Tears rolled down her cheeks as soon as she stepped out of the exhibit. She heard loud footsteps behind her, but with her fast feet and agility, she was able to get away to a nearby restroom.
***
Parker went up the back elevators with a dozen red roses he picked up on his way home. His relaxed, happy state left him when he found his front door unlocked. Oh God...
"Emily! Emily!!" There was no answer. He quickly ran through every room in the large penthouse. Her belongings were there, but her purse was gone.
Shit! He called her cell phone and it rang from the coffee table. Panicked, he hit speed dial.
"Russell, Emily's gone!"
"Yeah, I found her. Or should I say she found me. Luckily Rhonda had the girls in the restroom and didn't witness her calling me a lying cheat and slapping my face. I tried to catch her but she's fast, Parker."
"Oh my God, where are you?"
"Fairfield Zoo. I'm at the exit, so she's still inside. Hurry your ass over here." Russell was getting more pissed by the second. All he needed was for Rhonda to get in a cat fight in front of their kids and everyone else.
Parker took off, phoning the limo as he ran. The driver was still in the lot, taking a quick nap. When he saw Parker's face, he snapped right to attention.
"Gary, get me to the zoo! NOW!"
Gary went as fast as he could. The traffic jam in front of the zoo was ugly. People were arriving and leaving, and Parker wasn't going to wait. He jumped out and began to run.
***
Emily slid down the wall of the stall and huddled in the corner. The fact that she was sitting on a dirty floor didn't even dawn on her. Her legs wouldn't have held her up anyway. How could I have been so stupid? It was now confirmed in Emily's mind, that both brothers were scum. I was nothing more than a mistress! Her visuals of her making love to the two-faced liar made her crawl to the toilet and vomit until she was wrenching with dry heaves. Taking a deep breath while she stood, she stepped out of the stall with curious, concerned eyes from other people all over her. She walked to the sink and splashed cold water on her tear-stained face. When she was outside the restroom, she walked with her face toward the ground. She had only one thing on her mind...getting the hell out of New York.
***
Parker found Russell by the exits inside the zoo. He was out of breath from running several blocks.
"Did she leave?"
"Parker, this is ridiculous. You shouldn't have slept with her!" Russell was livid.
"I'll fix this today." Parker reached over and patted his brother's shoulder. He knew damn well that Russell wasn't buying any of it.
Looking around, they both spotted Emily at the same time. They began to sprint in her direction.
When she heard fast, loud footsteps coming toward her, she lifted her face. Emily thought about running but was beyond that. She could have taken on a bull. Seeing who it was enraged her.
"Don't come near me!"
"Emily, this is Russell, he's my brother. He isn't the one you were with in Colorado or at the penthouse. He's a happily married man with two kids. I'm Parker. I'm the one you've been with the entire time..."
"You lying sack of shit!" Emily went to swing but Parker grabbed her wrist.
"Emily, you have every right to be pissed off. Yes, I lied to you. But it's me, Parker."
"I don't know who the hell you are. Whichever so-called man you claim to be, I hate you! Do you think for one second I'd believe anything that came out of your mouth?!"
Parker had to stop it. "You loved when I kissed you in that restaurant! You really did turn me on, and that night in the jacuzzi was the most intimate moment I'd ever experienced in my life! Your mouth is the sweetest--"
That's when Parker felt the sting on his cheek.
"I hate you! I hate you both!" Emily took off running out of the park and hailed a cab. Leaving her belongings behind, she headed for the airport.
Chapter 12
Emily was grateful to have her cast off her arm and the staples removed. After carefully exercising her arm in physical therapy, the stiffness was subsiding. Now that her arm was getting stronger, she had to work on mending the insides. She certainly hadn't expected to be affected for this long and tried to stay as busy as possible. But being back at the clinic was doing very little to take her mind off of whomever the hell she'd slept with. Knowing that the Davis brothers were probably taking turns with her was making her sick. She didn't believe a word of what was said at the zoo that day. If the brothers talked, both would know the intimate details.
"Em, do you want to talk about it?" Mick thought for sure that Emily would have snapped out of whatever had brought her so much pain, but that wasn't the case.
""Mick, I really appreciate your concern and support. I know I've not been myself, but I just need time." The last thing she wanted to do was admit to anyone how stupid she'd been.
"I'm here for you if you need me." Mick kissed her cheek and ruffled her hair a little. "William Lovette called again today, Emily. Call him back, he's worried."
Emily returned the smile. As soon as Mick stepped out of the office, the smile went to a frown, the expression she normally wore nowadays. She'd seen the news about Davis Enterprises and wasn't happy that she was thrown right in the middle of it. Now she understood why she was kept away from everything. She knew that William had started the ball rolling, but he was just doing what she asked him to do, and now she was hounded by the press almost daily. She no longer trusted her own judgment. Emily walked to the phone, dreading the conversation.
"William, hello, it's Emily Carson."
"Where the heck have you been? I've been worried sick about you!"
"It's a long story. Do you think you could drop by my apartment this evening? I'm tied up at work at the moment, so I don't have very long to talk."
"Sure thing, Emily. I knew you moved because I went by your old place a few times. Give me the address and I'll swing by around seven if that's good for you."
Emily gave directions to William, and then hung up the phone feeling even more horrible. She was sure she'd caused the same hell in his life that she caused in her own. Emily was hoping that separating herself from New York would make her feel better, but the opposite was happening. The flowers that were sent to her office by Parker Davis went right in the trash. How was she supposed to know who they were really from? The phone calls went unanswered at the clinic or were quickly terminated. Luckily the Davis brothers didn't know her new number. What else could they possibly want from me? She wished the chase would end.