Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend Book 2)

by Ivy Layne

  Racing back around the car to find my phone, I started to scream. Main Street was mostly deserted this time of night, but someone had to be close enough to hear me.

  Scrabbling for my phone in the passenger seat, I screamed as loud as I could. “Help! Help us, please! She has a knife!”

  Over and over, I shouted and called, hoping someone would come. All I could hear from the other side of the car was their feet sliding on the pavement and grunts. Then a cry of pain.

  J.T.—

  No! I caught the reflection of my phone under the seat—I must have kicked it there when I jumped out. Grabbing the phone, I unlocked the screen. The police department's number was still pulled up. Thank god someone answered.

  “This is Daisy Hutchins. I'm in the alley behind Sweetheart Bakery with J.T. Swift. Vanessa Sawyer attacked us. She has a knife and we need help.”

  The dispatcher gave a gasp as I identified our assailant. “Are you injured?”

  “I'm not, but J.T. is, I think. They're fighting over the knife. I'm not close enough to tell.”

  A brief pause, then muffled sounds like she was talking with her hand over the phone. When she came back, her voice was calm. “Daisy, I have deputies on the way, and I'll get West as soon as I can reach him. Stay away from Vanessa and the knife. Go to the head of the alley so they can see where you are.”

  “I can't leave J.T. I'm sorry, I can't leave him. I think he's hurt. Please, hurry.”

  I dropped the phone and came around the back of the car to see them still grappling over the knife. Vanessa's face was twisted with rage, the knife flashing in what little light there was, seeming impossibly bright and sharp as she yanked her arm down and buried it in J.T.'s shoulder.

  “No!” The scream was torn from me. I launched myself over the back of the car, not thinking, just seeing that long knife, hearing J.T.'s cry of agony. Vanessa wrenched the knife out and stabbed again, her momentum carrying them to the ground. She rolled on top of him, bringing the knife down once more, this time stabbing deep into his side.

  It was dumb, I know, but I threw myself at her, knocking her off J.T. as we rolled. I lost track of the knife, lost track of everything. I only wanted her away from J.T.

  She fought me, all long limbs and sharp nails, the knife nowhere to be seen. Her fist came around and struck my cheek, pain exploding, slowing me down just enough for her to roll me on my back and pin me.

  “I have to,” she muttered, her long, dark hair everywhere, her eyes wild and her face sheet-white. “I didn't want to do it, but I have to. He said to get rid of Royal. If I took care of Royal, I could go.”

  She closed her talon-like hands over my shoulders, yanking me up and slamming me down so my head smashed into the pavement. I twisted, trying to roll over, to see J.T., to get away from her before she found the knife. Where were the deputies? Where was West?

  All of a sudden, I understood. She thought J.T. was Royal. Same height, same dark hair. Royal's car. Someone sent her to kill Royal. Whatever was going on, it was a whole lot bigger than sabotaging The Inn. This was murder. Like Prentice.

  “That wasn't Royal,” I screamed, hoping I could penetrate her insanity long enough to get the message through. “You stabbed J.T. Let me go so I can take care of him. Royal isn't here.” I hoped with everything I had that he was somewhere safe, far away from Vanessa and her knife.

  Vanessa went still on top of me. Her head cocked to the side like a deranged bird as she seemed to process what I'd said. “Not Royal? This is his car. He was with you.” As if that explained everything.

  “I borrowed Royal's car, remember? Let me go so I can take care of J.T. Let me go!”

  Instead, she leaned in, pinning my wrists to the pavement, grinding them into the rough surface until I felt my skin tear and the wet heat of blood. No more words from her, just wide, crazy eyes and utter stillness. She was slender but a lot taller than me and fueled by madness. I twisted and bucked, kicking my legs to get her off, but she was unmovable.

  “J.T.?” I called. “Can you hear me? Are you okay?”

  A faint groan from behind me, and nothing else. J.T. Oh, God, J.T. What had happened with my father and The Inn was bad enough. If my problems got J.T. killed, I'd never be able to live with it. He was just starting his life, had finally found someone to love.

  I couldn't let Vanessa do this to us. Royal was waiting for me. What if he came looking? What if she got to him before West's deputies could find us? I yanked at my wrists and life rushed back into Vanessa.

  She let go of my wrists, her hands closing over my shoulders as she dragged me up and slammed me down onto the pavement, again and again, the blows to the back of my head scrambling my thoughts.

  She was muttering, every word worse than the one before. “Have to find Royal. Once I deal with Royal, I'm free. Kill Royal and I'm free.”

  “J.T.!” I screamed again. “Someone help us!”

  “Shut the fuck up you little bitch!” Vanessa let go of my shoulders to deliver a ringing slap across my face. Damn, that hurt. Her hands closed around my throat and she squeezed. Hard.

  I scrabbled at her arms, clawing, pulling, desperate to get her off. My lungs burned for air, no scream escaping my open mouth. Lights flashed, my head buzzed. Thunder rolled in my ears and everything went dark.

  I blinked my eyes open to find Vanessa gone. I couldn't have been out much longer than a few seconds. Two deputies were by the hood of the car, wrestling with Vanessa. The thunder hadn't come from the sky, it had been pounding feet. Help had arrived. I could only hope they weren't too late.

  I rolled over, crawling to J.T.'s prone body. Even in the dim light of the alley, I could see the blood. Too much blood. His shoulder was a mess, and the knife was still buried in his side, all the way to the hilt. I wasn't touching the knife. I'd probably do more damage taking it out when I didn't know what I was doing.

  Dragging myself to sit by his head, I gathered the skirt of my sundress and pressed the wad of cloth to his shoulder to stop the bleeding. The best I did was slow it. He was running out of time. Pressing harder, I spoke to him, trying to hold him with me. “J.T., hang in there. It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. Just stay with me, J.T.”

  No response. Nothing. I glanced up to see the deputies cuffing Vanessa as she twisted and pulled in their hold. I yelled down the alley, “Did you call an ambulance?”

  “On the 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 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.

  “Your dad skipped town,” he said. “I caught up with your grandmother at home. He cleaned out the cash she had stashed in her jewelry box, along with some of her jewelry. There's a warrant out for him and for your mother as an accessory. I was out looking for them when I got the call about what happened in the alley. Do you want me to call Eleanor?”

  I didn't have to think about that. Grams did not need to see me like this. “No. Please, don't. Griffen is bringing me clean clothes. I need to change and get cleaned up before I call Grams. Have you heard anything about J.T.? They won't tell us anything.”

  West shook his head. “I only know that he's in surgery. You're going to wait here?”

  “I'm not going anywhere until I know he's going to be okay.” Something occurred to me. “I need to make a call, someone he's close to will want to know what's going on. His phone was in his pocket. Can you find it? Please? He'd want me to call and I don't have the number. Or my phone.”

  “I'll see what I can do.” West disappeared through the curtain, leaving us alone.

  “Where's your phone?” Royal asked.


  “Somewhere near your car. Or in your car. I'm not sure. I dropped it. Stupid dress didn't have pockets.”

  Sometimes women's clothes sucked. How come we never got pockets? My mind was drifting, the shocks of the day finally catching up with me. I leaned my head against Royal's shoulder.

  “We baked you a pie,” I rambled. “Mixed berry. To say sorry for being such a jerk before. I should have told you what was going on with my dad.”

  “It's okay, sweetheart. I knew you needed time.”

  “I thought I did.” I turned my face into his shoulder, breathing deep of his scent, soaking in the heat of his body. I was terrified for J.T., but my heart was calm.

  I knew who I wanted. Who was important. Royal. And the fact that he'd given me the time I needed even when it hurt him? If I didn't already know he was the one, that would have done it.

  “I didn't need time,” I said. “I just needed you.”

  Royal was silent for a long moment, his voice so rough when he tried to speak he had to clear his throat. In the end, his arm came around me, holding me tight to his side. “Love you, Daisy. So much.”

  “I love you, too.” I did, more than I knew I could, so much that my heart hurt from letting that fierce emotion run wild. I'd spent too long being afraid of loving him, afraid of being hurt, of doing the wrong thing. If I'd known how good it would feel to just love him, I would have done it sooner.

  I closed my eyes for a minute. Possibly I drifted off. There was a lovely line of drool on my chin when West came back, but I admit nothing.

  Before I could ask, West said, “No word on J.T. He's in surgery, and he's hanging in there. That's all they can tell us for now.”

  “Thanks, West.” I took the phone he handed me and unlocked the screen. Royal and West talked in the background, but all I could think about was Clay. This wasn't how I wanted to meet J.T.'s boyfriend. I had absolutely no doubt J.T. would want me to call him. Well, that wasn't true. J.T. might want to spare him the worry. But if the tables were turned J.T. would want to know.