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“Sheriff?”
“Yeah.”
“Danny said things. I don’t really understand what he meant, but maybe you will.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Like what?”
“That he killed my father. That someone put him up to killing me.”
“What? Who?”
A ruckus in the hallway had the sheriff on his feet with a hand on his gun. He hurried to the door and peered out.
I shuddered, a tremor shooting through me at the thought of more danger, more violence. Clenching the sheets between my hands, I stared at the door and imagined any number of horrors coming for me.
“Where is she?” Garrett’s voice, wheezing but still strong, shot into the room.
Sheriff Crow relaxed.
“Don’t.” My voice was barely above a whisper.
“Don’t what?” He glanced over his shoulder at me.
I stared at the door, then glanced back to him.
He seemed to understand and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
“Garrett, calm down. You aren’t well.”
“Where the fuck is she?” he roared.
I cowered, my entire body shaking right down to my soul.
“Garrett, you shouldn’t be up.”
“Is she in there?” A scuffle erupted outside the door. “Red! Red!”
“Garrett, stop!”
More scuffling, and the door burst open. Garrett ran in, blood soaking through the gauze over his chest. Wild eyes, hair even wilder, he lunged toward the bed. I screamed and held out my hands as a pathetic defense.
Confusion crossed his eyes before Sheriff Crow tackled him to the ground. I stared down at the struggling mass on the floor, and only sank back into the bed when Sheriff Crow clicked his cuffs on Garrett’s wrists.
“Calm the fuck down, boy.” The sheriff clambered to his feet and pulled Garrett up with him. “Doc!” he yelled out into the hallway.
“What happened?” Garrett still tried to surge toward me even as I pushed back into the pillows. “Who did this to you?” Rage infused his words, and I almost believed it. Almost.
“You know who did it.” I hated the quaver in my voice, the weakness I’d just shown.
“How would I know who?” He shook his head before glowering. “All I know is I’ll fucking kill him.”
“What in seven hells?” Dr. Lewis poked his head through the door.
“You need to check him.” Sheriff Crow yanked on Garrett’s arm to try and pull him from the room.
“No, you need to tell me who hurt you. Now, Red.” Garrett strained against the sheriff’s hold, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Come on now. I’ll put you next door so you can calm down.” Sheriff Crow pulled again, but Garrett wouldn’t budge. “It was Danny, all right? Now come on.”
Garrett rattled his cuffs. “I’ll fucking kill him.”
Sheriff Crow slumped a little, his shoulders pitching forward. “You won’t have to. I already did.”
“Red, tell me what the hell is going o—”
“You need help, Sheriff?” Rory had arrived in the hallway.
“Just keep an eye on her. Come on, Garrett. Let the doc patch you up, and I’ll tell you what happened.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
My bottom lip trembled as I stared at the man I thought I knew, not sure if I wanted to run away from him or into his arms. It was all acting, had to be.
“She’s in no state and neither are you.” Sheriff Crow gestured toward me. “You’re scaring her. Just look at her and have a little mercy, Garrett.”
Garrett relented enough for the sheriff to pull him a few steps away. “I’ll be next door. Just next door. Nothing will hurt you. I promise. Not while I’m here.”
“Not even you?” A tear rolled down my cheek and stopped at the patch of gauze across the middle of my nose.
“What?” Hurt bloomed in his eyes like blood in clear water. The sheriff pulled him away, and pain welcomed me back into its thorny embrace.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I SAT UP IN my bed, a steak knife I’d stolen from my dinner concealed under the covers.
“You said I could see her. Let me the fuck in.” Garrett’s pissed off growl in the hallway had me clutching the knife harder.
“Hold on a minute, now.” Rory kept his voice even. “The Sheriff left me in charge of this whole rodeo, so you can go in when I say you can go in.”
A thump sounded against the rustic wood walls. “Fuck, Garrett. Get off!”
“Move!”
The door opened, and Garrett rushed in.
“Hey!” Rory followed close on his heels. “Ms. Vale, I can throw him out of—”
“Just you fucking try it, Deputy Douche.” Garrett whirled on him.
To Rory’s credit, he didn’t back down. But it didn’t stop Garrett from grabbing him and tossing him into the hallway. Garrett closed the door and clicked the lock. My ears began to burn, my stomach in a knot.
“Ms. Vale!” Rory banged on the solid door.
“I’m okay,” I called. “Just wait outside.”
Garrett rushed to me and sat on the bed, then pulled me into his arms. “Jesus, what’s going on?”
He pulled away and ran his palm down my swollen cheek. “How could he? I knew Danny.” His demeanor turned to stone. “I would kill him with my fucking bare hands for doing this to you.”
“Would you?” I tried to weigh his worth, to decide if he was a monster or a man.
“What do you mean?” He pulled me into his arms again.
The furnace of my heart sputtered and sparked from the nearness of him, but doubt darkened any flames.
“I mean that Danny said things.” I hadn’t released the blade.
“Like what?” He kissed my forehead, his warm lips reminding me of nights spent safe in his arms.
“About the graves.”
He leaned back and peered at me, his hands still cupping my face. “What about them? Does he know where they are?”
Why couldn’t I sense his lies? Everything from the tilt of his head to the worry in his eyes screamed that he was innocent, that he didn’t know what I was talking about.
“I’m tired.” I backed away from his touch and pressed into my pillows.
“Red, please, just tell me.” He clasped my hand between his. “Let me help you.”
“The doctor said I need to rest if I want to get my strength back. We’ll talk when I’m better. I need some time. Alone.”
The hurt that flashed across his face echoed in my heart, stabbing into the soft tissue and starting a slow bleed. But how could I trust him? The simple answer was that I couldn’t. I should have listened to my mother. Until I found the graves and dug down deep enough to hit the truth, I couldn’t trust anyone.
Not even the man sitting in front of me with love in his eyes.
“YOU ALL RIGHT?” Rory walked down the hall with me.
I glanced back to the room where I knew Garrett was holed up. The sheriff had tried to escort him off the property twice since he’d visited me. Each time was met with broken furniture and more curses than I’d ever heard in my life. He stayed in his room, and I slept uneasily the past two nights.
“I’m fine. Just hungry.” I gave Rory a wan smile.
He returned it five times brighter and put his hand at the small of my back. “Breakfast is already cooking.”
The smell of bacon and butter wafted on the air, and my stomach growled. My appetite had returned once Dr. Lewis stopped the IV. Once the pain from my injuries had receded to a dull ache, I spent my time hunkered down in my room, trying to form a game plan.
Rory and I turned the corner and passed the large glass windows giving a view of the Lodge’s gym and sauna area. A few older men walked on state-of-the-art treadmills and stopped their conversation to give us small waves.
“Mayor.” Rory kicked his chin up.
I stared harder and recognized him. Mayor Freeman w
alked at a steady pace, his beady eyes focused on me. He’d come to visit me once, assuring me that the school was aware of my condition and that the sheriff’s department was personally overseeing the exhumation of my father’s bones. We continued down the wide hall lined with rustic décor and modern amenities.
Rory pushed the door leading to the large dining room. Antlers and game heads covered the walls and clear windows looked out onto the barren woods. A light dusting of snow had fallen overnight, giving the ground a pathetic smattering of white. The darkness shone through, the rotted leaves and decay overpowering the perfect flakes.
I let Rory lead me to a table next to the windows, and we sat. Pam, the cook and waitress, didn’t need our orders. We’d had the same thing for the past few days.
“Are you sure you want to leave today?” Rory flipped over our coffee cups and poured from the carafe that had already been set out.
