by Livia Grant
"Hannah! I'm coming, baby! Where are you?" Dylan couldn't keep quiet any longer.
Through the walls, he heard the pop of several gunshots, raising the stakes of the dangerous situation. Fear gripped him. His hope of finding her alive was almost extinguished by the time they got to the last in a long row of private booths. When they pushed into the dark room, time stood still. For a brief second, he worried he was imagining seeing Hannah crumpled to the floor. Only when she stirred, moaning in pain, did he allow relief to flood through his body.
She's alive. Thank God.
Dylan rushed to her side, not caring that the officer he was with was cussing him out for not letting him secure the room first. A cocktail of contrasting emotions coursed through Dylan as his relief at finding her alive was drowned out with rage.
Hannah's beautiful face was swollen, a bruise darkening her left cheek where he was sure Davenport had backhanded her. Her bottom lip was cracked and puffed up as if she'd bitten it.
Only the shallow rise and fall of her naked chest calmed him. She was alive. That was what mattered. He saw goosebumps forming across her naked body and knew she was chilled. Dylan took his bulletproof vest off and quickly pulled his oversized sweatshirt off over his head, draping it over her petite body. He hoped it would warm her but was also glad to be able to cover her from prying eyes as the compact rooms filled with over a dozen law enforcement officers.
Through the glass, Dylan saw officers from several agencies swarming into the viewing area, rushing to aid the five traumatized women in need of rescuing. Despite having no official authority whatsoever, Lukus Mitchell stood in the middle of the display room, barking orders. It was clear from the rage rolling off his boss that Jake Davenport hadn't been found yet. "God damn it! Somebody had better tell me how the fuck he got past us—and fast!" Mitchell yelled.
Derek tried to calm him down. "We found a secret tunnel into the basement from the building next door. It's how so many assholes got in and out without being seen by our recon. They're tracking him. We'll get him."
Lukus turned to his friend, enraged. "We'd better get him. We've cut off his ability to go to any of his normal haunts now. He was insane before. Now he'll be desperate and bat-shit crazy."
The sound of a pained moan drew Dylan's attention back to Hannah. Her chills had turned into all-out shivers. Dylan sat on the floor, his back against the glass wall. He pulled Hannah into his lap and cradled her while he wrapped the sweatshirt around her as best he could.
Pulling her close, he spoke softly in her ear. "I'm so sorry, Hannah. You're safe now. Jake Davenport won't hurt you again. It's over."
Only he knew it wasn't over. Angry voices shouted around him. No one had captured the prick yet.
He could hear Lukus behind him interrogating Mohammed, Davenport's number two. From the sound of things, Lukus was trying to beat the whereabouts of Jake Davenport out of the man and the police seemed to be looking the other way, allowing the civilian to do what they couldn't do in an official capacity. A small smile crept to Dylan's face as he silently cheered his boss on.
As he brushed the back of his fingers gently across her cheek, Hannah's eyes popped open; fear radiating from her as she regained consciousness. Dylan forced a smile in hopes of calming her. "Hi there. You're safe now. I've got you."
The sounds of violence still filled the air around them, making it impossible for Hannah to feel safe. Dylan cradled her closer to his chest, hugging her so he could speak softly in her ear. "You were so brave, baby. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but it's over now."
He felt her body tighten with anxiety, and realized that from her position she could see through the two-way mirror, into the center display room where Lukus and Derek were trying to get intel from the broken Arab center stage. He assumed it was what had her spooked until her hoarse cry cut through him. "Mia is bleeding. I have to help her."
Her voice cracked with emotion. Dylan angled so he could see what was happening. Mia was lying on the concrete floor, shaking as a SWAT member tended to what looked like a gunshot wound to her shoulder. Her sister sat propped up along the wall nearby, a vacant look of shock in her eyes.
"The police are taking care of them, honey. The paramedics are on their way down."
As if he'd planned it, a pair of emergency techs pushed into their room carrying a large tackle-box of medical supplies. They didn't even get near Hannah before she shooed them away. "Go in there. She needs you more than I do. Go. Now!" The grown men exchanged glances, surprised at being bossed around by a petite patient, yet followed directions.
The sound of a foreign language being spoken nearby caught Dylan's attention. It sounded like Russian. The only word he could make out was immunity.
Long minutes dragged on as Dylan comforted Hannah silently, listening to men being arrested. Listening to paramedics tending to the women on the small stage. They needed the quiet time to calm down, and by the time Lukus stepped into their room and crouched down in front of Hannah, they were both feeling more in control again.
Lukus smiled a pained smile as he reached to brush Hannah's long hair from her face. "I'm so glad we found you before it got any worse. I can't thank you enough, Hannah, for helping us get inside and turning Davenport's world upside down. You were so brave."
Her voice was so vulnerable. "I didn't feel brave. I was scared shitless."
Lukus surprised even Dylan with his reply. "Total disclosure: so was I." He tried to reassure her. "We lost the feed when you got into the basement. Luckily, we had enough to get the police involved, but then we had to wait for them to get a search warrant. I'd never have forgiven myself if Davenport had gotten out of here with you."
Dylan felt her shivering in his arms as she started to wither. He pressed his boss. "Let's get a paramedic in here. I want to get her to the hospital and checked out."
Hannah had different ideas. "No, I just want to make sure Mia is okay, and then go home and see Connor."
"Sorry, but you need to be checked out." Dylan couldn't bring himself to ask the question he desperately wanted the answer to. As tears welled in her eyes, he bit his tongue.
Fuck, I'm going to kill Jake Davenport myself when we find him. If he raped her again, I'll never forgive myself.
Thankfully, a paramedic pressed his way into the fast-filling room. Hannah clung to Dylan as the medic started taking her vitals.
Lukus and Derek looked down at them from above, concern in their eyes. The men exchanged knowing looks as they listened to the SWAT team recapping for their captain how Davenport had somehow slipped through their fingers. They were sending teams to his office and home, but no one expected someone as smart as Davenport to return to a location he knew would be crawling with cops at any minute.
Luckily, Hannah seemed too overwhelmed to hear what was happening. Dylan knew she wouldn't relax until Davenport was dead or behind bars.
The captain in charge pressed into the room next. "Everyone out. I need to interview Ms. Martine. Now."
Dylan didn't even have to intervene. Derek had his back, stepping between the officer and Hannah. "No way. She's receiving medical attention and needs to go to the hospital. You can interview her there."
"Not possible. Every minute counts with—"
Derek luckily cut him off before Hannah could hear the news. "Now you're in a big hurry. We've been trying to get police support for the last week, and no one could give a shit about Jake Davenport then. We have hours of tape. Hundreds of photos. There is more than enough evidence for you and your team to review now, and you can interview Hannah when she's rested up and feeling better."
The officer looked like he was going to argue back until Lukus stepped up next to Dylan's brother. The two tall men made an intimidating pair. Still, it was comical to watch the police captain back down.
The officer answered Derek and Lukus with an order. "Fine. You two come with me." He stopped to lock eyes with Dylan. "I'll catch up with you and Ms. Martine at the hospital i
n a few hours."
Dylan knew that was as good as it would get. "We'll be there."
"See that you are."
Ten minutes later, they were wheeling out into the fresh air. Dylan had made Hannah close her eyes as they'd moved her through the horror house called 'Strictly Disciplined'. He didn't want her to see those sights ever again. He wished he had the power to erase them from her memory.
"Where are Mia and Lucy?" She had been quiet. He could tell it hurt her to talk, and he didn't even want to think about why that was.
The paramedics answered her. "They already went in an earlier transport. You'll be able to see them at the hospital." That seemed to appease her, because she closed her eyes again, still clutching Dylan's hand as they lifted her stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
Halfway to the hospital, he could tell she'd fallen into a fitful sleep; whether from exhaustion or stress he wasn't sure. He looked up at the paramedic riding in the back with them and asked the question he dreaded learning the answer to.
"Was she raped?"
Pity filled the man's eyes. "I'm not sure. They'll do a rape kit when we get to the hospital to collect and preserve any evidence we can."
"But—"
"Sorry, I know it must be hard, but you should let the results come back before you worry."
Dylan forced the question on his mind. "How about the other women we found in the basement? Were they..."
He knew the answer before it came back. He could see it in the medic's eyes. "Yes."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"Fuck." Fury coursed through his veins. They'd waited too long. They shouldn't have let her go in. He was never going to forgive himself for letting harm come to Hannah and her friends.
The next hour flew by in a whirl as doctors, nurses, radiologists, and police filtered in and out of the private room they had set up in the ER for Hannah. Through it all, Dylan never left her side. He was so proud of her as she answered questions. The only hint of her lingering fear was the tight grip she kept on his hand throughout. He didn't even complain that he was losing circulation in his fingers. He was just happy he was lending some comfort to her.
The tension in the room changed quickly when the doctor announced everyone would need to leave the room so he could perform a rape kit.
The fear in Hannah's eyes cut Dylan to the core. She protested. "He didn't rape me. I don't need a test."
The captain interjected. "You hit your head, hard. Lost consciousness. He could have raped you when you were knocked out. We need the test if we hope to gather proof to put him away." The guy was being a cold asshole.
Dylan shot him a look that said 'shut the fuck up' before reassuring Hannah. "It's okay, honey. Even if he didn't, they still need to do the test for evidence."
"Will you stay? Please?"
He answered "Sure," just as the doctor responded at the same time.
"No. I'll be as gentle as I can, but I have found it is less stressful for victims when just a nurse and patient advocate stay in the room. It could take up to an hour or so," the doctor said.
Dylan smiled a reassuring smile. "You heard the man. I promise I won't go far, and I'll be back in as soon as I can. Okay?"
She looked too emotional to answer with words, finally nodding slightly. Still, it took her a while to release the vice-like grip on his hand. Leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead, he tried to calm her. "Why don't I go get an update on how Mia and Lucy are doing?"
What an idiot he was. New tears formed in her eyes. "Oh God, I'd almost forgotten. It's all my fault. They wouldn't have met Jake Davenport if it wasn't for me."
"You can't blame yourself for any of this, Hannah. You're the victim. Don't forget that. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
He hated leaving her, but he wanted an update on whether they had tracked down Davenport. He knew without asking that the answer was 'no' when he caught sight of Lukus and Z having a heated discussion not far from Hannah's room.
"Hey."
The men turned concerned eyes on him. "How is she doing?"
"As well as can be expected, you know? I can't believe we sent her in there. The doctor is doing a fucking rape kit on her. I shouldn't have let this happen."
Lukus looked sympathetic, but his words were tough. "You need to remember that we didn't introduce them. She'd met the asshole before we hit town. She chose to date him. She chose to steal the journal. We played the hand of cards we were dealt."
"Yeah, well you keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. I know the truth. I could have had her halfway back to Chicago in a car by now," Dylan said.
"And then what? You think Davenport was just going to let her sail off into the sunset with evidence that could put him away forever? We just got an update from Cameron. He broke the code in the journal. A lot of very powerful people are about to have their lives royally fucked up."
Dylan felt relief that at least something good was coming together. He'd been hoping for enough evidence that might save Hannah from having to testify. "Yeah, well I guess they should have thought about that before they decided to play God with people's lives." He changed the subject. "Any word on how the sisters are doing? I promised Hannah I'd get an update."
It couldn't be good news if Z looked like shit answering. "The younger one was pretty fucked up. They'd drugged her and she'd been used pretty hard. Unfortunately, her best friend Mia was shot in the cross fire during the raid. They took her into surgery. The doc gave her good odds of making it through, though."
"Fuck. Hannah is going to be so upset. She blames herself."
"I get that, but there is only one person to blame, and I can't believe the bastard is still in the wind." Z's angry voice boomed in the hall.
Dylan looked around before asking, "Where is Derek? Still back at the warehouse?"
Dylan didn't miss the two men looking at each other before avoiding his gaze. "What? Did something happen to Derek?" Alarm that his brother might be hurt got his pulse racing.
Lukus finally stared him down before answering, his voice full of authority. "Nothing like that. I just made the decision that, with Davenport still out there, we needed to tighten security. I didn't want him swinging by Hannah's and picking up her kid, so I sent Derek to pick up Mama Rosa and Connor and fly them to Chicago, to hole up in the loft with the girls and Markus. They'll be safer there."
Dylan's gut reaction was anger that Lukus would make a decision like that without his or Hannah's input, but his gratitude that Connor was safe with Derek won out. "That was a good idea. Thanks."
What went unsaid was how happy he was that this meant he'd get to take Hannah home to Chicago with him. California held bad memories for her. Maybe... just maybe... she might want to move to Chicago…
"Mr. Parker?" He looked up to see the doctor coming from Hannah's room.
"Yes."
"Ms. Martine is asking for you. You can go in now."
He hadn't taken another step yet before he heard Hannah screaming his name. Dylan broke out into a run. He rushed into her room to find the police captain and another uniformed officer leaning in close, trying to calm her.
"Get the hell away from her!"
The men listened, letting Dylan in close. "Hey, hey, hey... what's all this? You're safe. I'm right here."
Her eyes were frantic, glancing around the room, but not really seeing. Her breaths were coming fast, as if she was having a panic attack. It didn't make sense. She was safe.
"Hannah? Honey?" Dylan asked.
She finally locked eyes with him, fear seeping from every pore. "He got away? He's gonna go for Connor. He told me so." She tried to push him aside to get out of bed, but she was too weak. He easily held her back.
"Honey, it's okay. Derek and Lukus already thought of that. Connor is with Derek now. My brother picked him and Mama Rosa up and they're on the way to the airport. Derek is going to get them out of town and back to Chicago, where he can keep t
hem safe until this is all settled."
"Chicago?" Confusion flickered in her frantic eyes.
"Yes. It's where we're all from. Lukus has a place that he can lock down. His fiancée, her best friend, and my sister-in-law are already there under armed guard. Derek will join them with Connor and they'll all be safe."
"Safe?" She was in shock again.
"You should try to get some sleep. You'll feel better after you rest. I'm not going to leave your side again. Not even for a minute."
The captain broke in, once again trying to interview Hannah. Dylan shut him down. "Later. She's been through too much. You can talk to her later."
The guy looked like he might argue, but finally nodded and turned to exit, leaving them alone for the first time.
Tears streamed down her face as Dylan leaned in close. She whispered, "How could he get away?"
He stroked her messed-up hair, trying to calm her. "That's the million dollar question, but you don't need to worry about it. We've got you. Lukus and Z are right outside the door. I'm gonna stay with you. What do you need? Are you hungry?"
She shook her head, looking afraid to talk for fear she'd break out crying. He stroked her bare arm, trying to comfort her. When it resulted in her dissolving into sobs, he toed off his boots and lay down on the bed on top of the covers, pulling her into his arms. He let her cry until he could feel her relaxing. She'd cried herself to sleep.
Sleep well, baby. I won't let anything hurt you again.
Markus
Markus sat at the kitchen island in his best friend's loft. It was almost midnight, and he'd sent the girls in to bed hours before. He had canceled all of his meetings at the office this week, but that didn't mean he could take the time off. He was in the middle of prepping for several high-profile trials he had in the coming weeks. Luckily, his assistant Laurie hadn't minded swinging by the loft with the files he needed to work remotely.
