Page 70 of Splintered Memories
The fear was metallic on my tongue, but another emotion welled within me as I desperately tried to place that voice. The more he spoke, the less he tried to hide it. Maybe he wasn’t trying that hard anymore because he knew I wasn’t going to live long enough to tell anyone.
I swallowed hard, keeping the panic down and embracing the part of my brain that wanted to solve this puzzle. “Are you the one who shot at me in the middle of the street?”
Another scoff, and whoever was behind me stepped so close I felt a hot breath on my neck. I cringed.
“You got lucky, I’ll admit. That’s why I gave you a second chance. I warned you, in that alleyway. I told you to stop spreading lies. All you had to do was keep your damn mouth shut about my son, and I would’ve let all of this go. But you couldn’t even do that.”
My hair stood on end as that voice formed a face—a face I’d known well.
Alex Cohen. Some of that fear was replaced by rage. My raised hands curled into fists.
“I was never going to be quiet about what your son did, Sheriff,” I snarled.
He shoved the gun harder into my head, and I winced. “Shut up!” he barked. “You have no idea what my boy went through. He made mistakes, but he didn’t deserve to have his whole life ruined because of them. Now you’re desecrating his name,ourname, far and wide on the damn internet. It was bad enough that Lark girl made up these lies, but she’s not telling the world about it like you are. It has to stop.”
Bile burned the back of my throat, and I choked it down. “Mistakes? I don’t think double murder constitutes amistake. He chose to take my sister’s life. He deserved to rot in prison for what he did. I guess the flames of hell will have to do for him.”
I couldn’t stop the words spilling from my mouth. Alex Cohen roared with rage. My muscles coiled, ready for that shot, the one that wouldrip through my brain and shove me into oblivion. Maybe it was better this way. It would be quick. Fast. Maybe I wouldn’t even feel it.
That echoing, angry shout of his suddenly cut off. The weight of the gun at the back of my head disappeared as something thudded on the ground behind me.
I blinked into the darkness, my mind swimming, wondering whether I really had died. But I hadn’t heard the shot. I hadn’t felt any pain. As I blinked, I could still make out the moonlight glinting off the lake.
My limbs trembled in the sudden quiet. My pulse pounded in my ears.
“Emy?”
The voice that said my name had me bursting into tears. I knew that voice.
I spun around, tears swimming in my eyes.
Alex’s body was crumpled on the ground, the black pistol on the grass at my feet.
I looked up, eyes wide at the man standing over Alex’s form, a metal baseball bat in his hands.
“Amos?” I breathed, both confused and stunned that he was here.
My uncle stared at me, his face pale. He was breathing as heavy as I was; the bat trembled in his closed fists. “Emy?” His voice shook with panic. “Are you okay?”
My gaze bounced back down to Alex Cohen’s body. Blood glistened on his forehead from a deep gash. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn’t know whether he was dead, but the drizzle of blood oozing from his head suggested he probablywasn’t.
A firm hand grasped my wrist as I heard my name again. Amos was closer when I looked back at him, his bat resting on one shoulder as he held my wrist.
“Did he hurt you?”
A fresh wave of tears rolled down my face, but I shook my head.
Amos let out a relieved sigh.
“What—what are you doing here?” I squeaked, finding my voice again.
Amos frowned. “The shop catered some of the food and coffee for the party,” he said, like it was obvious. “I’ve been here most of the night.”
I frowned, trying to clear my head. I hadn’t paid much attention to the food tables. I didn’t even remember there being coffee. “I—I didn’t see you…”
The lines in his brow deepened as he studied me with concern. “I was in the back most of the night. There’s a small kitchen behind the bar.”
I nodded, though I barely comprehended what he said. Nausea roiled in my stomach, and I swayed on my feet.
