Page 33 of Secrets at Dawn
As soon as Griffin answered, his dad’s tense tone came through. “Are you okay?”
Griffin moved his face mask, which he’d forgotten about until the moment he had to speak. “I’m fine. Why?”
“Someone attacked Toby. He’s at Fortune Falls ER. I’m still working on the scene, but Riley is with him.”
Griffin didn’t think after that. He barely remembered to lock up behind him. His hand shook as he turned the lock and walked out the door. “He’s still… He’s alive. Right?”
“He wasn’t conscious, but he was breathing.”
Griffin was in his truck, headed to the hospital, when his dad ended the call. He didn’t remember the drive or hear his truck’s radio playing, although he knew it was because the DJ’s voice was familiar, but it was just part of the backdrop to his panic.
Griffin parked in the lot next to the emergency room. He’d been there once before when he’d cut his arm on a piece of metal and had to get stitches along with a tetanus shot. As soon as he entered, the intake nurse greeted him.
“Toby Spencer. I’m his mate,” Griffin said when she asked who he was there for.
He had to wait for a nurse to come get him. It was the longest few minutes of his life.
Griffin sat in the waiting area with his elbows on his knees and thought about the last thing he had said to Toby.
He needed space. What a fucking crock of shit. What he’d needed was for Toby to take back the admission that maybe they needed to take a break. That it would be safer.
Well, it hadn’t been safer, had it?
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. A black lady with long braids and blue scrubs stood next to him. She smiled when Griffin met her gaze. “Are you here for Toby Spencer?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Griffin stood when she turned and told him to follow her.
She had to use the badge clipped to her chest to get through a set of heavy doors.
Then she led him to emergency room five, which had a glass door partially open, but the curtain was closed.
Griffin barely saw Riley sitting in a chair against the wall. His entire attention was on Toby, who had a bandage on his right temple and a bruise on his cheek. He also had a puffy lip. His eyes were closed, but Griffin could see the strain on his face. If he were sleeping, it wasn’t a peaceful experience.
Griffin stepped up next to his bed. He was afraid to touch him. Where was he injured? Where could Griffin touch to make sure Toby was still warm with life?
Griffin chose his hand, cradling his fingers and avoiding the IV line taped to the back of it.
Toby curled his fingers around Griffin’s hand. He mumbled something, but Griffin didn’t think he was awake.
Griffin leaned down until his lips nearly brushed against Toby’s ear. “I’m here, baby. Right here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Riley cleared his throat. “He has a severe concussion. Injuries to his abdomen. They need to do testing on those to find out how bad the damage is. His attacker poisoned him. He can’t shift, which means his healing ability has slowed. The doctor isn’t sure how slow it is. They won’t know until the lab results come back, saying what the poison is.”
Griffin wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and met Riley’s gaze.
They had an entire conversation in the silence that followed. Riley wasn’t a fool. He knew enough to know Toby was important to Griffin, too. And Griffin hoped the apology came through in his gaze. He hadn’t meant to keep them a secret and wouldn’t have for very long.
“It’s complicated between us.” The explanation was accurate. That was why Griffin hadn’t said anything.
“It doesn’t matter now. Not after this.” Riley sighed and shook his head. “He should never have walked home alone. He should have called me or you. Someone to buddy up with. Someone who can protect him.”
Griffin smiled. “Whoever did this incapacitated him with the poison. He would have fought them and won otherwise.”
“I went to the crime scene. The dude who did this was twice his size. He was a wolf shifter, too.” Riley smiled. A spark of malice lit up his gaze. “Toby injured him. Cass said Toby knocked out his attacker. The bookshop clerk helped Toby. That’s how he survived.”
“Bookshop?”
“You know the one on Vine Street. It’s technically still on campus, but it caters to magic users. I forget the name.”
