Unwritten (Woodlands 5)

He heaves one deep sigh and then another as he tries to get control of his emotions. I bury the side of my face into his chest and try not to think of all the terrible things that could’ve happened.

Two police officers and a handful of black-shirted guys with white letters spelling out SECURITY muscle their way toward us. One of them drops to his knees beside Marrow who is still out cold.

“You do this?” A police officer takes a threatening step toward Adam.

No way does he get to take credit for this. I wave my hand. “It was me.”

“Maybe dial back the cheerfulness,” Adam murmurs from behind me.

I ignore him and approach the officer. “I’m Landry Olsen and this is Christopher Paul Marrow. I have a restraining order that prohibits him from getting within two miles of me. Further, he’s on probation and is not supposed to leave Central City.”

The officer pulls out a smartphone. “What’s his name again?”

I recite it and every other detail I know about Marrow. With each word, the bands of fear that have been constricting my chest since Marrow’s first attack begin to loosen. By the end, when the Phoenix officers are loading Marrow onto the stretcher, I take the first free breath I’ve experienced in far too long.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Adam

The metallic taste of fear lingers on the back of my tongue. When I heard Landry shout Marrow’s name, my heart stopped. I didn’t feel better when I saw it was Rudd on the ground, blood pooling around a nasty blade in his gut.

Now that we’re here at the hospital, I can’t seem to let go of her. Davis keeps glaring at me.

“Landry, come on. I want you to get that hand looked at,” Davis says, crouching in front of her.

She shakes her head. “No. I’m fine.”

“Seriously. You could have a cut.” He reaches for her but she jerks away.

“I’m fine. All the blood was his. Marrow’s, I mean,” she explains unnecessarily.

“All right.” Davis straightens, gives me another pointed look, then jerks his head to the side.

He wants to talk to me, and while the hospital where our bandmate is currently being treated isn’t the optimal site, there’s no point in putting off this confrontation.

Reluctantly, I release Landry and gesture toward the door.

“After you.”

He gives a sharp nod and stomps toward the exit door.

“Where’re you going?” Landry calls out.

“Stay here,” I say.

She doesn’t listen.

“What’s going on here?”

Davis whirls on us. “That’s my question. What the hell is going on between the two of you?”

Landry stumbles back from the fierceness of his tone. I steady her with a hand at her back.

“Don’t talk to your sister like that.” Not even her brother gets to treat her like shit. Not while I’m around.

Davis doesn’t want to hear from me. “How long have you been fucking him?”

She flinches at the coarse talk, but doesn’t back down. “I’ve been sleeping with him since Texas.”