Rogue (Relentless Book 3)

“GODDAMNIT, SARA, DO not do this to me again.”

Disoriented, I opened my eyes and looked up into Nikolas’s distressed ones. “Why am I on the floor?”

He crushed me against his chest. “Fifty years. I’m locking you up for the next fifty goddamn years.”

“Can’t breathe,” I gasped, and he eased me back down to the floor.

“How do you feel?”

“Great.” I was still trying to figure out what I was doing down there, and why he was looking at me that way. “My butt is cold.”

Relief flashed in his eyes and a smile touched his mouth. “We can’t have that.” In the next instant, he was sitting on the floor with me cradled in his lap. “Better?”

“Much better.” I leaned my head against his chest, suddenly tired. God, what a night. First, I met the mother I hadn’t seen in sixteen years. If that wasn’t enough, we were ambushed by vampires. And then –

My head jerked up. The vampire girl!

Someone was sobbing, and it was the most heartwrenching sound I had ever heard. I twisted in Nikolas’s arms until I could see behind him. In the corner, curled into a tight ball, was the vampire. Only she wasn’t a vampire anymore. The absence of cold in my chest told me I’d done it again.

I tried to go to her, but Nikolas held me back. “It’s not safe.”

“Yes, it is.” I met his worried gaze. “Trust me. She won’t hurt anyone else.”

It was another minute before he reluctantly released me. I crawled over to the girl who cowered and cried even harder. “Shhh, it’s okay,” I crooned softly. “You’re safe now and no one is going to hurt you.”

Her entire body shook from her sobs, and the agony in her voice was almost too much to bear. I couldn’t imagine what she was going through or how terrifying this was for her. All I could do was try to help her through it.

A sound drew my attention to the kitchen doorway where a dozen warriors watched us in shocked silence. Except for Nikolas, Chris, and Jordan, no one here knew what I could do. In their eyes, I was offering comfort to a vampire. This was going to require some serious explaining. Right now though, I had more important things to take care of.

I laid a hand on the girl’s shoulder, and she cringed away from me. I kept my hand in place as I spoke to her. “My name is Sara. I know you’re scared and confused, and I swear I won’t let anything hurt you. I’m just going to sit here with you until you’re feeling a little better.”

I sat on the floor by her head with my back against the cupboard doors. She was still crying, but she didn’t try to move away from me. After a few minutes, I touched her back soothingly. It was too bad my calming ability didn’t work on humans because I really could have used it now.

“Sara?” Nikolas spoke in a low voice. He was sitting where I’d left him and looking ready to come to my rescue if he sensed a hint of danger.

“We’re good.” A breeze blew in through the broken window and I shivered. At the same time, I felt the girl tense up under my hand. “Can I get a blanket for her?”

Several minutes later, Jordan came into the kitchen carrying two thick blankets. She approached me slowly and draped one of the blankets over the girl who was crying more softly now. Jordan smiled at me and wrapped the second blanket around my shoulders.

You okay? she mouthed.

I nodded and she shook her head and said, showoff, before she backed away, leaving me alone with the girl again.

Out in the living room, people were starting to talk softly, and I heard more than one ask what was going on. I looked over at Nikolas and inclined my head toward the other room. He shook his head, and I knew he wasn’t going anywhere until he was sure the girl posed no threat to me.

The girl made a mewling sound, and I rubbed her back gently.

“Shhh. It’s going to be okay.”

In response, she scooted closer to me. Taking heart from that, I shifted until her head was on my lap. I began to smooth down her long dark hair, and she let out a shuddering breath and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. A lump formed in my throat as I tucked the blanket around her shoulders. I was so not qualified to deal with the trauma this girl must have been going through, but I was all she had right now.

It took over an hour for the girl to cry herself to sleep. Her arms went slack around my waist, and I could hear her deep even breaths. My backside and legs ached from sitting on the hard floor, and I wanted to move, but I was afraid of disturbing her.

Nikolas took the decision from me. He gently picked up the sleeping girl, blanket and all, and placed her on the love seat, which was the only couch in the living room that hadn’t suffered damage. As soon as he released her, she curled up into a ball again, but she didn’t awaken. The poor thing had to be exhausted.

The warriors stared at the girl, which wasn’t surprising since she’d been a vampire an hour ago. They were also giving me a wide berth. I guessed making a vampire human again was right up there with raising someone from the dead. It just wasn’t done.

“Is she really human again?”

I glanced sideways at Geoffrey who had come to stand beside Nikolas and me. The warrior’s normally dark skin was ashen and he had the look of a man who had witnessed a miracle.

“Yes.”

“That’s… not possible.”

I was too tired to explain. I gave Nikolas a pleading look and he nodded.

“Geoffrey, let’s talk in the kitchen so we don’t disturb the girl.”

“We can go downstairs if you don’t want to be overheard.”

“The kitchen will do.” Nikolas’s gaze met mine as he and Geoffrey moved past me. I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight until we got home again. I was more than okay with that.

The other warriors resumed their work, packing up the equipment and preparing to move to another location. They kept throwing curious glances at me whenever they passed by, but I was used to being stared at.

Unsure of what to do next, I sat at the foot of the loveseat. The girl might sleep for hours, but I was afraid to leave her in case she awoke. Exhaustion washed over me, and I leaned back and closed my eyes.

“You okay, Sara?”

I opened my eyes and gave Chris a weak smile. “Pretty good, considering.”

He studied the sleeping girl. “You’ve had a busy night.”

“You could say that.”

“Why did you do it?” He crouched by the loveseat so he was at eye level. “Why this one?”

“I wasn’t going to.” I began to remember more details of my experience with the vampire. “But then I saw a memory of her family, and…” My voice cracked. “It was Eli who changed her. I actually heard his voice, Chris. I felt her pain. I couldn’t… I had to…”

He laid a hand on my arm. “It’s okay. You did the right thing.”

My gaze shifted to the girl who whimpered in her sleep.

“Did I?” She was a teenager who had suffered horrors I didn’t want to imagine. Her family and her old life were gone. There was no going back to them. She hadn’t uttered a word yet so we had no idea what her mental state was. If a Mori could drive a person insane, what was there to say that a vamhir demon couldn’t do the same?

“Maybe it would have been kinder if I’d…”

“I don’t believe that and neither do you.” His warm green eyes held mine. “You’ve grown into an amazing warrior since I met you, and I’m proud to fight beside you. But you have a healer’s soul. You could not have killed that vampire, knowing you could save the girl. If I know anything about you by now, it’s that.” He looked at her and let out a slow breath. “She has a rough time ahead of her, but she’s alive and human again thanks to you.”

“Thanks, Chris,” I whispered.

He smiled again. “Now, please don’t cry because I really don’t want Nikolas to come over and kick my ass.”

My lips twitched. “He wouldn’t do that. You’re his best friend.”

“When it comes to you, all bets are off.”

I looked at Nikolas and Geoffrey in the kitchen. Nikolas was talking to the other warrior, but he was watching me. I smiled to let him know I was okay. He said something to Geoffrey, and then the two of them walked over to us.

“How is she?” Nikolas asked me.

“Still asleep.”

“Do you think she’ll be able to talk to us when she wakes up?” Geoffrey asked.

I looked at the sleeping girl. “I have no idea.”

He rubbed his chin. “We’ll have to question her. There’s no telling what information she can give us about the attack tonight.”

“I can tell you that your warriors were followed here from a casino two days ago. The vampires had no idea the rest of us would be here when they attacked this place.”

Geoffrey inhaled sharply. “She told you that?”

I hesitated. If I told him I’d spoken to the vamhir demon, he was not going to believe me. I could tell by his wary expression that he was still struggling with whatever Nikolas had shared with him. I was too tired to try to explain something I was still trying to understand.

“Yes. That’s all she said.”

“Son of a bitch.” He looked around for his team and called to the brunette who’d spoken to me earlier. “Evan, weren’t you guys at the Mirage two days ago?”

“No, that was Tyler’s team. Why?”

Geoffrey swore then apologized to me. “I need to contact Tyler. His team is out on a job right now. Excuse me.”

“I think we should move her somewhere quieter,” I said to Nikolas and Chris. “She’ll be scared if she wakes up and sees all these strange people.”

Nikolas nodded and I could tell he’d already realized we were not flying out of Las Vegas tonight. “We’ll take her to the new safe house. You need to rest, too.”

“We all do.” It had been a long day and night for all of us. I’d rest when I knew the girl was taken care of.

Hours later, I sat in a chair in one of the bedrooms in the new safe house and watched the sleeping girl. She hadn’t awakened once during the drive to Henderson or when Chris had carried her into the house earlier. Every now and then she made a frightened sound, and I wondered what horrors she was dreaming about.

Jordan walked into the room. “I’ll sit with her for a while. You need to lie down before you fall over.”

“I’m okay.” I stifled a yawn.

She pulled me out of my chair and pushed me to the door. “Sorry, but those are Nikolas’s orders. You can take the room next door so you’ll be close, and I’ll let you know if she wakes up.”

I was too tired to argue. I gave her a grateful smile and went into the dark room, not even bothering to turn on the light or pull back the comforter on the bed. During the night, Nikolas came to check on me, and I sleepily tugged him down to lie beside me. It was the only time I woke up until the next morning.

A girl’s scream jerked me from my sleep, and I almost fell out of bed. I burst into the room next door and found the girl cowering in the corner with her long dark hair hanging wildly around her face.

Near the door, Jordan stood holding a plate of food and a glass of orange juice. “I just went to grab some breakfast. I didn’t think she would wake up yet.”

“That’s okay. I’ve got it.”

Nikolas arrived with Chris on his heels. “Sara?”

I put my finger to my lips and backed them out of the room. “She’s awake, and she’s terrified. I’m going to try to talk to her.”

I approached the girl slowly with my hands at my sides. “Don’t be afraid. Do you remember me? I’m Sara, and I talked to you last night. You remember my voice, don’t you? I promised you I’d stay with you. I’m still here and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I spoke to her like that for at least thirty minutes before she lifted her head and looked at me for the first time. Through the veil of her dark hair I could see her pale cheeks, frightened brown eyes, and trembling lips. Her gaze flicked past me to Nikolas, Chris, and Jordan standing in the hallway.

“They won’t hurt you. They’re here to help keep you safe.” I sat on the bed, facing her, and tried to look as unthreatening as possible. “I’m Sara. Do you remember me?”

She stared at me for a long moment before she nodded.

I gave her a warm smile. “Good. Do you want to tell me your name?”

“E-Emma.”

I swallowed painfully. “It’s nice to meet you, Emma. I bet you must be pretty confused and scared right now, huh?”

“I-I saw you.”

“Saw me where?” I asked gently.

She swallowed and her eyes darted around the room. “You were th-there. You… talked to it.”

“Yes.”

“You killed it?”

“Yes.”

She let out a ragged sob and sagged against the wall. “This is… not real. Is it?”

The trace of hope in her small voice was almost my undoing, but I had to be strong for her. “All of this is real. I killed it and now you’re safe.”

“Safe?”

“Yes.”

She put her head down and didn’t speak for several minutes. Finally, she stared at me and said, “It’s really gone?”

“It’s as dead as it can be. It’s not coming back.”

“Thank you.” She closed her eyes and tears spilled down her cheeks. “Thank you.”

I sat there helplessly as she cried. I wanted to go to her, but I was afraid of startling her and undoing the progress we’d made. After several minutes, she used her sleeves to wipe her face and looked at me with less fear in her eyes.

My stomach chose that moment to rumble, and I laughed softly. “I’m starving. I’m going to ask one of my friends to bring me some breakfast. Would you like to join me?”

Her eyes immediately went to the tray of cold food Jordan had left on the nightstand. She stared at it helplessly, and I realized she hadn’t eaten food in many years.

She smiled tremulously, and my chest constricted. Jordan had once called me a waif, but Emma fit that description perfectly. She was at least two inches shorter than me and slender, and her complexion was pale because it hadn’t seen the sun in many years. But even as her sad brown eyes tugged at my heart, I could see strength in her. The fact that she was smiling and speaking to me coherently after the trauma she’d been through was evidence of that.

Jordan came in with another tray bearing two plates of scrambled eggs, sausage, and toast, which she placed on the bed beside me. I shifted to make room then patted the bed in invitation. Emma waited until Jordan had left the room again before she timidly joined me on the bed. Her trust in me after all she’d been through was humbling.

At first, she toyed with her eggs, but after a few minutes she began to nibble on a wedge of toast. By the time I was finished she had eaten two pieces of toast, a good start for someone who hadn’t eaten in a very long time.

Neither of us spoke while we ate, but I could sense her becoming more at ease with me. Sometime during the meal, the others left us alone and Emma looked relaxed for the first time. When we were done, I placed the tray on a small table in the hallway and went back to sit with her.

After a lengthy silence she whispered, “I never wanted to hurt anyone.”

“You didn’t do those things, Emma. The demon did.”

“It was my hands, my body.”

I reached over and took one of her cold hands in mind. She flinched but didn’t pull away. “The demon took control of your body. You are not responsible for anything it did. My uncle went through this too and he felt guilty even though he knows none of it was his fault.”

“Your uncle?” Hope filled her eyes and her voice. “There are others like me?”

“Just you and him so far. I’m still new at this.”

“Why? Why me?”

I let out a slow breath, trying to think of the best way to answer. “I wasn’t going to,” I said honestly. “I was trying to get the demon to tell me how it knew where we were. But then you showed me some memories and I wanted to help you.”

She stared at our joined hands. “My family, I can’t go back.”

“No.” It was best not to give her false hope when it came to them. Emma could never go back to her old life.

Her breath hitched. “Where will I go?”

“You can stay with me.” I squeezed her hand. “Once you feel better you can decide what you want to do. I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Emma. I have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends.”

She fell silent again, and I wondered for the hundredth time what was going through her mind. She had to be dealing with so much emotionally – things I couldn’t even fathom.

“Are you tired? Would you like me to leave you alone for a while?”

Her fingers gripped mine. “No, don’t go. Please.”

“Okay. I’ll stay.”

She released my hand and began tracing a seam in the comforter with her finger. Minutes passed before she spoke again. “The night it happened, I wasn’t even supposed to go out. There was a boy I liked and he had a band. I wanted to go with my friends to hear them play, but my parents said I couldn’t go. So I snuck out.” She sniffled and swiped a finger under her eye.

As she described the night she’d met Eli, I remembered my own encounter with him in Portland. The similarities between Emma’s experience and mine were eerie, and proved that Eli had definitely had a favorite type. We were both young brunettes and had a similar build. He’d stalked both of us at a club where we’d gone with friends to hear a band. Nikolas and my friends had saved me from a fate worse than death. Emma had not been so lucky.

Once Emma started to tell her story, it flowed out of her in a torrent of words and tears. Eli had played with her for a week before he had finally changed her. He’d chosen her because she was young and innocent-looking, and she would be the perfect lure for other teenagers. Even after she’d become a vampire, he’d used her for months until he finally tired of her. She didn’t go into graphic detail, thankfully, but I heard enough to imagine the horrors she’d gone through.

Eli had been her maker and he’d been strong, so he’d controlled Emma completely. It wasn’t until his death that she had been free to go where she wanted. So she’d come to Las Vegas because there were a lot of other vampires here.

“Did you ever meet Eli’s master? I asked the demon, but it wouldn’t or couldn’t say.”

“I know I must have because Eli took me everywhere with him, but I don’t remember him. Eli told me his master was afraid of the Mohiri torturing the information out of a vampire. So he compelled everyone to forget him. Except Eli.” She sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. I wish I could be more help after all you’ve done for me.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was a long shot anyway.”

Emma got off the bed and went to look out the window. “I had a little sister, Marie. She was ten when I disappeared. I guess that would make her thirty-one.” She leaned her forehead against the glass and I saw her shoulders shake. “My baby sister is almost twice my age now. She’s probably married with children and I’m still seventeen.”

“I’m sorry, Emma. I wish…”

“I know,” she said softly. “You gave me back my life. I should be happy with that.”

“It’s okay to not be happy right now. But someday you will be. And if you want, we can find out where your sister is and how she’s doing. Your parents too.”

She came back to sit on the bed. “You can do that?”

I let out a small laugh. “Not me, but I have a few friends who can find almost anyone.”

“I’d like that.” Her eyes took on a faraway look, and I knew she was thinking about her family and her old life.

“Do you want to talk about them?”

She nodded sadly.

We talked for hours. She told me about her family and friends and growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina. I told her about my dad and Nate and my friends. When I described New Hastings she got a wistful look in her eyes and said she’d always wanted to live near the ocean. Every summer her family would rent a house for two weeks in Virginia Beach, and it had been her favorite place to go.

We had more than our love of the ocean in common. Emma’s favorite hobby had been painting, and she’d even hoped to study art in college. I’d dabbled in painting at one point, but drawing was my thing, even though I hadn’t done much of it lately. I found a pencil and a notepad and drew her as we talked about everything from art supplies to our favorite subjects. I mostly did drawings of people I knew and creatures I’d met. She preferred landscapes, especially the coast.

At noon Jordan arrived with sandwiches. For dinner, she brought us plates of chicken and pasta. After each meal, I stacked the plates on the table in the hall, and Emma and I continued talking.

By nine o’clock that night, Emma began to show signs of fatigue. I convinced her to try to get some sleep, and told her I’d be close by if she needed me. I left her room, rubbing my tired eyes, and found Nikolas in the hall waiting for me. Wordlessly, I walked into his arms and hugged him tightly. All day I’d been strong for Emma, but with Nikolas, I could let my guard down and show the toll today had taken on me. He held me and rubbed my back as I cried quietly into his shirt.

The next morning, Emma was in better shape, emotionally and physically. Jordan went out with Chris to buy a few changes of clothes for us, and Emma was more comfortable once she’d cleaned up and put on fresh clothing.

After lunch, she agreed to talk to Chris about her knowledge of the vampire comings and goings in Las Vegas. I’d asked Chris to talk to her because he was more easygoing and less intimidating than the other warriors. I sat with them as he questioned her about vampire numbers and locations of nests. At first she was hesitant until we assured her that none of the things she’d done as a vampire would make us think less of her. She did not remember who the Master was, but she knew a lot about the vampire activity here, and she shared it all with us.

When the interview was over, Chris gave her a warm smile. “Thank you, Emma. I know that had to be very difficult for you. The information you gave us will help save a lot of lives.”

“I’m glad,” she replied timidly, looking like a tiny bit of the guilt she carried had been lifted from her shoulders.

That evening Nikolas took me aside and told me we were leaving Las Vegas in the morning. The Mohiri were sending more teams into the city in a coordinated attack on the vampires, based on the information we’d gotten from Emma. Nikolas didn’t want me or Jordan anywhere near the city when that happened.

“What about Emma? We have to take her with us.”

“I talked to Tristan about her, and he said she is welcome at Westhorne if she wants to come with us.”

I hugged him so hard he laughed. When I asked about Oscar and our things in California, he said Raoul was taking care of everything.

I went to tell Emma the news. She wasn’t as excited as I was, and I knew it was because she was afraid of being around that many Mohiri after spending the last two decades as our mortal enemy. It took a lot of persuasion to get her to agree to give it a shot since I couldn’t tell her exactly where we were going until we got there. I told her how beautiful and safe it was there, and that she could leave whenever she wanted. I made sure she knew it was her choice and whatever she decided, I’d still help her. Finally, she gave me a small smile and said she would go with us.

When we boarded the Mohiri jet the next day, I was so excited about going home I could barely sit still. The four warriors who had come from California with us were staying on in Vegas, so it was just me, Nikolas, Jordan, Chris, and Emma on the plane. Even when the pilot told us there would be a short delay because of air traffic, it couldn’t dampen my mood. In a few hours I’d see Nate, Tristan, and Desmund. I couldn’t wait to see Sahir and hug Hugo and Woolf.

Chris laughed as I left Jordan in the front row and moved down to sit with Emma in the middle. “Are we going to have to tie you to your seat so we can take off?” he teased.

“When the pilot says we’re leaving, I’ll be the first one buckled in.”

A minute later, the pilot’s voice came over the intercom to tell us to take our seats.

Emma was quiet beside me. I knew she was still nervous about Westhorne, so I buckled in next to her to keep her company during the flight. Once we were in the air, I pulled out the notepad and pencil I’d taken from the house and doodled on it as we talked about Westhorne.

“Is that where we’re going?” she asked.

I looked at the outline of a building I’d been sketching. It was a large house and made of stone. I was halfway through adding what looked like a turret.

“It looks sort of like a castle,” Emma commented.

“It does, doesn’t it?” My brow furrowed as I studied the partial drawing. Where had I seen this house before? I dredged through my memories and came up blank. Strange. I’d obviously seen it somewhere. Why else would I draw it?

I put my pencil to the page and continued to finish the turret. Soon, my hand was flying over the page until the finished picture lay before me. There were four turrets in all, and the front of the building had ten windows and a large door that I’d drawn in detail down to the carved door knocker.

Emma picked it up for a better look. “This is really good. I don’t know why, but it kind of gives me the willies.”

“Yeah, me too.” I stared at the drawing. The longer I looked at it, the more I felt like tearing the page from the notepad and crumpling it up. Something tickled the edge of my memory, but every time I tried to focus on it, it slipped away.

“You know” – Emma held the drawing away from her to study it from a different angle – “for some reason, I feel like I’ve seen this place before.”

Her words were like a key unlocking a memory that I hadn’t known was there. Suddenly, an image of the house appeared in my mind. Only it wasn’t my memory I was looking at. It belonged to the vamhir demon I’d pulled it from two days ago. The same demon that used to live inside Emma. The same demon that had gone with its maker, Eli, to see his master.

“It can’t be.” I took the notepad from Emma with shaking hands.

“What’s wrong?” Nikolas appeared beside me. His eyes immediately went to Emma who shrank away from him.

“This.” I held the drawing up for him to see. My initial shock was passing and excitement was building in my chest. “This is his house.”

Nikolas frowned in confusion. “Whose house?”

“The Master’s.”

Emma gasped. Chris and Jordan crowded in behind Nikolas.

“What are you talking about?” Nikolas took the notepad from me. He peered at the drawing then looked at me and Emma. “Did she tell you that?”

“No. I drew it from memory, from a memory I took from the vamhir demon before I killed it.”

“You took the demon’s memory?” Jordan asked, wide-eyed.

“I asked it about the Master and it showed me this house. I forgot about it with everything else that happened.”

Nikolas handed the notepad to Chris who studied it closely. “How do you know this is the Master’s house?”

“I don’t for sure, but something feels off about it. Emma feels it, too.”

Emma nodded. “It gives me the creeps, and it seems familiar.”

“I told you what Emma said about the Master being so paranoid that he compels other vampires to forget him. Eli took her with him when he visited the Master and she was compelled to forget. But no one can erase your mind that completely, and I think I found a memory he missed.”

Chris exhaled loudly. “Jesus, if that’s true…”

“We need to get this to our guys as soon as possible,” Nikolas said.

“Already on it.” Chris whipped out his phone and snapped a photo of the drawing then fired off an email to someone.

I took a photo of the drawing with my phone as well. “I’m sending this to David. If anyone can find this house, it’s him and Kelvan.”

No one argued, so I texted David, asking him if he could locate the house for me. He replied with a smiley face and asked if I was joking. I told him not to worry, that the Mohiri were on it. His last text said he’d get back to me soon.

When the pilot announced our approach into Boise my pulse picked up. We were almost home.

“Boise? That’s where you live?” Emma asked.

“Not quite. It’s about an hour away.”

I grinned when I saw the two red-haired warriors waiting for us when we left the plane. It seemed fitting somehow that Seamus and Niall were the ones to drive Jordan and me home, after the way we’d left Westhorne. The little smirk on Jordan’s face told me she was having similar thoughts.

The twins took the front seats, and Nikolas and Chris took the middle. That left the last row of the large SUV for me, Jordan, and Emma. Within minutes we were on the road toward home.

Jordan and I told Emma about Westhorne while the four warriors talked among themselves. It started to snow, and Emma said she didn’t have boots or a coat, or anything else for that matter. I laughed when I saw a familiar gleam in Jordan’s eye. Poor Emma. Jordan had just found a new dress-up doll. I really hoped my new friend liked shopping.

“You’ll like Terrence and Josh.” Jordan moved on to the subject of boys. “They’re pretty cool.”

I missed her next words as cold bloomed in my chest. “Vampires!”

Nikolas and Chris turned around at the same time to stare at me just as something slammed into us from behind. We jerked forward violently in our seats. Shouts filled the SUV as it swerved toward the edge of the icy road before Seamus got it under control.

My stomach and chest hurt from the seat belt, but I twisted in the seat to look behind us as a large white van with tinted windows and a crumpled grill came at us again. Emma let out a terrified scream, and I pulled her against me to shield her as much as I could. Jordan covered Emma’s other side, and the three of us clung to each other as the other vehicle plowed into us.

“Jesus Christ!” one of the twins yelled as we skidded across the shoulder and flipped down the embankment.