Page 66 of Torment
My head snaps up before anyone else can move.
“I’m here.”
His gaze drops briefly to my blood-soaked shirt before returning to my face.
“She’s stable,” he says as everyone else stands behind me. Parker’s hand rests gently on my arm.
The words don’t bring relief. Not yet.
“She sustained multiple blunt force injuries. Significant bruising and swelling to her face. Three fractured ribs, and a concussion. She had a significant laceration to the back of herskull, so we placed four staples. There’s no internal bleeding that we can see right now, but we’ll continue to monitor for swelling.”
Each word hits like a hammer. Stable. Bruised. Fractured. Concussion.
“She’ll be kept overnight for observation,” he continues. “We’ve sedated her for now. She’s resting.”
I nod once. “Can I see her?”
“Soon,” he says. “We’re taking her up for some more imaging. You can come back when she’s done.”
He pauses. “Whoever did this intended to hurt her.”
My molars grind. The doctor gives one final nod, but before he can step away, I ask him to run an additional test. His puzzled eyes meet mine. I don’t explain, but he nods in agreement before giving me his back and disappearing through the double doors. I’m done not knowing.
Silence settles again. Maverick leads Parker back to a row of seats. They sit and she rests her head on his shoulder, silently wiping tears from her cheeks.
Jeremy moves closer, his expression tight.
“Karson,” he says quietly. I look up. He doesn’t say it right away, his eyes flicking briefly toward Maverick…then Parker…then back to me.
“I ran out of the booth when I saw what was happening. Slater just texted me,” he pauses. “He pulled the footage from the courtyard.”
Cold spreads through my chest. “And?”
He swallows once. “It was one person.”
Good.That makes this simpler.
“He knew where to wait,” Jeremy adds. My jaw ticks once, wishing he would just spit it the fuck out so I know who I’m going to fucking slaughter.
“And?” I ask impatiently.
Jeremy’s voice drops.
“It was Owen.”
For a second, nothing happens. No anger or disbelief. Just silence. Because my brain doesn’t reject it. It accepts it. My gaze drifts past Jeremy. Past Mav. Past Parker. Somewhere deep in my chest, something settles into place. Recognition.
I nod once.
“Okay.”
Jeremy frowns slightly, like he expected something louder. I don’t give it to him. I’ll save that for Owen.
And his clock is ticking.
CHAPTER FORTY
Pain wakesme before consciousness does. Not sharp. Just…heavy. My body feels like it’s been filled with wet cement, and every breath struggles to push through it. The air smells sterile. Clean in a way that makes my stomach turn.
