Page 31 of He Will Come for Me

What am I going to see when I walk into that room? Is she going to be a shadow of herself? I know I was. Was she drugged, too? Will she have her memory? Breathe McKenzie.

I count as I inhale, then exhale. Phoenix stops at the door and turns to me. He places his hands on my biceps, a look of concern on his face.

“Are you going to be okay?”

I huff. “She’s the one we should be worried about.”

“I am. But I’m worried about you, too. If you don’t want to go in there, I understand.”

I swallow and look from him to the open doorway and back to him. “I want to go. It’ll be hard, but I want to be there for her.” He nods once, kissing me on the forehead. He glances at Rex, who is standing outside the door, giving him a slight nod. A look I don’t understand passes between them; then he leads the way into the room.

Her room isn’t as nice as mine, but it’s still beautiful. The walls are a light blue. There’s a dresser against the wall where the door is. On the other wall, there’s a window looking out over the other side of the house. It’s dark out, so I’m not sure what the view is like. The bed is against the wall, it’s covered with a navy blanket, and Anna is sitting up looking dazed, leaning against the headboard.

She has her knees drawn up against her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. She’s biting her chapped lips as her eyes flit around the room. Her chest heaving like she’s trying to not have a panic attack.

I try to swallow past the lump in my throat. She’s pale, her blonde hair hangs limply around her shoulders. There are such dark circles under her eyes, it looks like she’s been beaten up. Maybe she was.

Her eyes land on me, and she gasps, bringing her hands to her mouth. “McKenzie?” she croaks. I take a deep breath and try to give an encouraging smile, but I’m sure it looks more like a grimace.

“Hey, Anna,” I whisper. She places her head in her hands and begins to cry. I don’t hesitate. I cross the room, sit next to her, and wrap my arms around her. She wraps her arms around me and clings to me with what little strength she has.

“You’re okay,” I promise her. “You’re going to be okay.” I blink, trying to dispel the tears, but they fall anyway.Why did this happen? To me? To her?I think she tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Sitting back slightly, I study her.

“Water?” I ask. She nods. Before I can move, Clara is handing me a glass of water. Anna reaches out with shaky hands, tears falling down her cheeks. “Let me help you.”

She looks from the glass to her hands to me. Anna nods and I lift the glass to her mouth. She takes a few sips, humming. Probably at how good it feels. “It’s been days since I’ve had water.” Her voice is still scratchy. I want to find the people who did this to her and make them pay.

“I promise you’ll be taken care of here.”

She gazes at me. “Where is here, exactly?” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“Do you remember Phoenix?” Her eyes light up with recognition and she nods. “You’re at his house.” She doesn’t seem taken aback by that.

“What are you doing here?” she asks.

I glance over my shoulder at Phoenix. “Phoenix saved me, too.” She glances over my shoulder.

“A doctor will be here soon to check you over,” Phoenix tells her. She doesn’t respond, simply stares at him for a few seconds.

“They drugged me. They chained me up and did awful things to me.” She sucks in a breath like she’s remembering. Then she breaks into a coughing fit. I grab the glass of water and lift it to her lips again so she can take a few sips. She begins to cry again and my heart breaks for her.

Rex steps into the room. “Anna.” I turn toward him, my eyebrows caving in. Anna goes completely still as she takes him in.

“Oh my god,” she whispers. I glance back at her in complete confusion and back at Rex.

He steps forward. “I’m so sorry, Banana.”

My mouth drops open. He’s always been so rough around the edges for him to call her banana. I look toward Phoenix, but he’s not giving anything away.How does Rex know Anna?

“Tobias.”Tobias?I scramble off the bed to give room for Rex to take my spot. He sits gingerly on the edge of the bed. Grabbing her under her arms, he gently pulls her into his lap.

He wraps his arms around her. “I have looked everywhere. I promise. I never stopped looking.”

The sincerity in his voice brings tears to my eyes. I glance up at Phoenix, but his face is still stoic.

Anna remembers. She remembers Rex or Tobias. I’ll have to find out about that later. But, I don’t remember. Why? I wonder how that makes Phoenix feel. I didn’t remember him. I still don’t remember our lives together.

An ache begins to form in the middle of my chest. Bringing my hand up, I rub the ache, hoping it will disappear, but it only increases the more I think. Rex is whispering to Anna, and she’s crying softly.

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