Finding Out

EMMA

My shout at Diablo must have echoed through the hospital. In no time, my room is filled with nurses and the doctor.

The doctor adds something to my IV, and I can only guess it’s another heavy sedative. The world around me blurs. I shoot Diablo one last glare before my eyes close and I drift off.

DIABLO

How did I mess up so badly? And with Lauren, of all people? I wish Levi hadn’t caught us in the act. I could have found a way to keep Lauren quiet.

But Levi is fiercely loyal to Emma.

If I don’t tell Emma, Levi will. I’m doomed. I’m going to lose her, and this time it’ll be for good. She’s already warned me that I’m on my last chance with her.

If she were still pregnant, maybe she would have forgiven me for the baby’s sake. I know she believes in a child having two loving parents.

Then it hits me—I’ve lost a child too. She was carrying my baby. We were going to be parents, and she miscarried under such brutal circumstances.

I can’t even blame Dean for our baby’s loss. He didn’t know she was pregnant. He didn’t know what happened in that office in Iran. He’s still in his hospital bed, heavily sedated.

My beautiful Emma. The loss of our baby is overwhelming. I break down, tears pouring down my face. The pain of losing our baby is unbearable.

I’m grieving for a baby we’ll never meet, never watch grow up, never see their first tooth, first steps, first love, first heartbreak, or their wedding. It’s too much to take in.

And I’m shattered because I wasn’t there to protect her from almost being raped.

I was too wrapped up in myself—drinking, doing drugs, sleeping with Lauren—to even consider that she might come back to me.

I’m the worst boyfriend. Even her bodyguards had more faith in finding her than I did.

I need to talk to Levi. I need to beg him not to tell Emma about Lauren. We can make up a story. I just hope he’ll listen.

I know he’s loyal to Emma, but all this trauma isn’t good for her. Maybe I can appeal to his conscience.

Wiping my eyes, I decide to find Levi. I need to convince him not to tell Emma. I can’t lose her. She’s my everything.

I find Levi with Alex and Blaine in a private waiting room. All three of them glare at me as I walk in. It seems I have to convince all of them, not just Levi.

Levi has a laptop on his lap, with Alex and Blaine on either side. After glaring at me, they turn back to the screen.

“I need to talk to you guys about Emma.”

“Not now, Diablo,” Alex snaps.

What the hell is so important on that laptop? What’s more important than Emma?

“I need to talk to you ~now~,” I insist. Levi hits a key, and they all look at me.

Well, this is awkward. Their intense stares are intimidating.

“I know Emma’s been through a lot. I think it’s best if we don’t tell her about Lauren. She was almost raped, for God’s sake.

And she…she lost our baby,” I manage to say, after pulling myself together.

“You’re not seriously asking us—” Levi gestures to the three of them, “—to keep your secret.

“Pretending that you—the jerk who slept with Lauren while Emma was missing and almost raped, beaten until she miscarried—suddenly care about her well-being ~now~.

“Are you really trying to sell us that crap?”

“I do care about her. She’s the love of my life. Don’t forget, Levi, I lost a baby too. I was the father. But you’re showing me no sympathy.”

“And we won’t, Diablo. Want to know why?”

“I want to know why you’re so determined to hurt her more. She’ll be devastated when she finds out about Lauren.

“Please—think about the consequences. Let me take care of her at home, let her recover, and we can figure things out. I’m just asking for a little time.”

“Time is something you can’t afford, Diablo. A lot has changed since I found you with Lauren.”

“I know things have changed, but she’ll recover and maybe forgive me. She’s strong. I just need time.”

“No, Diablo. You don’t get it. I just got more information about what happened in that office.

“A friend of Dean’s and mine got footage of the attempted rape. And trust me, when she sees it? She’s going to tear you apart.”

“What did you find, Levi?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“You’ll find out soon enough, Diablo.

“Speaking of time, you have less than four hours to tell her the truth.”

“I can’t do it, Levi. Please, let it go.”

“I might have considered it, Diablo, but after seeing that footage, I can’t. Honestly, I hope she leaves you.

“Just a heads up. After you tell her, we’re going to beat the hell out of you if she doesn’t kill you herself.”

“Fuck!” I yell.

EMMA

When I wake up, my hand instinctively goes to my belly, where our baby would have been growing. Tears start to fall.

I can't stand this. Feeling powerless and frail isn't me. And I've lost something so precious. I didn't even realize I was pregnant. I would have loved our baby with all my heart and soul, and then some.

As I ponder the kind of mother I could have been, Diablo enters the room.

“Hey, sweetheart. How was your sleep?”

“I slept okay, considering everything. The sedative the doctor gave me must have helped.”

Diablo sits down, taking my hand in his.

“Sleeping probably did you some good. Right now, all you need is rest, sweetheart. Rest and me, of course,” he says, grinning.

“Diablo, I haven’t forgotten that you have something to tell me. That's why the doctor and his whole team stormed into my room.”

“What do you need to tell me? Levi mentioned something about twenty-four hours. I think your time's up, if I check the clock.”

“Sweetheart, it's really nothing.”

“Diablo,” I warn him.

“Alright. While you were gone, I slipped up. I started drinking and using cocaine again.”

“Is that it, Diablo?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I told you, it's nothing.”

“Well, if that's all, Levi is seriously overreacting. I don't understand why he's behaving this way.”

“I'm sorry. I'll talk to him. He needs to start treating you with respect and not overstep his boundaries. His behavior is totally uncalled for.”

Just then, Levi and the other two guys walk into the room. Levi has a laptop under his arm.

“Hi, Ems. How are you feeling?” he asks me.

“I'm a bit better. I still hurt, but it's manageable, for now. I might need more painkillers later,” I say, offering them a small smile.

“Good. I'm glad to hear it,” he says before bending down, giving me a hug and a peck on the cheek. At least it wasn't a full-on kiss this time.

Alex and Blaine do the same, a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

“Thank you, all of you, for coming to our rescue. I don't know how much longer we could have survived there.

“Especially you, Diablo. I didn't expect you to be there—let alone kill the officer in charge. Thank you for that.”

Levi shoots Diablo a death glare.

“Have you told her yet, Diablo? Or not? Because it sounds like either you didn't tell her or you fed her some bullshit lie,” Levi sneers at Diablo.

“Levi,” I warn him, “you're crossing a line here. He did tell me, and I think you owe him an apology.

“He's my boyfriend, and I expect you to show him more respect and not cross any boundaries.”

Levi turns to Diablo.

“You didn't tell her the truth, did you? Because if you had, she wouldn't be scolding me right now.”

“This is your last chance to tell her yourself, Diablo, or I will. And I promise you, what I have to show her will be worse than if you just tell her the fucking truth.” His words are dripping with venom.

I can see Levi is seriously pissed off. He's clenching and unclenching his fists. Alex and Blaine are doing the same while glaring at Diablo. What the hell is happening?

“Diablo, why is Levi insisting you didn't tell me the truth? What's going on? Please just tell me, we can work through this,” I plead.

“I did tell you the truth, sweetheart,” he says, looking at the guys with pleading eyes.

“You leave me no choice, Diablo. I gave you an easy way out. You could have told her the truth. Now I have to show her the worst thing I've ever seen.”

“All of you just fucking stop it. You're all driving me crazy. Someone just tell me what the fuck happened while I was gone.”

“I'll do you one better. I'll show you,” Levi says, opening the laptop.

“Please don't,” Diablo begs.

“Shut the fuck up, Diablo. I swear, if what he shows me isn't what you told me, there will be consequences.”

Diablo visibly gulps—a clear sign that he's lied to me.

“Just get it over with, Levi. Just fucking show me already. I'm losing my patience with all of you.”

Levi places the laptop on my lap. All the guys, even Diablo, gather around to see what's playing on the screen.

On one side, it's me in the office with the man tugging at my pants the first time. On the other side, it's Diablo in his office.

“Why are you showing me this, Levi? Haven't I been through enough already?” Tears are threatening to spill from my eyes.

“Why do you want me to relive what almost happened to me?”

“Just keep watching, Ems. Everything will become clear in a few seconds,” he says, taking my hand in his. Giving him a puzzled look, I turn my attention back to the screen.

I see myself struggling with the guy while, at the same time, Lauren walks into Diablo’s office. She takes off her coat, revealing her naked body. Diablo bends her over and starts fucking her.

I start crying. I couldn't stop the tears even if I wanted to.

On the other side of the screen, through my tear-blurred vision, I see that we're at the part where I'm back on the desk, helpless after being beaten, my pants and underwear around my ankles.

“What is this, Levi?” I whisper, unable to believe my eyes.

“This is to prove to you that at the ~exact time~ that fucking worthless piece of shit was trying to rape you, your beloved Diablo was fucking Lauren.”

I take the laptop from my lap and hurl it at Diablo. It hits him in the chest before crashing to the floor.

“Get out! Get out! Get the fuck out, all of you! I want to be alone.”

“Sweetheart, please…” Diablo whispers.

“Get the fuck out! ~NOW!~”

Everyone leaves my room, including Diablo.

Tears start to pour down my face. Haven’t I been through enough already?