Page 13 of Haunted Prey

“Holy shit, Eve…” Lena looked on the verge of tears. She reached out for me, expecting a hug. It took more will than I cared to admit to close the distance between us. I leaned down and hugged her, taking deep breaths. I straightened and turned my gaze to Jamie. He had a bandage across the side of his head. I opened my mouth to ask what happened.

Then I remembered.

Emery had done that. The last time Jamie and I had seen each other, Emery was flinging him against a wall. My stomach twisted. How could I have forgotten?

I closed my mouth and went to him. He fixed me with a sad smile as he drew me in.

He held me for a long moment. When he let me go, I went back to the bed and sat. As I did, he pushed one chair aside so Lena could move closer, then he sank in the chair next to her.

“They wouldn’t let us come sooner,” he said. “They wanted to give you time to adjust.”

“This place is so nice,” Lena piped in. “I can’t think of a better place to recover from…you know.”

My eyes drifted down to my hands on my lap. “Getting kidnapped.”

“We don’t need to talk about it,” Jamie said.

Lena took my hand in hers and said, “We are just so happy you are okay.”

I knew what they meant. Still, I had to bury the scream rising in my throat that wanted to say I wasn’t okay, not even a little. But I hated their pity, I fucking hated it.

I cleared my throat and shifted on the bed. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Your uncle would have been here but he’s still recovering,” Jamie said. “From the attack that night.”

I glanced at his forehead. “Are you…?”

He tapped at the bandage. “No concussion or anything, just a bad cut. A few stitches.”

Guilty, I said, “I’m sorry.”

“I’d like to think I came out pretty okay, all things considered.”

“And everyone else?”

“April moved out,” Lena said. “Went back to her family in Colorado for the rest of the semester. The whole thing freaked her out pretty bad. The chick and her guy friend are doing okay, but their friend, Elijah, was pretty messed up, still in the hospital. Although they say he should pull through.”

“Liam is recovering too,” Jamie assured. “We just went to visit him before coming here. He had to get surgery on his shoulder but he came out fine. He was quiet about everything.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, hands crossed together as if in prayer. “But he did mention Emery was…”

My throat tightened. I wasn’t going to cry.

I dug my nails into my thighs. I couldn’t help it, I had to ask, “Did they find a body?”

Jamie shook his head, and I wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or disappointment. “They figured he’d…you know…show up eventually on land and they could get the body then, but theysay the current was strong and it’s possible he could end up all the way down to Lake Erie.”

“Which is crazy,” Lena blurted. “There’s no way he’d make it that far. I was thinking he’d wash up on Belle Isle but—”

“Lena,” Jamie interjected.

She looked at me apologetically. “S-sorry.”

I tried to smile even if her words were a knife to the chest. “It’s fine. He’s gone. It’s done.”

Jamie put his hand on my knee. “I’m sorry, Eve, I really am. I know you wanted to help him. But he was just…beyond saving.”

White-hot anger consumed my senses. He had been. I had gotten through to him. But then Liam had to come and fuck it up. Had to ruin everything.

I closed my eyes and took a slow breath. No. I can’t be mad at them. Liam didn’t know. And none of them understood. They thought I had just been fixated. I was sure Jamie didn’t actually believe I loved him. He thought I just had some weird messed-up obsession.

---