He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 68

Nelson...

Nelson.

She wanted to tear the name apart with her bare teeth. The sheer visceral rage drove her to make an impulsive, desperate decision: she dialed the police.

But the moment the dispatcher answered and asked for her emergency, panic seized her throat, and she slammed the phone down, abruptly ending the call.

Her blood ran ice cold. She collapsed forward over the table, wrapping her arms tightly around her violently trembling shoulders.

Almost immediately, the police called back. Pressing her hand against her aching forehead, Juniper forced herself to stammer out the horrifying details of what had happened the night before.

She gave them Nelson's phone number. And she gave them his name.

*

Across town, Nelson was lounging in an upscale private club, playing cards with Julian and the usual crowd.

With his arranged wedding rapidly approaching, Julian was practically radiating a lazy, carefree energy. Since his mother was micromanaging every single detail—from the venue right down to the bride herself—he didn't even have to bother showing up for suit fittings. Everything was entirely out of his hands.

He nonchalantly tossed his cards onto the velvet table. "Pair of fives."

It was a casual game of high-stakes poker, and Nelson had been dragged in at the last second. He hadn't really wanted to play, but Julian had aggressively bet the keys to a brand-new sports car he had just acquired that morning.

If some idiot was literally begging to throw money at him, Nelson wasn't going to politely decline.

His luck had been decent tonight. He was holding a pair of jokers and a few low cards. As long as he split them right, the pot was guaranteed.

He had just laid down a single card when the heavy doors to the VIP room swung open. Several uniformed police officers stepped inside.

"Mr. Saint, an allegation of assault has been made against you. We're going to need you to come with us."

Nelson kept his eyes lazily fixed on his cards, not even bothering to look up at the officers. He honestly couldn't fathom how this had anything to do with him.

Probably some mess stirred up by one of his extended relatives.

The room plunged into a stunned silence. Seeing that Julian wasn't making a move to play, Nelson raised a brow. "You in or not?"

Julian slowly placed all his cards face down on the table, a thoroughly amused smirk playing on his lips. "I think you should probably deal with the cops first, man. Honestly, I'm dying to know who you allegedly assaulted."

Nelson finally shifted his gaze to the officers, realizing with mild surprise that they were actually there for him.

The lead officer maintained a rigid, professional stance. "Ms. Lane has officially filed a report against you. Please come with us."

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