Collide (Collide #1)(177)

"Me and my fiancee are leaving," he barked out, making his way back over to Emily.

"You can't just leave, Dillon," Joan retorted, her tone insistent as she looked around. She rose from her chair, sweeping her hand across the room. "You have guests here. It's apparent something's going on between you and Emily, but you need to tend to that later."

He shot his mother a cold look. "Like I said, we're f*cking leaving."

Joan's eyes bulged, and she went to speak, but Henry placed his hand on her shoulder, effectively silencing his wife.

"I know what the f*ck I'm doing tomorrow," Dillon spewed, pointing to himself. After grabbing Emily's hand, he pointed to the bridal party. "Do you all know what you're doing tomorrow?"

With not a word whispered, the crowd of family and friends stared at him, nervously shifting in their seats. Emily's sister went to get up. Once again, Emily shook her head, her eyes essentially begging her not to do anything. Pursing her lips in transparent worry, Lisa crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing on Dillon. However, she remained silent.

"That's what I thought." He pulled Emily toward the door. "We'll see you all tomorrow at eleven."

After retrieving Emily's jacket from the coat check, Dillon weaved them through the lobby, nearly running into other guests. Once they reached his car, Emily drew in a deep breath, trying to coax down her stammering nerves. Sliding herself into the seat, she bit her lip nervously as she watched him round the vehicle, the blazing look in his eyes triggering an upsurge of fear throughout her entire system. Getting into the car, he slammed the door, and without looking at her, he started the engine. Suffocating.

Emily felt as if she was suffocating as he curtailed out of the parking spot, his hands tightening around the steering wheel, his jaw clenching and unclenching. As thoughts of Gavin fired off in her head, she noticed that they were heading in the wrong direction.

"I need to go back to my apartment," she whispered, the blood whooshing through her veins. It pounded and correlated with the throbbing pain in her chest.

"You're out of your f*cking mind if you think I'm letting you go back to your place," he snapped, his eyes never leaving the road.

Emily's heart seized and then started racing as though it was about to burst right through her rib cage.

"You're staying with me tonight," he added, his tone harder. "I'll bring you home in the morning to get your shit before the ceremony."

Fumbling for something to say, she stared at him but cowered back when he whipped his head in her direction, the fury in his eyes threatening to torch her into flames. For the remainder of the ride, she kept quiet, and by the time they pulled up to his townhouse, she was sure she was already sinking into the fiery pits of hell. Getting out of the car, he didn't utter a word to her as they climbed the stairs to his front door.

With her nerves trembling and crawling against her skin, Emily jumped as Dillon slammed the door after they walked in. Ripping his jacket from his body, he loosened his tie and moved into the kitchen, pulling a bottle of Jack Daniels from the cabinet. After plucking a glass off the counter, he filled it to the brim, chugging half of it down. Brows knitted together, and hostility brimming in his irises like burning coals, he motioned her over to him with his finger.

Emily couldn't take in enough air as she slowly peeled her coat off and dropped her purse onto the sectional sofa. Staring at him from across the room, a cold spiral of fear ran down her spine.

"Come here, Emily," he said, his voice laced with a sickening calmness.