My heart stopped and I quickly sat up. “Hospital? What happened? Are you okay?”
Machines beeping in the background told me she couldn’t be, yet she sounded like she always did—fine. “Yes, or I will be. Some jerk attacked me last night after I left the boutique. A few cuts here and there, but nothing major and certainly nothing to worry about. You know me—I’m tough.”
My pulse was literally in my ears. “You were attacked?” I gasped in question, unable to believe it.
Logan was stepping out of my room when his spine straightened and he jerked around. His body language had me concerned about more than just Peyton.
“Yeah. Some asshole looking to get his jollies jumped me and pulled me into an alley when I was walking to my car.”
Covering my mouth, trying to find my pulse, and feeling awful for her, I didn’t know what to say or what to ask. “But you’re not hurt?” was my only concern.
Stupid question. She was in the hospital.
Her voice was firm. “No, not really. He just scared the shit out of me.”
“What did the police say?”
She laughed. I swore she laughed. “They aren’t certain yet. I can’t ID him, so there isn’t much to go on. The creeper wore a ski mask and I didn’t get a good look at his build at all. It was just too dark. But I think I hurt him because when he took off, he limped away. The police think it was an attempted mugging gone wrong.”
I gasped again. “Did he take your purse?”
“No. Weird, right?”
“Muggers don’t usually attack you and then leave your purse behind. Why would they think that?”
“Who knows? If you ask me, the guy had an agenda.”
Still trying to process all of this, I asked, “What do you mean, he had an agenda?”
“I don’t know. Like it was a dare or a gang initiation. He grabbed me, pulled me into the alley, and with his knife, sliced through my clothing right to my stomach to start carving the letter E on it. Freak. Somehow, I managed to free the chopstick I had holding my hair up and then I plunged it into his thigh. He screamed, and someone started shouting at him. That’s when he ran. The person shouting was a homeless man. He hurried over to me and I gave him my phone to call 911. The ambulance arrived quickly and I was kept overnight for a dose of IV antibiotics, but I’m being released this morning.”
“Peyton, oh my God, a knife!” I cried. “But you’re okay? You’re certain?”
Logan was next to me now, looking really pale. “What exactly happened?” he asked, expelling all the air from his lungs.
Covering the microphone with my hand, I whispered what she’d just told me.
He bristled and looked like he wanted to jump out of his skin or maybe lose his stomach. “Ask her if he said anything,” Logan said.
Peyton was talking. “That man was really nice. I have to find him.”
Perplexed, I gave Logan a curious look. “Peyton,” I interrupted her.
“Right. I’m droning. Honestly, Elle, I’ll be fine.”
“Did the guy who attacked you say anything?” I asked her, wondering why Logan wanted to know that.
There were voices in the background. “Yeah, he told me to tell that dog he’d been warned.”
“Dog? That makes no sense.”
A noise escaped Logan’s throat. His hands were clenched into fists and he looked like he was a loaded gun and ready to shoot himself through the wall.
“Yes. I know. He was a crazy tweaker if you ask me.”
My mind became a maze of impossibility. “I’m so sorry. What hospital are you at? I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The voices grew louder. “No, Elle, that’s not necessary. My mother is here to take me to her house. I’m so sorry, but I’ll have to miss a few days of work.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “Don’t you worry about work. What can I do for you?”
She inhaled a breath. “Nothing. Listen, I have to go—the doctor just walked in. I got everything restocked yesterday. There’s nothing for you to do today. Any deliveries made will be redelivered tomorrow, so you don’t have to go in. Tomorrow will be crazy enough for you.”
“Peyton, stop. Don’t worry—I’ll take care of everything.”
“I know. I know. I’ll call you when I get to my mother’s house.”
“Take care,” I said, and hung up.
“Tell me again, and don’t leave anything out—what exactly happened to Peyton?” Logan asked in a rush.
My voice became one giant exhalation as I told him everything, from the letter E on her stomach to what her attacker had said.
“He said the word dog. You’re sure?”
“Yes, why?”
“We have to go.” Logan’s voice was low and shaky.
Something tight twisted in my gut.
Concern.
Fear.
The unknown.
I felt myself start to tremble and pulled the sheets up to cover my naked body. “What are you talking about?”
With unrepressed determination, Logan was picking up my clothes and tossing them on the bed. My bra. My shirt. My panties. My sweatpants. “Get dressed now. We have to leave.”