Enticing Disaster

Chapter 16 - Andrew

I run my hand through my hair and take a deep breath. Standing in front of the sign that says 'Welcome to Williams Square' sends chills down my body. I'm about to do something big and I haven't even bothered to tell Emma.

Not that she would've care. She left in such anger and perhaps it was my fault. She wouldn't have been able to live on the run, as well as the fact that we were putting so many other people in risk.

I straighten my shirt and then pull the crumpled piece of paper out of my pocket in which I had wrote Emma's address on.

24 Mancove Road
Williams Square

I notice a man in a suit walking down the street towards his car, I assume. I stop in front of him. "Do you know where I can find Mancove Road?"

He tilts his head and pulls his sunglasses from the front of shirt and places it on his eyes. "I'm busy," is all he says before he gets in his car.

I move aside. I hope not everyone in Williams Square is like him or else I might get in some serious trouble.

I get in my car and drive down two streets and take a right. It's a second to realise that I've seen this street somewhere. Watermill Road. The name rings a bell.

I press my feet at the brake when I realise that this is the photo in Emma's book. The one that has Watermill Road written on the back. She has a photo of this street. The only problem is why?

I stop by the side of the road and watch the dead street. No kids out the front. Empty street. All lights are on in their houses. Awfully quiet. An eeriness consumes me and I shiver in response.

It's a gorgeous place, each house looks a mansion but there's no life or soul to the place. I don't know how Emma could live in a place like this.

When I drive past, the street next to it says Mancove Road. I drive slowly till I get to 24 Mancove Road.

White bricked house. A huge balcony at the front on the second floor. Two pillars to hold the balcony up and below it, the door to the front. A huge paved stone walkway from the sidewalk leads to the door and to the right, another pillar which leads to the back on the house. Underneath the pillar and sheltered area, there's a car parked. A red Porsche.

The only problem... Each house is fenced with what looks like security. I stare at the two men who stand beside Emma's house in front of the gate. There's no way I can get in.

I stare at both houses beside it. Both have security. How the hell do i get in?

Suddenly a car stops in front of the building and security nod once before opening the door.

Emma walks out the front door and a smile automatically fills my face. I'm glad to see she's okay. Emma stops for a second before opening the back door of the car and pulling the guy into a hug.

My heart sinks.

I notice her dad watching her from the front door as he leans against the pillar. His smile suddenly turns into a frown.

I scan his vision to see why he frowns and that's when I notice Emma leaning against the guy and giggling. She kisses the side of his cheek before turning to face her father and walking inside.

The idea of her moving on so quickly seems like a dagger to the heart. Maybe I was just a fling to her. She probably sees guys like me on a daily basis. Jealousy shouldn't overfill me but it does.

I grab my phone and dial Emma's new number.

"Hello."

"Hey," I say.

There's a slight pause.

"How are you, Emma?"

"As good as I can be," she replies. "Is there anything you need?"

"I'm glad to see you're okay," I reply. "Glad to see you smiling again."

She doesn't reply. There's another pause.

"How do you know I'm smiling?"

"I just saw you," I reply, not bothering to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "While you were hugging and kissing the guy outside."

"You're here?" She says in surprise.

"Yes."

"Well you dumped me, remember?"

I nod despite knowing she can't see. I hate the word 'dump' because I refuse to believe that's what I did.

I notice her step out into the balcony. The big one at the front of the house in the second floor. Her eyes scan the road until it stops on my car. She recognises it.

"I remember. I'm just glad you're okay."

I watch her wipe a tear as se stares at my car. Her eyes go down to her father who is talking to that guy she had hugged and then she looks back at me.

"Why are you really here, Andrew?" She says. "Because grandma told me you did what you did, not because you hate me, but because you wanted to keep me safe."

I swallow. "She wasn't lying."

"Then why must we play games. I'm not that type of girl. I'll tel you once and only once and then it's in your hands. I like you. I like you a lot."

"You seen to have moved on."

"Just answer the question, do you like me?"

I nod this time knowing she can see. "Very much so."

"Good," Emma replies. "Because that guy is Dwayne. The one my father is planning my marriage with."

She stares down at her father as if to make sure he can't hear her.

"I need to piss my father off," she whispers. "So I'm acting that way. He doesn't like his daughter to behave that way because apparently it'll ruin his reputation."

A sense of calm fills me but I'm still not completely calm. I'm tempted to knock some sense into that Dwayne guy and possibly even her father.

"18 Watermill Road," Emma says. "I own the house. I'm going to hand the key to security and tell them to give it to you. They won't tell my father. Stay there while I get something sorted."

I notice her leave the balcony and walk back inside. In a few minutes she comes outside and hugs her dad as she talks to him. Her dad and Dwayne walk inside as she hands the keys to the security. She points at me and then shakes her phone as if to tell me she'll call me.

As she turns to head inside she rings me again. "Hey, you can pick the keys now. Just make sure dad doesn't see you."

"Doesn't your dad know about the house?"

"Na, I had bought it when I finished high school a few years ago. He still has no idea."

I smile. "It's against your house. How does he have no idea."

"Beats me," she says. "The back of our house has a balcony that leads to my second bedroom. The house at Watermill has a balcony that comes off from the bedroom as well. I bought it when I wanted to sneak out during University years. You can climb the fence and go over the balcony to each other's house. It's how I'd sneak out. Father used to guard the front door so I'd climb over the balcony into the bricked fence that separated the two houses and then over to the balcony onto my Watermill house and sneak out the front door of that house."

I laugh. "Are you suggesting that I should sneak in to your bedroom?"

"Aha, I'm glad you picked up on that."