Page 48 of You Found Me

Realization dawned on Diggs’s face. “Right. The tall dude. He okay?”

Ward summoned all of his patience and kept his tone even. “Checking on it.”

Diggs was no longer protection. He was a friend. Friends often made the situation far worse. Their concern made them angry, and that anger could infect the protectee like a virus.

Diggs turned back to Della. “Girl, we got to get you out of here.”

It was exactly what Ward had been trying to tell her before he was interrupted, but he knew Diggs didn’t have the same destination in mind. “Yes.Ido.”

“I…” Della looked at Ward. Her eyes seemed clearer now. “I don’t want to go anywhere until we know what…if Scott’s okay.”

Quick footsteps announced Annie’s arrival. She still wore the black roadie outfit, which made her look like a thief ready to break into a bank.

“I thought I would find you in here. Hello, Diggs.” Annie radiated the caring concern of a good friend, and she spoke in the soft gentle tones of someone trying to soothe a frightened deer. “Hello, Della. Rough night, huh?”

“Yeah.” Ms. Bellamy sniffed. It was a tiny sound, but Ward heard it loud and clear. “Is Scott okay? I know Ward told you to check. Did you?”

Diggs shifted to stand next to the couch, his hand protectively on Ms. Bellamy’s shoulder. “If she didn’t, I’ll find out for you.”

“Yes. I checked on him.” Annie exchanged a meaningful glance with Ward, then edged past Diggs to sit next to Della.

She had news, and it wasn’t good.

“He was jumped in the parking lot behind Club 64 just after ten tonight,” Annie said in the quiet, matter-of-fact tone a nurse might use when delivering news to an anxious family.

Diggs swore. His grip on Della’s shoulder looked a little too tight, but she didn’t flinch, so Ward didn’t say anything.

Della sucked in a breath. “Is he…”

“He’s alive.” Annie put a comforting hand on Della’s thigh. “And stable. I’ll get more details after we finish up here and let you know what I find out.”

“Stable.” Della sounded flat and distant. “What does that mean?”

“It means he’s probably going to be okay,” Annie explained. “He has a broken nose and jaw, and a nasty dent on one side of his head, but lucky for him, it wasn’t a direct hit. He’s a big guy, and he held his own. His attacker was several inches shorter and a lot lighter. From what I saw, I’m betting right about now the guy who attacked him is having trouble moving his right shoulder.”

“Don’t worry, Del,” Diggs said in the deep, throaty tone of someone looking for a fight. “That guy isn’t getting anywhere near you. Not on my watch.”

“How’d you get all that?” Ward asked Annie. “The crime sheet doesn’t usually include specific injuries. Neither do hospitals.”

“I know one of the bartenders.” A hint of a smile played on her face as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and navigated the screen. “And their security footage is all backed up to the cloud.”

Ward’s text alert dinged with the link to the security footage, courtesy of Spencer. He clicked on it.

“I want to see it,” Della said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Nah, you don’t,” Diggs told her. He patted her shoulder. “You don’t want to see something like that. Trust me.”

Ward squinted at the video. “There’s nothing to see. The guy’s face is in shadow the whole time.”

Della leaned away from Diggs and pushed the blanket off her lap. “I want to see it.”

Her voice was steadier now.

Ward hit Pause and looked at Annie for guidance since she’d already viewed the whole thing.

“She could catch something we missed,” she pointed out in a reasonable tone. “Like Spencer said, she might actually know this guy. Maybe she’ll recognize the hoodie.”

Della uncurled from her fetal position and held out her hand.

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