Page 63 of Haunted Prey

Not a dream.

“He’s real,” I said aloud. “Isn’t he?”

Lena shifted beside me. “Looks it to me.”

I rose off the couch, ready to turn for the door when Lena grabbed my hand again to stop me.

“Wait, Eve,” she whispered.

I glanced at her. “It’s all right.”

Her eyes said otherwise. “I don’t know what you're thinking or what you could possibly be going through right now. Getting taken by that guy again…”

“Emery,” I said, gasping. Living, breathingEmery. Not the phantom.

Lena tried to hide her scowl. “Eve, whatever went down between you two, I don’t know. But he’s messed up. They all are. They are holding us hostage and we don’t know what they want.”

I turned my eyes down to our locked hands. “Me,” I murmured, feeling sorry to say it, guilty that she was now a part of all this.

“Okay. But do we know why?” She squeezed my hand. “Eve, I’m scared. Please tell me, whatever went down in your family home, is he looking to finish the job?”

My eyes drifted back up to hers. “I…don’t know,” I said honestly, remembering everything we’d planned out before Liam came. “But he isn’t going to hurt me.”

She frowned. “Are you sure of that?” She shook her head in disbelief when I didn’t answer. “And who the hell are the others? He’s got a fucking posse now? Did he ever mention others?”

“I think I know who they are.”

“Who?”

I squeezed her hand. “Survivors.”

As I gently pulled my hand away, she let me go. “Eve.”

“There’s only one way to know.”

She let out a long breath. “Fuck,” she whispered. “Eve, no one knows where we are and these people aren’t going to let us go. I don’t say this lightly, I’ve got a family who’ll absolutely freak out. And think about Jamie and Liam. Your aunt and uncle.”

“I’m sorry, Lena,” I said. “I’m sorry you're involved in this. I wish you weren’t.” And I meant it. She didn’t deserve this. I didn’t like seeing her scared. Like how I had been. “No matter what, I won’t let them hurt you.”

She bit her lip as her mouth trembled. “Help me with my chair, will you?”

I brought the chair over and kept it in place as she pulled herself up into it. The metal braces allowed her to move her legs if only a little. I helped her wheel around but stopped her at the door.

“You don’t have to—”

“Where you go, I go,” she said firmly. “I might not be able to walk yet but I’m staying near you if I can. I’ll crawl like a demented mermaid if I have to and scratch anyone’s eyes out if they mess with you.” She gripped her wheels firmly. “Or I’ll run them over. That creep with the clown mask is begging for my metal brace up his ass,” she mumbled.

I laughed. The voices beyond the door had grown duller now as if they had moved into a different room.

“As long as we don’t try to leave,” I assured, “we’ll be okay.”

“I wished I believed that.”

“I’ll get you out of here, Lena,” I said. “Somehow.”

Before she responded by repeating that she wasn’t going anywhere without me, I opened the door and poked my head out.

Down the hall, toward the entrance, I heard them talking or rather arguing as their voices were clipped and not so quiet. I crept out of the room, opening the door wider for Lena to follow behind. Slowly, I made my way down, listening as their words became clearer.

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