Page 78 of Hush (Fighting Fate)

Guiding Mom into a chair by the doors to wait for Aiden and Lillian, I straightened. There was one more thing I needed to do before I could go.

“I’ll be right back, Mom,” I said before walking back over to the counter.

The officer gave me an easy look as I approached. “Everything okay?” he asked.

I had no idea how to ask. Moistening my lips, I took a deep breath. “I was just wondering if anyone knew how Noah Murphy was doing.”

A shutter went down inside his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t have any idea who you’re talking about.”

I opened my mouth, but what was I going to say? Noah hadn’t exactly told me he was a police officer. It was just a hunch. I really wanted to press my point, but I was suddenly very unsure. Not about him being one of them, but about how undercover he was. What if this guy didn’t even know? What if there were crooked cops and they’d kept it all secretive and stuff? I didn’t want to be the one to put him in danger.

Shit.

But I needed to know. I needed to have some peace of mind. How hurt was he? Was he even still alive?

“He was at the warehouse with me tonight. He’d been shot…”

The officer continued to look at me blankly. “Maybe you should check the hospitals, but if he was involved in the ring we’ve just brought down then you won’t get many answers. Until everything’s been processed, we won’t be releasing any names, and security is at maximum.”

Oh god. I hadn’t even thought of that. What if I couldn’t find out?

Defeated, I muttered a quiet thank you and went back over to Mom. A few minutes later, Lillian rushed through the door. With one quick look at Mom, she pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a tight hug.

Aiden stopped in front of me and gave me a long, assessing look. Needless to say, after almost four days of minimal sleep, stress over what Aaron was going to do to me, being caught up in the middle of a drug war, and now the uncertainty of Noah’s condition, I was more than a little unstable.

My throat thickened and tears swam in my eyes.

“Oh, sweetheart…” Aiden said before pulling me into his arms.

I didn’t break down. I wouldn’t until I knew Mom was okay and I was away from sympathetic eyes. Instead, I let the few tears that were swimming on the surface fall, content with Aiden’s reassuring hold.

When they had us both safely inside their house, and Lillian got Mom showered, fed and sedated in bed, I finally let my defenses down.

By the time I came out of the shower, Mia was home from her date night at the movies with Jace. She’d been mortified when she found out Aiden had been trying to call her, but of course she’d turned her cell off while she’d been in the movie theatre.

Behind her closed bedroom door, her expression was one of complete and utter panic. “God, Kaeli. What happened?”

Making myself comfortable on her bed, I started at the beginning, telling her all about how Ken had changed not long after Mom had married him and the monster he’d become. I told her about the beatings, the verbal smack downs and the threats. I told her in detail about the blackmail and the Den, and the horror I’d felt in it all.

Then I told her about Noah.

Her eyes widened as I described everything I went through with him. The way he’d protected me, the way he’d comforted me, the way he’d risked his life for me. I told her I was pretty sure he was an undercover cop, but there was no way for me to know, or to find out if he was even alive.

By the end of my story, she was in tears.

“Oh, Kaeli. I feel so horrible. I feel like I should’ve known - should’ve been able to help you.”

I shook my head intently. “I’m so glad you didn’t. God, can you imagine what Jace and Aiden would’ve done?”

She cringed, knowing full well they’d have done whatever they could to protect her. To protect me.

“Noah though, Kaeli. Noah sounds amazing. I’m so glad he was there for you. I hope he’s okay.”

I felt the weight of it looming over me. “I hope so too…”

A knock on the door interrupted us and Mia dashed over to open it a crack. I couldn’t see him, but I could tell by the low timbre of his voice that it was Jace. Mia whispered something back and then shut the door.

She sighed as she turned to face me. “All the guys are here,” she said. “Aiden told them you needed to rest, but they’re all really worried about you.”

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