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“I know,” Kinsley said with a small smile. “I’ve got this whole sitting on your bed stalker thing going on.”
Peyton laughed softly, but her smile faded at the emotion in Kinsley’s eyes. “Where’s Boone?”
“He went to get a coffee,” Kinsley said. “There are three cops outside the door.”
Boone must be tired. Remy had left a few hours ago, promising to return tomorrow morning. “You okay?” she asked Kinsley, noting her shallow breaths.
Kinsley’s lips pinched as she nodded. “Except for some stitches where my head hit the countertop, I’m fine.” She paused. Then, “Well, fine now that the drugs wore off.”
“You were drugged?” Peyton’s stomach tightened, remembering when she’d found Kinsley lying in a pool of her blood, thinking she’d been murdered. “Do they know what kind of drug was used?”
“I guess they’re testing my blood now,” Kinsley explained with a shrug. “But they also found a needle mark in the back of my neck, which is so fucking creepy.” She gave her another smile, though the warmth never reached her eyes. “Kind of makes me wish I hadn’t been wearing a ponytail this morning.” Something unfamiliar crossed Kinsley’s expression then, her eyes troubled. “I remember the needle prick, then diving for my purse…” She drew in a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I wasn’t fast enough.” Her voice hitched.
Peyton pushed off the mattress, fighting against her sore muscles and aching bruises and had her arms around her before Kinsley could say another word. Kinsley trembled. Peyton was shaking too. But only one truth remained. “We’re okay now, and that’s all that matters.” Boone also seemed to be playing the blame game, but that was going to get them nowhere except feeling terrible for all the things they couldn’t change.
Kinsley sniffed, and the hug lasted awhile. When she eventually leaned away, her eyes were watery. “That w
as really scary,” she whispered.
Peyton nodded, holding on to Kinsley’s hands, tears blurring her vision. “So, so scary. But we won today. Nothing else matters but that.”
“You’re right, you did win. Dad said you stabbed the fucker.”
It all seemed like a dream now. “I don’t really remember what happened, to be honest.” Yeah, she knew she stabbed him, but everything seemed hazy, stuck behind a cloud she couldn’t quite cross. “But I do remember the knife in his leg.” And that she’d put it there, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Sure, she hadn’t had a choice, but hurting someone went against her core beliefs. “Unless he got to a hospital and fast, he wouldn’t have survived that wound.”
Kinsley snorted. “Unless the prick could fix it himself.”
“That’s doubtful—” Peyton froze at Kinsley’s knowing look, then sputtered, “What do you know that I don’t?”
“Nothing really.” Kinsley gave another shrug. “My dad just told me that by looking at the scene and what you told Boone earlier, he thought it sounded like the guy knew what he was doing.”
Peyton absorbed that information, finding it impossible to believe. “Like a professional killer or something?”
Kinsley nodded softly, squeezing Peyton’s hands. “That’s what my dad thought.”
“But that doesn’t sound like some rando guy on a killing spree,” Peyton said, not even able to process what that meant.
“I know,” Kinsley said. “It’s all crazy. Everyone is trying to understand the situation.”
Peyton stared into the concern in Kinsley’s expression, not understanding any of this. Every step they took forward only seemed to bring more questions. “I don’t understand why this is happening to me. I don’t understand why any of this has happened. Or what I did to make any of this happen.”
“You don’t deserve any of this. Not a single part of it.” Kinsley shifted forward until she was lying on her side, sharing the pillow with Peyton, still holding Peyton’s hand. “Dad, Boone, and the guys are on this. Believe me, Boone will make sure he catches this fucking snake.”
“I hope so.” Peyton’s voice broke, her palms growing clammy. “I’m trying not to let it mess with my head, but what if he comes back?”
“He won’t,” Kinsley said firmly. “Boone won’t let him get anywhere near us. There are cops stationed around the hospital.”
Peyton exhaled slowly trying to settle the racing of her heart rate. If this guy was a professional, he’d get in. “I can’t believe this is my life.”
“I know,” Kinsley said softly. “Do you want to call your parents to come here to be with you?”
Did she? Peyton’s lips parted and then closed. She wanted her mom there. God, did she ever, but she didn’t want her parents to worry more than they were already worried about her, and she didn’t want to put them in danger. “I don’t think my mom can handle this,” Peyton admitted. “They’ve been through so much already.”
Kinsley nodded, tucking her hands beneath her cheek and the pillow. “You’ve got us, you know that, right?”
“I do.” Peyton had never expected to find a second family in Stoney Creek, but she knew she did, not only in Boone, but in Kinsley and Remy too.
Silence fell between them, and Peyton’s mind began drifting back to her current reality. “I think I must be in shock or something. If today hadn’t happened, I still wouldn’t believe that this has anything to do with me.”
