“What do you want?” I asked, forcing myself to keep calm. Maybe if I pretend like nothing is wrong…
“I just wanted to see how you are doing. It’s been a while since we talked.”
“I’m doing fine.”
“Really?” She seemed surprised.
“Of course. You sound shocked.”
“I just thought…”
“You thought, what?”
“I thought…never mind. I thought you might miss…me.”
“Ally, I asked you to leave. You messed up—big time.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I just thought you might miss me.”
“Where are you right now? If you’re close, maybe we can hang out,” I said, hoping she would lead me to Emma.
“I’m around. I can’t meet up right now though. I’m tied up with a project at the moment.” She giggled.
A shiver ran through my body at the way she’d said that, but I pushed it away. I needed to stay calm.
“What has you all tied up?” I asked, pretending to joke around with her.
“Oh, just something I need to take care of.”
“I see.” I was about to lose my cool. This bitch is up to something.
“What’s wrong, Jesse? You sound upset.”
“It’s nothing. I just…”
“You can tell me. I’ll listen.”
“Emma left me yesterday.”
Andy’s jaw dropped, but I shook my head. I didn’t want him to say something and screw this up.
“Oh, Jesse, I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”
“Unless you can get her to come back to me, no. I miss her so much. I feel so broken. I mean, I knew it was coming, but it still hurts like a bitch.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve been fighting a lot lately.”
“She never said anything about you guys fighting.”
I closed my eyes as I tried not to scream into the phone. Ally had Emma. Ally had just admitted it without realizing it. Things with Ally were worse than I could have imagined. She was seriously sick in the head.
“When did you two talk?” I asked.
“Oh, uh…it was a few days ago. I called her to apologize.”
“That’s so nice of you, Ally. It means a lot that you’d do that. I think…I think once I get over Emma, I’d like to give us a chance again.”
I heard her tiny intake of breath.
“I lied before. I’ve missed you so much since you left. I used Emma to pass the time, but it just isn’t the same. I love you, Ally.”
“I love you, too, Jesse. We can be together again. I’ll come back to you.”
“Let me come to you. Where are you?”
She hesitated. “No, it’s okay. I need to make a stop, but I’ll be at your house in a few hours.”
“Why do you need to stop somewhere? Don’t you want to see me?”
“I want to see you more than anything. I just need to do something first.”
“What? What could be more important than me?”
The line was silent, and for a second, I thought she’d hung up on me.
Finally, she spoke. “I have a problem that I need to take care of.”
“How are you going to take care of it?” I asked.
“I’m going to let my problem wash away. I’m going to throw it away and let it disappear with the current,” she said simply. “I love you, Jesse. I’ll see you soon.”
I shouted her name, but the call ended.
“Son of a bitch!” I stood and kicked the living room table in front of me. “Motherfucking son of a bitch!”
I kicked the table over and over again until it busted into pieces in front of me. This can’t be happening. Ally is going to get rid of Emma. Ally was going to kill Emma, and I still had no idea where Emma was.
“Jesse, calm down. Tell me what she said,” Andy said as he grabbed my shoulders. I hadn’t even realized that he was standing next to me.
“She said she has a problem that she needs to take care of. She’s going to hurt Emma or kill her, Andy.” I dropped down to my knees.
I would die if something happened to Emma because of me. Dear God. Ally is crazy, absolutely fucking crazy.
“What else did she say?” he asked urgently.
“She’s going to let her problem wash away. She’s going to throw it away and let it disappear.”
“Fuck! Did she say anything else? Did she tell you where she is?”
I shook my head. “She wouldn’t say. What is she going to do to Emma, Andy?”
He hesitated. “I think Ally is going to drown Emma.”
I stood and kicked at what was left of the table. “I’m going to kill Ally. I want to wrap my hands around her neck and watch the life leave her eyes.”
“Breathe, Jesse, breathe. We’ll figure this out. Were there any sounds in the background when she was talking?”
“Not that I could hear. It sounded quiet.”
“Okay, so she’s probably still wherever she took Emma then.”
“Ally said she’d be here in a few hours. She could have taken Emma hundreds of miles away last night.”
“I don’t think so. Ally needs time to do whatever it is she plans to do. I think she’s still close, Jesse. She has to be.”
“We searched everywhere, Andy. I don’t know where else to look. The fucking cops don’t give a flying fuck about what’s happening. By the time they get off their asses to help us, it’ll be too late.”
Andy started pacing. I kept talking, but he obviously wasn’t paying attention. I needed to find Emma. I couldn’t just sit here and wait for Ally to show up. By then, Emma would be dead.
Andy stopped pacing and looked over at me. “She said she was going to wash it away. Then, she changed and said she was going to throw it away, right?”
“She said she was going to let her problem wash away. Then, she changed and said that she was going to throw it away and let it disappear—” I froze.
“Jesse, talk to me here. What is it?”
“Let it disappear with the current. Throw it away. I know where she’s at—or at least where she’ll go.”
“And?” Andy asked impatiently.
“You can’t really throw a person into water. I mean, you can, but it’s not very dramatic, and Ally is all about the dramatics in life. She always has been. The bridge!”
“What bridge?” he asked.
He hadn’t lived here very long, so he didn’t know the area.
“There is only one body of water around here big enough for her to use—Cheat Lake. They opened up a new bridge last year, but the old one is still up. She wouldn’t use the new one because people would be everywhere. She’s going to the old one.”
“She’s going to throw Emma off the bridge?” he asked.
I watched as pure hatred clouded his eyes.
“And let the current wash her away,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
“No, but it’s the best option we have right now. Let’s go.” I grabbed my keys and ran from the house.
Andy followed right behind me, and we were tearing down the road in seconds.
“Call the police and tell them what’s happening,” I instructed as I cut off a car. I ignored the honking horn as I continued to floor it.
I would save Emma. I had to.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Emma
At least I knew where I was when I woke up this time. I held completely still and kept my eyes shut as I listened. If she were in the room with me, I would wait until she left. Maybe that would give me some time to break free. I listened closely for a few minutes. When I was sure she wasn’t around, I opened my eyes slowly. I kept my body completely still as I scanned what I could see of the room. I could see that my arms and legs were once again tied tightly to the chair. After my little escape attempt, she had tied me tighter than the last time.