Page 11 of Relapse

“We—what? We are the victims here! This was clearly an attack against our Hansen name!” my mom erupted with a cry.

I glared at the idiots in blue. “What the actual fuck are you talking about?”

The officer scowled. “Damian is working in the back right now to discuss potential leads. People who’d want to hurt your dad. Or you.” His eyes shifted to Delane. “Or even you, it seems, by Damian’s understanding.”

Delane seemed bewildered. I probably did too.

“Me? Why would anyone want to hurt me?” she asked hastily.

My heart sank from my chest to the pits of my stomach. Delane caught my gaze and we stayed there, eyes locking. I tried my best to convey to her how sorry I was, without speaking. I hadn’t thought that anyone would have reason to hurt Delane. Only one person came to my mind, and that was because he had tried to hurt Delane before.

Silas. And I knew she was thinking it too.

I’d be lying to say his involvement didn’t cross my mind. His name burned the back of my throat and I cleared it nervously. There was no way I’d say it out loud. Delane’s eyes conveyed recognition. She knew I wouldn’t either. She knew I wouldn’t break. But Damian… If Damian had anything to say about potential leads, Silas’s name was all over the paperwork already. If Damian knew anything about me, though, he should know I’d never give Silas up or intentionally place him under fire.

Shit. This was going to get messier.

My mother started blubbering facts without being asked. “It all happened so fast, we were heading to the center of the ballroom and then…and then…” her voice hitched in the back of her throat as she struggled to regain her breath.

I reached out to embrace her. “Mom, you need to stay calm.”

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if—” she began, her eyes staring off into the distance.

I squeezed her tight. “It’s okay, mom.”

“Miss?” the second officer extended his hand to Delane once again. The way she looked at me seemed like she was asking for validation or permission.

I nodded, giving her hand one final squeeze before relinquishing her to the officers. “I’ll be right here,” I assured her, sending her off down the hallway so that she could tell them what she saw.

I hoped she didn’t tell them more than that.

Chapter four

Cost of Silence

DELANE

They’d cleared out one of the hospital rooms to bring me to. If you could even call it “cleared out.” The bed with a tight blue sheet was shoved into the corner, and someone had dragged in a folding table, set it dead center of the room like it belonged there. Everything about the white-washed walls felt sickly, and the strong scent of disinfectant burned my eyes.

The night was beginning to take its toll on me. I was exhausted, but I wanted to help. If my intel could make this easier for Noah and his family, I knew I had to try to talk to the officers.

I couldn’t even believe that Noah’s father was attacked in cold blood. My head hadn’t quite wrapped around the severity of the situation just yet, or what that meant for me and Noah moving forward. Clearly, this was no ordinary family I was dealing with. What’s worse, I had remained unaware that the Thornes were even a part of the celebration, let alone the suspected cause for chaos between Noah’s own family members.

I began to mentally question the entire night. Had Noah known the whole time that Silas’s family would be in attendance? It was hard to shake the thought that Noah was aware of this the entire time and didn’t say a word to warn me.

I wondered… had Silas actually shown up to the event? Had he seen me there?

When the police officer mentioned that Damian was concerned with my safety, the only name that stuck in my consciousness was Silas’s. I really couldn’t think of another person that had a problem with me, besides him.

But why Noah’s father? I couldn’t get past it. Maybe, he was a target because of his role in the police force. While that would make a certain amount of sense, the timing of it all didn’t seem to add up. With this being an event to celebrate Noah’s father, the attack against him seemed so abrupt—so random. Thinking about it made my head hurt and fear warm through my chest. The more I tried to understand it, the worse I felt. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still…off.

I had been so close to the attacker. He had…touched me.

The thought alone made my stomach churn.

I awkwardly made my way towards the table, assuming one of the two mismatched chairs facing each other was for me. I sat, a bit unsteadily, the leg wobbling every time I shifted my weight to try and get comfortable. I waited for the officers, resisting the urge to bite my nails.

Even though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong, I still felt in trouble. It was times like this that I wished I had my parents here, or that they’d answer when I called. I needed some additional support, and I wasn’t sure who to turn to.