Page 7 of Safe
“What did he say?” I pressed.
The Chief sighed, low and measured. “There’s no easy way to put this, Alex. Landon told Liam he was going to come back for Danielle. He said he was going to ‘win her back.’ His words, not mine.”
“Excuse me?” My mouth shouted the words before I could reel it in, drawing stares from everyone in the hallway. I dropped my voice to a harsh whisper. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know yet, and Liam doesn’t either,” the chief replied, “He’s told us everything he knows, Alex. He’s nothing like Landon; he’s a good kid, and he says he’ll help in any way he can. For now, you need to keep Danielle in the hospital.She’s safe there, at least while she’s healing. If we haven’t found Landon by the time she’s ready to leave, we’ll figure something else out.”
“Unbelievable.” I hung up, running a hand over my face as I stared up at the ceiling, searching for answers that wouldn’t come.
How the hell was I supposed to tell her any of this? After everything Landon had done that I failed to protect her from, there was no fucking way I could give her false hope by saying it was over. After everything she’s been through, I couldn’t even offer her the basic comfort of safety or closure.
The realization hit me hard: maybe I’m right. Maybe I can’t be the one to keep her safe. If Landon were out there, he’d expect that I’d never leave her side. That predictability made us both vulnerable and made it a hell of a lot easier for Landon to devise a plan. Maybe I needed to trust someone else, someone Landon wouldn’t see coming.
Cody. He was the only person I trusted with Danielle’s life, even if she’d never met him. The idea wouldn’t go over well with her, and it didn’t sit right with me either, if I was being honest with myself, but my options were running out. I had to get a plan in place and get this over with.
I steadied myself and started walking back towards the room. The moment I reached the doorframe, that nauseous feeling came back. How could I tell her all of this, knowing she didn’t have even a shred of fragile hope in her? The words caught in my throat, refusing to come out.
I slipped back into Danielle’s room and caught her discreetly questioning the doctor about what had happened. I recognized her tone immediately. She was probing, searching for details, trying to piece together what everyone else might already know. Most of all, she wanted to find out if I knew Landon was behind this. I couldn’t let her keep guessing,couldn’t keep pretending. Stepping forward, I interrupted.
“With all due respect, Doctor,” I said, “I think this is a conversation Danielle and I need to have in private.” I met her eyes, bracing myself. “Danielle, we need to talk.”
4. DANIELLE
Instant panic set in when Alex said, “We need to talk.” Saying that with the tone of a disappointed parent, one I had heard from him plenty of times before, I knew he was aware of everything.
I looked down at my legs, each trapped in a cast, heavy and useless.
So much for running.
The bitter realization that I was helpless was taking hold. There was no escape from this conversation.
I had to tell Alex the truth. He needed to hear it to know that he hadn’t failed me; I failed him, and the failure was mine alone. But before I could summon the words, Alex spoke first. His voice was trembling, almost in disbelief.
“Danielle, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how else to ask this, so I’ll just come out with it. Did you know Landon was part of the Juarez Cartel?”
Tears welled up and spilled fast and hot, stinging as they ran down my battered cheeks. He deserved the truth, and I couldn’t hold it back any longer.
“Yes,” I whispered, “I’ve known for most of the time I was with him.”
Alex’s eyes widened. I saw the hurt and anger written on his face, saw him wrestle with it, but then saw him refuse to let it win. His brow unfurled, releasing the pent-up creases in his forehead, and he pressed his face into his hands, trying to think of what to say next.
“Jesus, Danielle. You could have told me. I could have helped!” The volume of his voice rose with his frustration.
“Alex, you couldn’t have, okay?” I replied, exhausted and heartbroken. I didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Not ever, really. Something in me gave way. After all this time, I knew he deserved the whole truth. “It’s time you knew everything. This isn’t the first time he has laid a hand on me. I genuinely thought I could fix him; that this wasn’t the real him. It wasn’t at first. I believed he loved me enough to leave all that behind, but every time I tried—” My thought was choked off by the pain.
The look on Alex’s face was unbearable; I could see the hurt in his eyes, glaring at me with silent accusation. I no longer cared about being blamed as fear and a strange sense of relief tangled together. Finally, someone else knew my secret. I wasn’t alone anymore.
“He would hit you,” Alex’s voice dropped to a whisper as he finished the sentence that I couldn’t. He looked down in shame, as if my pain was his own failure.
“I’m so sorry, Alex,” I whispered.
“No, Danielle. Don’t ever apologize for trying to see the good in someone. I’m the one who should be sorry. I should’ve seen the signs, the withdrawal, the way you changed. It was right in front of me, and I just didn’t see it.”
I searched his eyes, desperate for reassurance. “It’s over now, though, right? They got him?”
The answer was right there in Alex’s eyes before he said a word. He hesitated, looking up to the ceiling as if searching for the answer in the blank space above him.
“I see,” I murmured, trying to keep my composure. I looked down at my legs, avoiding looking at him, willing myself not to cry. I didn’t want Alex thinking any of this was his fault.
