Empath's Angel - M J Marlow (easy readers .TXT) 📗

“You are a gentle, loving,and talented young woman. The man who gets you is gaining a treasure,and should treat you accordingly.” His eyes darkened as he looked at the ring on her finger. “You can’t marry him, Emi! Leave himand marry me.” “Jay…” “I’ve adored you since the day youand your parents moved into town, Emi,” Jason continued, no longer able to hold back his feelings. His eyes were warm with affection. “I’ve watched you grow from a wide-eyed, freckle-faced tomboy into one of the most beautiful young women I have ever seen.” He saw the confusion in her eyesand let her go. “I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you, Emi. I just couldn’t keep it in any longer.” “Why didn’t you ever say anything before?” Emilia asked him. She remembered all the times now that he had been her protector, her champion. He had made her feel so safe, never a burden. “If I had known…” “I couldn’t be that selfish,” Jason told her. “You’re just a kid, Emi. You need to get out in the worldand find out what you want to do with yourself. I’m not going anywhere.” He looked down as her hand covered his. “If your life didn’t bring you back to Glenville, than I would accept we weren’t meant to be. I wasn’t going to chain you here.” He looked at her in shock. “You’re crying, Emi.” “You are the first person to say something like that to me,” Emilia sniffed, a strange feeling coursing through her. “I always thought of you as my older brother,” she said as she looked into his eyes, “but now…” She shook her head, confused. “It’s too late for me to think of anything like that.” “You have to leave him, Emi,” Jason told her gently. “I will do anything you ask to make that happen,” he finished as he roseand held out his hand to her. “Anything.” “You’re a good man, Jason Cross,” Emilia smiled up at him, “but I can’t risk losing you, too.” She leaned against him a momentand missed seeing the sad look that crossed his face. “We’d better get our friends here back home,” she said as she looked at the dogs. “Right, kids? Home? Dog chow?” They danced around her as she rubbed their heads. “Race you.” Jason watched as she ran off with Haley trotting along beside her. He grabbed Henry’s leashand took off after her. He knew he could beat her easily, but he held backand watched the way the sunlight made her hair glow. The smile on her face, the way her eyes were dancing with delight, when they arrived back home, was worth it. She actually threw her arms around him like she used to when she was happy about somethingand laughed. It had been far too long since she had smiled, much less laughed. The dogs trotted off to the kitchen for their mealand he followed her out onto the patio where Martha had a pitcher of lemonade waiting for them. “How about a movie tonight, Emi?” Jason asked her after a few moments of silence. He saw her hesitate. “Just two friends out together. Nothing more.” “Okay,” Emilia nodded, wishing she could give him some hope. “Sounds like a plan.” She got to her feet, smiling. “I’ll go get ready.” “You’re good for her, Jason,” Martha said once Emilia was gone. “That’s the first time I’ve heard her laugh in months.” She picked up the pitcherand glasses. “If she likes musicals,” the woman smiled as she started towards the house, “they’re showing some of the Rogersand Hammerstein ones at the Revival House downtown.” Jason heard Emilia returnand got up. He had to control his reaction as he saw her. She had changed into a simple cotton sundressand a sweater was over her arm, in case it got cold. Her long thick curly raven hair had been left loose around her shoulders, held away from her face by a headband that matched a color in the floral pattern on her dress. She looked like she had before all of her troubles had started. He held his hand out to herand she took it with a happy smile. He took her to the old movie theaterand they caught one musical. Afterwards, they made their way to Owen Maxwell’s restaurant. “Evening, Officer,” Owen Maxwell smiled as he came out of the kitchen at the sound of the door. The restaurant was empty. “Mrs. Winslow.” “Owen,” Jason nodded. He looked around the place. “Are you closed?” “Just a little dead,” Owen told him. “The big game is tonight, so most of the regulars are there.” He waved them towards the booth in the back. “Please, make yourself at home.” He got them menusand then pulled them away. “Since you are the only people here,” he smiled as he held his hand out to Emilia, “let’s do this a little differently.” He led them to the kitchen. “You tell me what you want,and we will all make it together.” For fifteen minutes, Owen guided them through the preparation of their meal. He poured them each a glass of grape juiceand looked over to see them chopping vegetablesand herbs as he had asked. Then he handed them to Emiliaand Jason, smiling. The couple would have time to eat the meal they were helping him prepare for them. The drugs, given to Emiliaand Jason in their desert, would start the fun. His employer had been very specific. This girls’ protectors were to be removed from her side by any means necessary. He watched as they fell victim to the sedative,and frowned. A hitand run, a rape/murder,and now a frame job; what was next? This was getting far more serious than he had been prepared for. “I’m sorry,” he said to the pair as he carried Jason out to the alleyand dumped him in his delivery van. He drove the man out to a motel two towns awayand signed into a room as far from the road as possible under Jason’s name. “Poor kid,” he said as he opened a whiskey bottleand poured half of it down the man’s throat. “You don’t deserve this.” Jason woke up several hours laterand looked around the room in confusion. What was he doing here? Heand Emilia… He got upand looked around in confusion as the room blurred inand out of focus. There were empty whiskey bottles, but no Emilia. He began to feel relief until he saw the blood on his shirtand hands. It was too much for a cut. He heard something falland went to the closet. He opened the doorand watched in shock as a young woman fell out. Jason checked her outand called 911. Half an hour later, he found himself in cuffs under suspicion of rapeand murder. The only thing on Jason’s mind, however, was worry about Emilia. What had happened to her? When Emilia woke up, she was lying in an immense four-poster bed with sheer silk curtains. She didn’t recognize the room at all. She sat upand her body protested the movement. She insistedand was shivering with weakness as she parted the curtainsand looked out. She got to her feetand had to catch herself on the bedpost. The door opened as she was struggling to remain standing,and Zachary picked her up in his armsand put her back to bed. “You are not yet strong enough to be on your feet yet, Emilia,” he smiled down at her. “I don’t want to stay in bed,” Emilia protested. “What you want is irrelevant,” Zachary told her bluntly. He kissed her on the forehead. “You will not push yourself, Pixie. Get some more rest.” “I don’t want to rest,” Emilia told him, trying to get back up. “I want to go home,” Emilia broke in, shaking her head. She felt the prick of a needleand looked down to see Zachary removing it from her arm. “What are you doing?” “You need to rest, Emilia,” Zachary replied, his voice tight with anger. “You’ll thank me for this.” He watched her fall asleepand sat by the bedside to watch her. Stephen had told him about this glorious child,and he had laughed. His brother had clearly lost his mind, he had thought. But now, seeing this child lying in bed, sleeping peacefully, he knew what Stephen had gone through. This mere child made a man want her so he could love her, protect her. He got upand went to the desk where he looked at the photo that Mama Cross had taken of his brotherand Emilia at their wedding. So much in love,and so oblivious to what fate had in store for them. She was his now,and she would give him children to continue the work his father had started. “Is she ready?” Bridget asked as she stuck her head in the door. She smiled at seeing Emilia asleep. “Poor baby,” she crooned as she came to sit on the bed. “We’ll help you forget all of this.” She smiled up at Zachary. “If you’re done settling your pet down,” she said as she ran her hand along Zachary’s arm, her eyes filled with anticipation, “perhaps we can move on to the main event?” Zachary smiledand took her in his arms. They went to the next stateroomand celebrated their triumph. With Emilia, they would have the perfect bait for their traps. She was a beautiful girl; any man with a libido would want her. That hint of sadness that clung to her still would draw even the most hard-hearted of their prey to her. Given a chance with her, these men would pay almost anything to Zacharyand Bridget. It was the perfect set-up; neither of them could see anything wrong with it. “They have boarded,” CaptainAndrews said to Stephen as they met at the railing on the main deck. “Emilia was sedated.” He clenched his fists in anger. “Why can’t we just take her from them now?” “Because they haven’t done anything we can hold them for,” Yusef replied as he joined them. He sawAndrews’ look. “They have the appearance of a pair of concerned relatives accompanying the girl on a cruise to help her regain her strength. Only Emilia can testify to the fact that she is being held against her will.” “I know it’s hard, Captain,” Roman Novak, Antoni’s older brother, added as he joined the trio, “but this action must go as we have planned it.” He looked at Stephen. “You look every inch the Sheik, Doctor Winslow.” He took in the goateeand the black eyesand nodded. “It don’t think even your pretty wife will recognize you.” “Let us hope not,” Yusef said softly, “or it will ruin all of our plans.” He looked at Roman. “Youand your men are set to run interference so the ‘Sheik’ can get the girl alone?” “By the time the team is through with that bastardand his witch,” Roman smiled darkly, “they won’t know which way to turn.” * Two days later, Emilia looked out the windows of the stateroom on the cruise ship, with tears in her eyes. Zacharyand his friend, Bridget, had come to talk to her shortly after she had awakened hereand the words they had shared still stung. They had done this to her, they told her, to give her a new purpose in life. Emilia frowned as she remembered what they were going to do with her. She did not want to be used as bait in their traps, but telling them so had only gotten her druggedand locked in the stateroom. She had yet to see any other part of the vessel. There was a knock on the doorand it opened slowly, as if the person coming in was not sure of a welcome. “Pixie,” Zachary called as he came in. “Bridgetand I would like you to join us at the pool.” “I’ve asked you not to call me that,” Emilia protested mildly as she finished knotting the belt