Page 34 of The Addict

Damian stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head. “I want to believe you, Noah.” He met my eyes once more, searching.

What will he see?

“Get some sleep,” he finally ordered as he made his way to the door. “I won’t be here when you wake up, I’m heading to work.”

I nodded, too stunned by the whole situation to speak.

“Oh, and Noah?”

“Yes?”

Damian’s face hardened. “If you ever, and I mean ever, bring an unregistered, loaded gun remotely close to this place again, you’ll have to find some other place to live, do you understand me?”

My jaw clenched.

“I will not have you placing this family in danger,” he added.

I said nothing. Why should I? The real threat had never been my weapon, and Damian knew it. We both stood in silence for a moment longer before Damian released a heavy sigh and reached for the light switch by the door.

“No–” I called out. “Leave it on.”

Damian didn’t question me, letting his fingers trail down the switch until they were down by his side once again.

“That girl, Delane?” he asked, randomly.

“What about her?” My defenses were up, instantly. I wasn’t sure how much more interrogation I could take tonight.

“You like her, don’t you?”

I turned away from him, dismissing his presence with a wave of my hand. “Shut the door.”

Chapter ten

The Debt

DELANE

Iwoke up in discomfort. Sun was shifting through the massive curtains, a thin little needle falling straight into my line of sight. I rotated my body in the bed, feeling more pain than the night before. I felt like I had been hit by a semi truck. Rubbing my eyes, I focused on the area around me. On the nightstand there was a small box with a note, a new bottle of water and some Tylenol. I sat up, a bit too quickly, and snatched the painkillers. I wasn’t going to pretend the pain wasn’t there, not when my body ached and throbbed. I finished the bottle of water, not even realizing just how dry my throat was either.

From the screaming, my brain kindly reminded me.

The next thing I grabbed was the box. The note attached read, “Just in case” on the top. I flipped the piece of paper back and my heart sank deeper into my chest.

Plan B Pill.

I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked. I hadn’t given anyone a thorough explanation of what had happened. All that I told Mrs. Hansen was that her son helped me out of a bad situation. But to assume so confidently that I would need this medication? And to have some on hand?

I shuddered. What the fuck was going on with this family?

Although I hadn’t brought it up to Noah, I had seen his mother’s injuries as well. Seeing her last night was like looking at a duplicate of my own bruises. The longer I stayed here, the more uneasy I became.

I looked at the clock. Four something in the evening? I slept longer than I thought I would. I guess my body needed it.

“Shit,” I muttered, checking around for my cell before remembering that I didn’t have it. Force of habit.

My gaze landed on the bed’s edge, where a plain sundress was waiting for me. I hurriedly changed into it, leaving the house clothes that Mrs. Hansen had given me the night before on the bed as neatly as I could manage. I left the Plan B box there too.

I turned to look at myself more closely in the mirror on the right opposite side of the room. Somehow, the dress was a great match to my body. The length covered some of my bruises and made me feel a little more like myself. I didn’t look half bad.