Free His Every Word by Kelly Favor

just ignored her.
    Once everyone was settled and entrees had been ordered, Kallie’s mother began inquiring about Hunter.
    “How is he?” she asked, her voice cautious and concerned.
    Kallie thought about it. “He’s doing well,” she said. “But it’s still early.”
    Her parent’s exchanged looks. “Nobody knows why that man attacked you,” her father said. “The police haven’t discussed his motives.”
    The waitress came to the table and began setting down plates of food. Kallie had ordered a turkey club sandwich. She stared at it as she decided how to answer the question. Everyone at the table was waiting for her reply.
    “It’s complicated,” she said. “It’s a long story.”
    “Give us the short version, then,” her father pressed.
    “The man who attacked us was pure evil. His name was Terrence Craven, and he was a really bad person. He was a bully and Hunter refused to be bullied. I suppose that enraged Terrence to the point where he tried to kill him.”
    “He tried to kill you, too,” her mother reminded her.
    “Thanks—I’m aware of that. But I was just collateral damage.”
    Sean continued to drink. He was on his second beer. “There was another woman involved, too,” he said.
    Kallie glared at him. “Sean. What the hell?”
    He looked up at her. “I’m just saying.”
    “What does that mean?” her mother asked. “Another woman?”
    Kallie sighed, as she picked at her club sandwich. “Hunter was helping Terrence’s girlfriend hide out, helping her get away from a bad situation. She wanted to break up with Terrence, but he was threatening her. So Hunter gave her a place to hide from Terrence, and when Hunter refused to tell him where she was, Terrence went crazy.”
    “This is all so confusing,” her mother muttered.
    “That’s why I didn’t want to go into it, but Sean forced me to.”
    Sean took a long gulp of beer and belched again. “I’m just saying—Hunter’s being turned into a fucking saint. He’s no saint, Kallie.”
    “I never said he was a saint.”
    “My own fiancé is acting like he’s Brad Pitt and Jesus Christ rolled into one.”
    “Sean!” their mother cried. “Don’t be blasphemous.”
    “Calm down Mom,” Sean said. “It was just a figure of speech.”
    “You know how I feel about that kind of talk.”
    The table descended into an awkward silence. Meanwhile, Detective Phillips happily chewed on his burger, seemingly oblivious to the interpersonal dynamics going on around him.
    “How’s your food?” Kallie asked him.
    He smiled. “Great.”
    Her father eyed the detective curiously. “So, Mister—“
    “Phillips,” he said, still chewing his food.
    “Mister Phillips, how did you come to know Hunter and my daughter?”
    “I worked on her assault case.”
    “You’re a police officer?”
    “I’m a detective.”
    Her parents exchanged another worried look. Kallie wanted to run out of the restaurant and go lay in bed in her hotel room, or better yet—just go back to the hospital to be with Hunter. Instead, she was stuck here in a nightmare, watching her parents cross-examine a detective about his role in her life.
    “Is Kallie still in danger?” her father continued.
    Detective Phillips popped a fry in his mouth. “Possibly.”
    Kallie glared at him. “Don’t tell them anything else.”
    Kallie’s mother looked at her now. “Why would you say that? What are you hiding from us?”
    “I’m not hiding anything. It’s just none of your concern, Mom.”
    “It certainly is our concern. We’re your parents.”
    The detective was happily eating still, and Kallie felt a strong urge to take his food and throw it in his lap.
    “I know you’re my parents,” Kallie replied, “but I’m also an adult now. And I can decide what I want to tell you and what I don’t feel comfortable divulging just yet.”
    “Well, I find this entire situation to be incredibly frightening,” her mother said.
    “This is exactly what we were afraid