Emily sat down on Spencer's hotel couch while Alison sat with Aria and Hanna in the separate room. Aria had agreed to distract Alison while Spencer, Emily, Toby, and Caleb planned. The less she knew, the better.
"You want to kill -A?" Toby asked, utterly shocked.
Emily grimaced. "Uber -A. And yes, I do. He's trying to kill us. We have no choice."
Toby scoffed. "Yes we do, Emily. There is always another choice. We should bring him to justice. You don't get to play the cops."
"Yeah, and a great help they've been!" Emily spat.
Toby went silent, his lips pressed together into a long, thin line.
Caleb cleared his throat. "She's got a point man. It's not ideal. None of us want to do it. But if you're being fired at, you're not just going to sit there and take it. You're going to fire back."
"Yeah, and what if Uber -A has a bomb? Not legitimately, but metaphorically you know what I mean," Toby said skeptically.
Spencer rolled her eyes. "Stop."
"Spence, you know -A is always one step ahead of us," Toby begged.
Spencer sighed and rubbed her forehead with her index finger and thumb. "This isn't -A. This is some freak who has homicidal tendencies. This person killed -A."
"That just makes them much more dangerous!" Toby insisted.
"Toby, I am going to take him out. You're not going to stop me. If you're going to play the cop, you can leave," Emily griped.
Toby shook his head for a second and stared at the ground before pulling his badge out of his pocket and placing it on the table. "Fine. I'll listen. No police business."
"Good," Emily said.
Spencer sighed. "We have to lead Uber -A back here. Somehow."
Caleb turned from his computer and grunted. "Well. I think I found where the burner phone was last used."
Emily narrowed her eyes and turned around to look over his shoulder. "Jackson Street? That's about a block away from Ali's apartment."
"He was that close?" Spencer asked, stupefied.
Emily grit her teeth. "Not very comforting, Spence."
"Sorry," Spencer apologized.
Caleb sighed. "That's about as much as I can get. I have an address. 1430 Jackson Street."
Emily stood up and grabbed her keys off of the table. "I'm going. Spencer, make sure Ali stays here. Don't let her know anything."
Spencer's eyes grew wide. "Are you serious? Emily, what the hell am I going to tell her? She will ask, you know she will."
Emily rolled her eyes. "Tell her I'm going out to get ice cream or something. I'll be back soon. She won't even know I'm gone."
"Where are you going?" A voice asked.
Emily turned around to see Alison standing against the wall of the hotel room, her dimples pitted deep in her cheeks as a worried expression overcame her face.
"Ali," Emily said slowly.
"Where are you going, Emily?" Alison asked again in a stern voice.
Emily sighed and looked Alison in the eyes gently. "I'm going to just go get us some ice cream."
Spencer's expression turned hard from behind Alison. Her glare cut like a knife.
Alison's gaze softened a bit. "Oh... Could I go with you?"
Emily grit her teeth. "Actually it's just going to be Spencer and I. I want you to stay here with Toby, Caleb, Hanna, and Aria while we're gone. For safety."
Alison nodded, her mouth closed. She was unsure of what to say.
"Did I hear Ice Cream?!" Hanna shouted as she ran into the kitchen.
Fuck, The Other Alison hissed.
"Yeah, we're going to go get all of us some ice cream. We'll be back soon though," Spencer butt in as she realized the lie was only going to have to go further.
"Can I come?" Hanna asked excitedly.
Motherfucking Hanna, The Other Alison cursed. Why can't Hefty do anything other than eat?
Emily ignored the voice and smiled weakly so that her cover wouldn't be blown. "Yeah, sure Han."
Alison seemed a bit jealous and even a little miffed that Emily was allowing one blonde to go but not the other.
I'm sorry, Emily mouthed.
Alison just looked down at the ground.
"I call shotgun!" Hanna yelled as she ran out the hotel room's door and down the hallway to the elevator.
Spencer groaned. "I better go make sure I can sit in the front. You coming, Em?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah, just give me a sec."
Caleb got the hint and pulled Toby into the other room of the suite, giving Emily and Alison privacy.
"Ali, please look at me."
Alison did so but her eyes were still slightly full of unresolved anger.
"I love you."
"Em-,"
"I love you," Emily said again. She reached forward and held Alison's face in her hands.
Alison tried her best to stay angry but felt herself melt at the feeling of Emily's warm touch.
Alison traced the outline of the tattooed waves in Emily's burned arms. "I love you too," she mumbled.
"I'm sorry. That wasn't loud enough. What did you say?" Emily asked again teasingly.
"I love you," Alison said a little louder.
"Nah, I'm still not able to fully hear you. Speak up!"
"I love you," Alison emphasized, laughing.
Emily pressed her lips to Alison's forehead. "You're my baby girl."
"Please be careful," Alison said worriedly.
Emily smirked. "I'll be back. You're just worried you won't get to ever touch my ass again."
Alison's face grew a bright red. She pushed Emily away from her, blushing and laughing furiously. "Just go. Make sure Hanna doesn't beat Spencer to the passenger seat. Oh, and I love you."
Emily winked. "Nobody loves you more than I do."
----------------------------------------------
"Are we almost there yettttt?" Hanna asked, annoyed from the backseat.
"Han, we left two minutes ago. And we're going to put this lightly," Spencer said.
"We're not getting ice cream," Emily finished.
She sped past the ice cream parlor trying not to laugh.
Hanna looked out the window longingly. "No. No! Emily, go back! Seriously! I was actually looking forward to that! You bitch!"
"Dear God," Emily muttered.
Spencer swiveled around in her seat so she could face Hanna. "We're looking for Uber -A."
Hanna stopped complaining and stared at her. "Excuse me? Why would you lie about ice cream to look for that killing freak?"
Emily felt her muscles tense.
I'm a killing freak, Emily thought to herself.
"Because Ali couldn't know. You need to keep this secret, Hanna," Spencer said wearily.
"Wait a minute... She doesn't know?" Hanna asked.
"No. And I'd like it to stay that way," Emily said.
"Can I make a proposition?" Hanna asked.
"Wow, an eleven letter word, Han. That's a first," Spencer joked.
Emily laughed.
"No, seriously. Can I, bitch?" Hanna sneered.
Spencer threw her hands up in mock surrender and Hanna bounced up and down in the backseat excitedly.
"Okayokayokayokay, but you guys have to promise you'll agree to it."
"Okay," Emily and Spencer said together. They were sharing an amused look.
Hanna smiled. "After all this is over, you have to take me for ice cream."