The officer stood instead. “I think I have everything I need right now. You’ll need to come down to the station in the next day or two for some follow-up questions and to sign your statement.” The officer looked into the living room where officers were taking pictures and cataloguing evidence. “But you won’t be able to stay here for a while...”
“She’ll be with us until Hunt is out of the hospital,” Shelby assured the officer.
“How bad was he hurt?” Cyn asked.
“I’m not sure,” Shelby admitted. “But he’s going to be fine.”
Cyn needed the assurance, even if Shelby didn’t look one hundred percent positive, and Cyn wouldn’t believe it until she saw Hunt for herself.
Shelby held out her hands. “Why don’t you give me the baby? I’ll put her back in her carrier and I’ll help you clean and bandage those cuts on your arms.”
“I’m fine,” Cyn protested, but she handed Lana over to Shelby just the same, noting the spots and slashes of blood on her arms for the first time. She was so numb she didn’t even feel them.
Cyn scanned Lana’s body, looking for any sign she’d been hit by flying glass, too.
“She’s perfect,” Shelby assured her.
“We need to call his parents.”
“Hunt’s dad already knows he’s been shot and that he’s okay. He’s at my place with Eliza.”
Cyn shook her head. “No. Rad’s parents.”
The officer gave her a half frown. “Because of Hunt’s relationship with the assailant and his family, he asked to be the one to make the call.”
Cyn wrapped her arms around her middle. “I can’t imagine how difficult that will be for him. Rad used to be his best friend. They have so much history together. It’s sad that it ended this way.”
The officer regarded that with a regretful shake of her head. “You’re right, Cyn. It didn’t have to be thisway. Rad made it happen this way. He gave you and Hunt no other way to end this.”
Shelby wrapped her free arm around Cyn’s shoulders. “Come. Let’s pack some clothes and anything else you’ll need and we’ll go see Hunt at the hospital. You need to get out of here.”
Cyn followed Shelby back to the bedroom, pulled her suitcase out of the closet and started dumping everything from her dresser inside it.
Shelby laid Lana on the bed and smiled down at her but addressed Cyn. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can come back here again.”
Shelby came to her side and hugged her. “Okay. That’s totally understandable.”
Cyn held tight to Shelby. “I need to be with Hunt. I belong with him. I can’t be here anymore.”
“Okay, Cyn. Hunt will be thrilled to have you with him. He loves you. And I know it feels overwhelming right now, and you’re in shock, but you will get through this.”
Cyn’s hands shook at Shelby’s back. “I know. I have to be strong for Lana. She needs me now. Everything’s been happening so fast and all at once and I hoped we’d have time to figure it out so that we didn’t go too fast and mess anything up, but now...” She looked at Shelby. “I can’t be here. I have to be with him. I almost lost him. He could have died. What if we never got to be together the way we talked about?”
“You will. We’re going to pack what we can take right now. Hunt and his brothers can come back and getthe rest later. You’ll be with Hunt and Lana and all of you will be happy together.”
“Yes. That’s all I want. And now Rad’s gone. He can’t ruin it, the way he ruined things with my sister.” She pressed her hand to her belly. “He killed my sister.”
Shelby cupped her face and brushed her thumbs over Cyn’s wet cheeks. “Cyn. Breathe.”
Cyn tried, but it felt like everything was crashing down around her.
“I said, breathe,” Shelby snapped.
Cyn sucked in one long breath and then another.
“There you go. Now a couple more.”