Page 69 of No Broken Promises

Nothing is making sense to me anymore.

“If I thought for a second that Artie was capable of hurting him, I’d be right there with you.” I reach out and put a calming hand on Remy’s chest. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t think he would hurt Nox. Or me. If someone were out to get me, to hurt me, I think it’s more likely that it’s that nurse. Mallory, whatever her last name is. The one who tried to give me a catheter. Not Artie Sims. He’s as harmless as you would be to Nox.”

Yes, I am completely and utterly panicking. I’m grasping at straws, because if I’m honest with myself, I have absolutely no idea who would want to hurt me or Nox.

I have to put everything in separate little boxes. Crazy psychotic nurse in one spot, and Artie Sims in another. Compartmentalizing it is the only way I won’t end up a sobbing mess on the floor, unable to do anything or help anyone.

Unable to get Nox back.

“The Purple Heart was on the edge of his property, Parker.” Remy scratches his ear and sighs deeply, staring at the wall above my head.

He doesn’t need to keep going over the facts. He already did it enough on the way to the police station.

We both know that Nox sleeps with that damned medal. He keeps it as a way to stay close to his father even though we are all moving on. The fact that it is not only outside, but on the edge of Artie’s property is suspicious.

“I don’t think he did it,” I insist. “He lives with his girlfriend. Where would he hide Nox?”

Remy stares at me, his eyes flat and withdrawn.

“No.” I shake my head, denying what I can see written on his face. “No. Remy. We’ve known Artie since elementary school. He’s not that kind of person. He would not hurt Nox.”

He opens his mouth, and I prepare to argue with whatever he says. No matter what it is, I know Artie. He’d been there for me when I needed help with Nox in the middle of the night and couldn’t reach my in-laws. He, and later Taylor when they got together, would come over for game night and movies, always there when I needed company and Nox was just a baby.

The door behind Remy shakes suddenly, and the glass shatters as something black hits the window. Remy steps away from the debris.

“What the shit?” Remy raises an eyebrow at my incorrect phrase and I flip him off. “You know what I mean. What was that?”

He leans forward through the broken glass and sticks his head out, only to retreat back into the room a second later. “Looks like some chick’s goin’ batshit crazy in the bullpen.”

Adrenaline pumps through my veins, causing a headache to appear on the right side of my head for the first time in a week.

“Where is he? The asshole?” Taylor’s voice echoes through the police station. “I know he’s here. If you don’t bring him out right now, I’m going to lose my shit.”

“Taylor,” I tell Remy. “That’s Artie’s girlfriend.”

“Get him out here!” Taylor screeches at the top of her lungs. “I don’t care what you think he did to that whore’s son. Artie didn’t do anything.”

My fist clenches, and my mouth hangs open as she continues ranting about me.

“Did she just call me a whore?” Remy doesn’t even have to answer because I know the truth. Just like everyone else in Birch, Taylor only pretended to like me, and probably because of the very man who is being interrogated about my son’s disappearance.

Remy opens the door so that we aren’t just watching through the broken window. I follow him into the bullpen and behind the half wall so that I can watch without being in the line of fire.

“She’s a psychopath.”

Really, Taylor looks like something out of a bad movie that was made in a third-world country on an old camcorder. She’s wearing a bright-red shirt that’s about three sizes too big for her—in a bad way—over a pair of skintight black leggings and matching black boots. Her hair is in a ponytail that wasn’t doing a good job of keeping the long black locks out of her face, and her eyes are dancing around the room wildly.

“You!” Her eyes land on me and I fight the urge to hide behind Remy. “It’s all your fault. Artie wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for your stupid whore ways and your stupid whore face.”

I cringe at the second mention of my past, but Remy’s there, like always, to defend me.

“Stop talking, Taylor.” His booming voice causes the other woman to halt, dropping the chair she’d picked up in her fury.

Remy looks around the room, which is packed to the gills with people. A group of officers and volunteers are there using the station as a launching point in the search for Nox. Not only that but even Mallory, the catheter nurse that harassed me, is there too. Everyone stands there watching Taylor like she is a bomb ready to detonate.

“I feel like I’ve stepped into the twilight zone,” I whisper to no one in particular.

Remy doesn’t turn in my direction, his eyes glued to Taylor, who in turn is staring at me like I’m her worst enemy.

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