I sighed and explained what had happened earlier in the day with the attack. “Oh my God, are you all right? Are you injured?” she immediately began.
“No, no, I'm fine,” I assured her.
“Wade, concussions don’t always show up in an obvious manner. You should know that. We need to get you to a hospital to get checked out by a proper physician. You could have injuries you don’t know about if you were knocked out. I don't know if the nurse was nearly thorough enough in her examination.”
She didn’t say a word about the fact that our case against Tammy and Kelly was lost. Her concern was solely on me and my health. It was flattering and, frankly, made me feel a little warm inside.
“You don't need to worry about that, Eryn. I'm fine, I really am.”
“You might think you are now, Wade, but seriously, head injuries can be dangerous if not checked out properly.”
“All right, all right. I'll go to the hospital right after this and get it checked out properly if it will make you feel better. But aren't you at all worried about the fact that we now don't have a solid case against Tammy and Kelly?”
“I just care about you,” she blurted out and then immediately looked like she shouldn't have said it.
I tried hard not to grin from ear to ear. “I...I appreciate that, Eryn, I do. And, that's how I felt when I saw you get hurt. That's why I wanted to get Tammy and Kelly so badly.”
“What's important is that you're okay,” she said softly.
“And, what's important to me is that you're okay.”
We both sat in silence for a while, just staring at each other, the heat between us simmering quietly. Suddenly, I watched her expression change and she tilted her head.
“Did you get a look at the guy who attacked you?” she asked.
“Not much of a look. He was wearing a hoodie and a bandanna to cover his face.”
“What color hoodie?”
“White,” I replied.
Her eyebrows went up. “And let me guess: black jeans and red sneakers?”
“Yeah...yeah!” I said, remembering.
“You didn't happen to see what color his hair was, did you?” Eryn asked me.
“I didn't, but a witness said it was short and blond. Stylish, was how she described it,” I told her.
“And, did you manage to hit him during the attack?”
“I got in one good shot, popped him near his eye. Why?”
She bit her lower lip. “I think I know who did this, Wade. In fact, I'm almost certain about it.”
Chapter Nineteen
Eryn
As soon as Wade began describing his attacker, my mind flashed right back to an hour before at the mall when I'd seen my ex Tim meeting up with Tammy at the coffee shop. The fact that Tim was sporting a freshly swollen black eye had seemed like a total mystery to me at the time, but after hearing that Wade was attacked by someone who was wearing the exact same outfit that I'd seen Tim in – minus the bandanna, of course – it all made sense.
I had no doubt, once the shock of my ex dating that skank Tammy wore off, that Tim had mugged Wade for the sole reason of getting his phone so his new girlfriend could have the evidence against her. The pieces just fit together way too perfectly according to the circumstances for it to be a mere coincidence.
“How on Earth do you know who mugged me?” Wade asked, uncertainty painted over his face.
“I think it was my ex-boyfriend, a guy named Tim Miller.”
“Why the hell would your ex attack me?”