Текст книги "Twisted Ties"

Автор книги: K. A. Robinson

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Jesse

“I think we were wrong,” Andy said as he stared at the main road.

“We’ve been here forever, and there’s no sign of them.”

“We’ve been here for forty-five minutes. That isn’t forever.”

“It feels like it. What if this isn’t the place? We could be out searching for Emma instead of hiding behind trees.”

I shook my head. “This has to be it. It just feels right.”

And it did. The same nagging feeling I’d had when I discovered that Emma was missing was back. It told me that this was the right place. We just had to wait. I still couldn’t help but feel a twinge of uncertainty though. If I were wrong, Emma could die because of my mistake. I couldn’t even think about that. I wouldn’t.

“Where the fuck are the police?” Andy asked.

“Probably eating doughnuts.”

It had taken most of the ride over here for Andy to convince the police that he wasn’t trying to pull some kind of prank. The officer had said that he would send someone to check it out. As far as I was concerned, we were on our own. The police were too busy trying to bust minors for drinking than worrying about something that was actually important.

We waited for another fifteen minutes with no sign of Emma or Ally. I was starting to doubt myself. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe this wasn’t where Ally was taking her. She could be miles away right now. I closed my eyes as I tried to block out the images filling my mind—Emma in pain, Emma dead. Those were not things that I wanted to see.

I couldn’t lose her. We’d just barely found each other again. I wasn’t ready to let her go. This wasn’t how life was supposed to happen. We were supposed to live happily ever after until we were old. Then, we’d die together at the exact same moment, so neither of us had to suffer the loss. Anything else was too painful to think about.

“Dude, look,” Andy whispered.

I’d been so caught up in my thoughts that I had missed the car quickly approaching us. It had turned off on the same road we had. This road only led to the old bridge, so I knew that it had to be Ally. At least, I hoped it was.

Andy and I had hidden my car on an old four-wheeler path a few feet off the blacktop road. After we’d made sure that it wasn’t noticeable, we’d hidden next to several large trees. We were camouflaged enough that I wasn’t worried Ally would see us or my car and run for it.

The car passed us and stopped a few feet away from the bridge. I watched silently as Ally opened the driver’s door and stepped out. I’d been right about this being the right place. I sent a silent prayer of thanks toward the sky.

Ally closed her door and walked to the bridge. Andy and I exchanged looks as we watched her walk halfway across it, and then she looked down to the water below.

Where is Emma? I didn’t see her in the car. My stomach dropped. Maybe Ally already killed her. Dear God, I can’t even think about it. I refused to believe that we were too late.

Ally stared down at the water for a few seconds more before she turned and walked back to her car. She walked to the trunk and opened it. I held my breath as I watched her reach inside.

Please don’t let Emma be in there. Please don’t let her be dead, I begged silently.

It was taking every ounce of willpower I had not to jump from my hiding spot and tackle Ally, but I couldn’t. If she didn’t have Emma with her, I didn’t want to tip her off that we were here. Instead, we would follow Ally when she left.

I could hear Ally cursing as she struggled to pull something from the trunk. I nearly lost it when I saw her drag Emma from the back of the car. Emma fell to the ground and didn’t move. She was dead.

“No, no, no, no,” I whispered. She can’t be dead.

“Come on!” Ally shouted as she kicked Emma in the stomach.

I stood from my crouching position and was about to run out to them when Ally finally managed to get Emma to her feet.

“She’s alive,” Andy hissed from beside me.

I couldn’t breathe as I watched Emma struggle against Ally. Emma’s hands were tied, and it looked like her feet were, too. Ally practically carried her toward the bridge. It was now or never. I ran from my hiding spot and headed directly toward them.

“Ally! Stop!” I shouted.

She turned to look at me just as they reached the bridge. I ran as hard as I could, but I knew I’d never make it to them in time. I could hear Andy right behind me.

“Jesse?” Ally asked.

“Let her go!” Andy yelled from behind me.

“Both of you, stop right now! I’ll throw her over if you come any closer,” Ally screeched.

I stopped dead about fifteen feet away from them. Andy didn’t get the message in time and nearly knocked me down as he plowed into me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Emma. She was hurt badly. Dried blood covered her face, arms, and legs. The front of her shirt was also soaked with blood. Both of her eyes were blackened, and even from this far away, I could see a large bump on her forehead. Her mouth was covered by a piece of duct tape.

But it was her eyes that did me in. What little I could see of them was clouded with fear and pain. She didn’t even struggle as Ally pushed her up against the edge of the bridge. It would only take a second for Ally to throw Emma over the side to the dark water below. It was obvious that Ally had made Emma suffer as much as possible before bringing her here.

“Ally, what are you doing?” I asked quietly.

“You weren’t supposed to see this!” she cried out as if it were her in pain.

“Let her go. You don’t want to do this.” I fought to keep my voice calm, afraid that she would toss Emma over if I shouted like I wanted to. I’d never wanted to hurt someone as much as I wanted to hurt Ally right now. I wanted her to feel just as much pain as she’d inflicted on Emma.

“I don’t want to, Jesse. I have to.”

“You don’t have to do this,” I reasoned.

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ll never let her go if I don’t! She’ll always be in our way!” She screeched.

I had to think fast. I needed to make Ally believe that Emma wasn’t a threat. If Emma weren’t a threat to her, then maybe Ally would let Emma go. I didn’t see any other option unless I could get closer to them. Even then, I doubted if I could reach them in time to catch Emma.

“She’s not a problem, Ally. I already told you that earlier.”

“You’ll change your mind. Then, I’ll be left with nothing while you go crawling back to her.”

“Ally, think about it. What I had with her is over, and I’m ready to move on with you. Sure, she was fun for a while, but it’s over now. I got bored.”

“You say that now, but what about later? You’ve spent so much time pining away over her that you’ll start to miss her.”

“I’ve never pined away for her, Ally. She’s pretty, and I wanted to fuck her. I did, and now, I’m over it.” I slowly took a few steps closer to Ally and Emma. “Don’t you trust me?”

Ally bit her lip as she watched me. It was obvious that she was too lost in her thoughts to notice that I’d moved closer to her.

“You were so mad at me,” Ally said.

“I was, but I’m not now. You lied to me, Ally, and you hurt me. Wouldn’t you be angry if I had done that to you?”

“Yeah, I guess. I only did it because I love you. I just wanted you to give me a chance. I wanted you to love me back.”

I pretended to hesitate. “Ally, I’ve thought about you a lot since I made you leave. I’ve missed you so much. I’ve tried to push my feelings for you away because you’ve always been like a sister to me, but I can’t do it anymore. I’m falling in love with you, no matter how many times I tell myself that I shouldn’t.”

“Why shouldn’t you?” she asked breathlessly.

She was obviously buying everything I’d said.

I took another step forward, careful not to even glance at Emma. I couldn’t let Ally figure out what I was doing.

“Because I feel guilty for feeling this way about Andy’s sister. I’m supposed to help protect you. Instead, I want you.”

“I want you, too.”

“Then, it’s settled. Leave Emma here, and come with me. We’ll leave this town and start over in someplace new. No one will ever find us.”

She smiled. “I’d like that, but I can’t let Emma live. If I do, I’ll always worry that she’ll ruin everything. Once I take care of her, my mind will be free.”

I sighed. “It hurts that you don’t trust me.”

“I do trust you, Jesse. It’s her that I don’t trust.”

It killed me not to glance over at Emma. I wanted to look at her and tell her that everything would be okay. I wanted to comfort her. I hoped that Andy was passing the message along with his eyes since I certainly couldn’t. Emma had to know that I’d get her out of here. It killed me to pretend to love Ally when I could barely stomach the sight of her.

“She doesn’t matter, Ally. You have to realize that. I mean, think about it. What chance does some rich snob who I wanted to bang have against you? I’ve known you my entire life. We grew up together in that shithole of a trailer park. We’re from the same world, Ally. Emma could never relate to me like you can.”

I took another step closer. I’d managed to get within a few feet of them. Ally didn’t seem to notice as she thought about what I’d said. I chanced a glance at Emma. Her eyes were still filled with fear, and she was visibly shaking. I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or from the chilly predawn air.

“I don’t know…” Ally trailed off as she turned to look at Emma.

It was now or never. I lunged for Emma while Ally’s back was turned, but Ally saw me coming at the last second. I watched in horror as she shoved Emma hard. My fingertips brushed Emma’s arm as she fell over the side of the bridge.

With the duct tape over her mouth, she couldn’t even scream. I watched as she fell in slow motion to the dark water below. Her hands and legs were still tied, so she wouldn’t be able to swim. I wasn’t sure if she would have been able to swim even without the restraints. She was hurt too badly.

“You lied to me!” Ally screamed.

Emma hit the water and disappeared below the surface. I jumped on the railing and dived in after Emma. I heard Ally cry out as my foot connected with her when I pushed away from the railing. I couldn’t have cared less. I only cared about getting to Emma.

The breath was knocked from me as I hit the frigid water. I broke the surface and kicked back up to grab a breath. I took a deep breath and dived back under in search of Emma. The water was so black that I couldn’t see a foot in front of me. I reached around, trying to feel for her. Nothing was there, so I dived deeper. My body felt numb as I continued to search, but I refused to give up.

When I couldn’t hold my breath any longer, I kicked to the surface. I took another deep breath and dived under again to continue my search. With every second passing, I felt more and more helpless. I had to find her. I wouldn’t stop until I did.

I continued to search until I ran out of air again. Just as I was about to push back to the surface, my hand connected with something hard. I grabbed it and pulled it to the surface with me. I nearly cried when I saw that it was Emma. I kicked my way over to the edge of the water and pulled Emma out. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t breathing.

“Emma! Emma!” I shouted as I shook her. Terror filled me when her eyes stayed shut. “Think, Jesse, think!”

I needed to give her CPR. I’d taken the class my freshman year of high school, but that had been years ago, and I’d barely paid attention. I’d never thought I would need it. Well, I sure as hell need it now. I tried to remember what I was supposed to do. I needed to tip her head back. Yeah, that’s right. I gently pushed her head back. I ripped the tape off and opened her mouth. I plugged her nose and pressed my lips against hers. I breathed air into her lungs.

“Come on, Emma!” I said after a few breaths.

I needed to do compressions. I put my hands together and put them on her chest. I shoved down gently, afraid that I would hurt her. I pushed a few times before stopping to blow air into her mouth again. I repeated the compressions, pushing harder this time.

Breath. Breath.

Chest compression. Chest compression. Chest compression.

Breath. Breath.

I continued to work on her, refusing to give up.

“Emma, please breathe. Please, baby. Open your eyes,” I whispered as I pushed on her chest.

I would do anything, I would give anything to see her open her eyes. Tears ran down my face as time passed. I wasn’t doing something right, or she would be breathing by now.

Finally, Emma coughed, and water poured from her mouth. My heart leaped to my throat as I helped her roll over. She tried to suck in a breath, but she couldn’t because the water was still coming out of her mouth.

“Get it out, Emma. Come on, baby, breathe.”

She coughed again and then sucked in a breath. She coughed a few more times.

“Emma, are you okay?” I asked as I held her to me.

“My lungs hurt,” she managed to gasp out. “I hurt everywhere.”

“I know, I know. I’m here now. She’ll never hurt you again.”

I could hear police sirens in the distance. I prayed that Andy had managed to keep Ally on the bridge once I’d dived off of it. I wanted to watch as the police loaded her into the back of a cruiser to cart her ass off to jail. She could rot there for the rest of her life. I would make sure she stayed there. I’d never let her hurt Emma again.

I looked down at Emma and saw her, really saw her, for the first time. “Oh god, Emma.”

Her shirt was pushed up enough that I could see her stomach had been sliced open. Her arms and legs were covered in the same knife marks as well as both of her cheeks.

“She cut me.”

“I can see that. I’m so sorry, Emma.”

“Not your fault,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and laid her head against my chest.

The sirens were closer now. They sounded like they were almost to the bridge. I looked up to see if I could spot Andy, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Off to my left, I heard someone gasp. I looked over to see Andy emerging from the water.

“Andy? What the hell?”

“You hit Ally in the head with your foot when you dived in. You knocked her out, and she fell over the side, too. I tried to find her, but I couldn’t. Oh god, I couldn’t find her. She’s my sister, Jesse.”

I didn’t know what to say. Even though she was crazy, she was still his sister. He had to be hurting, but I couldn’t worry about him or Ally right now. I glanced down at Emma to see that she’d passed out in my arms. I had to focus on her. I had to protect her. Nothing else mattered.

The sirens were blaring on the bridge now. I looked up to see two police officers staring down at us. They hadn’t bothered to show up when we actually needed them. No, they’d waited until everything went to hell.

“We need an ambulance down here!” I shouted.

Emma moaned, and I pulled her closer to me. I wanted to protect her from the world.

“Everything will be okay. I’ve got you now, and I’m never letting you go again.”

Chapter Twenty-Four: Emma

I didn’t want to wake up. When I did, she would be there, waiting for me. I kept my eyes firmly shut as I willed myself to fall back asleep. My body felt strangely painless, and I didn’t want to know why. All I could remember from before I fell asleep was pain. It was everywhere. It had surrounded me like a fog, closing me off from everything else in the world. I didn’t want to feel it anymore. I knew it couldn’t be good that I felt nothing, but I embraced it.

Maybe I’m dead. Maybe that was why I felt absolutely nothing right now. If this were death, I welcomed it. The only regret I had was that I’d left Jesse behind. I’d also left without telling Andy, Lucy, or my dad good-bye. They would be so angry with me for leaving them like that, but I hadn’t had a choice. Surely, they would understand why I let go. The pain from her blows, the struggles, and her knife had just been too much to bear. No one should have to feel a blade slice through the skin over and over.

I hoped that Jesse never found out what she’d done to me. I knew him, and he was probably already beating himself up for my disappearance. That was just how he was. He pretended not to care about anyone or anything, but he did. He cared so much that the pain and guilt crushed him. This would cripple him. It would destroy him. I could only hope that Andy would help him through it. Both of them were so kind despite how they portrayed themselves to others.

Jesse’s face flashed before my eyes, and I smiled. He was so beautiful, and he had been mine. My smile slipped away as I realized that I no longer had a claim on him. Someone else would come along and take away his pain and guilt over me. He’d be whole again one day, and it wouldn’t be because of me. I prayed that he wouldn’t find comfort in Ally. He had to know that she’d had something to do with my disappearance.

I wondered if my mother would even care that I was gone. Would she cry when they told her I was missing? Would she cry when she finally found out that I was dead? I doubted it, but I hoped that she would miss me. Even if it were for only a day, an hour, a second, I just wanted her to feel something, anything for me. I regretted our last conversation. I wished that I had told her that I loved her. As much as I hated her, I loved her, too. She was my mother.

I hated the darkness surrounding me. Wasn’t there supposed to be a light that I followed into a peaceful oblivion? Had I missed it? I didn’t want to be stuck in this darkness forever. I wasn’t sure I could handle that.

“Her eyelids fluttered. Did you see that?”

I heard a voice. I could have sworn it belonged to my mother. It was muffled and sounded like it was far away. Maybe someone was here to take me from the darkness and lead me into the light.

I knew I hadn’t been a saint, but I couldn’t think of a thing I’d done to deserve this darkness. I’d never been particularly religious, but surely, if he existed, God wouldn’t send me to hell. I’d already been there, thanks to Ally. I just wished that if I were in hell, I could bring her with me. In my opinion, she deserved it more than I did.

“Emma, can you hear me?”

That sounded like Jesse. I smiled. If I could hear his voice, then this darkness wasn’t hell. It couldn’t be.

“Emma, it’s Daddy. Open your eyes, baby girl. We miss you.”

I really must be dead. There was no way that my mom and dad were both talking to me. For that to take place, they would have to be in the same room together. That hadn’t happened since right before they separated when I was younger.

“I just saw her eyes move again. Someone get the doctor.” My mom’s voice echoed through my head.

“It’s time to wake up, Emma. Come on, baby. You’re safe here. No one will hurt you.”

There was Jesse’s voice again.

I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I wanted to see him. It was probably just a trick of Ally’s, but it didn’t matter. I’d do anything just to see him again for a minute. I didn’t care if he wasn’t real.

I tried to open my eyes, but they refused to cooperate with me. They weren’t ready to face the world just yet. I decided that I wasn’t either. I’d much rather stay dead and never face the pain again. I let myself relax as I slipped into a peaceful oblivion.

* * *

“It’s been a week. Why isn’t she awake yet?”

“Emma went through a lot, Mr. Daniels. She needs time to heal, both mentally and physically. When she’s ready to wake up, she will.”

“You’re sure that nothing is wrong?”

“We ran tests when we brought her in. As you’re well aware of, she was beaten. Despite the condition of her body externally, she has no internal injuries. She had a concussion, but that was it. Everything else came back normal.”

“I just want her to wake up. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do to make that happen.”

“There’s nothing you can do, Mr. Daniels. You just have to wait for her to be ready. She has to want to come back to you. She’ll be ready one day. It could be tomorrow, next week, next month, but eventually, she will. I imagine that she’s trying to shut everything out to protect herself from what happened to her.”

* * *

“Emma, if you can hear me, I need you to wake up. You’re starting to scare me. I just want to see those beautiful eyes of yours.”

Jesse. It sounded as if his voice was muffled, like I was underwater. I tried to concentrate on it to break the surface. I just wanted to see him. That wasn’t too much to ask. I clawed my way out of the darkness. I have to see him. The darkness had protected me, but I was tired of it. I want light. I want him.

My eyes slowly opened. I blinked a few times as I tried to adjust to the brightness. After spending an eternity in darkness, the light was hard to accept.

“Jesse?” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

“Emma! You’re awake.”

His features slowly came into view as he hovered over me, blocking some of the light. All I could do was stare at him. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

“Where am I?” It hurt so much to talk. I felt like gravel was embedded in my throat.

“You’re in the hospital. You’ve been here for almost two weeks.”

I closed my eyes as I tried to remember how I’d ended up here. I could remember nothing besides the chair Ally had tied me to. My eyes squeezed shut as I relived her hitting me, cutting me.

“Ally?”

“She’s gone. She fell off the bridge at the same time you did. Andy tried to find her, but he couldn’t. The water was too dark. It’s a miracle that I found you.”

Bridge? Water? I tried to force my memories to appear, but still nothing came to me.

“I don’t remember the bridge,” I whispered.

“What do you remember?” he asked softly.

“Water, first. Please.”

His eyes widened. “Of course. I’m an idiot. Let me find the nurse.”

He was gone a split second later. Before I could even process the fact that he had disappeared, he was back. A woman appeared with him, carrying a pitcher. She smiled down at me.

“Emma, my name is Adrienne. How are you feeling?”

“I need water.”

“Of course. I’m sure your throat feels raw.”

I nodded as I watched her pick up a small cup from the table and then pour water into it. She pushed the button on my bed, so I was almost in a sitting position. I opened my mouth and sucked the water through a straw. I’d never felt something so amazing in my entire life. When the cup was empty, she poured more water and held the cup as I drank.

My throat still hurt, but it was bearable now. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. How do you feel?”

“I hurt everywhere, but it’s not as bad as it was when I went to sleep.”

“You had several injuries when you came in, so we have an IV in with pain medication to help you.”

“What did she do to me?” I asked. I was terrified of what I didn’t remember.

The nurse frowned. “What do you remember, Emma?”

“A chair and a…a knife. She cut me. I remember her hitting me when she came to Jesse’s house and then later when I pushed her down the stairs.”

The nurse’s eyes widened.

“I was trying to get away. I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“You were trying to protect yourself. Given your condition, it’s obvious that she deserved it.” She smiled. “That’s off the record, of course.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you remember anything else?” Jesse asked from beside me.

I struggled to see through the fog that clouded my thoughts. I needed to remember. I needed to know what else she’d done. She’d put me in a car trunk. I recalled the movement of the car as it drove over potholes. I remembered cold and darkness.

“My mouth was covered, so I couldn’t scream. I remember the trunk of a car, but then I can’t recall anything else.”

“Take your time, Emma. You went through a lot,” Jesse said as he took my hand in his.

I looked down as he joined our fingers together. I closed my eyes as I tried to remember the source of the coldness I’d felt.

“You were there. You tried to help me.”

He nodded. “I was.”

“Andy, too. She made me get out of the car even though it hurt. It hurt so much,” I whimpered as I remembered the pain. “My shoulder took most of the impact when she dropped me to the ground. We were on a bridge. She pushed me to the edge when she saw you and Andy. You tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t let me go. You ran toward me, but she pushed me over before you could get to us in time. The water was so cold. I don’t remember anything after that.”

Jesse lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. “I went in after you, but I couldn’t find you. I thought I was too late. Ally fell in, too, and Andy tried to save her, but he couldn’t find her. When I finally found you, you weren’t breathing. I almost lost you, Emma. I almost lost you.”

Tears ran down my cheeks as I stared up at him. We’d almost lost each other. Why had Ally done these things to me? Why had she hurt me so much? I remembered the cuts on my face. Unable to stop myself, I turned away from Jesse.

“Emma? What’s wrong?”

“My face,” I whispered. “She cut me. I must look horrible.”

He cupped my face and gently turned my head. “The cuts on your face were a lot shallower than the other ones. You still have black eyes, but the cuts have healed a lot while you’ve been asleep.”

“I’ll have scars.”

I wasn’t a particularly vain person, but the cuts bothered me. For the rest of my life, I’d see them every single time I looked in the mirror. They would be a reminder to both Jesse and me of what she’d done to me.

“No, you won’t, and even if you did, it wouldn’t matter. I love you, Emma. Nothing could change that, especially not something as superficial as scars.”

“I don’t want to remember.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You’ve been through so much, and you deserve to forget.”

“Emma! Oh, thank God!”

I looked up to see my mother rushing into the room. She pushed the nurse aside, and then she hugged me gently.

“Mom? What are you doing here?” I asked.

She was the last person I’d expected to see here.

“Jesse called me. He called your father, too. We’ve been here since they brought you in. You terrified us, Emma. We thought you’d never wake up.”

“Where’s Daddy?”

“He had to make a phone call, but he’ll be back soon. I’m so glad you’re awake.”

“I’m sorry for what I said on the phone.”

“Don’t even think about that. I want you to concentrate on getting better.”

I couldn’t even begin to process the fact that my mom was here, and she was worried about me. She never worried about me. She’d barely noticed me most days.

“Why are you here?”

She gave me a puzzled look. “Why wouldn’t I be here? You’re my baby, Emma.”

“I didn’t think you’d care.” It hurt to say it, but it was true.

She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them to look at me. “I’ve messed up a lot when it comes to you, Emma. Jesse made sure to point that out to me when I showed up. I love you. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t. I’m just…I’m not good with feelings. I drove your father away first and then you.”

“You hurt me.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, Emma. I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. You mean the world to me. I’ve missed you so much since you left. I just couldn’t bring myself to beg you to come back after I threatened you. I never expected you to be strong enough to leave.”

“I am strong, stronger than I thought.”

She smiled. “You are. You’re stronger than anyone realized. Jesse told me everything that happened, both before he left California and then over the past few weeks. I’m sorry that I made you think you couldn’t talk to me about the things happening in your life.”

“You never wanted to listen. I didn’t tell you about Jesse because I knew you’d push him away. He wouldn’t be good enough for you.”

She looked over at Jesse. “I admit that I would have before. Seeing you in this bed and knowing he’s the reason you’re here and not at the bottom of a river made me realize that I owe this young man a lot. You’re an adult now, Emma, and I couldn’t keep you two apart even if I tried. I don’t want to though. I’ve watched him, and I know that he loves you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

She smiled down at me. “You’re welcome.”

It was a start. My mom and I still had a long way to go, but we might be able to have something close to a normal relationship one day. It would take more than one apology to forget everything that she’d done to me. But if Ally had accomplished anything, it was to show me just how unpredictable and short life was. I had to let go of the hate I felt for my mother and start over. I couldn’t spend my whole life hating her.