Page 55 of For Emery

Her brows lifted. “Will you?”

I shrugged, the most honest answer I could give her. “I’ll call you.”

She nodded sadly as I closed the door and ran through the sliding doors into the airport. After speaking with representatives at three different airlines, I finally found a flight leaving in twenty minutes. They weren’t sure I’d make it through security and to the terminal before the gate closed, but I assured them I would.

I ran through the airport, my hair trailing behind me as if in the midst of a wind storm. I arrived at the gate as they were about to close the door. I held up my ticket. “Wait!”

And just like in the movies, they let me on.

The three-and-a-half-hour flight felt like it lasted days as I sat squished between two larger men whose bodies inched into my space. I was screaming on the inside as my foot tapped wildly beneath me. All I needed was to be with my mom. I needed to know she’d be okay. Know she forgave me for leaving her.

Since I’d brought no luggage, once the plane landed and we filed off the plane, I ran straight for the exit and stepped out onto the sidewalk searching for my car service. The hot Arizona air hit me, reminding me of the past four years spent in the state. Alabama had a breeze from time to time. Arizona’s heat stole your breath away.

Once I found my driver, I settled into the back of his car and verified my destination with him. My legs bounced as he drove toward the hospital; I felt ready to jump out of my skin. I hadn’t thought to bring a hat—or anything else that would conceal my identity. Wayne had been crazy enough to track down my mom and hurt her. He was crazy enough to be staking out the hospital waiting for me to show up.

My heart thumped at triple speed by the time we pulled up to the hospital entrance. I needed to see my mom. I needed to see what Wayne had done to put her in the hospital. “I know this is an odd question,” I said to the driver, as I assessed the area around the entrance. “But is there any way you could walk inside with me?”

His eyes narrowed in question at me through the rearview mirror.

“Someone hurt my mom. That’s why she’s here. I’m worried he may be—”

The driver threw open his door without letting me finish. “Of course.”

I released a breath, realizing kind people still existed in this world. “Thank you.”

We rushed into the lobby and right to the elevators. The driver stood with me as I waited for the doors to split apart. Once they did and we saw the elevator was empty, I stepped inside. “Thank you,” I said to him as the doors closed me inside.

As I stood alone, the elevator music sounded muffled, like I was under water. My weary reflection in the mirrored walls blurred as if in the throes of horrible nightmare. The truth was, I was in a horrible nightmare. The wait was torture. Please don’t stop on another floor, I prayed.

The elevator bell chimed and I held my breath.

The doors split apart.

I saw that I was on the fifth floor and released my breath.

I dashed out into the empty hallway, searching left and right until I spotted the uniformed police officer seated outside the last room on the right.

He glanced up, quickly jumping to his feet and meeting me halfway down the hallway. “Emery?”

I nodded.

“Your mom said you’d be coming.”

“How is she?”

“She had a rough go at it. But she survived.”

“Survived?”

He nodded. “It was bad. But she’s a tough woman.”

“She is,” I said. “And him?” The words dripped from my mouth with as much hatred as I felt.

“He left her for dead. Our best men are working on it.”

Vomit roiled up my throat. I was a terrible daughter. A selfish daughter. I’d abandoned my mother for Alabama. For Jordan. “I should’ve been there. I should’ve protected her.”

“Then you’d be in the bed beside her,” he assured me. “She did a good job fending him off long enough to send an emergency call from her phone. He probably heard our sirens and ran for it.”

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