Part 20 (1/2)
He pulled away.
”You can't do it anymore,” she told him. ”Trust me. It'll get easier.”
”You're as self-righteous as the rest of them.”
She frowned. ”d.a.m.n it, Tony. I want to help, but you can't drink here. I can't do it-I'm not strong enough to hold us both up.”
Tony pushed himself to his knees, stood unevenly. ”Who asked you for help?”
Jamie didn't move, felt the anger burn her skin. ”Isn't that why you're here? Because if you're not here for help, what do you want, Tony?”
”Nothing,” he snapped then staggered several feet. ”s.h.i.+t, I don't want anything. G.o.d forbid I ask you for anything.”
Jamie stood and moved around the table until she was standing inches from Tony's chest. ”I'm trying.” She shoved him back down.
He stumbled but didn't fall.
”It's not my fault things ended up the way they did,” she shouted. ”Mick's not my fault-your dad, our mothers, the past-none of it. I'm sorry life's been so f.u.c.king hard on you, Tony.
”It's been pretty s.h.i.+tty here, too,” she went on, ignoring the way her voice cracked. ”I'm sorry you lost your job, but did you ever stop to think that losing your job saved your d.a.m.n life? You'd be dead now if you hadn't gotten drunk and kicked out of the department.”
Tony turned from her. ”Maybe I want to be dead.”
”Fine,” she roared, striking her finger out at him like a sword. ”Then go kill yourself, but don't come to my house to do it. Don't go asking for my help. You want to do that, then you do it somewhere f.u.c.king else.” Her throat went hoa.r.s.e. She coughed.
”Jesus, you're a hard b.i.t.c.h.”
”Yeah, well, life's made me hard.”
He turned then, marched for the front door. He hadn't quite reached it when the doorbell rang.
As Tony pulled the door open, Jamie wondered what neighbors they'd awakened. Why wouldn't everyone just leave her the h.e.l.l alone?
She turned for the stairs when Tony's voice stopped her.
”Oh, Christ,” he cried. ”Jamie, quick!”
Jamie came around the corner as Tony stood up and turned back to her. He stared at his hands. They were streaked in red-blood.
Jamie ran. He'd cut himself, but she couldn't see how. ”What the h.e.l.l happened?”
”He's hurt.”
”Who?”
She pa.s.sed Tony. Barney lay on his side on the doormat. She lifted his paw and saw his heaving chest. Blood caked one ear.
”Barney!” Jamie touched his matted coat, the blood dark against his brown fur. ”Oh, my G.o.d. He's been cut. He's bleeding.”
”He must've cut himself on the gla.s.s,” Tony said.
Jamie shook her head, heart pounding. ”Then who the h.e.l.l rang the doorbell?”
Chapter 23.
Jamie woke up to a phone ringing. She bolted upright. Tony. No, Tony was here. ”h.e.l.lo,” she gasped.
The voice was breathless on the other end. ”Wallace has been attacked.”
”Wha-who?” She blinked, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Who the h.e.l.l was Wallace?
”It's me, Hailey. Mackenzie Wallace-the rookie cop who found Devlin-she was attacked. I just found out from Linda James.”
”Attacked. When?”
”Around eight last night. Near Irving and 10th.” There was a pause and Jamie felt her pulse still. ”He was brutal,” Hailey added. Jamie pressed her fist to the hollow pit in her gut. ”No one's gotten her report on it. She was unconscious when she came in. She only woke up about an hour ago.”
This was her fault. Jesus Christ. First her dog then a rookie cop. She glanced at the bedside clock. Eight a.m. Sunday morning. She'd gotten to bed sometime after three. Barney was still at the vet hospital. Twenty-eight st.i.tches as a result of a knife wound. Not a piece of broken gla.s.s on the porch. Someone had knifed her dog at her house. Already there had been another attack.
She threw the covers back, stood. ”Where is she now?”
”She's at General. I'm going there. But, Jamie, I have to tell you something.”
”What?”
Hailey didn't speak.
Jamie heard a door close with a click. ”h.e.l.lo.”
”I'm here. I had to go into another room.” Her voice was a whisper.
”What happened?”
”I was attacked.”
Dread splashed hot in her gut. ”What? When?”
”On Friday night,” she whispered.
”Where? At home?”
Silence.
Jamie frowned. ”Hailey, what the h.e.l.l happened?”