Page 142 of Relapse

Front and center. Being loaded up into an ambulance next to Noah.

“The world is seeing this now. The Hansen and The Thorne families. Under attack. Brought together by the beating of their two young sons. Like a bad rendition of Romeo and Juliet.”

I watched, speechless.

“Society is looking for an answer. They are hoping to see our two families come together, make amends, and find these oh-so horrific attackers.” Another laugh. “And guess what? I’m ready to play the doting father. I will work side by side with Damian Hansen if I have to, hell—I’ll even let you see Noah again.”

The thought of seeing my Raven again should have brought me happiness. Instead, I was terrified. I continued to stare at the screen in silence, too afraid to even look at Jace.

He glanced over his shoulder.

“Right when I get just close enough, is when I’m going to strike. We’re going to take out Damian, and maybe Noah too.”

I fought to keep my expression steady, but dread settled in my chest. The certainty in his voice was far more horrifying than if he had been shouting. But I learned from the first time, and said nothing. He wouldn’t fool me into reacting with comments like those anymore. If I could watch my own fingers being pulverized in front of me, then I could keep a straight face when he tried to rage bait me with threats towards Noah.

Jace continued. “I already have my foot in the door for the police department. We’re going to get someone real willing in that Chief spot soon. David is out—the stabbing incident is the end of his career. Now, we just need to make sure Damian is taken care of before he fully retires.”

The fact that he was sharing this information with me gave me a sliver of hope. It had to mean that somewhere, deep inside his twisted mind, Jace still trusted me to some degree. He was practically laying out his entire plan for what came next. Maybe that trust would give me some leverage I could use later on.

“They won’t see us coming. Because right when we’ve gained the most trust…” he let the thought hang in the air, a cruel smile growing even wider. “We kill them.”

I finally found the courage to lock eyes with him. Instead of responding, I just nodded my head in agreement to his terms.

“This is a good thing, what happened here.” Jace ushered back to the TV, now showing a clip of the underpass, the blood stains blurred out and a graphic warning listed in the ticker tape running across the bottom of the news footage. “This sets us up to be the victims. And that’s exactly what we need to remove some of the heat off of the family.”

Nausea rolled through my stomach. The sick feeling intensified with every word Jace spoke, leaving me fighting the urge to be sick right then and there.

“So, cheer up, Romeo, no need to die today. Not until we’ve slain all of the Capulets.”

His little joke sent him off on another laughing fit. He was really enjoying himself.

I forced myself to sit still through it, trying to act as though the sound wasn’t like nails on a chalkboard to me. The last thing I needed was for him to see just how shaken I was by the whole interaction. Jace was coming for Noah’s family, and while I knew this day might arrive, I wasn’t prepared to be this unprepared for a fight. At this point, I was barely surviving on my own. But now? I needed to figure out a way to continue protecting Noah and those he cared about.

Because I was beginning to realize that if someone mattered to Noah, they matter to me, too.

After a few minutes, Jace leaned back against my hospital bed comfortably, completely at ease as he listened to the news, while I sat frozen beside him.

He wasn’t worried.

He wasn’t afraid.

In his mind, he’d already won.

And I couldn’t let that become reality.

Chapter thirty-six

Narcan

NOAH

My eyes opened slowly.

The plain colors of the hospital room were dimmed now. Some had cut the lights low for me to sleep. My ears itched from the persistent ticking of the old wall clock above my bed. I assumed that was what woke me.

My gaze dropped to my recently occupied hand. Delane was gone. My hand was empty. There was a little plastic bag of my belongings near my bed. It contained what they had found on me when I got to the hospital.

My phone was there. And the airplane.