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Then she holds out her arms for Laurence, who has appeared at my side somehow. He’s striking with a small smile on his face, freshly washed hair, and a pair of onesie pajamas on his feet. But he climbs right into her arms to cuddle her like she is his grandmother and not a practical stranger.
“Auntie Caspie?” Laurence’s question comes on the heels of him grabbing one of Mona’s curls and pulling on it, the same way he does Casper’s.
“She’s going to be fine, baby.” We all watch as Mona holds on to the little boy and cries silent tears.
“I think you should sit down,” the older version of Remy says quietly. “She’s apt to hit you if you don’t. And I don’t want to have to arrest my wife. I have every officer in the county looking for Joel.” When he sees my confusion, he holds out a hand. “Ronnie Townsend, chief of police. And my friend, the sheriff of Birch County, has all his men on it too.”
The intensity pours off him in waves and I know that he’ll make sure Joel is found. That he’ll make sure Joel suffers for what he did to his daughters and see the inside of a prison cell. When I nod, shake his hand, and let go, he goes back to his wife’s side.
I’m left without any other option. I do what any Marine would do. I follow Mona’s orders and sit my ass down with Emmett, Sori, and the rest of Casper’s family. When I see another redhead out of the corner of my eye, I swear it’s Cassie, waiting with us. Waiting for her sister to be okay.
But that’s just the adrenaline and fear combining into a lethal combination inside my brain.
I close my eyes, replaying every moment that happened in Casper’s house, trying to figure out if I did anything wrong. Desperately wondering if I could have done better or moved faster. As clear as day, I see Casper lying on the floor, lifeless, and I’ll probably be haunted by that image for the rest of my life.
“She was wearing my shirt.”
Remy’s bark of surprised laughter hits me like a ton of bricks.
“Yeah. She sleeps in it every night,” Kennedy says quietly a moment later. “You’ll have to give her another one because I’m pretty sure that one is ruined or cut off her and in a trash bag somewhere by this point.”
“She can have every shirt I own.” I almost choke on the words. “She just needs to live.”
I can’t lose her.
Not again.
22
CASPER
“I can’t believe you let him kill you, too.” Cassie shakes her head desolately. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
“Well, I died, so I don’t think there’s anything to do,” I tell her.
We’re in the backyard surrounded by leaves and blankets, just like we did when we were little girls, camping out during the summer.
Side by side, on our backs, looking up at the night sky. I guess we have to be in heaven, or whatever happens after we die.
Whatever it is, I feel like I’m home. Like I am finally where I should be.
I stepped into the light with Cassie and appeared here.
The pain is gone, the worry.
I may have died, but I think I found peace along the way.
“I dunno, maybe just relax,” I finally say. “Forever. Hang out and have fun. Torment our enemies by knocking shit over in their houses.”
Cassie snorts. “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen. You’re not the friendly ghost, girl. And you aren’t staying.”
I close my eyes, enjoying the way her voice sounds. After months of not having her there, I’ve almost forgotten what it sounds like. Even though people used to think we were exactly alike, Cassie has a different laugh and a freer smile. She doesn’t have the same anxieties I do. She never panics. Never holds back.
“I missed you, Cassie.” Needing to be near her, I move so that I’m using her stomach as a pillow, the same way I had hundreds of times through the years. “I really, really, more than you could ever know, missed you.”
“I know.” Cassie brushes a hand through my hair, detangling the mess of curls easily. “I missed you too. But I still don’t think you should have let that jackass hurt you. You’re stronger than that. And like I said, you’re not staying.”
“It’s not like I could stop him.” I cross my arms. “Laurence was there, and I had to protect him. It’s better that something happened to me, and he was safe.”
