Saving Hannah

by Saving Hannah (epub)

  The words sliced through her and shattered what was left of her self-control. A tear trickled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away and pretended he didn’t see. “Caine—”

  “Am I paying you to stand around and talk?” Vic shouted out the open window, making Hannah jump at the sudden noise. “Get back to work!”

  “I should go,” Hannah mumbled, walking past him.

  Reaching out, he gently grabbed her arm as she passed, sending a surge of heat up her skin. “I mean it,” he said, his grey eyes seeking hers. “Anything, anytime, I’m here to help.”

  She nodded, but kept her gaze on the rocks as she went back inside the restaurant.

  ***

  Carrying a pot of coffee to a table, Hannah stifled a yawn. She felt so tired, like she could sleep for weeks and still not feel rested. So tired, actually, that she missed the woman’s coffee cup when she tried to pour her a refill.

  The middle-aged woman gave Hannah a glare as she snatched up her coffee cup and placed a heap of towels over the mess. Hannah gave a careless shrug at the woman’s attitude. Who drank coffee at eight o’clock in the evening, anyway?

  When the bell above the door rang, Hannah turned to see who’d come in and almost dropped the pot of coffee she held.

  Her heart took a running leap into her throat, and everything went still, leaving him—the cold, calculated lunatic who’d killed her first boyfriend—as he sauntered toward her with his icy eyes leveled on hers. Gaze darting around the counter, and the dining room she looked for Caine, relieved to find him nowhere in sight.

  Vaguely aware of Mia as she came up next to her, Hannah heard Mia’s purr imitation from a distance. “Who’s the hottie?” She asked, placing a hand on her hip as she blew a bubble with her gum.

  “No one you want to know, trust me.” Shoving the coffee pot into Mia’s hand, she took off across the dining room. “Cover for me?”

  Quickly crossing the room, she grabbed Sean’s arm and dragged him back toward the bathrooms, to the tiny corner hidden from the dining area.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Got something to hide, Hannah?”

  “I mean it, what are you trying to do?” She peeked around the corner, keeping a lookout for Caine. “What are you doing here?”

  “My favorite little brother’s in town,” he said with a cynical smile. “I couldn’t resist stopping by to say hello.”

  “Don’t,” she said, just the thought of the two of them alone together gave her chills. “Just find someone else to terrorize.”

  He winced as if she’d hurt him. “Come on now, Hannah, don’t be mean.”

  His grin only grew wider as he glanced back to the doorframe that led to the dining room. “I take it my dear bro doesn’t know about our scandalous past.”

  She glared at him, rage and anger boiling in every muscle of her body. “Sean, I swear, if you tell him anything—”

  “Of course he doesn’t know. You’re not exactly Miss Spills-Her-Guts, are you? Gotta be careful about those dirty little secrets, Hannah. They have a way of crashing down on you. Just ask Caine.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her toe impatiently as she tried to stifle her fear. Why wouldn’t he leave?

  “Hell,” he shrugged, “keep the secrets for all I care. They’ll come in handy in case I decide to declare war on your perfect little life.”

  “Oh my God, I’m so scared,” she said, the sarcasm thick in her voice. “I have so much to lose. In case you haven’t noticed, you already declared war on my perfect life.”

  He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, grinning down at her. She could feel him probe her thoughts, scanning her mind for anything she might be hiding...and there was nothing she could do to stop him. He grinned in satisfaction when he found the information he sought. “Looks like there’s one more thing I can take from you, Hannah. One tiny little thing.”

  “You wouldn’t...”

  “You sure about that?”

  She shook her head defiantly, backing away from him, wishing there was someone here to protect her—someone who could. “I’ll tell Caine,” she warned. “I’ll tell him everything and he’ll come after you—you know he will. So you better leave before he gets hold of you.”

  Sean laughed at that, his face brightening in amusement. “That so? Go ahead and tell him, but do me a favor will you? Let me watch. I’d love to see that tortured, guilty look on his face. He’s always been heavy on the self-pity.”

  “Sean, knock it off!” She lowered her voice and gripped her hands into fists to keep herself steady. “Caine’s a good guy. Leave him alone.”

  “Calm down. I won’t hurt your little boy toy.” With his fingertip, he tapped a line down the bridge of her nose like she was a little kid. “As long as you do what I say.”

  She braced herself, eyeing him carefully. “What do you want me to do?”

  Sliding his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a business card. “This is where I’m staying. Come see me sometime. Soon.”

  He slipped the card into her hand and walked past her, into the men’s room, before she could respond. Rubbing her arm, she fell back against the wall as full-blown panic sucked the breath from her lungs. Why wouldn’t Sean leave her alone? Hadn’t he caused her enough pain already?

  Leaning against the wall, she tried to pull herself together long enough to make it through her shift.

  Caine rounded the corner, skidding to a stop when he saw her. “Hannah...hey.” His gaze raked over her, taking her in and sensing she was upset. “What’s going on?”

  She gave him a weak smile. “I don’t feel very well,” she said, and it wasn’t hard to pull off. “But I’m fine. Really.”

  He nodded, not buying it, but not pushing the subject either. “You know where I am if you need to talk.”

  When she gave him a small nod in response, he started past her toward the bathroom. Where Sean just went.

  “Caine, wait,” she said, her voice high and shrill in panic. Letting out a small laugh, the kind that sounded painfully awkward, she pointed to the ladies room. “There’s a clog in the sink...one of the customers complained. I tried to fix it, but do you think you could take a look?”

  “Sure. Anyone in there?”

  She shook her head and then hoped she was right as he propped open the door. When he disappeared into the bathroom, she took off into the locker room. Grabbing her purse and coat, she ducked out the backdoor and ran into the night, as far away from Caine and Sean as she could get.

  ***

  Hannah woke in a cold sweat that matted her hair to her scalp and the sheets to her skin. The loud pounding of her heart resounded in her ears as she jumped out of bed and as far away from it as she could get, then scanned the room just to make sure it was safe.

  Moonbeams spilled into the room, basking the bed, where Max slept peacefully, in a pale glow. The light splattered twisted and haunting shadows on the wall that stretched into faces like demons and ghosts, their tangled limbs reaching out as if they could grab her any second. But even that didn’t scare her as much as the far corners of the room, where the darkness swelled into a never-ending abyss of shadows.

  “I wonder what would happen if...” Sean sang in a curious tone as he walked toward her, brandishing the needle like a weapon, as she sat, helpless and tied in a chair. “I wonder what would happen...” Sean’s voice rang in her ears and she pressed her palms against them to try to make it stop.

  She slid down the wall, clutching her head as his voice cut into her mind again. “I’ll tell him, Hannah...I’ll tell him everything.”

  That wasn’t a memory, she knew. It was Sean...he was sending her a message. Which meant he was close. Fear building in her heart, she curled up in a ball, tucking into herself as tightly as she could against the wall as Sean continued to torment her.

  “I’ll tell Caine how pathetic you are...I’ll tell him what you did, Hannah. Unless you help me...”

&nbs
p; “Hannah, Hannah!”

  Max’s voice sucked her out of the trance and she raised her head up, barely, to look at him, with tears streaming down her cheeks as her rapidly beating heart calmed a little. The concern evident in his chocolate colored eyes, he peered at her, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “What is it?”

  “He’s...he’s in my head, Max...he’s talking to me in my head.” A sob escaped her lips when she realized just how unhinged she sounded. She smudged tears away and, using what was left of her bravery, forced herself to look around the room, realizing nobody was there besides Max. A shudder danced down her spine and she fought the urge to shake off the fear, focusing instead on reeling in her emotions. Opening her mouth, she started to tell him about Sean and what he’d said, but the words refused to reveal themselves to her, and eventually she just gave up and rested her head on her knees.

  With a soft, pitying sigh, he slid to sit next to her, leaning against the wall. Lifting his arm, he wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her close in a tight, protective grip that made her feel safe at last. Giving him a small smile of thanks, she settled into the curve between his shoulder and his neck, grateful he understood her need to be around someone right now.

  “I’m right here,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “It’s okay.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Just get some rest. I’ll be right here.”

  ***

  The next morning, Hannah looked down at the business card in her hand and compared the logo to the sign on the motel she stood in front of. Crossing the rocky, uneven pavement, she jogged up the grimy staircase and found the room number that’d been scrawled on the back. Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, she quickly knocked on the door before she had a chance to change her mind. If last night was any indication of Sean’s intentions, he wouldn’t go away until he got what he needed. Hannah needed to find out what that was.

  “Hannah!” Sean smiled cheerfully as he pulled open the door. “I knew you’d come.”

  Pushing past him, she walked into the hotel room and hoped nobody had spotted her. “Just tell me what you want.”

  “We all want something, don’t we?” Shutting the door, he leaned against it with his arms crossed. His dark, menacing eyes focused on Hannah in a way that screamed danger. “Caine wants you. Max wants his friends back. You want to leave everything behind, right?”

  “Get to the point.”

  “It’s all about leverage.” He stepped closer and skimmed his finger along her exposed collarbone. “Now, I have something that you want: my silence. And you have something that I want. How far are you willing to go to keep our dirty little secret?”

  “I don’t have anything for you.”

  He grinned down at her. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

  “What do you want?”

  “You know those building plans you have...to that place you went this summer...” he trailed off, letting her remember the violent feel of the restraints, the long echo of the door closing as it cut her off from the world. “I want the blueprints.”

  A chill crawled her skin as she took a cautious step back. “Why?”

  “I have my reasons.” Narrowing his gaze on her, he asked, “Do we have a deal or not?”

  She crossed her arms, eyeing him suspiciously. “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know why you want in that building, but whatever the reason, it can’t be good. There’s no way I’m going to be a part of it.”

  “Always with the right and wrong, Hannah. Things are hardly ever that simple.”

  “So, I hand over the blueprints, and you’ll leave town without telling Caine what happened...which really works out in your favor, either way. Call me crazy, but that’s not exactly leverage.”

  “You’re right.” Sean shrugged his shoulders in indifference, then glanced up at Hannah as a chilling glare seeped into his gaze. “So hand them over and I won’t kill all three of you.”

  Hannah took a deep breath, searching for another exit. Short of breaking through a window, she couldn’t get out without going past Sean. “I’m leaving now.” Summoning her courage, she stepped toward him and reached past him, her arm brushing his shirt as she grabbed onto the doorknob. Keeping her face free of fear, she forced herself to look him in the eye. “And that’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

  “Bossy, aren’t we?”

  “Do I have to spell it out for you?” She rolled her eyes, exasperated. “I don’t care what you do to me...I’m not going to help you. Leave me alone.”

  She didn’t wait for him to talk circles around her; she twisted the knob, using all of her strength to pull at the door. It wouldn’t budge and Sean started laughing at her, making her feel even more humiliated and cornered. Standing up straight, Sean stepped away from the door and let her out. Even though she couldn’t help but feel like he’d won, she knew one thing for sure—she’d never give him what he wanted.

  ***

  Caine hated washing dishes...especially when someone burned spaghetti and didn’t have the sense to soak the pan. Now, a disgusting clump of burnt noodles and sauce stuck to the bottom of the skillet. As much as Caine scrubbed, he couldn’t get the pot clean.

  Finally stepping back from the sink, he went into the locker room/storage room that branched off the kitchen in search of bleach to dissolve the burned remnants of spaghetti.

  The room was small, with a row of short lockers in front of a bench and a small table for lunch breaks. At the other end of the room was a rack loaded with cleaning supplies. Spotting the bleach, he headed for it and then heard a small gasp.

  Turning, he saw Hannah, clutching a stained uniform shirt to her chest.

  “Sorry,” he stammered, turning his back. “I didn’t know anyone was in here.”

  “I’ll only be a second,” she said. “I spilled coffee all over myself.”

  “Ouch.” Studying the peeling and dingy white paint chips of the wall, he tried not to remember how much she’d meant to him. It was best to pretend she didn’t exist; she clearly wanted it that way.

  “It wasn’t hot, which makes it that much more disgusting,” she said. “You can turn around now.”

  When he turned around, she was wearing a black tank top. Running a brush through her hair, she pulled it into a low pony tail and then reached for the long sleeved undershirt draped over the locker door.

  A faded purple blemish caught his attention, drawing his gaze to the veins inside her elbow. On reflex, he reached across the small space between them and grabbed her arm, concerned and confused and worried about her. Examining the area, he saw a small hole in the center of the bruise. She pulled against him, but he tightened his grip. He knew it was none of his business, but some instinct was telling him Hannah was in trouble and he couldn’t ignore it anymore. “What happened?”

  “The clumsy nurse at the doctor’s office happened, what’s wrong with you?” Yanking her arm from him, she turned away, struggling to get her arm through the shirt. “God, Caine,” she huffed. “You really need to get a grip.”

  As she moved, more marks caught his eye. These were slightly lighter than her skin and shaped like perfect circles lined up across the back of her upper arm. More gently this time, he reached out and placed his hand on her right shoulder, holding her still while he looked closer. They were burn scars he realized, a lot like the one on his arm from when he was younger and thought it’d be cool to burn himself with the car’s cigarette lighter. How did marks like that get on Hannah’s arm? Were they self-inflicted or had someone else done that to her?

  “Hannah,” he said, trying to sound calm. “What’s going on?”

  Pulling away from him, she tugged her shirt over her head and then slipped into the short sleeved uniform shirt. Turning back to him, her face showed no signs of emotion but her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. “I went through a bit of a rough patch.” Turning to the locker, she grabbed her apron. “I gues
s I thought it’d relieve some tension or something.”

  “You’re saying you did this to yourself?”

  “Caine, just stop it, okay?” Her voice shook, the hidden emotion seeping into it as she threw the apron down on the bench. “I know you came back expecting me to be just like I was, but I’m not. You don’t know me anymore.”

  “I want to.”

  “Just stop!” Slamming the locker door shut, she grabbed her apron and shoved past him. “Stop being nice to me. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just trying to…”

  “You’re trying to save me, like you always do.” Aggravated, she turned to face him as she tied the apron around her waist. “Last year, you tried to deliver me from my mundane, people-pleasing life and now you’re trying to rescue me from this boring, damaged existence. But last time didn’t work out so well did it? So take a hint and back off.”

  Turning on her heel, she left him alone and completely confused. What did she mean by boring, damaged existence? And had she just admitted that she needed him to rescue her, or had she meant the exact opposite? With Hannah, he never knew whether to take her words as truth or try to decipher their hidden meaning.

  He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that somehow he was responsible for whatever Hannah was going through.

  ***

  Hannah looked out the window at the raging storm as rain poured down in torrents. Why did I let Vic talk me into closing? She sighed, leaning against the window as she looked out at the rainy street. “What time is it, anyway?” Her gaze caught Caine’s where he stood behind the bar, as she looked for the clock and she quickly glanced back out the door and grabbed the knob. “I think I’m just going to try to make it home. It’s not that far.”

  “That desperate to get away from me?” Caine asked, managing to come off cool and confidant instead of wounded.

  She paused, glancing back at him without saying a word. Her gaze lingered on his as if in pity...a kind of look that pierced into him and lingered in his mind.