My heart is hammering—yet everything is moving slowly at the same time. The walls begin to close in, suffocating me with memories I desperately want to keep buried forever. Why can’t they just stay buried?
Lean on Me.
Those three words silence everything else. And Emma’s words follow. “God doesn’t forget people. People forget to pray.”
As I close my eyes, my breathing begins to steady.
Lord, please don’t let me lose myself. Not now. Keep me in the moment. Help me, Lord. Please.
The world begins to come back into focus as a sense of calm washes over me—a peace that makes no sense, given our current circumstances.
“Dylan, you good?” Tucker questions, half yelling in a way that makes me wonder if he hadn’t been trying to get my attention while I was teetering on the edge.
“Yes.” I come to Harlow’s side and kneel down.
Her eyes are wide and full of tears. “He’s going to kill all of you,” she says. “Anyone who tries to stop him will die.” Her bottom lip trembles.
“We’re not easy men to kill,” Tucker tells her. “Save your energy.”
“Ambulance is on the way,” Jesper says.
“Just let me die,” she says.
“No,” Tucker and I reply in unison.
“You get a look at the guy?” Jesper calls out.
“Not really. Wore black. Arrogant enough that he waved at me.”
“He waved at you?” Tucker asks.
“Yeah.” Sirens blare as police and paramedics come to a halt in front of the coffee shop. “We can’t leave her here in Jersey,” I tell him as I look down at Harlow. I think she’s still alert, though her eyes are closed and her breathing ragged. “If she lives, we need to get her back to Pine Creek.”
Chapter 18
Emma
“Hey,” Kennedy greets as she steps into the house and slips off her boots. She looks exhausted—something I can more than understand since I was privy to her and Bradyn’s conversation this morning about everything that needed to be done today. Their to-do list put all of mine to shame.
Meanwhile, I’m in nearly the exact same spot I was in this morning. Though I did scrub every inch of this place and bake three kinds of cookies before settling down with my Bible and a cup of hot tea. “Hey. Good day?”
She surveys the house, then inhales deeply. “From the look and smell of things, it’s about to be one. You didn’t have to clean. Or cook. You’re our guest, Emma.”
“I know, but I’m going crazy over here, and it seemed like the only way to regain some of my sanity. I’m a big stress cleaner.” I set my Bible aside and get to my feet to stretch. Thankfully, they’d gone to my place and grabbed a few of my things. Though not enough to alert any suspicion should people be sent there to look for me. “Oddly, it helps me relax.”
“Fair enough.” Kennedy smiles and hangs her baseball cap on a hook near the front door. “Bradyn will be in shortly. Elliot stopped him and said he had some news, so they went to their office.”
“News? Is everything okay?” Did something else come up? I haven’t spoken to Dylan since our conversation yesterday, when he told me that my birth mother had been killed and promised to help me find answers.
No matter how many times I told him I didn’t want them at the risk of his life, he wouldn’t listen. I assumed he wasn’t coming around because he’s been busy. But—did something happen? Surely he wouldn’t have made a move without telling me, right?
“Everything’s fine.” She retrieves a glass from the cabinet and starts to fill it with water; instead, she turns off the water, sets the glass on the counter, and turns to me. She chews on her bottom lip and places a hand on her hip.
“What happened, Kennedy?” I ask again, already imagining one horrible scenario after the other.
“Dylan and Tucker have been in New Jersey all day.”
“New Jersey?” I cross my arms. “Why?”
