“Yes, thank you.”
“I look forward to getting your statement. It’ll help us keep Lance Malone locked up with unlawful restraint and attempted kidnapping charges. And then there are the physical assault charges.” Sheriff Lennon’s gaze drifts towardDax’s recovery room. “If Dax can map out everything to do with the robberies, we’ll consider dropping the accomplice charges.”
I clutch my chest. “So Dax would be innocent in all this?”
Sheriff Lennon smiles. “I got to know his mother well. He’s a good kid who was brought into a bad situation. I’ll do all I can to help him through this.”
Just as I’m about to thank him again, I’m ambushed.
“Vanessa, thank goodness you’re safe,” my mother wails as she and Dad race down the hallway.
Sheriff Lennon excuses himself as they approach.
Mom throws her arms around me. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
I shove her off me and back away. “No, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Vanessa, you scared us to death,” Dad says sternly. “You’re coming home.”
Mom pulls at her hair. “How could you be so stupid and run into danger like that?”
I scowl at her. “Mom, I love him.”
She scoffs. “You don’t know the meaning of the word.”
“No, you don’t,” I argue. “Love isn’t about abandoning people.”
“Vanessa, you don’t love this boy,” Dad interjects. “He got to you when you were vulnerable.”
“You both have to stop telling me how to behave.” I pant, readying myself for the next sentence. “Or you’ll lose me.”
“What are you saying?” Dad utters.
“I’ll leave with Dax and cut you out of my life.”
“You can’t be serious,” they both snap.
“He’s the reason I’m out of that place.” I tap the space over my heart. “He saved me, and I’m not leaving him.”
“He’s the reason you were in danger in the first place,” Dad argues.
“Because I knew he wasn’t safe there. I will never turn my back on him.”
“This is crazy talk,” Mom rasps. “This boy isn’t good enough for you. You’ll ruin your life with him.”
“Or he’ll make it the best freaking life possible. I don’t care how my life plays out, as long as I get to share it with him.”
“But, Vanessa,” Dad says, reaching for me.
I back away, moving toward Dax’s room. “But nothing.”
Dax’s room used to belong to the woman I found choking. I hope this means she made a full recovery and is living a healthy life. I stop by Mr. Raymond’s door and find him sitting up.
“Vanessa,” he says cheerily.
Happy tears spring in my eyes. “You remembered?”
He sighs, smiling. “They’ve pumped me with some of the good stuff. Never felt better.”
