Thin Air Page 0,78

so much older and harder than in the memories. He'd had her for only a few months, right? And already she was destroying herself. "Eamon passed out. I think he's sick, but he's breathing, would you please-"

I reached out to her and grabbed hold and hugged her. Hard. I dragged her down to a kneeling position. "I had a daughter," I said. My voice didn't sound at all right. "I had a daughter and she's gone, Sarah, she's gone..." More than anything else in Eamon's memories, seeing Imara had hurt me. A sound welled up out of me, a helpless tearing sound, and I couldn't stop shaking. Sarah held on somehow. My sister. Selfish, shallow, willfully deluded...but deep inside, still my sister.

"Oh, Jo," she said, and kissed my hair. "I'm sorry. You mean Imara? Something happened to Imara?"

"Something..." I didn't even know the details. I hoped I wouldn't. "She's gone."

Sarah hugged me again, harder. "I'm so sorry. She wasn't...well, she wasn't human, but she was sweet. Like the best parts of you. She...she tried to keep me safe, like you told her, but I wasn't...I didn't want to be safe. I sent her away." I felt her hitch a damp, unsteady breath. "Oh, God. Was it because I did that? Did she get hurt because of that?"

"I...don't know," I said slowly. God. That couldn't be true, could it? That somehow my own sister had been a part of...No. I couldn't think that way.

"Sarah," I said, and pulled back to stare into her eyes. "You need to listen to me. Just this once. Promise?"

She nodded. I took in a deep breath.

"Eamon will hurt you," I said. "He's toxic. Maybe he doesn't mean to hurt you, I don't know, but he won't be able to help it. It's what he does. He can't do anything else. You need to walk away from him, and stay away. Get clean. Find out who you are without him or me or anyone else."

She tried to pull away, but I held her where she was. "Sarah," I said. "I'm not kidding. You have to leave."

Her eyes filled up with tears. "I know," she said. "I know all that's true. But I love him."

"He used you to get me to do this," I said, and nodded at the wrecked building. "Nobody got hurt this time. What happens next time? What happens when he has cash sunk into some hotel or resort or something, and he wants a nice big tsunami to wash it away? How many people do you think he'll kill who stand between him and a payday? You say you love him, Sarah, but do you love him that much?"

The tears spilled over.

"I want you to go," I said. "Get in the car and go. It doesn't matter where, just away, and don't call him. Don't contact him. Do you have any money?"

She nodded numbly. There were more tears where the first ones came from. "There's a suitcase in the trunk," she said. "It has cash in it. He doesn't think I know about it."

I'd expected that. Eamon wouldn't go anywhere without an emergency flight kit. He was too good a criminal. "Are there drugs in it?" She didn't answer, which was as good as a yes. "Sarah, I want you to promise me that you'll stop. Take the drugs and pills and flush them. Will you?" I played the only card I had, the guilt card. "For Imara, if you won't do it for yourself?"

She just stared at me, face gone blank and lifeless with fear and uncertainty. And then she said, "He'll come after me. Jo, I can't say no to him. I just can't."

"You'll have to learn."

"But-"

"Just go."

Venna turned and watched my sister staggering away. She put her hands primly behind her back and rocked back and forth. "Do you still want her memories?" she asked.

"No." An image of something from Eamon's filthy, diseased brain rose up in my head, and I almost gagged. I didn't want to live that nightmare from my sister's point of view, too. "You were right. I've seen enough for now."

Venna shrugged and turned toward Eamon, who was stirring where he sat slumped against the rock wall. He didn't look like a monster. He looked like a nice enough man, attractive if you went in for the lean and hungry look with a bit of scruff thrown in. He'd taken in my sister. He'd even taken me in, for a while, until he wanted me to know