The Love Of Money - S01 E188

Story 3 months ago

The Love Of Money - S01 E188

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 188

We were sitting on a plush leather couch in the main living room a few minutes later. Emily sat close enough that she reached out and brushed her fingertips along my bruised face; I closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of her gentle touch. Maybe it was the abuse, but for some reason, I felt like I couldn't get enough physical affection, and every hug and caress felt magnified tenfold.

"What did they do to you, Marcus?"

I shook my head, not wanting to talk about myself. "Nothing won't get over. I need to know how Natashya is."

At first, she didn't respond. Her irises, the color of sun-bleached gravel, dropped to the hardwood floors. Finally, she said, "They did things to her."

My sister didn't need to say anything else. I understood the Implications.

"Fuck" I said, my heart breaking. I'm so sorry, Emily."

Emily looked back at me. "You didn't do anything, Marcus."

"She was with me. They took her because of me. It's my fault."

She shook her head. "No, it's not. Natashya's a big girl, and she decided to hang out with you. We both did. You were surrounded by bodyguards who were constantly watching for threats. We knew what we were getting into."

I snorted. "No you didn't. I didn't even know that."

"You know what I mean," she protested.

"Is she mad at me?"

"No," Emily said. "She loves the hell out of you for what you tried to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Marcus, we could hear you down the hallway. You were screaming at them when they had a gun to her head. You said some pretty brave stuff, and even strapped to a chair, you may have saved her from getting shot by that last guy... the one holding her. As far as she's concerned, you can do no wrong."

"I didn't do much," I protested, feeling like the last thing I deserved was this kind of praise. "We would have been dead if it hadn't been for you guys."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. She knows who saved you both, but that doesn't diminish what you did. She.." Emily had to take a breath to keep herself from getting choked up before continuing. "She told me some of her history, and it's not good. She says no one has had her back like that."

I felt my eyes sting and blinked several times as I felt the overwhelming relief that she didn't hate me. I swallowed, trying to get my emotions under control, and then looked back up at Emily. She looked at me like I'd just hung the moon. A small part of me liked the feeling; most of me hated it.

"Can I see her?" I finally asked.

"Not tonight," Emily said. "She fell asleep about thirty minutes ago. She's still healing from several cracked ribs, among other things. She's also raw... mentally, I mean."

"You mean..."

"Yeah," she said, and Emily started to let those unshed tears fall. "I know there's a lot I haven't shared with you about LA, but I'm in a really good position to help her."

I nodded. I had my suspicions about Emily's time in Los Angeles and the abuse that had gone on there, but she'd always been so quiet about all of it. Her words now all but confirmed what I had already guessed.

"God, Marcus. She's one of the strongest women I've ever met. I wish I had a tenth of her strength. She told me it's not the first time this has happened to her. She seems okay, but I can tell it's bothering her. She keeps having nightmares, so I've been with her most nights. I think she needs at least one more night to just....

process.

I nodded. "That's fine. She can take all the time she needs. Tell her not to worry about a job. I'll keep paying The Starlight. I'll keep paying her rate, and her medical bills are-"