“To clean your hands,” he specifies, and it reminds me that they have her blood all over them.
It probably looks like I committed a murder, and if I wasn’t so concerned with knowing if Savannah is okay, that’s exactly what I’d be doing right now. That son of a bitch has done nothing but ruin the lives of those around him for his own sick personal gain. I know my focus needs to stay on Savi, but I’m going to make sure that fucker pays for this.
IT FEELS LIKE HOURS pass before a man in dark blue scrubs comes into the waiting room.
“Savannah Montgomery?”
I leap out of my seat, and Brady follows me up to him. “Is she okay?”
“She’s stable. Her spleen was ruptured, so we needed to go in surgically and remove it. She has a broken wrist, along with a few cracked ribs and a pretty severe concussion. Had she not gotten here when she did, we may have lost her.”
“Jesus Christ,” Brady breathes.
The doctor glances at my bloody clothes and concern etches across his face. “Did you let the paramedics check you out too?”
“No, it’s not mine.” I know how bad that sounds, but I don’t give a shit about his opinion of me. “Where’s Savannah? Can I go see her?”
He nods and leads us through a set of double doors. “She’s in the ICU. I suspect she’ll probably be there for a couple days.” Pressing the button on the elevator, we walk inside as soon as the doors open. “She’s still out from the anesthesia, but she should wake up within an hour or so.”
Turning into the room, all the air leaves my lungs. Savannah is lying on the bed, hooked up to all different kinds of monitors. She looks so weak and helpless, the total opposite of everything she stands for. I swallow down the lump in my throat and press a kiss to her forehead.
“God, Savi. I’m so fucking sorry. I should’ve known you’d confront him. I never should have told you.”
Brady places a supportive hand on my shoulder, and for once, I don’t push him off. “She’s going to be okay.”
“That’s not the point.” I pull a chair closer to the bed and hold her hand as I sit down. “I should’ve been there to protect her.”
AFTER A VERY DIFFICULT phone call with a panicked Delaney, and a half hour interview with an officer asking what happened, Savannah finally starts to stir. Her eyes blink open, and she groans from the light. Once Brady shuts it off, her blue eyes meet mine.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
She smiles tiredly. “Hi.”
Her voice is hoarse, and I can tell by the look on her face that even something as simple as breathing hurts. I wish I could take that pain away—put myself in her place so she wouldn’t have to feel an ounce of it.
Brady sighs in relief when he hears her voice and sees her respond to his face with a smile. “I’ll go get the doctor.”
Savannah looks around for a second before furrowing her brows at me. “Where’s my phone?”
It’s an odd request, but I’m assuming she just wants to keep Delaney in the loop. “Probably with the rest of your things. It’s okay. I called Laney already. She’s on her way.”
She looks as if she’s going to say something else, but the doctor comes in to do an exam. He checks her pupils and the strength in her limbs before upping her pain medicine to something a little more comfortable for her. The second he steps out, the same officer from earlier enters.
“Miss Montgomery?” he asks, and she nods. “I’m Officer Jenson with the North Haven PD. Do you mind if I ask you a couple questions about what happened today?”
I stand, knowing he’s going to ask me to leave, but she grabs my hand. “Can he stay?”
“If that would make you more comfortable, I don’t see why not.” She relaxes, and I sit back down, lacing my fingers with hers. Officer Jenson pulls out his notepad. “So, let’s start with the most important question. Who did this to you?”
“My father,” she answers confidently.
“And what brought this on? Did you two have an argument?”
A humorless laugh bubbles out of her and she winces. “This isn’t the first time he’s laid a hand on me. He’s a drunk, a drug addict, and a horrible human being. The only difference between today and all the times he’s hit me before is that his goal today was to kill me.”
The officer looks startled. “Did he tell you that?”
The moment she nods, my every fear becomes alarmingly real. She could have died today, and I would have been left without her. I already know what that’s like, and I’m not willing to go back to it.
Savannah spends fifteen minutes giving the officer a step by step account of what happened. When he’s finished writing things down, I notice two more officers appear in the doorway.
“What happens from here?” I question.
“Well, we’re currently out looking for Mr. Montgomery, but we haven’t been able to find him yet.” He explains. “So, until we do, there will be round the clock security outside your room.”
Sav’s jaw drops. “It’s that serious?”
“Given your statement, and the extent of your injuries, your father is being charged with attempted murder, and we take that very seriously.”
“Attempted murder?” Delaney shrieks as she comes in. Her eyes narrow on me. “You said she was injured, not almost killed!”
Brady enters behind her. “I tried to keep her in the waiting room. She’s like a freight train.”
Laney looks over Savannah, and she instantly starts to cry. “My goodness, look at you.”
“I’m okay,” she tries, but not a single person in this room believes her.
Going to the other side of the bed, Delaney gives Savannah a gentle hug. “What the hell happened? Your dad did this to you?”
“Yup.” She pops the p, not lacking any bit of her usual sass. “He’s such a standup guy.”
The two of them talk, once again going over the events that make my heart nearly stop. It doesn’t get any easier, no matter how many times I hear it. Still, I constantly rub my thumb over Savi’s so she knows I’m here for her. If I had lost her today, I don’t know what I would have done with myself. I was silly to think that I could ever live a life that doesn’t completely revolve around her, let alone one without her in it at all.
“Uh, Grayson?” Delaney gets my attention. “Why do you look like a walking Halloween decoration?”
I look down and realize that I’m still covered in blood. It’s as if Savannah didn’t realize it either, because her eyes double in size when she sees it. Knowing it’s her own probably makes it so much worse.
“Yeah, man. You should probably change your clothes,” Brady suggests. “Want me to drive you back to your car?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Delaney offers.
I’m conflicted, not wanting to leave her side at all, but they’re right. I glance at Savannah, making sure she’s okay with me leaving for a bit. If she asks me to stay, there isn’t a thing in the world that could pull me from her side.
“It’s fine, babe. Really.”
I kiss her softly and rest my forehead against hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she says with a smile, and Laney beams, rainbows nearly shooting from her chest in joy.
Brady says a quick goodbye to Savannah, promising he’ll come back in the morning, and the two of us head out. It’s a quiet trip to the car, but as soon as we get in, he turns to me.
“You know, I still don’t like you. I don’t think you deserve her, and you’re lucky as hell she doesn’t hate you for what you’ve done. That being said, you saved my best friend’s life today, and that’s something I’ll never be able to repay. So, thank you.”
He extends his hand toward me and I shake it. It’s a truce of sorts. A ceasefire. I don’t think he and I will ever be friends, but Savannah means almost as much to him as she means to me, and I respect that.
LATER THAT NIGHT, DELANEY and I are quietly scr
olling through our phones while Savannah rests, when Officer Jenson returns. He has a solemn look on his face as he gestures for me to join him in the hall. Laney joins me, and the three of us step into an empty room.
“Did you find the bastard?” I question urgently.
He nods and looks down at the ground. “We did.”
“And? Did you arrest him?”
“No.”
“Why the fuck not?” I shout. “You said yourself her injuries and her statement are enough to charge him! What are you waiting for?”
His eyes meet mine and hold my heated stare. “Mr. Montgomery is dead. He committed suicide.”
29
Savannah
It’s a strange feeling, knowing both your parents are gone. When I was younger, and my dad told me that my mother had died in a car accident, I was beside myself. I don’t think I stopped crying for an entire week. All the happiness in my life had vanished completely, until Gray brightened everything up again. But now, lying in this bed while Grayson and Delaney break the news about my father, I don’t feel any of that.
“Baby, say something,” Grayson pleads.
I take another moment to let it sink in, waiting for the devastation to come, but it never does. When it comes down to it, I lost my father the day he decided to put gambling before his daughter. The man I’ve lived with for the past eight years was not my dad.
“Sucks for him. I’ve heard hell is a horrible place.”
Delaney’s jaw drops while Grayson snorts. He leans forward and places a kiss to my forehead, relieved by the fact that I’m okay. To be honest, I’m more than okay. I’m relieved.
Officer Jenson knocks on the door. “Is it okay to come in?” I nod, and his attention centers on Grayson. “We’re going to need someone to identify the body. Usually we prefer it to be family, but Savannah’s injuries prevent her from coming down to the morgue.”
“I can do it,” Grayson says, and then he turns to me. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Okay.”
The two of them leave the room, and my head falls back against the bed. Suddenly, something important pops back into my mind.
“Laney.”
She looks at me with that same warm smile she always has. “Yeah?”
“Can you get my phone for me? I need it.”
It takes a few minutes, and asking a nurse, but she finally finds it and hands it to me. The screen is cracked, probably from when he threw me to the ground, but it still works. I open the voice memos app and smile brightly when I see it’s there. Pressing play, my father’s voice comes through the speaker.
“Where has your ass been for the last week?”
“At Brady’s.”
“Yeah? Are you sure you haven’t been hanging around that Hayworth kid?”
“What if I have?”
“Then you better cut that shit out right now. I don’t want you anywhere near that boy.”
“Why? Because you’re afraid I’ll find out about what you did to his father? Yeah, I know all about it. How you gambled away all our money. How you stole from the company you spent five years working for. And even how you set your best friend up to take the fall.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t try to be all noble now. Go ahead. Gloat. Getting away with something like that had to make you feel like a badass.”
“I did what I had to, and your little ass should be grateful for that.”
“What you had to? You made your best friend take the fall for a crime he didn’t commit! He died in there! Grayson’s dad is dead, and you did that.”
“You’re damn fucking right I did. And I’d do it again! I got more money out of that score than I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s not my fault the fragile little shit couldn’t handle himself in prison.”
I turn it off before it reaches the point where he attacked me, and Delaney’s eyes widen.
“Is that…?”
Grinning, I flip to my contacts and call the one person who can get me what I need. My father may be gone, but he doesn’t get to die without his sins being exposed.
“Hey, princess. What’s up?” A familiar voice comes through the phone.
“Hi, Carter. I need your dad’s number. I have something he’s going to want.”
A FEW DAYS LATER, I’m finally released from the hospital. It still hurts to do even the simplest of things, like move or breathe, but the doctor was okay with discharging me as long as I promised to rest. Grayson wheels me down to the car and helps me inside.
“I hope you like my bed. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in it.”
My brows furrow. “I’m staying with you?”
Glancing between me and the road, he gives me an incredulous look. “You think I’m going to let you out of my sight? Savannah, I almost lost you. My heart broke into a million pieces when I found you bleeding on that floor. The threat may be gone, but the memory is still very real. It’s going to be a while before I don’t panic at the thought of not being able to keep you safe. You’ll have to bear with me.”
A wide grin spreads across my face. “Such a caveman.”
He chuckles. “You know it, baby.”
When we pull up to Gray’s house, he comes around to the passenger side and lifts me out of the car. I tell him to put me down but he doesn’t listen, carrying me through the door and safely depositing me onto the couch.
“Stay right there. Don’t move,” he demands. “I’m going to get your meds from the car.”
He leaves, but I’m not alone for long before his mom comes in. Her eyes widen when she looks at me—stitches on my face, my wrist in a cast, bruises in multiple places. She comes over and sits down.
“Oh, honey. Are you all right?”
“I’ve been better, but I’ll live. That’s more than I can say for him.”
She frowns. “I was sorry to hear about your father.”
“Don’t be,” I tell her honestly. “The death of your husband and the death of my father are not the same. Mr. Hayworth was a good man who deserved to live a long, healthy, and free life. My father was not. Please don’t confuse the two.”
Knowing what I know now, about the key part I played in her husband’s wrongful conviction, the fact that she’s so warm and welcoming, shocks me even more than before. She would have every right to hate me, the same way Grayson did for a while, but she doesn’t. She treats me the same way she always has, with love and respect. I’m lucky to have her, and her son, in my life.
I STAND IN FRONT of the casket in my black dress, but not a single tear is shed from my eyes. He’s been gone for a week, and I’m yet to feel even the slightest bit of grief. The only reason he’s getting a funeral in the first place is because my grandparents insisted on it. Regardless of not hearing from their son for nearly a decade, they were devastated to hear about his death. I, however, just want to get this part of my day over with.
The priest talks about what a loving friend, son, and father he was, and it takes everything I have not to laugh. Grayson stands beside me, smirking when he sees the expression on my face. He’s my saving grace, my best friend, and my rock. No matter what I’ve been feeling lately, he’s there to listen to it. I don’t know what I would do without him.
The funeral ends, and my grandmother finally releases my hand. I hug her briefly before excusing myself. As we make our way toward Grayson’s car, people stop to give me their condolences. I fake a smile and thank each one of them. However, when we finally get through the large group, a familiar face catches me off guard.
“I didn’t think I’d see you here,” I tell Knox.
He shares a look with Grayson that has me questioning its meaning, but I brush it off the moment he speaks. “I’m sorry for your loss, Savannah.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
Both him and Grayson chuckle while Knox’s gaze rakes over me. “You lose a fight with a train?”
“Something like tha
t,” I tell him, looking at my phone for the time. “Babe, we really have to get going.”
He looks at me curiously. “Are you in a rush to celebrate?”
I smirk. “Yes, but not what you think.”
We say our goodbyes to Knox and head to the restaurant. The whole ride there, Grayson keeps glancing at me, but I’ve had enough practice in keeping my face completely emotionless. What he’s getting today is long overdue, and the fact that it’s the same day as my father’s funeral makes it that much sweeter.
As we walk in, I recognize the man as soon as I see him. His perfectly tailored black suit doesn’t have a single wrinkle on it, and his son is the spitting image of him. I grab Grayson’s hand and lead him over to the table.
“Mr. Trayland.”
He smiles and stands up to embrace me. “Savannah. It’s great to see you again.”
After he and Grayson introduce themselves, the three of us sit down. There isn’t anything that could hide the confusion on Gray’s face, and if I wasn’t so eager for this, I’d let him stay that way for a bit.
“Grayson, I’d just like to apologize on behalf of the criminal justice system for the grave injustice your father suffered.” He slides a small envelope across the table. “I know it doesn’t bring back your dad, but I hope it helps give you some closure.”
Gray rips open the envelope and pulls out the letter from inside. His mouth moves as he silently reads the words on the page. Finally, when he gets to the most important part, tears spring to his eyes.
“H-he was exonerated?”
Mr. Trayland nods. “As of yesterday morning.”
Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he shakes his head. “I don’t understand. How?”
“When Savannah confronted her father, she recorded it and captured a full confession. With that, we were able to reopen the investigation and prove your father’s innocence.”
Grayson turns to me with so much emotion that I can’t resist breaking down with him. “You are the best thing in my life,” he says honestly. “I love you. Thank you.”
The Sinner: A High School Bully Romance (Haven Grace Prep Book 1) Page 23
