Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
GRIFFIN
“ N inety-two bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-two bottles of beer! Take one down, pass it around. Ninety-two bottles of beer on the?—”
“If you keep singing that fucking song, I’m going to throw this bottle of beer at you,” Knox threatens.
“I’d like to see you try,” I goad.
We’re supposed to be discussing the current outstanding balances for the gamblers downstairs. And what do you know? Graham LeBlanc made the list.
Knox points to the list on the desk. “These two are supposed to pay up tonight, but this one,” he points to Graham, “may need a more…personal visit.”
“We can find him?—”
Camden bursts through the door, panting and sporting wild eyes. “You need to get to the library. Now!”
“What’s going on?” Knox’s lips purse.
“It’s Raven. Something’s happened at the library.”
That’s all he needs to say to get us to spring into action. Knox and I are up and running to my truck.
“Benny, you’re in charge,” Knox shouts as we pass the bar.
“Everything okay?” Benny calls to us. But we don’t have time to satisfy his curiosity.
Knox and I are in the cab and peeling out of the parking lot in under a minute.
The good thing about living in a small town is that it doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes to get from one end of town to the other.
It’s just our luck that the library is on the same side of town as The Wandering Raven.
“What do you think happened?” Knox asks.
“I think we’re about to find out,” I say as I nod to the parking lot full of police cars, firetrucks, first responders, and lookie loos.
A team of firefighters have a hose in their hands, aiming it at the library. Smoke billows out from the broken windows, and…is that a hole in the side of the building?
“What the hell happened here?” Knox questions in awe.
“I have no idea,” I respond.
“Do you think Florence is okay?”
“She may not have even been here. She has her monthly appointment with her cardiologist today, remember?”
Parking my truck in the elementary school parking lot, we hop out of the truck and jog into the fray.
We shove our way through the crowd, ignoring the police tape barrier.
It’s chaos all around. An EMT tends to a mother and her child who have little cuts and bruises sprinkled over their arms and faces.
More people wait on the side to have their wounds treated.
Firefighters in full gear are running into the burning building.
Police officers fight to keep a perimeter around the mess.
“There.” Knox points to Raven sitting up on a gurney at the back of the ambulance. An EMT holds her hand in his as he looks her over. When Knox catches sight of it, he cracks his knuckles and juts his chin forward.
We weave in and out of the bedlam that lies between us and Raven. When we’re only a few feet away, someone steps in our path.
“What the hell are you two doing? Get back behind the tape before I tase your asses!” Sheriff Asshole Jackson hollers in our faces.
Knox steps up so he’s toe to toe with the Sheriff. Knox is significantly bigger, taller, and stronger than the sheriff. I think it’s part of what fuels the animosity between them. I’m no doctor, but I’d say Sheriff Jackson has a bad case of Short Man Syndrome.
Knox narrows his eyes and smirks. “No can do, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Jackson’s lips thin in a flat line. “Are you threatening me, Montgomery?”
“Hush up, Clayton. You’re all bark and no bite. Leave them alone.” Florence smacks the sheriff on the arm.
“Not now, Flo.” Sheriff takes a step back and holds his hand out to get Florence to stop.
She smacks him again. “Don’t you dare ‘Flo’ me!”
“Knox! Griffin!” Raven brushes past the EMT in front of her and leaps down from the ambulance.
We step around the sheriff, and Knox catches Raven in his arms, lifting her off the ground.
They embrace each other, arms wrapped tight.
When they pull back, instead of setting her back down, Knox passes Raven to me.
And just like she did with Knox, Raven wraps her arms around my neck.
She buries her face in my neck, and I take the time to relish in the way she clings to me.
It’s like we’re her lifeline. We’re her haven.
I feel warm liquid heat the skin on the back of my neck. What the hell?
Raven pulls back so we’re face to face. Blinking and a quick shake of her head, she says, “I need to get Noah.” Then she tries to push away to get me to put her down.
Like that will ever happen again.
As long as I’m breathing, Raven will be in my arms.
“Raven.” I try to get her attention. “Sunshine!” She stops her struggle. “Let’s finish getting you checked out, then we can go get Noah, okay?”
She nods her head in agreement.
“Hey! Are you deaf? I said get back behind the tape!” Sheriff Jackson approaches me from behind.
If it wasn’t for Raven flinching at his yelling, I would ignore him. But he scared her. He made her afraid. And after whatever the hell she just went through? I can’t let that stand.
Between Knox and me, I’m usually the one with a level head. But with this woman, I’ll do anything to make her happy and keep her safe.
Setting Raven on her feet, I cup her soot-stained cheeks in my hands.
She attempts to encircle her hands around my wrists, but I’m not a small guy.
Her fingers and thumb don’t even come close to touching.
Then I get a glimpse of her eyes when they connect with mine, and it’s all I need.
The desire to be in her presence solidifies into a vital need required to live.
Sheriff Jackson’s voice gets louder and bolder as he continues to yell. “I’m not gonna tell y’all again! Get back behind the tape!”
My hands drop from her face, and I spin my fist cocked back and ready to smash into Sheriff’s face. But two sets of hands pull at my clothing, restraining me.
“Not here, Griff. He’s not worth it,” Knox grunts as he struggles to keep his grip on me.
One set of hands lets go, and Raven steps in front of me, her back plastered to my front. “They’re here for me.”
Sheriff Jackson angles his body, using the few inches he has on Raven to intimidate her. But she doesn’t back down. She keeps herself planted between him and me.
A small droplet of something dark falls from Raven’s hand. She’s bleeding. She’s in pain and bleeding but puts me before herself.
I stop fighting Knox, and he finally lets go. Pulling my shoulders back, I puff up my chest, trying to get the sheriff to back off.
“Family only,” Sheriff Jackson informs Raven in a harsh voice.
“They’re here. For me,” Raven repeats slowly as if he didn’t catch her explanation the first time.
Sheriff raises his finger, pointing menacingly at Raven. I swear, I’m going to break that damn finger off his hand.
“I don’t give a shit. They’re troublemakers. Always have been, always will be. I don’t need them messing with my scene.” He looks her up and down, aiming to make Raven feel small. “And I have some questions for you concerning all of?—”
“Hey! Sheriff!” A man with a bolo tie, cowboy hat, and a Texas Rangers badge pinned to his chest strides right for us. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Doing my job,” the sheriff barks back.
“I’m not a newborn calf, Jackson. I told your deputy to inform me when you arrived. What took you so long to get here? And why were my rangers on scene way before you and your men?”
The sheriff’s face turns the same shade as a ripe tomato.
Snaking my arm around Raven’s torso, I spin us in the direction of the ambulance, leaving the sheriff to get his ass chewed out. “You’re hurt, Sunshine. Let’s get you patched up.”