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Emerald noticed Romy's vehicle in the distance as she approached a path that deviated from her driveway.Oh my god, she’s still here! I may have a chance after all!But as she got closer, she noticed a second car and three unrecognizable bodies.
Slowing her pace, Emerald began to tiptoe slowly, her hand clutching the buzzer. At first, Emerald only saw the backs of heads and figures between the branches of the forested area. Then, a feeling of dread overcame her as Emerald crouched down, hoping not to be seen by anyone. While she couldn't identify the car or the people near Romy's vehicle, Emerald knew she was approaching a dangerous encounter.
As she moved slowly down the path towards Romy's vehicle, her footsteps crunched on some branches, causing the unknown heads to turn. Emerald froze in her tracks, but it was too late; she had been spotted by three men.Oh my god, one of them is Thomas.“Here, there she is,” she heard Thomas shout.
Emerald stood up, knowing she had been caught, ready to confront the men.But if Romy's car is there, where is she?As she approached Romy's SUV, she noticed the Romy lying face down on the ground. Immediately, Emerald pressed the buzzer, understanding the gravity of the situation. Running towards the vehicle, Emerald screamed, “Romy! Romy, are you okay?” She turned to face her ex-husband as the two other men surrounded Emerald. Crying out hysterically, Emerald demanded, “What happened to her? What did you do to her?”
Emerald tried to push through the men to run towards Romy, but they blocked her, with Thomas holding her arms. Then, with the two thugs beside him, Thomas squared off to face Emerald. “Listen, I don't want to hurt you. But you owe me money, Emmy.”
Emerald met the terrifying rage in Thomas's eyes; she already knew Thomas had an incredible temper. Still, she struggled, calling out, “Romy! Please, say something! I need you to know you're alive. I love you!”
The two thugs snickered as Thomas tightly held on to Emerald, his hands clamping down on her wrists. “You better pay up, or you're going to end up like that dyke guard of yours.”
One of Thomas's lackeys laughed cruelly as he pointed toward Romy's unconscious body. “Hah, she can't help you now, can she? Not that she was any match for one of us.” He pointed a gnarly finger in Emerald's face and added, “It was pretty stupid of you to hire a female bodyguard; what a joke! Guess you're just going to have to pay up, huh?”
Thomas interrupted his associate, exerting his control. Against her will, Thomas pulled Emerald closer to him as she wrestled from his grip. “Now, listen to me. You and I will walk back up to the house, nice and calm. You are going to hold my hand like we are back in love and everything is fine.” Yanking Emerald's arm harder, sneering in her ear, he continued, “We are going to walk inside and head straight up the stairs to the safe on the fourth floor. Don't think I forgot about it, bitch!”
Emerald thought fast. She knew the police were coming to the location from where she buzzed the alarm, so she wanted to keep the men beside Romy's SUV. If she could stall the thugs long enough, they would find Romy and arrest the men. But Emerald knew she was taking a chance on her life and Romy's. Emerald saw Romy’s body twitch from her peripheral vision, which made her feel hopeful.She’s still alive, but the police need to be here soon!“Okay, okay. I will. But please, I just need to see if Romy is alright. Please, I need to check.” Emerald struggled against Thomas’s grip in an attempt to keep the men at the location.
As she tried to pull away, the other two men grabbed Emerald to keep her from running to the bodyguard. Thomas laughed cruelly. “Oh, is that your new girlfriend? I don’t think she’ll be much help, lying unconscious on the ground. Me and the boys have plans for that dyke, after I take what’s mine from the safe.”
As Emerald continued to struggle, she heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance.Oh my god, they’re coming!Amidst the chaos, the actress could tell the men didn’t pick up on the noise. Emerald knew she needed to stay on the trail for the police to find them. As the sirens became louder, Emerald saw the flashing red and blue lights through the trees on the path.
Suddenly, one of the men cried out, “Shit! Someone called the cops!” Thomas’s eyes grew wide as he glanced between the goons and Emerald. “What the fuck, bitch? Why are the police coming?” Thomas shook Emerald roughly as the flashing vehicle pulled up on the trail. The alarm fell out of Emerald’s hand, and one of the gangsters picked it up.
“Boss, she had an alarm on her this whole time!” Thomas gasped in anger, pulling out a gun from his back pocket. Putting the cold metal to Emerald’s temple, he shouted, “You fucking whore! You fucking called the cops on me? You’re dead, bitch!” Emerald heard a click, knowing she was about to be shot.
“Hold it right there!” Two police officers jumped out of their vehicle, pulling out their weapons. A uniformed officer moved swiftly behind one of Thomas’ associates, pulling an arm behind his back while drawing his weapon. The other cop pointed his gun at the second thug, leaving Thomas without the aid of his friends. “Drop the gun and move away from the woman. Put your hands up in the air!”
Emerald was frozen with fear; she knew she was one move away from being killed. But the officers had disarmed his help, leaving Thomas to surrender. She felt the grip around her neck loosen, hearing the gun hit the ground in a thud. Her heart pounded in her chest as one of the officers motioned for Emerald to walk toward them. To the actress, everything felt as though it was moving in slow motion. Her body felt numb as she slowly stepped away from Thomas in a stupor.
“Alright, alright, don’t shoot,” Emerald heard Thomas concede as he raised his hands. As the actress moved closer to the cop car, the other police officer swiftly grabbed Thomas, locking his hands behind his back with a pair of metal cuffs. Emerald looked in the back seat to see the other two men locked inside. Shaking profusely, Emerald dropped to the ground as Thomas was dragged to the vehicle to join his crew.
“Ma’am? Are you alright?” One officer crouched beside Emerald as she gasped, crying while she tried to catch her breath. “Do you need any medical attention?”
Emerald pointed at Romy’s unconscious body, panicking. “Please! Help her! I think she’s still alive.” The policeman wrapped a blanket around the actress in an attempt to calm her down. “Here, take this. I’ll get you some water. Don’t worry; we have an ambulance on the way.”
Through her tears, she watched an officer read the men their rights, while another went to Romy’s side. Emerald’s eyes were locked on Romy’s body, watching intently for any more signs of movement. Emerald’s body continued to shake under the blanket as she pulled the material snugly around her. Then, unable to stay still, Emerald rushed over to Romy, collapsing beside her.
As Emerald wrapped her arms around Romy, she could feel the warmth of her body and feel the rise and fall of her chest with each breath, giving her hope.
I love you. I love you. I want to be with you forever.
Then, suddenly, two paramedics arrived beside her. “I’m sorry, lady, but you’ll need to move out of the way so we can put her in the ambulance.”
Emerald didn’t want to let go of Romy, but she knew Romy needed urgent help. “Please help her, don’t let her die!” Sobbing, the police officer guided Emerald away from Romy, allowing the paramedics to attend to Romy. The actress watched an attendant slowly roll Romy over, attaching an oxygen mask to the her face. The other paramedic brought a stretcher, and the medics carefully lifted Romy’s body onto the gurney. Emerald saw a smear of blood on the side of Romy’s head as she exclaimed, “Oh my god, she’s bleeding! I can’t lose her; I just can’t!”
As the paramedics brought Romy into the ambulance, an attendant asked, “Would you like to ride beside her?” Emerald sniffled, wiping her tears. “Oh, yes, please!” I want to go with her. I need to know that she is going to be okay.”
“Alright, ma’am, get inside. But please, you need to remain calm. Her vital signs are stable, and her breathing is normal.” The paramedic led Emerald into the back of the ambulance, allowing her to squeeze beside the gurney. “We are rushing her to Palm Bay Hospital right now.”
Emerald crouched beside the bed, reaching under the blanket to grab Romy’s hand. Through her tears, she whispered, “I love you, Romy. If you get through this, I swear, I’ll do anything to be with you.” Emerald continued to sob as the ambulance drove away, leaving the crime scene in a dust trail.
16
“Romy, Romy!” Romy could see Emerald as she desperately tried to flag her bodyguard down. As Romy tried to wave to Emerald in return, her arms felt glued to her body. Alarmed, Romy looked down at her legs and feet, which seemed fused to the ground below like roots on a tree. She looked up, her eyes frozen in fear. She could tell by the sound of Emerald’s voice that she was in distress.
Romy went to open her mouth to let Emerald know that she could see her. But even as her lips formed the words, no sound escaped. The women were only a few feet apart, but to Romy, it felt like miles, and the distance seemed to expand the more Romy tried to express herself. She was desperate to run to Emerald, to save her from whatever was happening, but it was no use; Romy was slowly turning into a statue, unable to help. She was completely helpless and terrified for both her and Emerald.
