Free Finding Forgiveness (Finding Series, Book 4) by Sloane Kennedy Page A

and called Hunter’s name but there was no answer. A tremor of fear went through him as he knocked again.
    “Hunter, can you open up please? I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
    Silence.
    Roman pounded on the door hard enough to make it rattle but Hunter didn’t respond in any way. So there was absolutely no hesitation on Roman’s part when he stepped back just enough so he could put his shoulder forward and throw his weight against the door. It gave on the first try and just as it flew open, he heard a rattle as something hit the floor and his eyes immediately went to a spoon laying on the tile floor between Hunter’s feet. Hunter was sitting on the edge of the bathtub and was busily jerking his shirt sleeve down as he tried to palm the lighter that was in his left hand.
    Rage tore through Roman as he yanked Hunter to his feet and pushed him against the wall by the door.
    “Where is it?”
    Hunter opened his mouth to say something but when nothing came out, Roman lost it and began searching the bathroom. He snatched the spoon off the floor and then ripped the lighter that Hunter was still trying to hide from his hand.
    “What is it? Meth? Heroin? You think that shit is going to fix you? To make you not want dick anymore?” Roman snarled as he flung the spoon and lighter into the sink. “You think shooting up’s going to make whatever the hell just happened out there go away?”
    “I’m not an addict,” Hunter whispered feebly.
    Roman knew he was just as close to losing it at as the cop who’d lashed out at Hunter. Grabbing Hunter’s left arm, he yanked it forward and reached for the sleeve.
    “No!” Hunter suddenly screamed and began fighting him.
    “Not an addict, huh?” Roman snapped as he pinned Hunter with his body and forced the sleeve up.
    “No, Roman, don’t! Please don’t!”
    But Roman ignored Hunter’s desperate pleas and the tears that were now flowing freely down his face and pushed the sleeve up past the elbow. His eyes began searching for the track marks he knew were there but he froze at what he found instead. Round red marks, at least a dozen of them, littered the inside of Hunter’s forearm. Some of the injuries looked fresher than the others and from the different severity levels of the scarring, some were older and had likely been severe at some point.
    “What is this?” Roman asked in confusion as he turned Hunter’s arm over and saw even more scars on his outer arm.
    When he looked up, he saw that Hunter had closed his eyes at some point but tears were still streaking down his skin. Hoarse, choking sobs were rattling deep in his throat.
    Roman turned to examine the injuries again and then felt a chill go through him as he started to see the shape of each wound. He shook his head in disbelief as he finally began to understand what he was looking at. It was so unbelievable that he found himself searching out the discarded spoon. The fact that the metal was still warm to the touch should have been answer enough but he took the spoon and held it just above the freshest looking injury that was just now starting to blister. Horror went through him as the outline of the spoon matched up to the injury and in his shock, he dropped the spoon.
    “Oh God,” he whispered and as soon as he did, a mournful cry left Hunter’s lips and he pulled his arm free of Roman’s now lax grip and then slowly sank to the floor. Hunter crossed his arms over the top of his head, his forearms hiding his face from view. His sleeve was still pushed up and Roman fleetingly wondered if Hunter had inflicted the same kind of injuries on his other arm.
    Roman backed up until he hit the sink. “Why?” he stuttered as took in the sight of Hunter folded in on himself. “Why would you do this?”
    Hunter didn’t answer him, didn’t even look at him. Instead he lurched to his feet and rushed out of the bathroom. Roman hurried after him and managed to catch up to him just as Hunter was opening his car