Craving the Fight

2. Emma

CHAPTER 2

EMMA

For the first time in who knew how long, I could finally relax. Drawing in a thoughtful breath, I let it out slowly as I admired the Hudson River from my New York apartment balcony with a crème brûlée iced latte I’d made myself with the specialty coffee maker I bought last week. Now I could have one anytime I wanted without leaving my apartment. Resting my feet on the balcony railing, I smiled and took a sip, relishing in the sweet taste of the crunchy sugar topping.

For the first time in four years, I was not working next week. Ever since I finished college and pursued my modeling career, it had been go, go, go. Not that I was complaining; it’d been heaven to get out and travel the world. What did sadden me at times was my lack of chances to visit California. Luckily, my parents were always thrilled to pack up and visit me in New York. If someone had told me ten years ago that my life would be like this, I wouldn’t have believed them. I loved staying busy, but I haven’t had much time for myself.

It took a while to get a name for myself without living in my dad’s shadow. He was known as one of the UFC’s favorite fighters—a middleweight champion—and loved by everyone both in and out of the ring, especially the women. I’d seen videos of his wild days, and he still had that spirit, but my mother tamed him a bit. It was apparent he needed it. I was grateful for the opportunities he gave me, even though I was practically forced to attend college before pursuing my modeling career. It turned out it was the best thing for me. Being a model wasn’t going to last forever.

On the brighter side, I really liked the fundamentals of weather and looked forward to the day I could utilize my skills. I still remember the day I told my parents I wanted to be a meteorologist and how pleased they were because they’d expected something different from me. Honestly, I was surprised they didn’t see it coming because all I watched when I was younger was Storm Chasers. Tornadoes always fascinated me. Sadly, I hadn’t seen one in real life.

The wind whipped past me, and I closed my eyes, breathing in the city smells. The breeze was cool for a mid-May morning, and it reminded me of my family’s cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The smell, not so much. Nothing compared to being in the forest and having the scent of pine and earth all around me.

Opening my eyes, I smiled as a vision of my parents came to mind, along with my brother and sister. I’d left so many friends behind in California. If I was being honest with myself, I left a lot more than that. I took another sip of my latte, hoping it would distract me from thinking of that one person, but I got a flash of his emerald eyes in my mind before I forced it away.

“Good morning, sexy,” Ava called out as she opened the glass patio door.

Thank God for the distraction.

The last thing I needed was to think about him. I looked back at Ava. Her hands were full of various things she tried to wrangle around so she could sit down. The giant brown bag crinkled as she peered into it. Her makeup and sleek blonde hair were perfect, but that was how she always was. She never left our apartment without being expertly manicured. We met about three years ago at a fashion shoot and moved in together after we quickly became friends. Ava was skilled at navigating her way through the bustling streets of New York, and I needed that guidance. Now I was a pro.

“I bought you a blueberry scone from the café. Also, we forgot to check the mail yesterday.” She tossed the pile of mail onto our small, round patio table.

My stomach growled with hunger so I snatched the paper bag from her, and pulled out the blueberry scone. “Oh my God, thank you. It’s been ages since I’ve had one.” I took a bite and chewed it slowly, loving how it burst with flavor in my mouth.

Ava giggled. “Yeah, I figured as much. You’ve been so busy.”

“Got that right,” I replied, hoping I didn’t spew crumbs out at her. “Not that I’m complaining, but it’ll be nice to relax for a while.”

Nodding, Ava pinned me with her concern-filled brown eyes. “Just don’t burn yourself out, okay?”

Burn out? I’d never thought about it that way. The words felt like there was some truth in them, that it clarified the feelings in my stomach. Maybe I am burnt out. It’d gotten to the point where I cringed every time I got a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize.

As I finished off my scone, I turned to her and smiled. “I have next week off. I’ll recoup, I promise.”

Ava nodded. “You better.” She reached for the bag of scones and breathed them in, sighing with contentment. “I’m going to sneak these bad boys onto the plane, since I won’t be getting them for a while.”

Glancing down at my phone, I couldn’t remember when she had to leave. “Don’t you need to get to the airport soon?”

“Yep,” she answered, reaching in the bag to grab a scone. She took a huge bite and moaned. “I can’t believe that I’m going to be in Paris for two weeks in less than twenty-four hours.” I watched in fascination as she finished the rest of the fruity triangular bread in three bites.

“You’ll love it there,” I claimed. “My mom took my sister and me five years ago. It was a girls’ trip.” We visited the Eiffel Tower, went to all the museums we could find, and ate at every quaint little café. Of course, shopping was a big thing too, but it wasn’t the highlight of the vacation. My favorite part was being able to be with my mom and sister.

Ava stood and brushed off the crumbs from her pants. “All right, I need to finish packing. I have no doubt my suitcase will be over the weight limit.”

Laughing, I shook my head. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Ha-ha,” Ava teased, picking up the paper bag. “I was going to leave you another scone, but I might have to rethink that now.”

Oh, Ava, I love her to death. Once I finished my scone and latte, I picked up the pile of mail Ava tossed onto the patio table. Most of it was junk, mainly ads and coupons for the various businesses around town. However, a thick white envelope caught my attention when I sifted to the bottom. It was the size of a greeting card and on the front was my name and nothing else. No postmark or return address. Whoever sent it had to have just dropped it off in the mailbox.

Sticking it on top of the other mail, I carried it inside along with my phone and my empty glass. I set my dirty glass in the sink before grabbing the mysterious card and turning it around so I could slip my finger underneath the flap to break the seal. The envelope ripped, revealing a black card inside, but I couldn’t see anything else on it yet. I walked into the living room and flopped down on the couch, before sliding the card out of the envelope. That was when I saw the jagged, crimson-colored writing inside. Chills pierced my skin like tiny knives all over my body as I read the words. Fear gripped me; it took over my body in one fell swoop.

I’d never felt fear like that before.

“Emma? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ava uttered, her voice filled with worry.

Jerking my head up, I closed the card, my chest clenching tight around my lungs to the point I could barely breathe. I handed it to Ava. “I have to go home,” I rasped out.

Ava opened the note and read what was inside, her eyes widening in outright terror. “Holy s**t, Em. What does this mean?”

My gut contorted and twisted with despair. “I don’t know. That’s why I have to go home.”

The people who will know how to help me are there.