Page 88 of Hush (Fighting Fate)

I blinked. I forgot there was still so much she didn’t know about me. “Well, ask me anything you want. I’m twenty by the way. I had my birthday while I was in rehab.”

Her eyes went wide.

“Yeah, sucked too.”

She sighed. A heartbreaking sound of discontent. “How long were you undercover for? You said you hadn’t seen your family for a year and a half. Is that true?”

I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. I shouldn’t have told you that, but I just couldn’t bring myself to lie to you. Tell me though, did you actually know I was a cop?”

She pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “I suspected. It wasn’t anything you said or did in particular. You were just always so protective of me and it was confusing. It wasn’t until we were at the hospital that I figured it out. Do you remember when you went out to get your jacket for me and you passed that other police officer? It was his expression that gave it away.”

I laughed. Fully laughed. I couldn’t wait to tell Dad it was his fault.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“That was my dad.”

Her eyes bugged. “The other officer?”

“Yep. That was the first time we’d seen each other in over eighteen months. I think we were both a little shocked.”

“Oh my god! Are you serious?”

I looked over to see her mouth gaping open in horror. “Yep.”

“Oh, your poor dad!”

“Just wait until I tell him it was him who compromised my cover.”

She grabbed hold of my arm. “No! You can’t.”

“You bet I can. You don’t know my family. They’re going to eat that up.”

“Your dad’s going to hate me!”

That just made me laugh harder. Everyone was going to love her. “We’re nearly there by the way, so if you have any other questions you’d like to ask me, now is the time.”

She looked out the window, panic flashing across her pretty face. “Uh…how did you come to be undercover so young?”

“I was just out of the academy, graduated first in my class with the highest score for weapons accuracy in the history of our state, and they were looking for someone young. TJ only brought in young bloods, so I was asked, and I accepted.”

She gave me a deadpan look. “So, that was why you were boasting about being the best there is when you shot that guy.”

I gave her a surprised look. “I’m actually surprised you remember that. You were kind of a little comatose there for a while. I was worried about you.”

She stared at me for a long time. The little glimpses I caught between watching the road was intense. “You risked so much to save me. Not just that time. Every time I was there. I shudder to think what would’ve happened to me if you weren’t there that first day I came.”

I couldn’t help it. My hands tightened on the steering wheel so much I thought I was going to rip the fucker off. “Don’t-” I said tightly. “Just…you can’t go there. I can’t think about that. I still have the memory of that fucker pinning you to the bed in my head. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d go and kill him right now.”

I heard her whisper something. It was a bit too soft for me to hear clearly, but I thought it sounded like, ‘good’.

Chapter 57

Kaeli

I was fine until Noah said we were nearly there.

I didn’t realize how nerve wracking it would be to meet someone’s parents. Especially someone like Noah. Especially under those circumstances.

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