Du Rose Blaze

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Rein“Hey, don’t hang up on me, Mum.” Her eldest son’s tone held a faint plea. “Amy gave me a serve when I got home.”

Hana’s eyelids fluttered as she battled with the rebuke on the end of her tongue. He saw no error in his behaviour but phoned because his wife pointed it out to him. She half-wished the blonde woman would return and pick another fight so she could redeem herself. Venting her disappointment on Bodie always proved futile, but it burned in her stomach like a knot of flaming rope. “Right,” she replied, the word stiff and jerky as she released it into the atmosphere. “I can’t talk to you now. We’re at the prison.”

“He got himself locked up. Wow!”

“I should go. Bye.” Hana killed the call and stuffed the device back into her pocket. She drummed the toes of her boots on the concrete to funnel the pent-up aggression. Her nature demanded that she forge comfort and safety amid adversity, and she’d done that. Edin had turned their family life inside out, and Hana placed herself in the firing line, holding back the tide with her slender fingers. To no avail.

Doom washed over her. She’d missed something important with Tama, blindsided by the demands of the mini tornado occupying her home. Worries about Edin dominated every waking moment until the facade slipped and Logan noticed. She couldn’t cope.

Hana rose and paced the shelter, digging her hands in her pockets to stop them from shaking. The need to be in two places at once picked at her loyalties.

Tama needed her.

Edin needed her.

They were other people’s children, while her own tiny son needed her most but wouldn’t ask.

“Are you all right, miss?” The female voice startled her to a halt. She wore a guard’s uniform and a German Shepherd waited by her left leg, its tongue lolling from one side. Ears pricked, it stared at her with gimlet eyes.

“I’m waiting for my husband.” Hana freed her hands, and they wrung at her chest.

“Are you strung out, miss?” The officer c****d her head, and Hana waited for her to finish her sentence. She didn’t, and it occurred to her that perhaps there wasn’t more to the question.

She swallowed and faced the officer, her eyes wide and unblinking. “What do you mean? Strung out. What is that?” She took a step forward, and the woman raised her hand.

“Just stay there, miss. I’m asking if you’re coming down off a high. Drugs. Do you need a paramedic?”

Hana’s lips moved, and no sound emerged. Her mind went blank behind her staring eyes. She gaped at the officer and then at the dog as though looking for help from the animal’s inquisitive face.

“You ready?” Logan appeared behind the officer, staying out of range of the dog.

“Is this lady with you?” The woman eyed Hana through narrowed eyes, placing her body at an angle to form a corner between them.

“Yep.” He beckoned to Hana with a jerk of his head and waited for her to slip past the dog. The officer didn’t move her body, but her head swivelled on her neck and the dog mirrored the action like a furry twin.

Logan caught up Hana’s hand and led her across the car park, starting as her boot soles ground to a halt on the asphalt. “What’s wrong?” His brows met over the bridge of his nose as she released his fingers.

“I’m a door mat,” she announced. “I’m everybody’s b****y door mat!” She spun on her heel and stamped across the car park, weaving around the vehicles until she reached the shelter. The officer had moved on, walking the dog towards the front door of the prison.

“Hey!” Hana called.

The officer spun, her stance stiff and on instant alert. “Just stay there,” the woman said, her tone even. “You don’t need to run at me.” Her left hand strayed to the radio at her chest.

“I just wanted you to know that I’m not on drugs.” Hana ground out the words as though spitting glass. “I’m frightened and sad and guilty. My little boy just had surgery and my big boy is missing.” She lifted her left hand to squeeze the bridge of her nose, sensing no sympathy in the officer’s stance.

“You’re wasting your time.” Logan’s steady voice rumbled through her confusion and his strong fingers gripped her elbow. “She doesn’t care, Hana. We’re leaving.”

“But she thinks I’m on drugs. She wanted to string me up a minute ago.”

“No, that’s not right, miss.” The woman’s words remained respectful, but she exchanged the detachment for concern. “I did not threaten to hang this lady.” A glance to her right showed her a colleague coming to her assistance. “I asked if you were strung out, is all, miss?”

Logan released a groan alongside a vile expletive. “She’s not on drugs, lady.” His grip intensified around Hana’s elbow and he tugged her against his side. “She wouldn’t know where to start.” He bent his head to whisper into his wife’s ear. “We’re leaving. Now.”

“Why wouldn’t I know where to start?” Hana protested in a loud voice. Logan steered her between two parked cars and directed her steps towards their truck. “Asprin, paracetamol, ibuprofen. I could overdose on all of those if I wanted.” Logan blinked at the seriousness in her expression. He shoved her into the passenger seat and slammed the door. Long strides took him around the vehicle, and he started the engine with a side glance at Hana. She lifted her left hand and counted off her fingers, beginning with the index. “White stuff,” she listed. Her brow furrowed, and she raised her middle finger. “Other white stuff.”

“Hana, shut up.” He shook his head and laughed as he steered the truck through the gates. “Did you want to get yourself banned?”

“What?” She sat up straight in her seat and turned to him, her lips pouting in dismay. “I could get banned? Why did no one tell me that’s all it would take?”

She slammed her spine against the seat and descended into a sulk which lasted as far as the next service station.