“I didn’t mean to get you in trouble, Holly. ”
Holly softened. The kid looked near tears. “Never mind. I guess it’ll be okay, so long as we take it back next time we go down to the lake. ”
“Yeah!” Ivy smiled, her worry gone, and continued walking with her big sister, until Holly turned left instead of going straight at the end of the block.
“Holly?”
“It’s okay, sweetie. I just want to take the long way home this time.”
“Why?”
Holly looked around. “Because that new boy lives over this way, and I want to go past his house. ”
Ivy’s smile spread wider. “Ooh. You like him, don’t you?” She added in a sing song voice, “Holly and Johnny, sittin’ in a tree—”
“Don’t even.” Holly scowled. “And if you tell a soul, I’ll never get you another library book ever again. You hear?”
Ivy giggled, and skipped ahead. “I won’t tell. Then she chanted, ”Holly’s got a boyfriend, Holly’s got a boyfriend ... ”
They walked down the street they didn’t usually take. And then the van came around the corner....
“No, no, no, no, no ... ”
“Holly!” Hands gripped her shoulders, shook her. “Holly!”
A sob welled up and she bit her lip, fighting the nightmare of her past, telling herself to pull out of it, but the words burst free anyway. “Mom told us to come straight home!”
“Holly, open your eyes and look at me. Right now.” His tone was firm and level and strong. She opened her eyes. Vince O’Mally was kneeling on the gravel road in front of her, looking at her as if he thought she might be dying. She was sitting down on the side of the road with her hands pressed to her ears. Her face was wet. Really wet. So wet that tears were dripping off her chin onto her blouse.
“What the hell happened to you? Was someone out here? Did he—?”
She held up a hand to stop him. “I’m okay. I’m okay, now.” Her hand decided to grip the front of his shirt. She’d been crying so hard her chest kept heaving with spasms, even though she’d forced the tears to stop. His arms came around her, and she didn’t resist, although she remained stiff, holding herself together by sheer will. He’d seen her out of control-twice now—but only briefly. It was not pretty. He wouldn’t see it again. No one would.
He picked her up, carried her to his Jeep.
She closed her eyes. “What’s happening to me?” she murmured. “Why now?”
He opened the door, set her on the seat, then hurried around to get in the other side. “I’d like to tell you it’s all right, Holly, but I’m damned if I can do that until you tell me what the hell is the matter. Did someone—?”
“No.” She curled her legs beside her, and turned her face into the seat. “No one was out on that road but me. Me and my shadows.”
“Look...” he said. She felt his eyes on her, sensed his hesitation. Then she felt his hand lower to her hair, very gently. She thought maybe it was shaking just a little. “Look,” he said again, more softly this time, “if you tell me about it ... then, maybe I can help.” He said it as if the words were being pried out of him.
“No one can help me, but me.” She forced her voice level, refused to let it waver. It was broken by the occasional sob, but that couldn’t be helped. “I thought I was past all this. Apparently, I have more work to do. And that’s really all you need to know.”
Seconds ticked by. She felt him watching her, felt the Jeep moving after a while, took comfort in the darkness. She wished she could curl into it and never emerge. But she couldn’t do that. She had beaten the past into submission once. She would simply have to do it again.
And she would do it on her own.
“I need to know a hell of a lot more than that,” he said as he drove her to her house. “And I’m afraid I can’t take no for an answer, Red.”
SEVEN
H E didn’t know what the hell to make of the woman. He’d hurried to his Jeep, grabbed the envelope
Holly softened. The kid looked near tears. “Never mind. I guess it’ll be okay, so long as we take it back next time we go down to the lake. ”
“Yeah!” Ivy smiled, her worry gone, and continued walking with her big sister, until Holly turned left instead of going straight at the end of the block.
“Holly?”
“It’s okay, sweetie. I just want to take the long way home this time.”
“Why?”
Holly looked around. “Because that new boy lives over this way, and I want to go past his house. ”
Ivy’s smile spread wider. “Ooh. You like him, don’t you?” She added in a sing song voice, “Holly and Johnny, sittin’ in a tree—”
“Don’t even.” Holly scowled. “And if you tell a soul, I’ll never get you another library book ever again. You hear?”
Ivy giggled, and skipped ahead. “I won’t tell. Then she chanted, ”Holly’s got a boyfriend, Holly’s got a boyfriend ... ”
They walked down the street they didn’t usually take. And then the van came around the corner....
“No, no, no, no, no ... ”
“Holly!” Hands gripped her shoulders, shook her. “Holly!”
A sob welled up and she bit her lip, fighting the nightmare of her past, telling herself to pull out of it, but the words burst free anyway. “Mom told us to come straight home!”
“Holly, open your eyes and look at me. Right now.” His tone was firm and level and strong. She opened her eyes. Vince O’Mally was kneeling on the gravel road in front of her, looking at her as if he thought she might be dying. She was sitting down on the side of the road with her hands pressed to her ears. Her face was wet. Really wet. So wet that tears were dripping off her chin onto her blouse.
“What the hell happened to you? Was someone out here? Did he—?”
She held up a hand to stop him. “I’m okay. I’m okay, now.” Her hand decided to grip the front of his shirt. She’d been crying so hard her chest kept heaving with spasms, even though she’d forced the tears to stop. His arms came around her, and she didn’t resist, although she remained stiff, holding herself together by sheer will. He’d seen her out of control-twice now—but only briefly. It was not pretty. He wouldn’t see it again. No one would.
He picked her up, carried her to his Jeep.
She closed her eyes. “What’s happening to me?” she murmured. “Why now?”
He opened the door, set her on the seat, then hurried around to get in the other side. “I’d like to tell you it’s all right, Holly, but I’m damned if I can do that until you tell me what the hell is the matter. Did someone—?”
“No.” She curled her legs beside her, and turned her face into the seat. “No one was out on that road but me. Me and my shadows.”
“Look...” he said. She felt his eyes on her, sensed his hesitation. Then she felt his hand lower to her hair, very gently. She thought maybe it was shaking just a little. “Look,” he said again, more softly this time, “if you tell me about it ... then, maybe I can help.” He said it as if the words were being pried out of him.
“No one can help me, but me.” She forced her voice level, refused to let it waver. It was broken by the occasional sob, but that couldn’t be helped. “I thought I was past all this. Apparently, I have more work to do. And that’s really all you need to know.”
Seconds ticked by. She felt him watching her, felt the Jeep moving after a while, took comfort in the darkness. She wished she could curl into it and never emerge. But she couldn’t do that. She had beaten the past into submission once. She would simply have to do it again.
And she would do it on her own.
“I need to know a hell of a lot more than that,” he said as he drove her to her house. “And I’m afraid I can’t take no for an answer, Red.”
SEVEN
H E didn’t know what the hell to make of the woman. He’d hurried to his Jeep, grabbed the envelope
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