Sparrows Song

Chapter 4

He took long quick strides and his grip on Jane's arm was tight as he practically dragged her toward a black car parked a block away from her house, causing Jane to stumble to keep up. She threw a glance backward toward the house as Blake opened the passenger side door and ushered her in, carelessly tossing her bags into the back seat.

Andy had not yet left the house to follow them, but Jane felt certain that he would. Shaken, she gripped the sides of the seat and tried to still the furious beating of her heart. What had just happened? She was still in a state of overwhelmed shock as Blake shifted the car into drive and sped away.

They drove in silence for a few blocks before Jane regained enough composure to speak. "He's going to call the police," she said, wishing her voice hadn't come out sounding so small.

Blake glanced sidelong at her and laughed humorlessly. "No, he won't," he replied decisively.

Jane looked at him then and was startled when she noticed a thin trickle of red running down the side of his neck.

"You're bleeding!" she gasped.

He let out a laugh again, but Jane found nothing funny about the situation. Blake was shaken himself, although he would never admit to it, and so laughing in the face of his close call seemed like the only appropriate response. He hadn't even registered receiving the shallow cut to his neck while he wrenched the knife away from Jane's fiancé.

"Yeah, because your fucking boyfriend tried to kill me."

Maybe it was because of the stoic tone of his response, or because she was already rattled, that she didn't think before responding, "Well, you did break into our house."

Blake turned and gave Jane an icy glare. "I'm sorry then that he wasn't successful, if that's how you feel," he spat with so much venom that Jane held her breath. She hadn't meant to come across so callously about the attempt on his life, as if his life didn't matter at all to her, but she knew that was how Blake had taken it.

"No, I didn't mean it that way, Blake. Are you alright?" She asked softly, her voice full of concern as she registered for the first time that Blake seemed rattled too.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, brushing off her concern and letting out a breath, feeling some of the tension release from him. After all, they had gotten out of there just in time, and it was all over now.

Jane was not calmed, however. "What are you going to do if the police come after us?"

"I said, he's not gonna call the cops," Blake sighed, minorly irritated by her chosen line of questioning.

"How do you know?"

Blake looked her way, his expression serious, "because people who beat their girlfriends don't call the cops."

Jane huffed in disbelief. "He does not beat me! You don't even know what you're talking about. You have it all wrong."

"Oh yeah? Then what was going on tonight before I got there?"

"Ugh," Jane huffed again, "he was just annoyed because he was hungry, that's all. It wasn't a big deal. Since I stay home now I always make sure to have dinner ready when he gets home from working long days. Anyone would be a little annoyed if they were hungry and expected dinner and it wasn't done. There wasn't any else going on." Jane's high-pitched reply sounded overly defensive even to her own ears.

Blake was unmoved. "You screamed. I heard you."

"I did not! If I made a noise it was because I was startled. I was still nervous because you barged in on me!" she accused.