Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) - Ivy Layne Page 0,101
done. I didn't have it in me to argue. I was too tired, too scared, and most of all, I wanted to be with Royal.
Wherever he was, that's where I'd be. In the end, it was that simple.
“She seems okay,” Royal said to Griffen, “but I want to get her checked out, and Griffen—Vanessa stabbed J.T. She told Daisy she was trying to kill me. Daisy had my car. Vanessa must have thought J.T. was me in the dark. She's in custody, but be careful.”
He hung up. I rested my hand over his, squeezing his fingers in mine. I didn't have the energy to sit up, but I had to tell him. “It's not your fault. You know that, right? What Vanessa did isn't your fault.”
“She was after me,” he said, his voice rough. “J.T. was in the wrong place—”
“Not your fault,” I repeated. “She said someone told her to kill you.” I tried to remember her exact words, but it was a blur. “She said he told her to get rid of you and she'd be free.”
“Did she say who 'he' was?” Royal's voice was tight, his muscles stiff.
“No. She was rambling, and I was trying to fight her off, so I didn't hear everything.”
“It's okay. You're alive. That's all that matters.”
“And J.T.,” I said, unable to erase the picture of him, blood everywhere, eyes closed. He'd been so still.
“And J.T.,” Royal agreed.
We were at the hospital sooner than I expected. Those flashing lights on top of the car really cut down the travel time. The deputy escorted us into the ER, taking the lead at the front desk.
“I have a witness to a crime here. I need her in a room. I'll be on the door. She's with the victim, he's right behind us in the ambulance.”
The twin doors crashed open and J.T. was wheeled through, the paramedics on either side met by people in scrubs, the paramedics shouting things I didn't understand. All I knew was that if they were rushing, J.T. was still alive.
It was a slow night in the ER. The nurse had us in a curtained-off room a moment later, the deputy standing outside. Royal didn't want to wait for the nurse to come back and check me out. He grabbed a handful of paper towels from the sink and wet them before he got to work cleaning me up.
I reached for them, mumbling, “I can do it,” but Royal waved me off.
“No, you can't. Just sit there and let me take care of you.”
I didn't fight him. I was covered in drying blood, and I hurt all over. I wanted a hot bath and to know J.T. was going to be okay. For the moment, I wasn't going to get either of those things.
Royal didn't get very far cleaning me up before a nurse hustled in and pushed him aside. Griffen poked his head in while the nurse was making noises over the scrapes on the back of my wrists.
Royal stepped out for a minute. I could hear them talking in low voices on the other side of the curtain, but I missed what they said. It didn't matter. Royal would tell me later if it was important.
The nurse poked and prodded, checked my vitals, bandaged the cut on the back of my head, and cleared me to go. All my injuries were superficial. Even the headache was fading.
After the nurse left, the deputy poked his head in. “West is on his way. He wants you to stay here until he can take your statement.”
West showed up ten minutes later to find Royal and me side by side on the bed, my head on Royal's shoulder, my hand in his. I recoiled at the sight of West. I liked him usually, but the last thing I wanted was to relive those horrible minutes in the alley behind the bakery.
He went first, giving me time to get my bearings.
“Vanessa is in custody, and she's not talking. She asked us to call Cole Haywood, and he's not going to let her tell us anything. I need you to run me through everything you can remember.”
I did, closing my eyes and trying to recall every single thing she'd said, even if I'd only caught a fragment. Anything that would help West find out who had sent Vanessa after Royal. And why. He asked me probing questions, most of which I couldn't answer, then clicked off his recorder and shut his notebook.