A Game With The Billionaire

Chapter 22:

Jeremy:

A text lights up my phone when I am in the meeting room but I ignore it. I always encourage my employees to turn off their phones or vibrate their phones. We can’t have any distractions whenever we want to brainstorm. Right now, I am having a meeting with the editing team; we are discussing prospects of changing the logos of one of our games.

Kade, my assistant, takes notes as the team leader explains the whole process. In between the meeting, my mind drifts to yesterday. I am glad that Emma didn’t fight it, when she walked through that door; I felt every single emotion all over again.

I am trying my best to do this well. I don’t want to f**k it up which is why I am going to do my absolute best. My phone lights up again and I catch the text before the screen goes off.

It’s from an unknown number. Somehow, this makes me sit up straight.

Unknown number: Want to play a game?

Whoever is doing this seems to be f*****g with me. Did someone think it’s such a great idea trying to play games with me? Maybe it’s Tristan being Tristan again. Hell knows the games he put me through when we were little during summer. I choose to ignore the number; I won’t let anyone stress me out.

The phone lights up again.

Unknown number: It’s called ‘How to save your girlfriend?’

There’s something about the text that feels personal, it slams right into my chest. Frowning, I grip the phone and start typing but my fingers freezes over the keyboard when a photo is sent. It’s Emma tied to a chair, blonde hair spilling over her face and I realize that she’s unconscious.

No, no, no. Panic starts to rise in every part of my body and I suddenly feel cold all over.

I start typing.

Me: Who the hell are you?

Unknown number: Do you want to save her? The address is being sent to you. Come alone if you want her intact.

The room tilts. I’m on my feet before I can register moving, the chair scrapes hard enough to kill the evening presentation mid-sentence.

“The meeting's over.” I don’t even recognize my own voice. Twenty eyes follow me as I head out of the meeting room. Kade follows me and the warning to come alone rings in my ears. “I’ll be back.”

“You have a meeting with the freelance editor that every gaming company has been trying to bag.” Kade informs me. “You can’t miss it.”

“I don’t care.” I walk towards the elevator frantically.

“But it took a hell lot of time before we could get her to come for a meeting.” Kade explains as I wait for the elevator to open.

“Reschedule. It.” Kade sees the frown on my face because he nods and excuses himself. The elevator takes a long time so I use the stairs three at a time, my hands shake so badly as I fumble with the key to my BMW.

They touch her.

They put her hands on her.

I am not a violent man, I sign contracts, I smile for the cameras, I send flowers to my family on their birthdays but right now, there’s something dark coiling in my chest, a sudden urge to peel away the skin of whoever took Emma. I want them to scream, to plead, to writhe in pain.

I am not thinking well. The whole drive is a blur of red lights and I ignore the horns. The address is a rotting warehouse tucked in an isolated place. I leave the car and walk in.

Empty.

It’s just Emma in the middle of the concrete floor tied to a chair under a flickering bulb. The sight of her like that, my Emma, small and pale and hurt hits harder than any emotion I have experienced in my entire life.

I am across the room in two long strides. I tear at the thick ropes until they leave scratches into my palm. When I untie the last knot, Emma sags limply into my arms.

“Jeremy...” She whispers as her eyes flutter open glassy with pain. It’s her voice, it’s Emma.

There is a cut in her lower lip. In her temple, there’s a streak of dry blood. It hurts me. Someone split her lip, someone made her bleed.

That someone is going to go through pain.

I am shaking with pure rage, I have never been this shaken in my entire life but right now, I want to claw out the eyes of whomever did this to her. I want them to feel her pain.

“I’ve got you, baby. I have got you.” My voice cracks. Lifting my hand, I touch her pale cheek. “I am here; you’re going to be okay.”

I strip off my jacket and drape it over her cold body. I lift her like she weighs nothing, cradle her against my chest and carry her to the car. The drive home is quiet. One hand around the steering wheel, the other on her legs, she’s resting on my shoulder, sleeping. Every time I stare at the cut in her lip, the rage thrums the more.

When we arrive home, I carry her up to the stairs and lay her down on the bed. “I am going to make you soup.” I say and she nods, watching me with those amber eyes while half-asleep. Downstairs, as I prep the ingredients, I dial a call to Xavier.

“Hey.” He picks up on the first ring. “Something up?”

I cut straight to the point. “They took Emma today to an abandoned warehouse.”

“Shit.” Xavier replies. “I will get on to it, send the number and the address, Leto will track them down.” Nodding, I end the call and forward the number and the address. Twenty minutes later, I take the soup to her room, I sit on the edge of the bed and feed her spoonfuls, she doesn’t offer to feed herself nor does she argue. I drop the bowl on the bed side table.

“I was scared,” she admits, not meeting my eyes. “I thought...I thought...” she’s trembling now and the sight almost breaks, I wrap her in my hands as she curls against my chest.

“It’s going to be okay.” I stroke her hair gently. “Do you want me to stay?” I ask gently and she nods weakly. I slide into the bed and watch how she slowly falls asleep. I don’t sleep. I can’t sleep.

The rage is still building up, threatening to explode. Three-thirty in the morning, my phone rings loudly on the bed side table. Xavier’s caller ID flashes against the screen. Swiping the screen, I hurriedly accept the call.

“We found them.” He says plainly. “Three idiots who thought it was a good idea to scare you a bit. They thought they could play games with Jeremy f*****g Hart.”

“Good.” The thrill that comes with knowing they are within reach is satisfying. “I will be there soon.” The call disconnects and I kiss Emma’s forehead, ease out of bed and change into comfortable clothes. The drive to Golden Retreat is quick, I take the elevator and step into the Underworld, this place is not somewhere I am comfortable with but knowing that the guys who took Emma are here makes it a bit bearable.

I sight Leto right here, she waves excitedly. The Underworld is bustling, the fact that these people don't sleep sends a chill up my spine.

The subtle hint of pinkish highlights in her blonde hair catches the dim light as she makes her way towards me. “Xavier told me you were coming. Unfortunately, he isn’t here right now. He had to go take care of something.”

I don’t want to know whatever it is he had to take ‘care’ of.

“Where are they?” I ask, my voice hoarse and my body feeling restless. Leto flashes me a grin before she starts walking. It’s still hard to wrap my head around the fact that an underworld is below Golden Retreat, one of the best lounges in all of New York. This underground is spacey enough to accompany a hundred people.

“There are guys from Silver Vipers. The organization is one of our nemesis.” Leto explains as she pushes open the worn-out door that leads into an empty room. There are three men zip-tied to the chair. They start babbling the moment I walk in about how it was just supposed to be a scare, how someone paid them to rattle the golden boy.

“The floor is completely yours.” Leto says, stepping backward.

I don’t give a damn about who paid them.

I drive a fist into the first one’s face. Again. Again and again until blood sprays across my knuckles.

“Who sent you?” I ask calmly.

They cry out but they don’t answer. They swear they don’t know.

I break their fingers. Leto hands me a knife and I plunge it into the side of one’s face, drawing out a trail of blood.

One of them whimpers. “We just wanted to scare you, man. Please...” he coughs out a mouthful of blood.

“You shouldn’t have touched my woman.” I am about to lunge the blade into their stomach when Leto places a warm hand on my shoulder.

“Stop, they aren’t worth it. My guys will handle the rest, there’s no point trying to get out the name of the person who paid them. Mafia organizations are secretive as f**k, they like to keep their mouth completely shut regarding clients’ information. My advice is that we send them back to their organization as a warning that they shouldn’t mess with Jeremy Hart.”

I nod, staring at their pleading, tear-stained face. “Mess with my woman again and both you and your organization are going down.” I stare at my red-rimmed hands, handing over the knife to Leto. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” She smiles ruefully. “Go home.”

Dawn is already starting to break when I enter the house as quietly as possible; I go upstairs and take a shower, washing away everything that has to do with the underworld. I go to Emma’s room and slide back into the bed. She’s still asleep, covers draped over her pale body.

She stirs and tucks her head under my chin.

“Everything okay?” She mumbles.

“Everything’s perfect, baby.” I whisper against her skin. “Go back to sleep.”

This feels entirely perfect, her tucked in my arms, I miss this so much. I want to sleep like this every day of my life but this is a vulnerable moment for Emma, she’s going to wake up tomorrow and not want this.

But if this is all I can have tonight, then I’ll take it.