Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) - Ivy Layne Page 0,100

way,” one of them shouted back.

“Did you hear that?” I asked an unresponsive J.T. “You just have to hang on a little longer and the ambulance will be here. Just hang on. Please, please, hang on.”

I wanted to be done with crying, but hurting all over and covered in my best friend's blood, tears were all I had. I shut out everything else and leaned on the blood-soaked pad of fabric, pressing on his shoulder and praying I wasn't making it worse.

Knees hit the pavement. Arms came around me. Royal. I turned my face into his neck and wept harder.

His hands came over mine, nudging me to the side as he leaned on the pad I'd made of my skirt, pressing it into J.T.'s shoulder. “I went down to the parking lot to wait for you. I saw the lights and started running.”

I choked back my tears enough to fill in the blanks. “Vanessa thought he was you. Someone told her to kill you. She stabbed him. Twice in the shoulder and once in his side. The knife is still in there. You have to be careful Royal. You shouldn't be here—”

I could feel the hysteria taking me. I was covered in J.T.'s blood and now Royal was out in the open when someone wanted him dead. He couldn't be next. Not Royal. “You have to go. She was trying to kill you. You have to go, Royal. Go to Heartstone where you'll be safe. You can't— You can't—”

“Shh. It's okay, sweetheart. There are cops everywhere. Look up and see. We're safe. And I think the ambulance just got here. Everything is going to be okay.”

I did as he said, raising my head to see two more officers had joined the two who'd caught Vanessa. The first two were leading her down the alley to their vehicle, lights still flashing red and blue. How had I missed those? All I could see was J.T. and the blood.

More lights had joined them. The ambulance. Finally.

Everything was a blur of voices and hands. Strangers in blue nudging me back from J.T., asking if I was injured. I couldn't focus. My head ached, my vision was blurry. Royal pulled me to my feet, taking most of my weight, and led me off to the side, away from the paramedics working on J.T.

“Where are your keys, Daisy?”

My keys? Why did he need my keys? “In the car, I think. On the floor. Passenger side.”

He leaned me against the wall and disappeared. A spike of panic went through me. I didn't want Royal out of my sight. He'd appeared like a dream. Maybe he was one. Maybe—

And he was back, unlocking the alley door to the bakery.

He flicked a switch, flooding the doorway with light, and led me into the alcove just inside. Under the glow of the light bulb, Royal ran his hands over my body.

“I'm okay,” I offered weakly.

“You're not okay.” His voice was brusque, but his hands were gentle. “You're covered in blood. We need to get you to the hospital.”

“J.T.—”

“The paramedics are working on him. As soon as we get you checked out, we can focus on J.T.”

That gave me something to hold on to. “Okay, then take me to the hospital.”

“I'm on it. Stay right here.” Holding my arms, he lowered me to sit on the steps and disappeared again. This time I didn't panic. Much. Royal was back a minute later. “One of the deputies is going to give us a ride. We'll get there the same time as J.T. You ready?”

I started to nod, then stopped at the pain in my neck and head. “Ready.” A deputy I didn't recognize led us to his vehicle at the end of the alley, and we slid in the back.

I stared blindly out of the window facing the alley, watching as two paramedics jogged beside a stretcher, rolling it to the ambulance.

J.T.

If they were jogging, he was still alive to save.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Daisy

We pulled onto Main Street ahead of the ambulance and Royal picked up his phone.

“Griffen. I need a favor. Vanessa attacked Daisy and J.T. We're on the way to the hospital. Can you come get her keys and then go by Daisy's place and get her a change of clothes?”

“My bags are packed,” I whispered. “On my bed. He can just grab them and I can find something.”

Royal's grin flashed for a second, and I knew exactly where he planned to bring my stuff after all of this was