Page 71 of Splintered Memories
Amos stepped closer, steadying me. “Okay.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “We need to get you checked out. I’ve already called the police to deal with him.” He gestured to Alex, still unconscious on the ground.
I didn’t fight him as he led me away from Alex, the man who had been trying to kill me for weeks. The man who almost succeeded tonight. Dizziness had the ground undulating under my feet. I leaned closer into Amos, breathing in that spicy aftershave and coffee scent.
“Just keep breathing,” Amos said, voice low and comforting. “I got you.”
I tried to get hold of myself, but that rush of adrenaline and intense fear had my brain muddled.
“I—I need August,” I mumbled, that one thing breaking through the fog of my mind.
“I’ll get him, but you need to sit down.”
Sit down? I wasn’t even aware we were near the parking lot until he was opening the door of his vehicle.
His hand guided me down onto the passenger’s seat. It did feel better to sit. I tucked my head between my knees like August had shown me weeks ago. I inhaled deep breaths, the dizziness finally waning.
“Here, take a drink of this.”
Amos shoved something into my hands. It was a plastic bottle of water.
My mouth was suddenly parched. I opened the bottle and drained the whole thing in a few gulps. Amos smiled, and he rubbed my upper back as I bent my head again.
I wasn’t sure how much time went by, but the longer I sat there, trying to clear my mind, the more addled my thoughts became. After that dizziness had almost disappeared, it came back with a vengeance. The whole world spun around me.
I whimpered, reaching for the dash in front of me and digging my fingers in, as if that would steady the whirling ground.
“Is August coming?” I said. My voice sounded distant to my ears.
Amos was still rubbing my back. He shushed me softly. “It’s all right, Emy,” he breathed.
The sudden realization that something was very, very wrong hit me. I tried to look up, tried to fight that blackness that was narrowing my vision, but I couldn’t.
“Just relax,” Amos said.
But his voice was nothing like I remembered. It sent a shiver down my spine.
“Close your eyes.”
I shook my head, but my eyelids drooped on their own. I couldn’t fall asleep right now. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew that if I closed my eyes, something bad was going to happen.
With the last burst of energy I had, I straightened my spine. I tried to stand up, to get out of the car, but Amos wouldn’t let me. He chuckled as I fought him, my limbs full of lead. Then, my head slumped to the side, and I couldn’t do it anymore.
The world went black as I was swept into a dark, heavy unconsciousness.
27
August
Haileysqueezedtwomoredances out of me after that slow song. She gave me a disappointed pout when I finally put her down.
“Don’t give me that look, baby girl.” I gave her a wide smile. “You got your dances. I need to go find Emersyn again, okay?”
She let out a long sigh. “Fine.”
I eyed Graham as he walked past us to his table. I wiggled my eyebrows and jerked my head toward him. “I bet Uncle Graham would dance with you for a little bit.”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “I haven’t danced with him yet.” Her lips pulled up into a smile.
“Go get him, tiger.” I winked, and she turned on her heel and ran toward him.
