Page 14 of The Stolen Dagger

CHAPTER TWELVE

KATHERINE

A man dressed in black blocked the library exit.

He stood, his feet shoulder-width apart and took up the expanse of the double doors with his broad shoulders.

Because of the dimmed lighting in the hall and the black hood that shielded his face, I couldn’t tell who he was, but he didn’t look like the same man from the bar last night.

“Where is the dagger?” the man asked in a deep, gravelly voice.

“W-what?” I asked, cringing at how my voice shook.

“The dagger!” the man shouted.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I stepped backward.

The man followed.

“Don’t lie to me, girl ,” the man growled. He pulled something out from behind him, and the silver chamber of a gun glinted in the soft yellowed lights. “I know you have it!”

I flinched at his aggressive tone and took another step back, but I was trapped. There was nowhere to go. I certainly couldn’t fight him off with self-defense. He had a gun!

If I turned and ran, he could shoot me in the back.

Where the hell is Drew?

Drew. What would Drew do? Think. Think. Think.

“If you won’t give me the dagger,” the man aimed the gun at me, “maybe I’ll take you back to my boss. I bet a little bird like you knows all of Adrian’s dirty secrets.” The man grinned. “It would be so easy to get you to sing for us. That’ll teach Adrian not to cross the Reaper.”

Wait. If this guy didn’t work for Adrian, then who the hell was the Reaper? And why would he think I had the dagger?

The man stepped closer, and my panic rose. I clenched my fist on the strap of my backpack when it hit me.

My bag! Pepper spray! There’s pepper spray in my bag!

But how could I get it? He’s pointing his gun right at me. He’d shoot me before I even got the bag off my shoulder.

A loud noise rattled behind the man as if someone were trying to open the library doors, but they were usually all locked from the outside after a certain time. Only those with a school ID card could get in by swiping it on the reader outside.

The man looked over his shoulder at the sound. While he was distracted, I swung my backpack off my shoulder, unzipped the top, and dug for the small can of pepper spray that hung on the inside.

“Hey!” the man yelled, his attention back on me. “Don’t move!”

Ignoring him, I fumbled with the pepper spray container and unlocked the cap. Before he could get any closer, I pushed down on the top button and aimed it directly at his face. I held my breath as the toxic mist sprayed and enveloped the man .

“Argh!” the man yelled. His hands covered his eyes and he dropped to his knees. The gun fell to the floor with a clang.

I didn’t wait around to see what happened next before I stepped around him to sprint for the library doors, but a large hand encircled my ankle.

I fell to the ground on my left shoulder and felt something pop. A sharp pain tore through my upper arm, and I screamed. The debilitating feeling left me breathless.

“You can’t get away from me that easily, little bird,” the man growled and coughed as he yanked me back toward him. “I will get that dagger.”

Frantic to get away, I desperately kicked, shoving the sole of my shoe out, hoping to hit something—anything—while cradling my left shoulder.

A sickening crunch resounded as my foot connected with the man’s face, and the hand around my ankle was gone.

Free of his grip, I scrambled up and ran out of the library.

Once I made it down the front steps, I turned to make sure he wasn’t following me. I stumbled backward and breathed through the pain in my shoulder.

The library doors remained closed.

Thank god. I need to get out of here.

I took another step back when I bumped into a hard chest. Hands gripped my arms, and I screamed, swinging out my good arm in defense.

“Hey, hey, it’s me.” Drew caught my hand a few inches from his face. His eyes were wide as they searched mine. “I tried to get in, but the doors were locked, and I couldn’t see anything inside.” His hands moved from my arms to cup my face as he looked me over. “What happened?”

I took a deep breath and pointed at the library. “It’s the guy in a black hoodie. He’s the one who sent me those pictures. He wanted the dagger. ”

“The same one from the bar?” Drew asked, clenching his jaw.

I nodded and winced at the movement, holding my shoulder. “He had a gun, but I had my pepper spray.”

“You weren’t shot, were you?” Drew surveyed my body again before gently lifting my hand from my shoulder.

“No, no, he just tripped me when I tried to run, and I fell,” I rushed out. “I—I’m fine.”

Drew’s concerned gaze turned sharp as he reached for the gun concealed on his hip. “Stay here.” He walked up the concrete steps to the library entrance.

“No.” I swiped the tears off my cheeks, following him. “I’m coming with you.”

“Katherine,” Drew warned. “I said stay out here.”

I matched his scowl with a glare and stomped up to him. “And I said I’m coming with you. Besides, you need my student ID card to get in.”

I pulled out the card from my bag and waved it between us. He wasn’t going anywhere without me, and he knew it.

Drew sighed defeatedly. “Fine. Stay right behind me.”

I nodded, following close behind him.

Using the card reader by the far right door, we walked slowly through the entrance of the library, surveying the small area.

It was still just as dark and vacant as it had been a few minutes ago. My sinuses burned from the sharp, pungent odor of the pepper spray that lingered in the air.

Bypassing the benches on either side of the foyer, we made it to the librarian’s desk on the left. It was still empty, but the lamp in the back corner was on.

The man was nowhere in sight.

“He’s gone,” I whispered.

Drew sighed and, keeping his gun pointed down in front of him, looked back at me over his shoulder. “I still wish you would have stayed outside.”

I glared at him. “Yeah, well, you know I don’t obey commands very well.”

Drew scoffed. “It seems it’s only my instructions you ignore.”

He put his gun back in the holster at his hip and turned, looking down the three hallways connected to the lobby. They were all empty. “He’s gone for now. Probably after you sprayed him.”

I hoped Drew was right and the man was gone, but I didn’t want to stay here in case he showed up again.

“Can we go?” I asked, shuffling a few steps behind Drew. My shoulder throbbed.

His brows furrowed. He cast one last glance around the entry hall before he nodded, grabbed my hand, and led us out of the library.

Streetlamps lined the sidewalk outside and illuminated our path. Only a handful of people were still on campus. The wind swirled around us and goosebumps rose on my skin. I inhaled deeply as the nerves settled inside me but winced at the movement.

“We need to get that looked at,” Drew said, nodding at my shoulder. “It could be dislocated.”

I bit my lip to stop myself from breaking down. “It’s fine. I just need some ice or something. Can you take me back to my apartment?”

Drew turned to me like I’d just slapped him. “Absolutely fucking not. It was ransacked yesterday, or did you forget?”

“Yeah, but?—”

“No, Katherine,” Drew said firmly. “Don’t argue with me about this. We’re going to the hospital and then back to my place. End of story. ”

“But—"

“No, that man who attacked you tonight was most likely the one at the bar and the one who broke into your apartment. There is no way I’m letting you out of my sight with him still out there.”

I shook my head. “He couldn’t have been the one who broke into my apartment.”

Drew’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“He doesn’t work for Adrian. He might’ve been at Jerry’s last night, but he couldn’t have delivered the first note and the message I got at my apartment. It was from a different number. And he said something about his boss and making Adrian pay.”

“Great, so there are two guys after you now.” Drew sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time. First, the hospital to look at your shoulder, then home.”

I rolled my eyes as he put his arm around me again to guide us away from the library.

Despite everything, I relaxed into his hold. His arms around me felt nice—safe—like nothing bad could reach me. I shivered against his hard body, but it wasn’t from the cold.

“Do you have to be so bossy all the time?”

Drew gave me a pointed stare. “Do you have to argue with me all the time?”

“Yes,” I chuckled from sheer exhaustion, “I guess I do.”

Drew carefully squeezed my uninjured shoulder. “We’re going to get you taken care of and then go back to my apartment where we can talk, okay?”

I should have pushed him away, denied his help, and kept him out of my problems with Adrian, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t think I could if I tried.

Instead, I nodded, accepting his help .

After being alone for so long and keeping everyone at arm’s length, it was difficult accepting someone else’s help.

But Drew had proved he cared. He stuck around despite everything I did to push him away. It made me want to be worthy of his care.