Not with a Fizzle, But with a Bang (The Bang Series #1)

Chapter 57

When I wake up in the morning Christian is laying next to me in bed reading a book. I look up at him and when his eyes meet my own he says, "Morning baby."
I yawn and lift my head, feeling a sudden throbbing, "Ohh," I groan. 

He closes his book and sets it on the nightstand before turning over onto his stomach to rub my back, "How's your head?" he asks quietly.
I frown, "It hurts really bad."

He rubs my back for a few more minutes until he sits up, "I'll be right back princess."
I watch as he heads out of the room, I sigh and sit up. I pull on my nearest sweater and head out of my room. What I find surprises me.

Christian looks up and I say, "I feel like I'm hallucinating."
He presses his lips together and Cole sighs, "How are you feeling?"
I shrug, licking my dry lips, "I think this is the worst hangover I've ever had."
He gulps and Christian says, "It's not exactly a hangover Em. Do you remember last night at all?"

I frown, "I remember having drinks with Jess, Matea, Avery, and Coraline."
Christian nods, "Do you remember what you had to drink?"
I nod, "Two shots, a glass of wine, and part of a small drink that was sent over by..." I trail off and my eyes widen, "Andrew. He sent the drink over and left. Christian he sent a note. It was on stationary. He had to of followed me."

He holds my shoulders, "Em breathe."
I gulp, "I called you right?"
He nods, "Yes baby."
I glance over at Cole and he says, "Christian called me. I helped him find you. You were sick in the bathroom."

Christian sighs, "Will went after him. Of course he was unsucessful. But we know it was in fact Andrew. He was waiting for you to try to leave."
Tears well up in my eyes and Cole says, "Emma, I need to know who your bartender was last night. The girls said it wasn't the man who had been waiting on you all evening."

I nod, "It was a different guy."
He taps the bar and says, "Look at these pictures for me."
I walk over next to him and Christian says, "If you don't know it's okay."

I shake my head and point to the man in the middle, "It was him. He delievered the drink and said a man who had left insisted on buying it for me. Then he slid me a card. It said It started with a fizzle, but will end with a bang. And it was signed A.D. Christian the article."
He frowns confused, "What?"
"The one that you thought I wrote! The whole damn reason any of this is happening."

Christian's eyes widen and Cole says, "The article outing the business relationship between Christian and Will Harwell? You really didn't write that?"
I shake my head, "No. Wait...you knew I wrote it. I wrote that as Emerson Sinclair you...you knew!"

He shrugs kind of sheepishly, "When your father said you blamed Victoria for...well you know I got on a plane to check on you and to get out of Paris. I happened to come to Seattle after failing to see you in New York and I saw you. You were in a walgreens buying hair dye."
I gulp, "Why the hell didn't you say anything to anyone?"
He shrugs, "I figured if you ran off then you needed too. And you didn't need me around to complicate things."

Christian sets a glass of orange juice down in front of me, "Drink this."
I sigh, "But-"
"Seriously Em," he says, "Please just drink it. Then you can eat, take a bath, and go back to bed. You need to sleep this off."
I nod and he kisses the top of my head, "Okay I will," I sigh.

I look at Cole and I say, "I needed to figure myself out, and I finally have."
He nods and says, "I'm glad Emma. Look I'm going to go over the security tapes, and once I pinpoint that it is this guy for sure, it's up to you if you want to press charges."
I shake my head, "No. I'm sure Andrew handed him a pretty sum of money, to pretty for a bartender to turn down. Just remind the guy that he could have cost someone their life."
Cole nods and stands, he glances at Christian and says, "I suppose I'll be seeing you soon. Bye."