Page 91 of The Quiet Witness

Lucien allowed a hint of his darker side to shine through in his answering smirk. “You just entered my personal space, Luke. I would advise you not to do so again.”

He could see in the young man’s eyes that he knew he was treading into dangerous territory. Nevertheless, his question followed.

“You were saying something about superiors, let me guess, you’re one of them?”

Leaning against the car to halt any other advances, Lucien continued. “I’m not, but your boss is walking down here right now.” Pointedly glancing past Luke to prove his point. Lucien leaned in closer as the man huffed, seeing his partner. “It would be wise to leave me be before I lose my patience.”

“That sounds an awful lot like a threat, sir.”

Lucien waved a hand toward Richard, smiling as he said. “Consider it a polite warning since you’re new in town.”

Chapter 37

Care for the Wounded

The car ride home was charged in its silence. Kate glanced toward Lucien, who had one hand clenched around the steering wheel and the other balled into a fist, resting on his thigh. Every muscle in his forearm was clenched taut.

As if he were fantasizing the end he would bring upon those poor souls.

She couldn’t blame him. Not this time.

Kate didn’t know where to put her own. Even after everything she’d just been through, she couldn’t shake the thought that the light interior of the car would soak up the blood stains. So, she kept staring at her ragged hands. They looked like she’d been an actor in a horror movie. Cracked nails, split skin, and red covering her up to her forearms.

Her lap, a sea of scarlet.

Her sight blurred, teardrops mixing with the stickiness coating her. Her eyes closed involuntarily. Now that the adrenaline had faded, it was replaced by a fatigue so heavy she felt it would pull her under, drag her to the deepest depths of sleep. At least, that’s what she hoped.

Kate wouldn’t be able to take the nightmares, not with this. She never wanted to think of this day again.

Warmth grazed against her upraised hands and her eyelids fluttered open, watching Lucien’s broad hand covering hers, giving a gentle squeeze before he placed both of them in his lap.

Needing no words to offer her a crumb of comfort.

Blinking through the tears, half dazed, she croaked out. “Thank you… I didn’t know where to go with them.” Shock. She was in shock. That’s why her words did not make any sense. Why every sound was stunted, why a shrill peep took over her hearing.

“Everything is covered in blood.” She couldn’t stop herself from unraveling before him.

Lucien softly squeezed them once more. “Thank God for hydrogen peroxide.” But even his usual sarcastic tone lacked any actual humor.

The sentence should mean something to her. It was familiar, wasn’t it? But she couldn’t place it. Nothing made sense anymore.

What a difference from the morning. Had it even been today? She shook her head in confusion, asking. “It was this morning that we…” What should she even call it? “were threatening each other?”

He nodded, plastering a soft smile to his face as he said. “It was indeed. But don’t we do that every morning though?” She appreciated the sentiment. But a laugh was the last thing on her mind.

Time passed differently in this state. Before she knew it, the Volvo crunched along the long driveway, bringing her back into Lucien’s oasis of silence.

That’s what it was. The thought hit her out of nowhere. After the screams, the rage, the fighting and the pain that lingered on her scalp, her knees, and fingers. The heavy silence hanging in and around the house was what she needed. All she wanted now was to wrap herself in it and forget the world. If only until she felt like a human again.

The engine was silenced and Lucien got out. Walking around to help her open the car door, he offered her his hand. She stared at it, dumbfounded. For a split-second she was transported back to the first time he had made the offer. It had been in the same car, only that time he’d just kidnapped her, had killed her foster family.

She’d been frightened then, terrified even and yet she’d been defiant. Kate couldn’t remember feeling this out of touch. The killing of her abusive family hadn’t even kept her up at night. No, she hadn’t let any tears drop for the lives they had lost. But this? She knew it would haunt her for years to come.

Taking his offer, she let him help her out of the car. This time there were no needle pricks as her feet hit the floor. Nothing but a numb feeling weighing down her legs as she dragged them behind her.

Once outside, Lucien still didn’t let her go, instead, he covered the small of her back and guided her inside.

Kate couldn’t for the life of her force an inch of distance between them. For he was the one used to having blood on his hands, but now he was the only one anchoring her in reality.