper, he smirked then sat it down on a table. With a knowing smile, he turned and walked away.

  I don’t know how long I stood there with Abby and Noah behind me, but the next thing I knew Grayson and Meredith came up behind us.

  “There you guys are! What are you doing?” I just stood there, staring in the direction he walked, that piece of paper still on the table.

  “There was a man,” Abby whispered.

  Grayson went into high alert. “A man? What man?” I walked over to the table and pocketed the paper before anyone else could grab it.

  “They’re fine. I lost Abby for two seconds. She lost her ball, and someone found it.” Meredith looked relieved.

  “Oh, honey, what did I tell you about running off like that? I swear you kids are going to give me a heart attack one day. Come on; let’s get you guys washed up before dinner. Say goodbye to Grayson and Emmalin.” They gave us both hugs before heading back to the hotel. I began to follow them when Grayson stopped me.

  He guided me to him with his hand firmly on my nape, holding me close.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nodded and tried to smile. “I’m fine.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You’re hiding something from me, and I don’t like it.” I started to shake my head no, and his grip tightened. “Don’t. What do I have to do? Punish you? Fuck it out of you? What do I have to do, Emmalin?” His eyes penetrated mine so deeply, like he was trying to see into my soul. “I have a meeting tomorrow with a new client that was very persistent to meet with me. After that, we’re going home.” I looked at him, stunned, as we started walking back to the hotel. I glanced around us at the smiling families.

  “We can’t. We just got here, and this is important to you, Grayson.”

  “And you’re important to me, but I’m not having you stay here if I feel like you’re hiding something from me. Something or someone here is a triggering point for you, Emmalin. I saw the death grip you had on Noah and Abby, and you’re refusing to talk, so we’re leaving.” We continued to the hotel. I had to practically run just to keep up with him. I could show him the paper that was on the table, but I didn’t know myself what was on the paper. I had to be sure first.

  As soon as we got to our room, Grayson started rearranging his other associates to take over his scheduling for the rest of the week. I needed a minute alone to get a grip on things. I hated this. I went to the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub, pulling out the folded piece of paper that was in my pocket. I stared at it before finally opening it. There was just one word on it.

  Checkmate

  I tore it into pieces and flushed it down the toilet. I sank to the floor, knees to my chest.

  I jumped when the door to the bathroom burst open. Grayson stood there with a worried expression on his face. �
��I thought”— he stopped and shook his head— “What are you doing?”

  I shrugged. “I’m just sitting here.”

  “Appears more like you’re hiding out.”

  “You’re pissed at me. I didn’t exactly want to be in the same room with you.”

  He scowled. “I’m not pissed at you. I want to protect you, but you’re making it fucking hard for me to do that, Emmalin.”

  I stood up and brushed past him. “Don’t talk to me like that. I didn’t tell you to cancel the rest of your week. If you don’t want me to be here, fine! I can leave, and you can stay. I can easily go back home by myself if you don’t want me here. I don’t need you hovering over me, though. I’m not a child.”

  I grabbed my suitcase, glad I hadn’t had time to unpack yet. Fighting with him was easier. It made this whole thing easier. It made having to leave him easier. I concentrated on keeping my tears at bay, refusing to let them fall until I reached a new destination. I just had to move quickly since time was basically nonexistent. He wanted to protect me, but the truth was, I had to protect him. He grabbed me by the shoulders and practically manhandled me until I was lying flat on the bed with him on top of me. I tried squirming but with his weight on top of me, I was powerless.

  He tore my blouse in half as he pushed my skirt up and ripped my panties off in one swift move. He flipped me over and pinned my hands behind my back as he shoved two fingers inside me. “I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into you, but unless it’s me, it’s going to stop now!” I moaned as he slipped another finger in. To any spectator, this would look like an assault, but this is us… this is what I needed. This is how we channeled our frustration and aggression.

  “What do you need, Emmalin?” I bit my lip to not say anything. He gripped my hair pulling it tight. “I said, what do you need?” he growled in my ear. I was now panting with his ruthless finger fucking. He pulled my hair tighter, almost to the point of pain. “You,” I finally said. He eased his grip as he unzipped his pants and thrust into me. He bit the back of my shoulder blade as he pounded into me harder. I cried out from the pain of the bite, but it also spurred me on, and I met him thrust for thrust. “Come, baby.” It wasn’t a request. He reached around and rubbed my clit hard, at the same time pinching my nipple. I screamed out as he bit the middle of my back, and I convulsed around him, coming hard. He kept pumping hard, chasing his own orgasm before letting out an animalistic groan.