Under the Altswood Sky (The Altswood Saga #2)

Chapter 9 - Culprit

"Gee, thanks," I muttered when they drove off, "I guess I'll just die on the roadside then."

Thankfully, a street I knew well was coming up at the next bend, even if the house was situated deep within its long, winding driveway.

Somehow, I put one foot in front of the other and walked to the front door. Even if I could barely see anymore, I managed to raise a fist and politely knock on the towering door, waiting for the loud music inside to turn off before footsteps hurried to the foyer.

Gabriel opened the door, still twirling a pencil in his hand. It dropped from his fingers and clinked to the floor the moment he saw me.

"Luca?" He looked me up and down. "Holy sh—Is that blood?"

"Unfortunately," I said.

That was when I fainted.

***

"You have some explaining to do."

As consciousness slowly returned, a weight settled next to me, creaking the frame of the bed I had been placed on. I peeled my eyes open slowly, immediately wincing at the bright light streaming through the window.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gabriel went on. He didn't seem sorry at all, prodding at my left shoulder vigorously with a wash cloth. "Is that sunshine startling? Would you say almost as startling as going MIA for an hour before showing up on someone's doorstep dripping in blood?"

I winced, squeezing one eye shut and squinting up at him with the other. Gabriel wasn't usually this... I wanted to say sassy but that sounded ridiculous.

"I wasn't dripping in blood," I protested, trying to sit up. From what I could see of the ceiling, this looked like Gabriel's bedroom.

Gabriel firmly pushed me back onto the pillow.

"Lie down," he said, edging on a command. He tore at a roll of gauze. "Only slightly bloody, excuse me for exaggerating."

I tried to ignore his glower, rubbing at the scratches on my face. "What happened?"

"Oh, I will tell you what happened," Gabriel practically seethed. "You dropped like a sack of dead potatoes and I almost called the police. But I know you, and I know you love skirting on the edge of the law, so I went rummaging through your bag for answers and what did I find? Bloody, shredded clothing and your phone, knifed in half."

I smiled weakly. "Did you carry me up here?"

Gabriel wasn't amused. "Pitched you over my shoulder like an actual sack of dead potatoes," he said darkly.

I sighed, squirming over so I could encircle my arms around his waist. "Thanks."

"Don't try softening me up," Gabriel grumbled, sounding relatively softened. He went quiet, smoothing down my unruly wig. "The last time you went missing on me, you ended up nursing two bullet holes."

The memory sent a cold shiver down my spine. I looked up. "That's not going to happen again."

Gabriel didn't look so certain. "What were you doing, Luca?"

I blinked, countering the question with another. "Where's my bag?"

"Over there," Gabriel gestured behind him. "What else are you carrying in there? It's almost as heavy as you are."

I bolted upright, almost blacking out again as all the blood rushed from my head. I would ignore his comment about how heavy I was, for now.

"Careful!" Gabriel exclaimed, but I was scrambling from the blankets, trying to locate my bag through the three spinning versions in front of me. Though my wounds had all stopped bleeding, I strongly suspected I was concussed.