CHAPTER 005
1234 Words
EMMA 'S POINT OF VIEW
The storm outside matched the one inside me. Rain hit the windows hard, like it was trying to get in and rip everything apart. I sat on the edge of the bed, phone in hand, staring at the video Chloe sent me over and over again.
Her face. Her voice. That fear.
"Emma, please. Help me... before he comes back."
She looked as if she'd been crying for hours. Her lip was bleeding. She had bruises on her wrists. But the worst part? The way she whispered those words, like someone was standing just outside the frame, listening. Waiting.
My chest burned. I wanted to scream, throw something, and run to her. But my feet were frozen. My mind was a mess.
What if it was a trap?
What if this was precisely what Ian wanted me to see?
Why would Chloe send this to me instead of Logan?
No. That’s not true. I knew why. Logan wouldn’t listen. He’d think she was playing games again. That’s what he said last night, after the party blew up in our faces.
"She’s always been in trouble," he snapped. "I don't trust a word she says."
He didn’t even look back when she left.
But I did.
She’d glanced at me from the doorway, her eyes sharp, almost pleading.
Something about that look haunted me.
"You’re shaking," Lila said from the doorway.
I jumped. "God, Lila, don’t sneak up on me like that."
"You didn’t hear me calling? You’ve been zoned out for twenty minutes."
"I—just got a message. From Chloe."
She stepped forward, frowning. "What kind of message?"
I held up the phone and hit play again.
Lila’s face went pale. "That’s bad. Really bad. She’s not faking that."
"I know. But... What if it’s bait? What if Ian wants me to go after her so he can get to me or Logan or both of us?"
"Or perhaps she's truly in danger and no one else is concerned."
I looked up sharply. "You sound like you believe her."
Lila crossed her arms. "I think it’s not that simple. Look, Chloe's got secrets, yeah, but no woman fakes bruises like that for attention."
I swallowed hard. I already knew that.
Lila sat beside me. "What are you going to do?"
I didn’t answer right away.
My head was spinning.
Logan had been distant ever since Chloe showed up again. He said he didn’t love her anymore, said she was part of a past he buried. But he never explained how deep that past really went. Or why Ian Matthews hated him so much.
Now Chloe was missing, Ian was circling like a shark, and I was caught in the middle of something I didn’t understand.
My phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number: If you go after her, you’ll both die.
Lila read over my shoulder. "Jesus."
I backed up fast, my heart thudding in my chest. "How do they even know I got the video?"
"Someone’s watching you," she whispered.
My hands trembled. My throat felt dry.
"What if he’s already inside the building?"
She didn’t laugh. She didn’t try to calm me down. Her eyes just got wide. "We have to tell Logan."
"No. Not yet. He’ll flip out and do something reckless."
"And what are you planning to do? Sit here and wait for the next warning? The next threat? Emma, this is serious."
I stood. "I know it’s serious! I’m not stupid. However, I won't fumble around like a helpless chicken.
Lila stared. Then she got up, walked to the window, and looked out. "You really care about her, don’t you? Even after everything."
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.
She turned back. "Then we found her. Together. But we’re doing this smartly."
My phone buzzed again. A new video.
Same room. Same scared look. But this time, Chloe whispered something different.
"Don’t trust Logan. He lied to you... he lied about your sister."
I gasped. My legs gave out.
Lila caught me. "Emma! What did she say?"
"She said... she said Logan lied. About my sister."
Lila blinked. "Your sister? Emma, what does that mean?"
I shook my head. I didn’t know.
But something cracked open inside me.
I remembered the way Logan tensed up every time I mentioned my family. He avoided using specific names. The way he changed the subject when I asked about my sister’s accident.
No.
No, he wouldn’t do that.
Would he?
I stood again. My fingers were ice. "I need answers. From him. Tonight."
Lila grabbed her jacket. "You’re not going alone."
"No. I need to do this. Just me. If he lies again... I’ll know."
She looked unsure. "Be careful. If something feels off, you call me."
I nodded.
The night was still wild when I left. The wind pushed against me like it wanted me to turn back.
But I kept walking.
Logan’s apartment was only a few blocks away.
I got there in fifteen minutes. My hands were wet, my hair stuck to my cheeks, my heart banging in my chest like it wanted out.
He opened the door shirtless, holding a glass of wine. He blinked at me. "Emma? You okay?"
"I need to talk to you."
He stepped aside.
His place smelt like soap and spice. Warm. Safe.
Fake.
"What’s going on?"
I turned to face him. "Did you lie to me? About my sister?"
His face didn’t change. But his eyes did.
"Where is this coming from?"
"Don’t play dumb. Chloe said—"
"You’re listening to her now? Seriously?"
"She’s not faking, Logan! Someone hurt her! And she said, You knew things about my family."
He set down the glass. "Emma, it’s not what you think."
"Then tell me what it is. Right now."
He walked past me and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn’t want to drag you into this."
"Too late."
He looked back. "Your sister didn’t die by accident."
Everything in me froze.
"What?"
He swallowed. "It wasn’t a crash. It was planned. By Ian. To send a message to your dad."
My knees buckled again, but I didn’t fall.
"Why didn’t you tell me?"
"Because your father covered it up. Paid everyone off. And because if Ian knew you were looking into it... he’d come after you next."
"He already is."
Silence.
Then he stepped closer, his voice low. "I didn’t want to lose you."
I shook my head. "You already did."
Then the power went out.
Complete black.
Then a flash of light across the street. A shadow in the window.
Logan cursed. "Get down!"
Glass shattered. A bullet tore through the front window.
We dropped to the floor. My heart slammed against the floorboards. I couldn’t breathe.
"Stay here," he whispered.
"Are you crazy?! Don’t go out there!"
He didn’t listen.
He crawled to the kitchen, grabbed something—I didn’t see what—and then vanished.
I pressed against the wall, fingers clutching the floor.
Another flash.
A scream from the hallway.
Then silence.
I crawled to the door, peeking out.
The hallway was empty.
But something was written on the wall in red.
Run.
My hands shook.
My breath came in short bursts.
My phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number: You picked the wrong side.
Where the hell was Logan?
Where was Chloe?
And what the hell had I just stepped into?
- Writer
