“What are they saying?”
“I don’t know. I can’t hear them, it’s muffled and I’m too far away.”
“Emily, I want you to follow the voices. I want you to go where you did that night.”
“No, I don’t want to. I’m too scared.” My chest pulls tight at the panic in her voice.
“It’s all right. Nothing can happen to you. You are safe. These are only your memories, they can’t hurt you. Take a deep breath.” She does, but when she exhales it’s shaky. “Good job. Now be brave and follow the voices. I promise nothing will hurt you… Are you walking?”
“Yes,” she chokes out.
“Are the voices leading you to the well?”
“No, in the opposite direction. I’m in the woods now, far from the house.” A whimper escapes her. “Her screams are getting louder. She’s begging for help.”
“Keep going, Emily, you’re doing good. What…”
She gasps. “I can see them.”
“Who?”
“My father, Mr. Prescott, and… I can’t see the third guy clearly. I can’t tell who it is.”
“Can they see you?”
“No, I’m hiding behind a tree.”
“What are they doing?”
A small sob falls escapes her lips. “They’re hurting a lady. Mr. Prescott is holding her down on her knees while my father hits her.”
“Do you recognize the woman?”
“Yes, she was at the party but I don’t know who she is. She was really kind to me… Oh god, they’re hurting her really bad.” She cries. “I want to help her, I want to tell my father to stop but I’m scared. So scared that I can’t move.”
“Can you hear what they’re saying to her?”
“She’s telling them to let her go. She says that she has proof at work and people know where she is.”
“Holy fuck!” Nick says, realizing who the lady is at the exact moment that I do. “The fucking social worker.” I nod at the possibility. The timeline matches up.
“My father laughs at her and breaks something. A camera I think…. Oh no, the man has a gun!”
“Who, Emily, who has a gun?”
“The man I can’t see clearly. He’s pointing it at her… No stop! Please don’t hurt her,” she screams and flinches, her entire body jolting. “Oh god, they just shot her.” She sobs. “And they see me now. They’re going to kill me…” I watch her start to go into hysterics, her body thrashing.
I slam on the glass and shout at the doctor to pull her out, but he ignores me.
“Emily, it’s okay, you need to keep calm.”
Her head thrashes back and forth. “No, they’re after me, help me please… Ahhhh!” Panic grips me as her scream fills the air, her body shakes uncontrollably and her back spasms off the couch.
“Fuck!” I charge out of the room and try to get into hers but it’s locked. “Motherfucker!” I kick it in and see Emily on the floor, looking like she’s having some sort of fucking seizure. The doctor is next to her trying to calm her down, but it isn’t doing a damn bit of good. With my heart in my throat, I race over and wrap her in my arms, trying to hold her still. “Bring her the fuck out now!” I yell, deciding if he doesn’t follow the order in the next two seconds I will pull my fucking gun on him.
He nods vehemently. “Emily, I want you to listen to me. Focus on my voice. I’m going to count back, again from ten, when I reach one you will wake up and remember everything. Ten… Nine…”
She continues to scream and thrash. I hold her tight and bring my mouth in her ear. “I’m here, Em. It’s okay, baby, don’t be scared. I’m here.” Her body stills immediately and the doctor nods his head at me to continue talking to her as he counts down. “I got you, Em. Nothing’s going to hurt you.”
“One.” As the doctor speaks the last number Emily’s eyes snap open, and she gasps, inhaling a huge breath. I continue to rock her and hold her tight, her body still trembling. She pushes away and stands to her feet with her hands out in front of her as she looks around the room, trying to get her bearings.
I stand and approach her slowly. “Em, it’s okay. You’re in the doctor’s office.”
At the sound of my voice, her wet, emotional eyes finally focus on me. “Ryder?”
“Yeah, baby, it’s me. It’s okay.”
“Oh god,” she croaks out, her voice hoarse from her screams. “They killed her.” She sobs. “That man shot her in the head. I tried to stop them but I couldn’t.” I reach out and pull her against me. “They saw me, Ryder. They ran after me. The man with the gun grabbed me.”
My chest pulls tight at the fear in her voice. “It’s okay, baby. Everything is okay now. No one is going to hurt you.”
“Do you know who it was? The man with the gun?” Nick asks a few moments later.
She shakes her head. “No, for some reason I couldn’t see his face. I could see everyone else’s but his. Even when he was facing me, I still couldn’t see him.”
“Your mind wouldn’t you let you see him.” The doctor speaks up now for the first time, and my blood boils hot with rage.
Before I can stop myself, I step back from Emily then, quickly grab the prick by his shirt and get into his face. “I told you to pull her the fuck out! Why didn’t you do it? What’s wrong with you? You knew how fucking critical this could be for her!” I feel Nick grab at me but I don’t let go.
He sputters in fear. “I’m sorry. I was trying to get the other name for you.”
“She comes before that shit and I fucking told you that. You locked the fucking door on me, you son of a bitch!”
“That’s enough, Jameson, back off now, you’ve made your point.” I let Nick pull me back but not before I shove the asshole.
I look back at Emily to see her arms wrapped around herself, looking scared and alone, still trying to breathe through her sobs. “Ryder, I want to leave. I just want to go home.”
I rush back over to her and don’t think twice about picking her up. “We’re out of here, baby.” She wraps her arms tightly around me and buries her face in my neck. I look back at the doctor and try to push my anger aside. “Is it safe to take her?”
He nods shakily. “Yes, but I have something I can prescribe to help make her more relaxed so she can sleep tonight.” He walks around his desk then writes something down before handing me a prescription. I take it because I have a feeling she’s going to need it. “I’m sorry, Emily, I hope you sleep well.” He sounds sincere, but I still want to punch the prick in the face, especially for locking me out.
Em turns her face to address him. ‘It’s all right; it’s not your fault. Thank you, Doctor, for helping me.”
Nick nods at me. “Go ahead. I’ll take care of the rest here.”
“Thanks.” I walk out with Emily in my arms. She turns her face back into my neck and I feel her body tremble with her tears. “Everything’s going to be okay, Em. I promise.”
Chapter 22
Emily
The next night I stand in front of my floor length mirror and stare back at my reflection, seeing myself in a whole new way. The gold, silk evening gown falls nicely down my body, hugging me in the right places but flows loosely in others. The thin spaghetti straps show off my slender shoulders and the front dips low enough to show minor cleavage while keeping it classy. The back is my favorite part though; it’s completely open, leaving me bare until the soft material molds just above my backside. My hair is swept to the side with a big, sparkly, rose gold barrette clipped in the midst of loose curls. My eye make up is smoky and intense with matching rose gold shimmering shadow. It makes my ice blue eyes look almost like glass. My lips are moist and shiny with soft pink gloss.
Cece most certainly did her magic on me. Even though I can put my own make up on, and do my hair, I could not do it to the extent that I needed it for tonight, so, again, she rescued me. I wish she was coming, but then I figured it’s probably a good thing she isn’t. I feel horrible that I’ve been avoiding her. She knows I’m heartbroken over Rosa, and thankfully she thinks that’s why I’ve kept my distance. When, in fact, it’s hard for me to be around her and keep this horrendous secret, especially knowing her father is involved. She’s going to be devastated when this all comes out, and I pray she forgives me for not telling her.