“You can’t!” I cried.
He frowned.
“I need to know, Eddie. Now. I need to ask him if I’m really Sadie. If he kept me down there all these years.”
A tortured sound ripped out of him. “You really think he kept you locked in a hole all these years?”
My chin wobbled. “I really do,” I whispered. “How else would I have known it was here?”
Eddie’s jaw worked, but I was past seeing his anger. Beyond really seeing anything except the past.
“He broke my arm down there,” I said, no emotion in my voice. “I chopped my hair down there because he got mad when I braided it…” My voice caught as I remembered the chains. “I was naked, chained… He raped me.”
A guttural sound echoed around the entire island. I jumped from the intensity of the sound. Reality came back, my stomach wobbled, and I swallowed, working to hold back the vomit.
“Fuck the cops,” Eddie said in a tone I didn’t recognize. In a tone that matched the sound I’d thought was an animal. “I’m going down there.”
My eyes almost fell out of my head. My mouth dropped open wide. He was standing there, legs wide and planted against the hatch. There was a gun in his hand, drawn and ready, as though he knew exactly what to do with it.
I didn’t even know he had a gun.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Where did you get that?”
He didn’t look at me when he answered, but down at the wood. “Did you think I would bring you here without a way to protect you? I didn’t think I’d need it… but in my wildest nightmare, I never thought I’d be going down into a hole where the woman I love was tortured.”
I didn’t even think about the gun or his solid intent to kill. I didn’t even notice the killer edge in his eye or the taut way in which he spoke. He was my Eddie, and my Eddie was no threat to me.
I rushed over, my feet thumping over the wood. “You can’t use that.” I laid a hand on his chest. The pounding of his heart was unmistakable. “You’re not a killer.”
“No.” He agreed, putting his free hand over mine. “I’m not. But I’m also no saint.”
“I don’t need a saint. But I need you to be here, and if word gets out you killed a man on Rumor Island, they’ll take you away.”
“No, they won’t.” He sounded so sure. “No one in town would turn me in for killing this son of a bitch.”
“We don’t even know if he’s down there.” I reasoned. “At least put it away until we find out.”
“If I put it away, then we find out, it will be too late.”
He had a point.
“At least take your finger off the trigger.”
His eyes met mine. “You know I would never hurt you.”
“I know.”
He nodded, took his finger off the trigger, but kept the gun in his hand.
“Let’s just see if he’s down there. Then we’ll decide what to do,” I said, trying to be sensible. It was clear Eddie might not be capable. His intense anger might prevent him from thinking clearly. Even though I desperately wanted answers and to speak to the man who stole my life, if he was down there, it might be better to let the police haul him away.
It would take longer to get my answers that way.
But it might also keep Eddie out of the jail cell beside the creep.
“Stay back.” Eddie warned. “Promise.”
“I swear.” I nodded, solemn. I pressed a hand to my stomach, trying to calm the way it rolled around.
“Step back,” he said, stuffing the gun into the waistband of his jeans.
I moved back several yards, unable to take my eyes off the latch.
Eddie moved in front of me, cupping my jaw with his steady hands. “Look at me.”
I did, his blue eyes a wonderful place to rest.
“I love you,” he vowed. “No matter what, okay?”
It was tough to swallow. Emotion clogged my throat. Instead of speaking, I gripped the front of his hoodie, filling my hand with the fabric. Standing on the tips of my toes, I leaned up and he met me halfway.
Our kiss nearly sizzled in the air. It certainly sent emotion crackling through my body. He hugged me tight, delving his tongue deep into my mouth. A small sound of comfort echoed in my throat as the kiss went on and on.
How easily he took away reality, even for just a small second. How easily he gave me back some footing, even as we stood here on uneven ground. This was one of the most precarious moments of my entire life (that I could remember), and I was scared to death, about to vomit or cry. I had no idea what would happen next.
But it didn’t matter.
He was here. He was mine.
The kiss grew softer, gentler. The warm thickness of his mouth was so desirable I drew back enough to lick across his bottom lip.
He smiled against me, and I cuddled into his chest, dipping my face into him. Our bodies rocked back and forth a little as he held me. The comfort he surrounded me with was unmatched.
The moment we created between us was short lived. Interrupted by a few tentative knocks.
Eddie straightened and spun, tucking me behind him and holding me there with both his arms. “Who’s down there!” he called, his voice deep and low.
There was another knock, louder this time.
“Hello!” a muffled voice replied.
“Stay back,” Eddie said. “It’s probably a trick.”
I nodded, wide-eyed, and watched as he stepped closer and drew his gun. After undoing one of the deadbolts, he placed his hand on the other.
“I’m opening this door, and I have a gun. I’ll fucking shoot you dead, so don’t try shit!” he spat.
I shuddered.
“Please, no!” the voice yelled, still muffled from where I stood.
Eddie’s face twisted. It was the oddest expression I’d ever seen him wear. The gun in his hand went slack for a moment.
Then shaking it off, he threw back the lock, grasped the metal ring, and pulled open the door.
The door banged back against the ground when I threw it open. Everything below was dark and still. The scent of earth and must rose and wrapped around my nose.
Lifting the gun, I trained it at the opening because, frankly, I expected something to launch itself out in a planned attack.
“Hello,” I called down into the dark hole, puzzling over the fact someone had just been there but was now swallowed up by the dark.
“Who’s down there!” I called out again.
Amnesia shifted, and I glanced up, making sure she was okay. She looked nearly haggard. The stress of this island, the feelings it brought up, or maybe the memories—hell, could be a cocktail of all three—were hurting her. Draining her.
It scared me.
“Is it him?” she asked, her voice small.
My teeth gnashed together. How anyone could hurt her shocked the shit out of me.
“Show your face!” I roared, this time with an underlying threat in my tone.
The faint sound of movement below made me stiffen. I raised the gun again, aiming it and holding steady with both my hands.
Slowly, achingly slowly, a figured moved into the light streaming inside.
I caught a flash of white fabric before a face lifted, and my breath caught.
Of all the things I expected to see down in that manmade cave, I saw the very last I ever imagined.
It wasn’t a man.
Or an animal.
It was a ghost.
“Eddie,” she whispered as though she too couldn’t believe her eyes.
I tore my stare away and looked at Amnesia. Then back down into the hole.
She was still there. Both of them.
“What is it, Eddie?” Amnesia asked.
I looked back down, feeling my knees begin to shake.
“Eddie, you came for me,” the voice in the hole said, and then she began to cry.
“Sadie,” I whispered. “Sadie.”
She was looking up at me, a face so famil
iar, a face that appeared the same, just a little bit older. “You remember me?”
I wanted to groan. How could I forget?
“Eddie, who is that?” Amnesia asked, creeping closer.
My body tightened again. “Stay back.” I warned. The danger of this situation wasn’t erased because I was looking down on a ghost.
“Who else is down there?” I demanded, harsh.
“I’m alone,” the girl in the hole replied. Her voice shook. “Is h-he up there?”
“No one’s here but us,” I told her.
“Does that mean I can go home?” she asked and began to cry again.
My chest squeezed. I did the only thing I could think to do. I jumped down into the hole.
Amnesia’s voice was scared and frantic above me. The second I landed, I looked up. She was peering down over the edge. Her small, pale fingers curled around the opening. “Eddie!”
“It’s okay,” I called back. “I’m fine. I’ll be right up.”
It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the barely-there light. I wished I had a flashlight, but since it was daytime, I hadn’t thought to bring one.
The sound of a match scratching against something put me on high alert, but then a soft glow filled the darkness.
I looked across the space where she was standing. In her hand she held up a lantern. She was dressed in a white nightgown that was so long it hit the floor. The straps were thin, just like the material, and it needed a good wash.
Her hair was light colored, but not as blond as I remembered. The strands were straight and long, hanging down her back, past her shoulders. She was slim, medium height, with brown eyes.
“You came for me,” she finally said, her eyes never once leaving my face. “You still look the same. Only much more handsome.”
I groaned. It ripped right out of my soul. “Sadie,” I said. “It’s really you?”
“It’s really me.”
I lunged through the darkness, no thought at all in my head. She placed the lantern on a nearby table, and I pulled her into my arms.
She melted against me. The long strands of her hair brushed over my arms as I squeezed her close.
“I thought I would never see you again,” she said, emotional. “I thought I was going to die.”
“No,” I said, adamant, drawing back and taking her by the shoulders. “I won’t let that happen.”
Her eyes roamed my face. She reached up, fingering my curls. “Still curly after all this time.”
I couldn’t believe it was her. The girl I lost. The girl I’d been convinced was my future.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, unable to keep the distress from my voice. “I’m so sorry I let this happen to you. I…”
She hugged me again, silencing my words. “Thank you for coming. Thank you for saving me.”
Her voice was the same. Memories came flooding back to me, all the time we used to spend together.
Behind us there was a bang, and a shadow crossed over the opening in the ceiling. Sadie reacted instantly. Her body went limp. She slid down my body and hit the ground, throwing her arms over her head. I stared in shock and horror as she cowered.
There was another loud sound that echoed around the hole.
“Oh my God! He’s coming!” she cried, reaching out and grabbing my foot. “He’s coming. Hide!”
He jumped.
Literally leapt right down into a dark, suspicious hole where a killer was squatting.
What the hell was he thinking?
I raced over to stare down, prepared to throw myself down there if needed.
“It’s okay,” he called out. “I’m fine. I’ll be right up.”
Is he out of his mind?
Who was he talking to down there, and why did the voice seem familiar? Not at all like a man.
There was no yelling or gunfire (thank God), nothing that made me think something terrible was going on down there.
If nothing terrible, then what?
What the hell is happening?
Standing up, I paced a little, staying very close to the opening. I knew I needed to get down there immediately. The desire to find out exactly what was hidden in that hole, what made up the space, was intense.
But…
Something was holding me back.
Eddie was down there. He wasn’t screaming or fighting. That meant it must sort of be safe. Right?
Probably not.
I was scared. So scared my limbs were shaking and I kinda felt I might pee my pants.
PS: Don’t tell anyone about that part. How embarrassing.
What if I went down there and never came back up? What if the door blew shut or the man showed up and locked me down there?
What if I went down and the last eleven years replayed in my head on fast-forward and my life was changed forever?
Eddie made a sound, and I rushed back over. There was a soft glow somewhere down there to one side.
“Eddie?” I called.
He didn’t answer.
My tummy twisted. I began chewing my nails.
“Eddie, are you okay?” I called out again.
Still nothing.
I jumped up, pacing away. Then paced back.
I was going down there. To hell with the consequences. If it were me, Eddie would already be down there, ready to fight.
I charged over, determination (or maybe adrenaline) filling my limbs. There was a metal ladder leading down into the hole. It was thin, unsafe, and frankly scary looking. I turned around and dropped my feet on the top rung. The metal vibrated loudly, making my entire lower body quake, but I didn’t stop.
I started climbing down, the metal groaning and shifting as I went.
“Oh my God! He’s coming! He’s coming. Hide!” a woman screeched. My body reacted, turning toward her yell. That voice was familiar to me…
“Hello?”
“It’s not him,” Eddie said. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”
Who was he talking to?
“Amnesia.” Eddie appeared out of the dark when I was just about at the bottom. My fingers hurt from gripping the metal so hard. “What are you doing?”
“I called for you. You didn’t answer,” I replied.
He reached out, completely lifted me off the ladder, and put me gently on my feet. His chin lifted toward the surface where the sunlight streamed in. “We can’t all be down here,” he said, grim.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, gazing around.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, leaning over and kissing my temple. “You were scared.”
“I still am,” I whispered.
Eddie wrapped an arm around me, and I leaned my cheek into his chest with a sigh. From the safety of his arms, my eyes gazed around the poorly lit space.
The walls were rock, as though this place were carved right into the land. The floor was hard, uneven, and dirty. I had a distinct memory of what it felt like to be dragged across the surface, completely naked, and flinched.
Eddie’s other arm came around me, and I gripped his arm.
There was a crude wooden table and chains… lots of thick, rusty-looking chains.
My eyes moved past them, past the empty side of the room, where a wadded-up article of clothing lay, then on toward the light… and the girl who stood within it.
The second our eyes collided, I gasped and straightened away from Eddie.
“Sadie,” I murmured without even meaning to.
“You remember,” she said, staring at me as intently as I looked back at her.
“You’re Sadie,” I echoed, shock rippling through me.
She started to say something, but I spun, tears flooding my vision, and looked at Eddie. “I’m not her,” I said, voice weak and wobbly. “I’m not Sadie.”
He shook his head. “No, baby. You aren’t.”
I collapsed against him, a sob ripping from my chest. As I cried, my mind raced. I’d come here for answers, thinking I would find my kidnapper. Thinking I wou
ld find proof of what everyone already knew.
That I was Sadie. The girl who vanished over eleven years ago.
Turns out everyone was right to doubt it. Even Eddie.
I wasn’t Sadie. She was. And I knew her… but I didn’t know how.
I didn’t know how I knew any of this place, but it was so obvious I did.
I’m not Sadie. Just like Widow West said.
He doesn’t love you. The vile echo cracked through my mind, and I flinched.
“Hey,” Eddie murmured, brushing at my hair. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay. Nothing I thought I knew was right. Was anything?
“If I’m not her, then who am I?” I pulled back and looked up at Eddie.
He cupped my cheek, and I pushed my face into his palm. “Amnesia,” he answered. “My Amnesia.”
Across the room, Sadie made a sound. Eddie jerked away from me, going to her immediately. She started crying before he reached her, and I watched him wrap his arms around her.
I stared at them for long moments, trying to wrap my head around even just an ounce of this.
I heard her voice, tried to listen to what she said, but I was lost in my own head, in my own world.
Again, I looked around the room, seeing things that were familiar to me, and succumbed to a sudden entourage of emotion that drained me instantly.
This place was so vile. So horrible.
I’d prayed to die down here more than I prayed for escape. Pain echoed through my body, especially where my arm was snapped and on my back where I’d been whipped.
Suddenly, a loud cry broke out over the room. Someone started yelling, Stop, please stop! She’s going to die!
This is all your fault, Sadie.
All. Your. Fault.
The whistle of leather cutting through air and then the sharp slap it made against skin was distinct. I fell to my knees as pain unlike any other befell me.
Someone was screaming, writhing in pain, but the beating just went on.
You’re next, Sadie, he intoned. You’re next if you don’t shut up.
Vomit burned the back of my throat. I felt it hurl up through my body and eject from my mouth. My knees felt scraped and raw, but the pain was subdued compared to the pain in my back.
I heaved again, reality clashing with memory. I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. I didn’t even know who I was.
Amnesty: Amnesia Duet Book 2 Page 10
