Stay With Me...

Chapter 19- Land Ho!

Boats were overrated. Absolutely no one could change Emmaline's mind on that. They restricted movement, travel was slow, and they made weird noises. At first, she was only worried about being confined with John while things were so rocky between them. However, since they had sorted things out, now, the only problem she had was the lack of cable and the fact that she was stuck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with nowhere to go and nothing to do. After all, there was only so much sex they could have.

So when the captain had informed John and Emmaline that according to the GPS, they were only a few hours away from there destination, she was relieved. They had used the time to get ready. They had no idea what they were walking into and it was better to walk in blind and armed that just blind and consequently dead.

The reeling down of the anchor at one of the empty docks was enough to get the couple on deck and ready for action. "Ready?" Emmaline asked, feeling a mix of hopefulness, anxiety and a twinge of unease.

"As I'll ever be." John replied. He wasn't saying much, trying to get a good lay of the land. If that was even possible. The entire place was surrounded by thick fog and the darkness of the night was not really helping. "Do you see that?" John questioned curiously, pointing to something in the near distance.

Sure enough, there was something. A big shadow outlined in the darkness. Another boat. It had to be, what else floated in the water and was that huge. "Another boat? Who knows what they've got going on here?" Even as she said it, Emmaline doubted that it was the truth. There was a feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, like something was about to go incredibly wrong. It was the kind of feeling that made her heart race and her palms sweaty. Yet when John suggested they get going, all she managed was a nod and an anxious smile.

***

Standing on the shore, Emmaline kind of wished that they had stayed on the boat. In fact, she welcomed the isolation and utter annoyingness that was Eliza's stuffy husband's boat. Because on land, things were certainly much worse than any scenario that she had concocted in her head.

It turns out that the bulky shadow was indeed another boat, a very nice expensive boat with ultra-modern designs, that she might have complimented, had its owner not have her and John surrounded by men with guns. "You should have never tested me Emmaline. Running off like that, killing my men, it was all for nothing. I don't even know why you bothered, you're smart enough to figure out that eventually, one way or another, I would have found you." Arthur lectured her with such venom in his voice that she wanted to run, shrivel up and die, anything really. It made her feel stupid, of course she should have known. Of course it was insane to trust Eliza not to tell him. Business partners were closer than she had figured. "You're better than this. Above this," He gestured wildly with his hands, "Bullshit."

Emmaline gritted her teeth when she spoke, "What bullshit? Cause the only thing I see here is you being desperate. Jeremy betrayed you and you didn't give a rat's ass about that."

Burning rage engulfed him and in three long strides Arthur came up to her, striking her hard across the face. There was blood in her mouth, from the corner of her eye, she could she John stiffen, ready to react. But she contained herself, showing no pain and he did the same, masking his rage with his usual stoic exterior. The unexpected slap had thrown her to the ground, Arthur kneeled in front of her, grapping her cheeks between his wrinkled fingers, "I never gave a shit about that pretty boy. All he did was hold you back. Just like this one is doing right now. You're following him, sucking his cock, and one day he'll throw you away." His words shouldn't have stung so much, but they did. Her logical half was insistently reminding her that John was different. He had to be. But what if he wasn't? What if he was just like everyone else? Want if he was just trying to turn her into something she wasn't? He wanted to retire, she did not. He wanted a normal life and she could barely remember what that meant. Not the time, she screamed internally. Arthur tugged on her hair, it felt like he was trying to rip her scalp off. "You were different, better. My favorite. I trained you the way I'd train a daughter. But that wasn't enough for you? You had to betray me because you have some schoolgirl crush on a man old enough to be your father."

"Let her go," John demanded, he rose his gun, aiming at Arthur and two of Arthur's men came to grab John who put up a fight. "Let her go!" John fought the men who were trying to subdue him.

Arthur laughed venomously, "Don't even think about it Wick. You might be Baba Yaga but you aren't faster than the bullet that's about to go through her pretty head if you don't put that gun down." True to his word, Arthur put the gun to Emmaline's head and her eyes widened. His finger was on the trigger, "I do love you like the child I never had, but I'll kill you if your boyfriend can't know his place."

Emmaline's breathing was heavy, the arm wrapped around her neck holding her in place making it harder to get air in. "John, don't." Her eyes pleaded with his, she was never sacred of death, but it couldn't be tonight, not after she promised to help him, and they had come so far. "Arthur, please. Just let him go. I fucked up, that was me. You can kill me or do whatever the hell you want, just please let him go." Her voice was thick with tears.

She could smell the tint of cigars and alcohol on Arthur's breath as he spoke again, "Look at you, when I sent you to kill him it was because you were my best, my strongest. A bitch with the coldest heart I had ever seen. Now you're begging for mercy for another." Releasing his grip on her, Arthur pushed her forward and tossed a gun at her, it landed right next to her right hand, "I trusted you Emmaline, and part of me still does," There was a new hint of softness in his voice. "When it came down to it, you always make the right decision." Arthur pushed Emmaline fowards, gun pressing into her back, "So make the right one here, pick that gun up and do your job, and you can come home, where you belong. If you don't however, we can see where that water takes you after I put a hole in your chest."

Her voice shook when she spoke. She knew what he was asking but could barely believe it. "What?"

"Kill him. Now. Finish the job." Emmaline looked down at the gun, for some reason, remembering the day she and John stood in front of the display in Duyi's store. She had aimed a gun at him then too, out of playfulness. That one was empty. This one was loaded. If she pulled the trigger, that would be it. The moment felt surreal yet familiar

***

The words were at the edge of his tongue, but she beat him to it, "I love you John."