He opened the door and stepped in. Sure enough, his eyes were closed.
“Matt, as much as I don't want you to see me like this, it scares me even more for you to attempt this with your eyes closed.” Taryn closed hers instead, dread filling her. “Please don't take offense that when you open yours, my eyes will be closed.”
“Ok. I'm getting ready to pick you up,” he informed her, then sprung to action and lifted her in his arms, not even flinching.
Taryn never felt so exposed and embarrassed in her entire life.
He set her back down in her chair. “There you go. Why don't you get dressed, then meet me in the living room? I'll call Chris and tell him you're okay.”
“Thank you, Matt,” she uttered through her tears. “I'm never this bad. At least, I haven't been in years.” Taryn forced herself to open her eyes and look him in the eyes. Nothing but compassion shone in them.
“I'm glad I came by. I hate to think what would have happened if I didn't.” He didn't even give her a look of sympathy. Instead, Matt left the bathroom so she could get changed. She breathed a sigh of relief, then headed toward her bedroom and shut the door to get dressed.
Shudders from her long cry rippled through her body as she struggled through dressing. Then she yanked her sheets and stuff off the bed and piled them in a basket before she left her room. Matt waited out in the living room. “Doing laundry? Are you a night owl?”
“No. I-I had horrid dreams and woke up in a sweat,” she stuttered. “Let me throw these in the wash real quick.” Taryn wheeled toward the washer, opened the lid, then dropped the sheets and blanket in. Kyra's set was the perfect height for her. “What happened? Why did Chris have you come by?” she asked when she wheeled back toward Matt.
Matt's lips were pressed in a thin line. “You know that girl Alice, the one who works at Harmony's Echo Inn?”
Taryn groaned. “Yeah, I know all about her.” Question was, did Matt know why Taryn would know so much?
“She showed up at Chris' apartment a few hours ago, completely distraught. She said something to him about coming to talk to you, but instead, she went to him. Well, someone attacked Alice, and Chris was the last one to see her before that.”
“What? Is she-?” Dread squeezed her gut.
“She's alive. I don't think anyone's under suspicion, but Chris wanted to make sure you were okay and that she hadn't talked to you in a manic state of mind. He panicked when you didn't answer, so he called me. I figured it wouldn't hurt for me to drop by and check on you.” Matt stifled a yawn, quickly covering his mouth.
“I pretty much went to sleep after Chris dropped me off. I spent yesterday with him in Harmony's Echo to help with Melody and her wedding plans.”
“Yeah, that's what he said.” Matt nodded. “I looked around the property. Nothing seems out of place or odd. I don't even know if Alice knew where Kyra lived, but it didn't hurt to look around.”
“So someone hurt her? What happened?”
“I'm not sure of all the details,” Matt admitted. “Chris sounds pretty upset, though.”
“I guess I'd better call him.” Taryn rolled toward her room to grab her phone. Sure enough, there were about four missed calls, three from Chris and one from Matt, and several texts. She skipped reading or listening and called him directly.
“Taryn! There you are!” He breathed a sigh of relief when he answered.
“Yeah. Sorry. I had a bad night and woke up drenched in sweat, so I took a shower. That's where I was when you called. I can't move fast to answer my phone-”
“That's okay. I'm really glad to hear your voice, though. Did Matt come and check on you? I totally feel bad for bugging him.”
“He did. Actually, I … I kinda fell, and he had to move me to my chair.”
“You fell? Shit. I'm so sorry.”
“It happens. I probably would have been able to move eventually, but I hit my elbow pretty good when I landed on the floor.” The damn thing still tingled and ached.
“Crazy ass timing. Alice didn't talk to you tonight, did she?”
“No. Matt told me a little of what he knew. What happened?” She wheeled back to the living room. Matt hadn't left yet. In fact, he was on the phone as well. Taryn moved back so that they wouldn't end up overshadowing their phone conversations. No doubt he was talking to Kyra. Well, maybe Andrew. One of the two.
“Alice dropped by maybe an hour after I came home. She was upset. Maybe she'd been drinking, I don't know. She said she loved me and thought I felt something for her, and she couldn't understand why I'd leave her for you. Holy hell. We fought- well, she fought me. Scratched me up with her long nails. I told her she needed to leave before I called the police. She said she would have it out with you and then took off. Then, at about midnight, I heard from the police. They'd come by because my number was on Alice's phone as the last person she called. I woke up completely startled to their knock on the door. Alice wrecked her car, and it was found abandoned at the scene. Someone found her stumbling through the woods, bruised and banged up. She doesn't really remember what happened. She'd had her phone and kept trying to call me. Sure enough, there were a lot of missed calls on my phone.”
“Do they blame you? The cops?” Her stomach knotted. What a strange situation.
“No. They saw my reaction and how I'd been woken from a deep sleep. They did go ahead and check my tires and look around my apartment, with my permission. So far, I'm not a suspect.”
“Hell. What a night,” Taryn muttered.
“Yeah. I'm so glad to hear your voice right now, drummer girl. I'm half tempted to call out of work and come up there to be with you, but with me going to Kansas, I shouldn't miss more than I need to. You know you can't go hurting yourself. You're supposed to nurse me back to health soon. Then it'll be your turn.”
Taryn snorted. “Gee, thanks. I'll try to keep that in mind next time.”
“Taryn...” Chris' voice went to a serious note. “All joking aside, tell me you're okay. I'm not going to be able to get any sleep unless I know for real.”
“My elbow hurts like you wouldn't believe, but my pride is the worst thing. I- I fell after showering.”
Silence greeted her. “Damn. I hope like hell you weren't trying to rush to the phone.”
“Umm. Maybe a little, but it was already a rough night. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have.” She hesitated. It was true.
“I hate those bad dreams where I wake up like that. Really creepy feeling.”
“I know.” Her elbow throbbed, the pain coming in and out in waves. Her fingers were tingly. Hopefully, she didn't cause any serious nerve damage.
“So I asked Alice about that text before she went batshit crazy on me, and she says she didn't send you anything. I don't know how true it is, but we'll see. Don't be surprised if the police ask you anything.”
She stifled a yawn. “I'll be prepared. I wonder what happened.”
“For all we know, she could be making it up. She was pretty unlike herself. Drunk and making stories? I don't know, but it's got me worried. Take it easy, Taryn. Call me if you need anything.”
*****
Taryn hung up with Chris a little while later, almost forgetting that Matt was in the living room. “Oh! I didn't realize you were still here!”
He smiled sheepishly and rubbed his eyes. “Kyra doesn't want me to leave you alone any more tonight.”
She groaned. “I'll be fine. No one's gonna come and get me.” Except for her inner voices, but she was used to those.
“It's not even about that,” Matt said quietly, approaching her tentatively.
“Because I fell? It happens, Matt.” Agitation slipped into her voice. “I do appreciate the concern, but I've been taking care of myself for a long time.”
“I know. I'm torn right in the middle. I know you want to have your independence, but like Kyra, I worry about you being alone after that. What happened tonight?” He moved to sit on the chair closest to her.
Did she not already explain this to him? “Bad dreams. I've got a lot on my mind, and it all blended together. I felt gross after being soaked in sweat, so I took a shower. Between that and the ringing of the phone late at night, I wasn't fully attentive. Okay, so this looks bad, especially after the incident at the concert- what are you doing?” Taryn narrowed her eyes.
“Texting Kyra and telling her that what I thought would happen did happen.” Matt typed into his phone. “She says she's calling you.”
“Ugh. You two stop texting about me, please!” Taryn begged. Her phone rang and sure enough, Kyra's number registered. “Tell your boyfriend to go home. I'm fine. And stop texting about me while I'm right here.”
“Good early morning to you, too,” Kyra quipped, sounding tired, but somehow alert at the same time. “I just want to know that you're okay.”
“I'm fine. A little sore, very tired, and ready to get back to bed.” Except until her sheets were washed and dried, she couldn't. But she'd be better when everyone wasn't fussing over her.
“Then I'll hang up and let you go to bed. I'll be home midafternoon tomorrow, so when you get home from work, let's have dinner. And maybe we should find some kind of alert system, in case you fall again and you aren't near your phone- especially if no one is home.”
Taryn sighed. “I know. I used to have one. Then I got big headed, thinking I could do it all.”
“Okay, well, seems things in Sunset Hills and Harmony's Echo are going crazy without me, so I'll join the party when I get back.”
“Thanks, Kyra. Hope your trip is well.”
“Busy, busy, and busy. Lots of planning, but stuff is getting done. We gotta get the photo shoot for you and the band soon. Excitement about the tour is buzzing, and Nashville is ready to learn about you guys.”
“That's great!” Taryn smiled, but her heart pitter-pattered in strange ways.
“All right. Go to bed. Sleep well, and don't go hurting yourself. I'd kinda like to keep you around, now that we're friends again.”
“You won't get rid of me that easily.”
Matt chuckled after they hung up. “I don't like getting in the middle with you two. Do you want me to go?”
“I can't go to bed until my sheets are dried, but don't let me keep you up.” Taryn wheeled away to check on the status of the washer. She didn't hear the rumble. Good, she could throw them in the dryer. After she set the stuff in the dryer and turned it on, Taryn headed back towards Matt. “I hope you aren't working today.”
“Actually, I am.” He grimaced.
“Ugh. Go home then. Get some sleep.”
“I think it's going to be hard to sleep after all of tonight's events,” Matt admitted. “Big change of subject here, but I really want to ask your opinion. If I were to buy Kyra an engagement ring, what do you think she would like?”
Taryn straightened, completely on alert. “So you're thinking about it!” Now she wanted to squeal with joy!
His face lit up. “I'm always thinking about it, which is very unlike me. I don't know when or how, but yeah, I'm thinking about it. Maybe when it's time to pick the ring, I could enlist your help?”
“I'd love that,” Taryn said softly. “Kyra would say yes to you in a heartbeat.”
“You think so? I don't even know what kind of ring to get her. She's Kyra, and I don't know if I could find, or afford, anything that measures up to what she means to me.”
“It's not about what you can afford, Matt.” Taryn ran her fingers along the arm of her chair. “It's symbolism. Find something that will mean the world to you two. You should know she doesn't care about how much something is.”
“Yeah, you're right. She'd kill me for doing the 'famous girl and regular guy' thing again. I promised her ages ago I'd try to stop. Some habits you just don't break out of easily.” He blinked and raised his shoulders in a shrug. “I'm not telling Andrew yet. For one, he will bug me way too much until I do it. I want this to be perfect, and for two, somehow he'd probably spill the beans, so I'll wait until it's closer to time.”
“And in the meantime, listen to bets. Can I place mine now on you two and you go with my choice?” she teased.
“Only if you and Chris date according to my bet,” Matt shot back with a laugh.
“Touche.”
“It'll happen when the time is right,” they both said at the same time. Matt and Taryn talked for another hour about stuff aside from her damn fall until her sheets were dry.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I knew this would catch up with you eventually!” Melody hounded Chris after he'd already struggled to get through his shift that day. “But I didn't expect it to be this bad!”
“Gee, thanks. Just what I needed to hear from you. You think I don't feel bad enough about this?” he muttered, brushing past her to get inside his apartment. What he needed was a shower, a shave, find out how Alice was, then go see Taryn. An unwelcome lecture from his baby sister wasn't on the list.
She cringed. “Sorry. Insensitive, I know. That totally came out wrong. I'm a little freaked out is all, especially because someone was hurt, and-” Her voice teared up with every word.
“Whoa. It's all right. Don't cry on me now. I'm okay, Alice is going to be okay, and things will calm down. Didn't mean to snap, but it's been a long day.” He hugged his shaken sister.
“There's a few weeks before my wedding. I'm susceptible to high emotions. You're my only family- or at least, only blood family that cares.”
He softened, then let out a laugh. “So this means a lot more crying and crazy moments for weeks on end? Seriously Mel, it's okay.”
She grabbed his arm, eyes wide. “They don't think you hurt her, do they?”
“No. I'm out of the line of suspects. They had to talk to me to rule it out. They're talking to a lot of people. Most likely they've already talked to Taryn.”
“Yeah, they asked me about you as well, so it kinda spooked me.”
Chris sighed. “Women. Y'all are dramatic.”
“Maybe. This is serious, though!”
“I'm aware of how serious it is. I think the police could ask half the town, and they'd have a lot of stories to tell about Alice. Wish I'd known some of it before I got physically involved with her, but oh well. Too late now.” Out of the casual sex partners, Alice had always been the clingy one. He hadn't even recalled her name until the last few weeks. Jerri had been another interesting character. She was fun in bed, but had her weird quirks, too. He hadn't seen her in some time. She'd just seemed to disappear from his life, though she'd sought him out several times.
“Well, we've had enough stuff go on around here lately. I hope they figure it out quick. It leaves me so rattled.”
“You're not the only one. Hey, I'm going to take a quick shower, then go see how she is, and then probably head over to Sunset Hills to see Taryn. Do you need anything?”
“No. I just wanted to check on you, that's all. Blaine and I are actually going with SueLynn to pick up the dress for her wedding.” Melody slung her purse over her shoulder. “Now all we have to do is get Blaine's wedding taken care of, and there won't be any more wedding fever.”
He waited for her to add 'until the next one', but nothing came. “Have fun.”
“Will do. Keep me updated. You haven't had word from Bridgette or the doctors out there?”
“Nope. Didn't expect to until at least tomorrow.” He shrugged. Melody left, and Chris took care of business before leaving the apartment again. On his way to the car, Chris spotted Alice limping over to him. “Hi.” Her voice came out hoarse. He hadn't expected to see her today.
He braced for impact, considering the way she acted last night. “I was actually about to check up on you.”
“Well, here I am. I need to apologize about last night. I had way too much to drink and was upset. I only vaguely remember coming to your apartment.”
He didn't even have a good reply.“I'd say.”
“I didn't point the police in your direction.
I don't think you did anything to me,” she said, her eyes downcast.
“Good to know.” He continued to be cordial. What the hell had he been thinking when he hooked up with her? Oh, right. He hadn't been thinking. Not with the upper brain, anyway. She seemed kinda nice at first. Quiet, sweet, but man, had he ever been wrong.
“You mentioned something about a text last night to Taryn. I never texted her, but it made me remember a text I got.” Alice pulled her phone from her purse, searched it for something, then handed the device to him.
“What the...?”
The same text that had been sent to Taryn showed up on Alice's phone. It didn't mean she didn't do this and send herself one as well to throw anyone off track, but that also would mean she'd faked her attack.
And he was beginning to wonder if not Alice, then who? Serena? She seemed like a sweet girl, not capable of anything like this. Or was Alice's incident unrelated to everything else? “Did you try calling the number?”
“Sure did. No one answers. I can't track it, either. My guess is it's a pay as you go phone. I thought Taryn sent this at first.” Alice pursed her dry, cracked lips together.
“Are you thinking the person who hurt you last night is behind the text?” He drew his brows together, holding back an angry retort about her thoughts of Taryn sending it.
“I don't know. I was way too wasted to remember what I saw. The details were too impaired by that. All I know is I'm freaked out.”
Chris reached out and touched her shoulder. “Be careful, okay? I want you to know that just because we aren't anything more than friends-”
“You mean fuck buddies?” she quipped.
“Okay, fine. Casual sex partners. I want you to be safe.”
“Yeah. Sure. That's what everyone says.” Alice shrugged, pretty much blowing off his words. “I'll get out of your hair now. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks. Oh, and you be safe, too.” Then she slowly walked away, leaving Chris feeling completely unsure. No, he didn't trust her, but as long as nothing more came from it, there wasn't much else to say or do about it. He headed for Sunset Hills, this whole thing on his mind.
Offbeat (Love and Music In Texas Book 5) Page 24