Bil y saw them, pushed off the wal , tore through the bloody surgeon and me and took off, not back to the stairs, not through the doorway at the end, but he threw himself out a window.
The bloody surgeon ran to the window, Carl and the security guy ran to the door, I ran to Indy.
She was halfway up the stairs. Al y was with her.
“Are you okay?” I asked when I got to her.
“Fine,” Indy replied.
I stopped, realizing my body was in ful tremble and I was struggling to catch my breath.
“Are you okay?” I asked again, staring at her.
She took me into her arms. “Honey, I’m fine.” I kept trembling.
“You sure you’re okay?” I asked again, tears in my voice, tears burning my eyes, tears crawling up my throat.
Al y’s arms came around us both.
“I’m fine, perfectly fine,” Indy assured me.
I kept trembling.
“Shh, girl. You’re safe,” Al y whispered.
The lights came on and we stood there. We heard footsteps and then the others were there. Annette joined the huddle then I felt Jet burrow in. I don’t know how we did it but we managed to do a group hug on the narrow stairs.
Al except Daisy and Jason.
“God fucking dammit,” I heard Jason yel .
“What the fuck good are you!” Daisy shouted at her bodyguard.
I ignored them and held on to my friends, crying and trembling.
trembling.
*
Hank opened the door to his house one-handed, his other one held mine. Shamus came at us but before he could do his doggie welcome, Hank commanded, “Stay!”
Shamus skidded to a halt and sat, his doggie head swinging in confusion back and forth between the two humans.
Hank pul ed me inside, locked the door and walked me into the kitchen. Only then did he drop my hand.
He went to the light switch.
I went to the freezer.
I grabbed a towel and put ice in it and then put it on my hand.
After he turned on the light, Hank shrugged off his jacket and threw it over a dining room chair, gave Shamus a head scratch and then walked to me. He stopped close, then his hand came up and he pul ed something from my hair. It came back down and there was a piece of straw between his fingers.
“Wrestling in the hay bales,” I said, staring at the piece of straw.
When I looked to Hank, his mouth was tight.
Bil y escaped. It wasn’t hard. It was pandemonium; people everywhere, mil ing about and not knowing what was going on as the lights had come up. He’d easily slipped away.
They closed early and the cops came. I talked to the people who ran the haunted house, including the guy who was head of security. Carl had already told them my story and they were kind and understanding. It was close to closing anyway, they promised me, no harm done. They seemed more worried about me than anything. The monster who got hit in the nose had only had it bloodied, not broken.
Malcolm and Detective Marker came together and got there quickly, using a Kojak light.
Malcolm walked right up to me, kissed the side of my head, then put his arm around my waist and didn’t let go. I was leaning into him when Hank arrived.
Hank came up to us interrupting our conversation, pul ed me away from his father, turned me into his arms and held me, tight. “How’re your ribs?” he asked.
I nodded that they were okay but didn’t answer verbal y. I was lost in his arms, taking what I could, wrapping my own around him.
The rest of the interview went on with Hank’s arms around me and my cheek resting against his shoulder.
Lee and Eddie showed simultaneously. There were a lot of meaningful glances with glittering angry eyes between the men.
Indy went home with Lee, Jet with Eddie, Al y went back with Carl. I gave Indy, Jet and Al y hugs before they went.
Daisy took Annette and Jason back. Hank and I walked them to the limo. People were standing around it, staring at Daisy like she was an unknown rock star, likely mistakenly thinking this fuss and muss was about her. I gave out more hugs and they left. Daisy and Jason stil looked pissed.
Annette looked worried.
Hank put me in his 4Runner and we drove home without a word exchanged between us, both of us lost in our thoughts.
There, in his kitchen, I looked at Hank.
“He could have hurt Indy,” I said.
“Yeah, but he didn’t,” Hank replied.
“He could have.”
“He didn’t.”
“Hank –”
“Let me tel you something about Indy.”
I closed my eyes and looked away.
“Look at me, Sunshine.”
I opened them and looked back.
“You said you’d die, you’d go with him, before you let anyone get hurt. Remember that?” Hank asked.
I nodded.
“There’s no way in hel India Savage would let that happen.”
“I barely know her,” I whispered.
“You’re wrong about that,” his arms slid around me. “You know her because she’s just like you,” he said.
That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me.
Tears fil ed my eyes.