Page 132 of Things I Read About

I can’t.

What was I saying?

Should I try to stay awa...

34

Thirsty.

I am thirsty.

And warm.

This blanket on me is heavy.

Where am I?

I open my eyes, a motion that takes all of my will and more than three full seconds.

It’s not a blanket, it’s Susan.

“Suze?” I croak.

She’s draped over me but sits up in a hurry.

“I’m right here, sweetie.”

I look around. I’m in a hospital bed. Beyond Susan are my other sisters, Kat, and Dad, all stirring from sleep. I see water on the side table and try to reach for it.

“Here.” Susan gets the water and holds the straw to my mouth.

I gulp down as much as I can before feeling woozy.

In an instant, everything replays in my mind like a movie. My heart begins to race and adrenaline pumps through me along with pain and sweat.

“Nicole,” is all I can get out.

“We know, sweetheart,” Dad says, grabbing my hand.

Sam sniffs and Emerson wraps his arm around her. At one point, Samantha and Nicole were best friends. Until it came out that she had leaked family information to the press because she was jealous and vindictive. And maybe actually unwell?

My sisters join Susan, Emerson and Dad around my bed, with Matt down at my feet. I must look confused.

“It’s Crazy, right? But she told us everything.” Sam answers my unsaid questions. “Nicole was trying to stop him. It was her cousin, all this time. He apparently worked for our main distribution center in Tulsa for years. But he was not well. He started acting strange around female employees, asking about the five of us, especially you and Susan. He was eventually fired for showing up high during his shift. After losing the job, the drugs got worse and he mentally went downhill. Ended up homeless, on the streets, then went to prison for a while.”

Sam takes a breath and goes on. “Anyway, he was the one who encouraged Nicole to try get a job with us years ago. She didn’t realize the state he was in. He was just trying to get close to the family, to get back at us. She didn’t know that. She’s just a bitch all on her own, but not a murderer. When she got fired, too, her cousin snapped. She’s been tracking him tracking us, trying to stop him.”

“You were the target,” I say, still trying to calm myself.

“She was,” Emerson says. He looks upset. Sickly, even.

“She was the first, anyway. He had more creepy images he was going to send to each of us, to try and confuse our security about his plan. But Sam and I showed up last night so he decided to make his initial move. But how did you figure it out?” Skye asks.

“And whythe hell did you jump out like that?” Dad adds.

I try to sit up, but I can’t move.

“Hey, everyone let’s chill for a second,” Susan says calmly. “Sal, you were shot in the shoulder. The bullet when straight through but that means you have a gaping hole in your body right now, so move really slowly, okay?”