Page 89 of Dark Verse

“Surgery?” Any tiredness that had been in her voice disappears. “Why is she in surgery? What happened? Where are you?”

“We’re at Saint Bernadette’s. We were attacked in our bedroom. She was…Venny was…” I freeze as the reality of what happened hits me in a new way. “Someone stabbed her. He tried to kill her.”

“Oh, my God.” Dove sounds stunned. “Okay, umm…RJ…okay, thank you.” She doesn’t speak for a solid minute, but I nevertheless sense her fear and panic through the phone and the miles between us. She must be holding back tears because she sniffs several times. Or maybe they are flowing freely, and I just can’t see them.

“Knox, are you still there?” Dove asks after a long time.

“Yes.”

“We’re on our way now. Have you called our parents?”

“No, not yet. I called you first since I knew you were nearby.”

“I’ll call them as soon as we get off the phone.”

“Thank you.”

I don’t even know how I would begin that conversation.

Hey, I know you’ve never heard of me before, but I’m currently in the emergency room with your daughter after she got stabbed multiple times while I slept peacefully in the same bed.

No, thank you.

“Are you okay?” Dove asks me, her voice shifting like she is moving from one room to another.

Looking down at my bandaged hand, I think on that. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that’s happened.

“I’m fine. Just worried about her.”

“What room is she in?”

I look over to the hospital entrance, where I see Cash waving to me. Behind him, I see two police officers.

“They haven’t told me yet, but we’re all in the waiting room on the third floor. Dove, I’m sorry I have to go. The police are here, and they want to speak with me.”

“We’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

RAVEN

AS WE pull up to the house, the first thing I notice is the unmarked police car on the street. They must have been waiting for some time. I see the thinnest dusting of snow on the hood and top of the vehicle. Only the windshield of the car is clear, the wipers reminding me of human eyelashes as we pass by and pull into the driveway.

Knox turns to me as he cuts the engine.

“They wanted to speak with us again, so I asked them to meet us here. I knew you didn’t want to spend another second in that building.”

I push my lips into a smile that I know doesn’t reach my eyes, grateful he understands without me having to explain myself.

The four of us greet each other outside, cycling through the usual pleasantries as Knox unlocks the front door and leads me in. With my left arm in a sling and my right hand pretty much useless from the knife wound that went straight through my palm as I protected my face, Knox has to help me remove my oversized puff jacket before he removes his own. I hear movement from down the hallway and glance up to see Cash and Zeke in the doorway of the kitchen. Their expressions are serious as I lead the small group into the front living space, taking a seat on the big oversized couch. The cushions sink under me. Knox doesn’t sit beside me. Instead, he perches his body on the armrest like a centurion on duty.

“I’m happy to see you both out of the hospital,” Detective Vallejo says.

She sits down directly across from us, her partner doing the same.

“Happy to be out,” Knox says, wrapping one arm around me.

I lean into him and nod in agreement. I absolutely cannot stand hospitals. They are too loud and bright for me to get any real sleep. I sleep best when my bedroom is more like a cool black box. I’ve been surviving on naps for the last three days and am ready for some real rest.