Page 8 of Splintered Memories
“What happened?” I sputtered, desperate to process what was happening.
A pair of heavy hands gripped my shoulders. “You need to sit down.”
I shook my head. “What happened?” The words came out louder than I intended, and I winced.
August’s jaw hardened. “Someone shot at you,” he said, voice tight like a rope ready to snap.
I swallowed. It had to be a mistake. Maybe it was something else that made those noises.Anythingelse. “Are you sure?”
August nodded.
I knew that he’d know what gunfire sounded like, but I didn’t want to believe him.
“You need to sit down before you pass out.”
I gritted my teeth, resisting a scoff. “I’m fine.”
His fingers dug harder into my shoulders. “You will be, when you sit the hell down.”
I wanted to fight him but didn’t as he steered me toward a metal bench next to the door and eased me down onto it. He pressed a hand against my upper back. “Put your head between your knees. It’ll help the dizziness.”
“I’m not an invalid. I’m fine,” I snapped, not even sure why I was so annoyed. August literally saved my life, and I was biting his head off.
I just didn’t like feeling so helpless. And I hated the way my heart felt out of control when he touched me.
There was tension in the hand he had on my back, but he didn’t say anything at my tone and treatment of him. He simply waited, and when another wave of dizziness swept over me, accompanied by a flash of nausea, I finally listened and shoved my head between my knees.
The ringing in my ears started to wane.
“Take some deep breaths,” August instructed cautiously.
I obliged, pulling in air until my ribs strained and letting it out slowly.
The hand on my back began to rub up and down in soothing motions. I concentrated on that movement, that comforting heaviness and warmth. The adrenaline ebbed away, leaving some clarity in its wake.
Someone hadshotat me.
“Oh, my God,” I rasped, looking up at August’s concerned face. “Someone tried to kill me.”
4
August
Idrapedathrowblanketover Emersyn, my bad shoulder twinging and burning with the motion. I’d landed on it hard when I’d knocked her to the ground as we’d dodged a damn bullet. Multiple bullets.
I ignored the lingering tremors in my hands. It had been a long time since I’d been shot at. Focusing on someone other than myself helped ward off the dread of past memories.
Emersyn’s eyes shot to mine. “What’s this for?”
My gaze narrowed on her. She was sitting in a chair at the small breakfast table. The moment she mentioned her brother lived in the building, I’d taken her to his apartment. Anywhere was better than that unsecure, open lobby. The police had arrived shortly after the shots had fired, though it had felt like an eternity. We’d spoken to them briefly before I insisted they accompany us upstairs.
A patrol officer stood in the corner of the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest as his radio crackled in and out with a flurry of activity. EmberHollow was a small town. We didn’t have many shootings. This was a very unprecedented afternoon. Everyone had to be on edge.
Now, we were waiting for a detective to come ask a few questions.
“What?” Emersyn snapped when I didn’t answer her and continued to stare.
The table she sat at was against a wall in the kitchen. No windows were near her. I’d made sure to draw the curtains on the giant ones lining the living room wall and checked every inch of the apartment before letting her relax. It was safe. There was no one else here but me, Emersyn, her brother, and the police officer.
