Page 94 of Finding Amanda

"Can you keep the line open, please? I need to know she's okay."

Jamie panted into the phone, probably running back to the front door. "Okay. I'm going in now."

The door creaked open. He waited for the sound of the alarm. Instead, he heard a scream.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Amanda sat up in bed and blinked in the brightness. She cut the scream off and scanned the room. She was on the wrong side of the bed, fully clothed. And it was daytime.

And then she remembered. Mark. Annalise. The nightmare. Gabriel chasing her. She'd heard the door open—Gabriel behind her. And Mark was gone with Annalise. And Amanda was alone.

She covered her heart with her hands. The dream had seemed so real.

Then she heard footsteps, someone running up the stairs. Her heart floundered, raced. She had to hide. She looked around. Where could she go that he wouldn't find her? There was no time.

Fear and confusion left her paralyzed.

A moment later, her bedroom door flew open and crashed against the wall. Jamie stood in the opening. Her gaze darted around the room before it settled on Amanda.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Amanda's breath whooshed out of her, leaving her lungs like bread dough, pounded flat. "What . . . ? I don't . . ."

Jamie sat on the edge of the bed and hugged her, pressing her head against the soft suede of her jacket. "Why did you scream, Amanda?" she asked softly, rubbing her back. "Are you all right?"

She spoke into the suede. "I . . . I had a nightmare, and then I heard you, I guess."

"Okay. You're okay now." Jamie shifted and spoke again. "Mark? She's safe. She was asleep."

Mark's voice carried through the phone pressed against Jamie's ear. "Are you sure there's nobody there? Why did she scream?"

"She said it was just?—"

"I heard what she said. Are you sure?"

Amanda pushed herself away from Jamie. "Hang up the phone." Jamie reached her free arm out to stroke Amanda's hair, but she swatted it away. "Hang up the phone. He doesn't get to know anything about me."

"Oh, okay," Jamie said. "Mark, I gotta go."

"Wait. Tell her I'm getting the girls. I should be there in?—"

Jamie interrupted. "Can you keep them for a while? "

Mark had the girls? How dare he get them without asking her? "Why does he have them? Tell him?—"

"Amanda.” Jamie’s voice was level. "You didn't pick them up, and you weren't answering your phone."

She looked at the clock. Sure enough, it was almost four. She should've picked up the girls half an hour ago.

"Mark, Amanda needs a little time here."

"Fine. I'll be there in an hour. Tell her we need to talk."

"I'm not talking to him."

"Did you hear that?" Jamie asked.

Mark's answered with, "Can you put her on the phone?"

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