“You don’t want to hurt Amanda, Brad,” he said in a low, steady voice.
“We’re going to go for a ride in my car, Tyler,” Brad said, pulling Amanda harder against him.
“All right. But Amanda can stay here.”
“No. Amanda, reach into my left pocket and get my keys.”
She did as he said.
“Now press the button to open the trunk.”
She did.
“Hawthorne,” he said, “get in the trunk.”
Before Tyler could respond, Amanda hit a second button on the keys, setting off the car alarm.
“No!” Brad screamed, and grabbed the keys from her. He shoved her to the ground as he hit the button to cancel the alarm.
Tyler launched himself toward Brad. Brad slashed with the knife, and Tyler felt a sharp sting along his ribs as he knocked Brad over. Brad struck his head against the van as he fell, and dropped both knife and keys as he landed in a stunned heap.
Tyler picked up the weapon and keys and stood up quickly. He moved toward Amanda. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
As he reached toward her, to help her to her feet, her eyes widened. “You’re bleeding!”
He looked down at his side, pulled his torn shirt away. “Caught the tip of the knife. Just a scratch.”
“It looks deeper than a scratch to me.”
“Hmm. The bleeding has nearly stopped, see?” As she stood, he looked her over more carefully. “You’re hurt.”
“Just scraped up a little.” She was staring uneasily at Brad, who moaned. “Is he going to try that again?”
“I doubt it, but let’s get him into the van and take him to the house.”
“You’re willing to take him to your house after that?”
“Take a look at him,” he said, stooping back down next to Brad.
Brad’s gaze was unfocused. All the fight seemed to have gone out of him.
“Who hurt you, Brad?” Tyler asked gently.
Brad closed his eyes and moaned. He curled into a ball.
Amanda, still wary, came closer.
“He’s in need of a doctor,” Tyler said, “but I don’t think your family would like the police involvement and publicity we’d get if we took him into the hospice to ask for help.”
“Brad, what got into you?” Amanda said. She turned to Tyler. “Why was he trying to do that to us? I mean-he’s Bradley! He never even got into fistfights as a kid. And-look at him!”
“Yes. We’ll have to try to ask him about all of that later. I don’t think he’s himself right now.”
Tyler coaxed Brad to his feet and helped him to the van’s side door. Brad opened his eyes but seemed disoriented.
“Is he drugged?” Amanda asked.
“It seems so. Are you still feeling afraid of Shade?”
“No. Sorry. He was obviously trying to warn us.”
“He does have a fierce growl. But I promise he won’t harm you. If you’ll open the door, I’ll settle Brad in back.”
She did so, and although Shade sniffed all three of them, he did not growl or attempt to bite Brad.
Brad, becoming aware of Shade, made a whimpering sound and cowered away from him.
“It’s all right,” Tyler said. “You’ll be all right.”
“He’ll kill me!” Brad said.
“No, he won’t harm you. He’s really a gentle dog-provided you aren’t trying to harm me.”
Brad looked between Tyler and the dog and Amanda. He suddenly burst into tears. “Amanda! I didn’t mean it.”
“I know, Brad.”
He began to weep harder. “I’m so scared!”
“Everything will be all right, Brad,” Tyler said. “I promise you. I’ll keep you safe.”
“Can you? Can anyone?”
“Yes.”
“I’m so tired. Scared and tired.”
“It’s all right. You don’t need to talk now, just rest, okay?”
“He’ll kill me,” Brad murmured again and lay down and closed his eyes.
21
After the doctor left, Amanda went looking for Tyler and found him in the library. He was sitting at a large desk, bent over some paperwork. He had changed clothes, and she suddenly felt grubby still wearing the clothes she had put on this morning. He wasn’t dressed up, but the jeans and long-sleeved shirt he wore looked good on him.
Shade had been sleeping on a rug before the fireplace, but he came awake when she entered, and wagged his tail. At the thumping sound, Tyler looked up, saw her, and smiled. She felt her breath catch.
“Hello, Amanda. Have you had dinner?”
“No, not yet,” she said. “I’m not very hungry.”
He apparently didn’t believe her, because he picked up the phone and called the kitchen, asking that some sandwiches be brought up to the library. After hanging up, he moved from behind the desk and led her to one of the sofas in front of the fireplace. He paused to gently take her hands in his, and turned them palm up.
“Do the scrapes hurt?”
“It’s really nothing. I’ll be fine. Brad’s the one I’m worried about.”
He let her hands go and motioned for her to be seated. To her disappointment, he sat at the other end of the sofa. Yet there was something in the way he looked at her that made her decide she needed that distance if she was going to concentrate on the conversation. Did he need it, too?
“How is your cousin doing?” he asked, bringing her thoughts back to Brad.
“He’s asleep now, I’m glad to say. I’m supposed to wake him in a few hours because he may have a concussion, but I wish he could just rest. You talked to the doctor?”
“Yes. He was worried, as I think we all are, about how Brad obtained some of his injuries.”
“Did Brad tell you who hurt him?”
“No, although from what I could gather, it has something to do with our friends from the desert.”
“The men in the truck?” she asked, bewildered.
“Yes. He kept apologizing to me, saying he never would have told them I left the party if he had known what they had in mind.”
“But then-how would Brad know Sam’s relatives?”
“I don’t think he does. Although that’s not certain-I couldn’t get very clear information from him. Did you have any luck?”
“No. He isn’t making a lot of sense. I’m really worried about him. Whatever drug was in his system seems to have worn off, but he’s still confused. The doctor said it might be because he hit his head.” She paused. “I called Rebecca, but I couldn’t make her understand that he’s been hurt. She’s-not too sober at this point.”
“Eventually she’ll come looking for him, I suspect.”
“Not right away, I hope.” Seeing his look of surprise, she said, “They’re brother and sister. When they get together, it doesn’t take long before they bicker. He’s in such bad shape, he needs to rest. I don’t think her company would do him a lot of good right now.”
“Hmm. Maybe we won’t press her to come here, then. Instead I’ll ask Alex to try to discover where he has been.”
“Do you think she can do that? I’d really appreciate it.”
“She’s very good at her work. What else did the doctor say? I should ask first-do you feel comfortable with this doctor, or would you rather have someone else in to see Brad? Are you all right with Brad staying here, or do you want to move him to a hospital?”
“Oh, the doctor is wonderful. I like him a lot. If you don’t mind keeping Brad here, I think it would be best. It’s quiet, and the doctor thinks the best thing is for him to be kept as calm as possible, to let him rest. And Brad knows Ron, so he won’t have a lot of strangers around him like he would in a hospital.”
“Yes, I think you’re right. Right now Ron is sleeping. I’ve asked Alex to send him to us when he wakes up, so that you can tell him about your cousin.”