Hush - Fighting Fate #2

by Maree Green

  I ran my fingers over the barely visible lines before letting my gaze wander to his arms. “Can I see?”

  He watched me intently as he placed one arm across my lap. I studied the intricate design with fascination. It was a dragon, wrapped around the entire length of his arm, from the tail on the back of his hand, to the fire breathing head up over his shoulder. I was amazed by the detail in it. It must’ve taken ages to do.

  Flicking my gaze to his other arm, I reached for it and he offered it to me with the same intense gaze. This one was more of a mixture of things. I could see claw marks mingled with the churning sea, old parchment with script on it, an amazingly detailed angel statue and what looked like the devil surrounded by flames.

  I shook my head, bewildered. I honestly could spend hours gazing at them both and still not see every little detail that had been inked there.

  Looking up, I met his cautious gaze. “They’re amazing.”

  His face seemed to soften with my words, and I realized he’d been worried about what I thought.

  Letting my gaze drift back over his body, I saw what I’d missed before. On his shoulder there was a puckered scar, about the size of a quarter. My heart started beating faster when I realized what it was then, searching down to his stomach, I found another one.

  I swallowed. “Are these from bullets?”

  His expression turned weary again. I knew he was picking up on my anxiousness, but I didn’t know how to pretend to be otherwise. I hated that he’d been shot.

  He didn’t answer me other than to hum in confirmation.

  I touched them reverently in turn then turned my sad gaze on his. “How did they happen?”

  He sighed. “The one in my shoulder was from S.W.A.T. He didn’t have much of a choice. It was either that or blow my cover.”

  I felt the horror in my expression. “He shot you on purpose?”

  He shrugged. Freaking shrugged! “It was just a shoulder wound.”

  I shook my head. It was spinning so fast I was having trouble remembering the sequence of events. I remembered his stomach bleeding, but not his shoulder.

  “Was that before or after you saved me?”

  “Uh…” He shifted uncomfortably. “After.”

  I glanced down at the mark on his stomach. “So, this one happened while you were saving me?”

  Another uncomfortable look. “Uh…yeah, that was from Pock.”

  My eyes widened as reality hit me. “Pock was shooting at me?”

  Noah cringed before clenching his jaw. It seemed it was still a tender topic for him.

  I shook my head slowly, trying to comprehend the enormity of what he was telling me. I looked down, not knowing how to even start explaining my gratitude.

  “You sacrificed so much,” I whispered, looking back up to meet his perfect hazel gaze. “I don’t know how I could ever thank you for what you did for me.”

  He shook his head, his eyes flickering with something that made my heart ache. “You don’t need to do anything, Kaeli,” he said, brushing his thumb over the side of my face. “You don’t know how much you gave to me in those last couple of months while I was at the Den. You were like a tiny ray of light to the world of darkness that had suffocated me for so long. When you came, I found I could finally breathe again. You gave me purpose and strength to finish what I’d started. I honestly don’t think I could’ve done it without you.”

  A hint of a smile touched my lips. “So, we saved each other then…”

  His face softened in response. “I guess so.”

  Chapter 60

  Noah

  Being back inside a high school was more than a little strange. Although it’d only been two years since I’d been in one, it felt like forever, and as I watched the graduating students of Kaeli’s year throw their caps in the air and cheer, I couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

  I remembered being there. The thrill of the unknown. A future with endless possibilities. Naivety.

  I knew the world I’d been thrown into after graduating wasn’t by any means the norm when it came to the ‘real world’, but after everything I’d been through since I’d left the academy, I thought it’d be nice to go back to a time when the worst I had to worry about was waking up on time. It excited me to think, from here on out, that might actually be a possibility.

  Kaeli and I had lain awake for a long time the night before, talking about the past and the future. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when she told me she was going to nursing school. I could easily see her filling that role. She was just a natural at wanting to look after people, and I knew first hand that she wasn’t squirmish when it came to gore.

  Talking about her future got me thinking though. A lot. I liked being a cop, but I wanted more. I wanted to aim higher. I wanted to be something Kaeli could be proud of. Something that would enable me to support a family should the time come.

  After I’d dropped Kaeli home that morning, I’d gone in to talk to Walt, my captain, and together, we’d managed to work out an arrangement that seemed to benefit the both of us. To say I was a little excited was an understatement. And I couldn’t wait to share it with Kaeli.

  As she came bounding over to where I was standing with her mom, she surprised me by throwing herself into my arms. She kept doing that. Surprising me. I didn’t know what she saw in me, but I was fucking happy she did.

  Laughing, I squeezed her hard, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around, hoping I wasn’t going to take anyone out in the process.

  “Congratulations, beautiful,” I whispered in her ear.

  She squeezed me harder, slowly lowering herself to the ground. When she smiled up at me, my heart stumbled. Damn, she was gorgeous.

  “Thanks,” she said sweetly.

  I watched her turn to her mom and hug her too. Mel had tears streaming down her face, but she was smiling with pride.

  “I’m so proud of you,” she said, laughing as she swiped at her tears. “Your father would’ve been too. I wish he could’ve been here to see.”

  Kaeli hugged her again and I saw tears glisten in her own eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”

  Another pair of arms went around them, then another, and before I knew it, they were swamped. It didn’t take me long to realize it was her friends. I’d yet to meet them all - that was supposed to be happening later that night, but I recognized Mia, Jace and Aiden.

  When they broke apart, one of the girls, tall and blonde, moved closer to me, her blue eyes curious. “Hi. I’m Amber, one of Kaeli’s friends.”

  I smiled. I liked this girl. She oozed confidence, but not in a flirty way. I shook her outstretched hand. “Noah,” I said.

  “So, what do you do, Noah?” she asked, mischief in her eyes.

  I smirked at her. I knew all of Kaeli’s friends knew I was a cop, but Kaeli had convinced them all to keep it low key until I went back on duty.

  “Just keeping my options open at the moment.”

  She smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  I looked up when Aiden squeezed in and threw an arm over Amber’s shoulder. I wondered if he was marking his territory. I watched him grin down at her.

  “Hey, junkie,” he said.

  Alarms went off in my head. Junkie?

  Amber scowled at him and pushed him away. “Stop it! You make me sound like a druggie.” Looking at me, she sighed. “He means adrenalin. Not drugs.”

  I relaxed. Thank god. “So, you’re an adrenalin junkie?”

  She rolled her eyes. “No.”

  “Yes,” Aiden countered.

  She shoved him again. “I am not.”

  “Sure you are, princess. You like doing all sorts of crazy shit. What was the last one? Bungee jumping off the Bridge to Nowhere?”

  She crossed her arms and huffed, but she was trying hard not to smile. Aiden seemed to have that effect on people I noticed. I suspected he was a born protector and needed to make sure those he loved were always okay and happy. It was a good trait.


  Kaeli appeared at my side and wrapped her arms around my waist. “I’m going to have to go. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

  Both Kaeli and her mom had invited me to come with them to celebrate her graduation, but I thought they needed that time just for themselves. It had been hard to say no, but I knew I’d be seeing her later at the party. Besides, I needed to go see my parents about what I’d organized with Walt. I had a feeling they were going to be just as excited as I was.

  “Not really, but I need to go see my folks. What time do you want me to pick you up?”

  I watched her pout a little before she sighed. “Is seven okay?”

  Pulling her into me, I kissed her forehead. “Seven’s perfect. Have a good time with your mom.”

  Burying her face in my chest, I felt her softly exhale. “I will. Thanks for coming. I liked having you here.”

  I smiled at that. I hoped she was going to like having me around a lot, because I was banking on it.

  Saying goodbye to everyone, I slipped out to my car and headed towards Mom and Dad’s place. This was going to be part one of my decider. Part two was Kaeli.

  Pulling into the drive, I was surprised to find everyone’s car there but Micah’s. Letting myself in, I found everyone standing around the kitchen.

  Mom’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw me, then she glanced around at the others. “Oh my goodness. What’s with all the surprise visits today? Is Micah going to show up next?”

  Eli rolled his eyes. “Uh…I live here, Mom…”

  Coming over to pull me into a firm hug, she laughed. Damn, I missed this.

  “Hi, Ma,” I said, giving her a squeeze before letting her go.

  She pinched my cheeks like I was five and walked back into the kitchen, already flittering about to fix me something to eat.

  “How was the ceremony?” Dad asked, checking out Mom’s ass as she stuck her head in the refrigerator.

  I shook my head at him. “Good. It was weird to be back in a high school, but it was good. She was happy.”

  Isaac smirked at me. I knew he thought I was stupid for being so into a girl, but I didn’t care. He’d find out one day.

  Adam lent back against the cabinets and crossed his arms over his chest and his feet at the ankles. "What brings you here? I thought we’d need a crow bar to get you away from her.”

  I laughed because it was practically true. “I thought she should spend the time with her mom. They’ve both had a hard time lately.”

  Mom smiled at me as she deposited a bunch of ingredients onto the counter.

  “And I kind of had something I wanted to run by you,” I said, shifting to sit down on one of the stools.

  Dad raised an eyebrow for me to carry on.

  “I went and saw Walt this morning,” I started. “As you know, I’m supposed to lie low until after the trial, and...well…Walt didn’t think it was a good idea for me to be at the station too much - or in uniform, so I got to thinking about my future and where I wanted to go with my career.”

  Dad’s eyes narrowed as he watched me. I could tell he didn’t like where he thought I was going with it.

  “I made a suggestion to Walt and he agreed it would benefit both the department and me, so…” I took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m going to college to study criminal justice.”

  Adam pushed himself off the bench with a smile a mile wide and grabbed me into a fierce hug. “That’s awesome, bro. I’m proud of you.”

  I laughed at his excitement and thumped him back. “Thanks, man. That means a lot.”

  Dad, smiling with relief, came at me next, pulling me to my feet. “I’m proud too, son. That was a very mature decision to make. I’m glad you’ll finally get to experience some normal young adult things…minus the drugs…”

  I groaned. “No, there definitely won’t be any drugs.”

  Both Eli and Isaac gave me a quick hug and a thump on the back too. It was amazing to see the pride in all their eyes. I didn’t realize how much I missed having their approval in my life. Especially as the youngest. It was a kind of need.

  Mom grabbed me last. “You always amaze me, you know that?”

  “Thanks, Ma.”

  When she pulled back to look at me she took my hand. “I don’t suppose that girl of yours had anything to do with your decision?”

  I grinned. “I’m not doing it just so I can go to college with her, if that’s what you mean, but yeah, she was the one who got me thinking about the future. I want to be someone worthy of her.”

  Mom, Adam and Dad grinned, Isaac looked at me like I was crazy, and Eli looked like he didn’t quite understand what I was saying.

  “Well, after I don’t know how many sleepless nights over the last year and a half, I’m ecstatic. I think it’s the best decision you’ve ever made. Tell that girl I said thank you.”

  I smiled. I planned on telling her thank you for myself. All in my own way.

  Chapter 61

  Kaeli

  When Mom had said it was probably for the best that Noah had declined our invitation to come to lunch, I’d thought she just wanted to have some one on one time with her daughter. What I hadn’t expected, was walking into the restaurant and finding Dr. Miller sitting at our table.

  I stood there and blinked a couple of times, just to make sure my head wasn’t playing tricks on me. “Doctor Miller?”

  I heard Mom say something under her breath, but I was still a little confused as to why the doctor was here. At our table.

  He smiled, but it looked awkward. “Ah…you can call me Sam if you like…”

  Sam? Why would I call him Sam? What the heck was going on?

  I looked to Mom for a hint, but she was just standing there, kindly smiling at the good doctor.

  “Uh…okay…?” I said, not knowing what the hell else to say.

  “Well,” Mom said, twisting her hair around her finger. “We should probably sit.”

  I frowned, but slipped dutifully into a chair.

  Mom cleared her throat. “Uh…well, with everything that’s happened lately, and with Ken…being Ken, I didn’t really get to tell you, but Sam and I have known each other for a while now.”

  I glanced quickly at Sam then back to Mom, waiting for her to elaborate. It wasn’t that I cared that she and Sam had known each other for a while, I just didn’t see how that was possible.

  I watched her take a deep breath. “Sam was actually a friend of your Dad’s.”

  Time stopped. I swear it. Besides telling me he would’ve been proud of me, it’d been forever since she’d even spoken his name out loud. I stared at Sam with genuine interest. “You were?”

  He smiled and nodded. “Yep. We went to high school together. Were still friends right up until he passed away.”

  My blood pumped with excitement. I didn’t know why it excited me, but it did. We barely owned a thing that carried Dad’s memory anymore. Ken had made sure of that. Knowing I had a link to his life right here was incredible.

  “I’m…I don’t know what I am. Happy, I think…”

  He chuckled. “Good. I…uh…have a bunch of photos and stuff of your dad from when we were about your age at home. I think there are even some videos in there as well. I even have some of you and him together when you were a baby.”

  My heart tripped. “With me?”

  “I think so. I can bring them around home if you’d like.”

  My eyes stung with tears but I didn’t care. I hadn’t set eyes on a picture of my dad in over a decade. I glanced over at Mom. She was smiling, but she had tears in her eyes too.

  “Yes, please,” I said, my voice breaking on the end.

  Sam nodded and grinned again. “Good. That’s settled then. I’ll bring them over in the next couple of days so you can look through them whenever you get a chance.”

  That sounded so perfect, I thought I might’ve been dreaming. Praying I wasn’t, I swallowed and shook my head. “I don’t know what to say. You’ve shocked the hell out of
me. Thank you?”

  Sam laughed. “You don’t need to say anything. It’s completely my pleasure.”

  My heart suddenly felt a hundred times lighter. I couldn’t believe the doctor actually knew my dad. No wonder he’d been so worried about Mom.

  “So, if you knew him right up until he died, then you must’ve known Mom too then, right?”

  He smiled and nodded. “I sure did.” I didn’t miss the look he gave Mom either. I was sure there was a tiny bit of attraction mixed in there. Interesting.

  “How come I haven’t seen you around since the-” I frowned, then scowled. “Oh, wait. Don’t tell me. Ken.”

  Sam’s jaw clenched and his hands tightened.

  “Okay then,” Mom said with fake cheer. “Let’s get the topic away from that one before it sours your day.”

  I sighed and tried for a smile. Mom was right. I’d waited too long for us to be free of Ken. I wasn’t going to let him continue to hurt us from the grave.

  “So, you two’ve caught up since everything happened?” I said, delving. It was hard to keep the smile off my face. I liked Dr. Miller. He’d be good for her. She deserved good.

  A slight shutter went down in her eyes. She didn’t want me reading too much into it. I almost smiled. Too late. It was clear they were attracted to each other. I just hoped she wasn’t past the point of being open to something new after Ken. If he’d ruined her for anyone else, I’d bring him back from the dead just to kill him again.

  “So, your mother tells me you’re thinking about going into nursing?” he said, making Mom relax again.

  I smiled, and not for the reason he was thinking. “Yes, I am. I’m going for my BSN.”

  “Thanks great,” he beamed. “I’ll definitely help you get your foot in the door when you’re ready.”

  And I’d definitely take him up on that offer. I’d heard it could be hard to get a job when you were fresh out of college. “Really? Thanks. That’d be awesome.”

  The rest of our day went great after that. After Mom had mentioned Noah in passing, Sam had started asking about him. I’d been hesitant to tell him much, purely because it was important not many people knew the link between Noah and Mitch, but it seemed he already knew. He’d been on call at the hospital the night of the bust and had seen Noah. Apparently those who knew Mitch hadn’t really died had had to sign a confidentiality agreement in order to keep Noah’s identity safe.