Page 9 of Safe
“You’re welcome,” he replied with a warm tone in his voice. He was absentmindedly stirring the soup, and I could see that something was still bothering him. “You don’t have to, but… do you want to talk about what just happened?”
No part of me wanted to relive it, but I knew I needed to. Even the smallest detail might help them catch Landon.
I took a shaky breath and nodded. “Yeah. I think I should.”
“The doctor was right. He used a baseball bat. First,he hit me in the head. Then I remember falling. Landon was standing over me. He swung at my legs next. I remember… hearing the bone in my leg snap.” I paused, glancing at Alex. He looked away, but there was no mistaking the disgust. He was clenching the spoon in his fist like it had personally wronged him, fighting to hold himself together. I didn’t want to keep going, but I forced myself.
“And then…” My breath hitched. “Then he hit me in the face. That’s all I remember.”
Alex didn’t say anything at first. He just stared at the wall, his jaw clenched and his eyes fixated on the whiteboard with my care instructions. It was clear he was at a loss for words. I tried to pull his attention back to reality before he got too in his head.
“Alex, I know you’ve already decided on a plan if Landon isn’t caught before I’m discharged. Don’t treat me like a child. I want to know what the plan is.”
He finally looked at me with reluctance. “You’re right. You deserve to know. You’re not going to like it, and honestly, I don’t either, but the only other option was witness protection, and there’s no way I’m losing you like that because of some lowlife piece of shit like Landon. The plan is for Cody to take you somewhere safe until we find him.”
I blinked, trying to make sense of what I just heard. I couldn’t comprehend what he was actually trying to suggest. My annoyance came out as nervous laughter that I didn’t even remotely try to hide.
“Your roommate?”
“Yep.”
“And take me? Take me where? Cody lives with you, Alex, and Landon knows where you live. So, where is he supposed to take me?”
“Correction: he did live with me. Cody knows that if wedon’t catch Landon in time, he’ll need to leave, and he’ll take you with him. I trust him, Danielle. If anyone can keep you as safe as I can, it’s Cody. When we find Landon, you can both come back. Until then, I need you to trust my judgment.”
My stomach twisted in knots, adding new pain to the list of things I was enduring at the moment.
I didn’t like this plan. Not at all. Cody was a stranger to me. If someone lined up a dozen men in a room, I couldn’t pick him out. All I really knew was that he met Alex in the Army, and after I moved out, Alex let Cody stay with him because he was having trouble adjusting to civilian life. Trying to find his purpose, as Alex had put it.
I scoffed, unable to keep my sarcasm in check. “So that’s the plan then, huh? Send me off to nowhere with some emotionally unstable ex-soldier who doesn’t even know what to do with himself. Brilliant, Alex.”
I regretted the words the second they left my mouth. Alex’s face hardened, and now he just looked cold and emotionless.
I knew Cody meant the world to him. I didn't fully know their history, but I was painfully aware that Cody had saved Alex’s life before, and I’d just insulted the one person he trusted most. Before I had a chance to retract my statement or express any kind of remorse, Alex hit back with the same force.
“Well, considering the predicament that hiding things from me has put you in, unless you want to take care of this yourself, which you’ve done such a great job of up until now, I really don’t see you having a choice here.” Alex was stern, snapping back at me with resolve.
Damnit. He has a point.
He wasn’t going to tolerate me saying no. There was no way around this, and I was just going to have to deal with it.
-
The next six weeks were a struggle, but Alex was there every day helping me through rehab. The rehab was brutal; I’d almost argue that it was the most painful part of recovery. At this point, my stitches were gone, the worst of my bruises had faded, and my eye was almost healed. Soon, my casts would come off. I’d still need a wheelchair for at least another week, and walking would be tough, but in just a few days, I’d be ready to leave the hospital.
Leaving the hospital should have been something to celebrate, but all I felt was dread and uncertainty. This hospital had become my sanctuary—my single sense of security. Now I was expected to trust a total stranger, someone I’d never even met, to protect me the way Alex always did? The thought gave me anxiety.
There was still no sign of Landon, and with just a few days before my discharge, the thought of him being out there had my nerves stretched thin. All I could do was hope for a miracle breakthrough in the case.
Before I could get deep into the anxiety that was yanking at my insides, I was pulled back to reality by a knock on the doorframe. I looked up to see Alex standing there with a pensive look on his face, watching me as a faint crease formed between his brows as I worked my wrist back and forth.
“How’s the wrist feeling?” he asked.
“It’s stiff and weak. Still hurts, but it’s getting better.” I kept my focus on my wrist. Part of me just wanted Alex to know I was still upset. “What’s up?”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but we still have no leads on where Landon went,” Alex exhaled through his nose, then spoke, as if he’d rather be saying anything else. “He ditched his brother’s car, so any trail we had is gone. I’m going to head home for a bit and talk to Cody. He needs to get some things in order before he can come get you in a few days, and I want tomake sure he’s got everything he needs. If you’re up for it, I can bring him by for dinner tonight so you can meet him.”
I stopped moving my wrist, staring at the wall with my eyes fixed on nothing in particular in hopes that it would make Alex disappear. This wasn’t the life I wanted, and it wasn’t fair. I was never going to feel safe with this guy. Honestly, I wouldn’t feel safe anywhere with anyone until Landon was caught.
