BooksBarbecue
Back When I Lost You
Chapters (81)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-one
  26. Twenty-two
  27. Twenty-three
  28. Twenty-four
  29. Twenty-five
  30. Twenty-six
  31. Twenty-seven
  32. Twenty-eight
  33. Twenty-nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-one
  36. Thirty-two
  37. Thirty-three
  38. Thirty-four
  39. Thirty-five
  40. Thirty-six
  41. Thirty-seven
  42. Thirty-eight
  43. Thirty-nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-one
  46. Forty-two
  47. Forty-three
  48. Forty-four
  49. Forty-five
  50. Forty-six
  51. Forty-seven
  52. Forty-eight
  53. Forty-nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-one
  56. Fifty-two
  57. Fifty-three
  58. Fifty-four
  59. Fifty-five
  60. Fifty-six
  61. Fifty-seven
  62. Fifty-eight
  63. Fifty-nine
  64. Sixty
  65. Sixty-one
  66. Sixty-two
  67. Sixty-three
  68. Sixty-four
  69. Sixty-five
  70. Sixty-six
  71. Sixty-seven
  72. Epilogue
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. Read More
  75. Prologue
  76. One
  77. Two
  78. Three
  79. Four
  80. Follow Merilyn online
  81. Dedication

‘You’ve killed her.’ I look at Alf. ‘You’ve killed Aoife.’ Why isn’t he doing something? Why isn’t he helping us?

He’s shaken and this makes me want to hit him – he did this, he took my only friend, it is all his fault. But something inside me whispers, ‘It’s yours.’

I feel the hysteria rise in me. ‘You’ve killed her!’ I repeat, before feeling the back of his hand on my neck, sending me crashing to the floor beside Aoife.

‘Shut up! Let me think.’

I stay lying down, staring at Aoife’s shut eyes. I remember her eyes shining, blue sparks of light dancing as she laughed. The idea of not seeing those again crushes my chest and forces a cry out into the room. I hear it as if it comes from someone else and I wish more than anything it came from Aoife. How can I live without her? What will I do?

I reach out and stroke her hair, pushing it away from the blood congealing on her scalp. ‘I love you,’ I say, and as I do, she flinches.

I hold my breath but there it is again. The slightest of movements to tell me she’s alive. ‘Aoife,’ I whisper, frantic now. ‘We have to get out of here. I’m going to get you out, OK?’

I look at Alf, who is pacing by the window, then look to the door. Can I get her there? I look back at Aoife, but there is no way I can get her to the door and even if I could, Alf would easily stop me.

Alf is walking towards us. He crouches down beside me and reaches to Aoife’s neck. I push his hand away.

‘Don’t touch her,’ I yell, ‘don’t you bloody touch her.’ He mustn’t feel her pulse, can’t know she’s alive or he’ll finish the job, I’m certain of it.

He pulls back and gives me a look of something I think is pity.

‘I’m sorry,’ he says.

I’m breathing heavily, thoughts running like scattered ants, trying to think how I can save her. But then Aoife makes a gurgling noise as if blood is rattling in her throat. I catch Alf’s eye. He heard it too.

I reach to put my arms around her but he pushes me away. I scramble up and grab at his back, trying to pull him off her but he yanks me away and I fly halfway across the floor.

‘Please,’ I shout, my shoulder throbbing from the fall. I grab it and wince in pain. ‘If you let us go I promise we’ll go away from here and you’ll never see us again. Please don’t kill her.’