No Safe Place

by Mary Head

  “You’ve always known how to take care of her, and this time won’t be any different. Whatever she needs, you’ll figure it out. I know you will.”

  David nodded, taking another deep breath, and Isabelle rubbed her thumb over the side of his hand.

  “Harry’s a wreck over this too,” she said after a moment. “When he came home Thursday night, he had that drained, almost haunted look on his face that I haven’t seen since he was a regular field agent. I asked him what had happened – you know we don’t usually talk during the day while he’s at work – and he looked at me, and just said ‘Somebody took baby girl’.”

  A sharp pain sliced through David’s chest at that. Harry had many nicknames for his own daughters, but from the moment Harry first held Hannah, she was always ‘baby girl.’

  Isabelle continued. “I was so stunned at first that I didn’t quite understand what he was saying, and he said it again, but he used Hannah’s name, and it hit me that he was serious. We sat down, and he told me what had happened, and he cried a little. Not outright, but I could see the tears. Harry’s greatest fear has always been something like this happening to one of our girls, and Hannah’s just as good as, and it rattled him, like few things have rattled him before.”

  Isabelle leaned forward slightly, the movement making David look up at her.

  “I’m telling you this because you need to remember who Harry is. He’s never been an outwardly emotional man, he keeps that stoic front up, especially at work, but this is killing him too. I know that what he’s feeling is not quite what you’re feeling, but you have to remember that he loves Hannah like she is his own, and he wants her back just as much as you do. Finding her is his top priority right now, and I know it’s hard for you to be on the sidelines, but you have to trust him, and you have to trust Chris and the team. They will find her, and whoever did this will pay. You have to believe that.”

  Isabelle’s gaze was intense, ferocity burning in her eyes, and David thought, as he had many times before, that she could’ve been a good agent, if she’d been so inclined.

  “I’m trying,” David said with a nod. “I am.”

  Isabelle gave his hand another reassuring squeeze, and they spent the next few minutes talking about other things until Isabelle stood to leave. David walked with her to the door, and pulled her into a hug.

  “Tell everyone I said thank you for the food.”

  “I will,” Isabelle promised. Her gaze flicked to the files on the coffee table when they pulled apart, and then back to him. “Try not to lose yourself in all of this. You’ll get her back, I know it.”

  David nodded, giving a small smile, which Isabelle returned before stepping from the house.

  Chapter 29

  Chris returned from chasing down the last of the construction workers on his list by noon on Saturday, and dropped heavily in his chair, sighing as he ran a hand over his face. They had effectively exhausted the last of the leads from the previous day, despite not having a full list of all workers who had been at the site. There were a few outside contractors who had been contacted, or who they were trying to contact to get additional lists of employees, but he knew they would be of little help. Most would not arrive until Monday, which would probably be too late for them to waste manpower tracking down every electrician and plumber, especially given their new looming deadline of Tuesday night.

  Picking nervously at his thumbnail, his gaze darted to the stack of four folders Juliet had given him yesterday, along with her pages of notes, which he’d read over briefly that morning. He reached for the top file and flipped it open, scanning the face sheet for the particulars on the case.

  After only a couple of minutes, he heard someone say his name, and looked up. Harry was eyeing him from just outside his office, and gestured for him to come inside. Chris sighed, stood, and walked towards his boss.

  “Yes, sir?” he asked, stopping in the doorway as Harry stepped back inside the office.

  Harry moved behind his desk and sat, motioning for Chris to sit as well. “Where are we?”

  Chris sighed again, and glanced briefly at the plaque on the edge of Harry’s desk, trying to find a place to settle his eyes that was anywhere but his boss’s face.

  “Well, we’ve confirmed the last of the workers’ alibis. The cell phone was definitely Hannah’s; all discernible prints were hers, except for a couple that belonged to Agent Cole. The blood –” He paused and swallowed thickly, pushing away thoughts of what the blood implied. “The blood was also hers.”

  Frowning, Harry lifted his folded hands and rested his chin on them, elbows propped on the desk.

  “I knew all that yesterday,” he said, shaking his head. “So, basically, we’re nowhere.”

  “Yeah,” Chris replied, nodding reluctantly and finally lifted his eyes to Harry’s face.

  The chair creaked as Harry leaned back, laying his hands across his broad chest. “What did Agents Cole and Grayson find in their investigation?”

  Chris sat up straighter, like someone had just pulled a string attached to his spine, and cleared his throat, giving Harry his best confused expression. “Sir?”

  Harry smirked and shook his head. “Don’t play dumb with me, Agent Tyler. I’ve known David Cole for nearly 30 years. I know how he operates, and I know most of you would blindly follow the man into Hell. I’m not going to reprimand you or Agent Grayson, so just tell me what they found.”

  Chris relaxed and let out the breath he’d been holding. “Jul – Agent Grayson handed me four case files yesterday morning she referred to as ‘possibles’, and some notes. I’ve reviewed the notes, but not the files in detail. I was about to do that when you called me in here.”

  Harry chuckled. “From the personal files of Senior Special Agent David Cole, no doubt, though I’m surprised he only came up with four people who hate him that much.”

  Chris allowed himself a brief smile, and then shook his head. “I’m sorry about what happened in Alexandria yesterday, sir. I should have –”

  Harry held up a hand and sat up in his chair. “You have nothing to apologize for, Chris. We’re all too close to this, but David especially. It’s his daughter, and he’s worked here so long, and seen so much –” He broke off with a sigh and licked his lips, shaking his head minutely as he looked down at his hands for a minute before continuing. “The ADIC has been on my ass about this case. She wants me to turn it over to another unit. I’ve resisted so far.”

  “Sir,” Chris said, leaning forward as anxiety flashed through him. “I know we’re the best chance Hannah has, you can’t give it to another team.”

  “I’m not,” Harry said emphatically. “I said she was on my ass, I didn’t say she’d started chewing.”

  The two men grinned at each other, and then Harry added solemnly, “Plus I know how David would be if I did.”

  “And if – if we don’t –” Chris started and then stopped, his hands clenching over the arms of the chair as the thoughts came to his mind unbidden.

  Harry shook his head, and abruptly pushed back from his desk to stand.

  “I don’t even want to think about it,” he said, turning to the large window behind him. With his hands on his hips, he stared down at the busy street below before his gaze moved to the building across the street and then to the sky, recalling memory after memory of a young Hannah running to and fro over his backyard with his own children.

  “It’s a possibility, sir,” Chris said softly from behind him.

  Harry sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head once again. “No, Agent Tyler, it’s not.”

  There was a brief moment of silence, and then Harry said, “Follow up on the possibles Agent Grayson gave you, and get on Martinez and Warren about the rest of those contractors. Someone on that job site had to have seen something.”

  “Yes, sir,” Chris replied, and there was the sound of the chair being pushed back as he stood, followed by soft footsteps as he left the room.

  Harry stood at the
window a few more minutes, and then rubbed a hand over his eyes. Like David, he had worked here so long and seen so much, and he had too many memories of the blonde girl he’d come to love like one of his own.

  “It’s not,” he repeated, hoping this time he would believe it.

  Chapter 30

  Hannah opened her eyes slowly, wincing against the light from the naked bulb hanging from the ceiling and feeling an odd sense of déjà vu.

  Turning her face away from the light, she blinked several times to try to clear her vision. As the room came slowly into focus, she noticed a figure sitting in front of her, watching her. A sharp, startled gasp tore from her, and she tried to sit up as the figure shifted, a hurried, “Wait!” reaching her ears just as she felt a hard tug and fell back against the mattress.

  The pain in her wrist made her wince, and she looked up, frowning at the metal cuff around it. She stared dumbly at it for a moment before finally realizing she was handcuffed to the broken heater attached to the wall.

  “What –” she murmured, and then looked back at the figure in front of her, seeing now that it was Jackie and not Eddie as she’d initially feared.

  “I’m sorry,” Jackie said quietly, his brow furrowed.

  Hannah looked at him for a moment before casting a fearful glance down at herself.

  “I – I’ve been here the whole time,” Jackie assured her.

  Hannah met his eyes again, knowing exactly what he was saying and feeling a sudden rush of gratitude.

  Jackie shifted a little closer to her. “I brought you some more water,” he began, gesturing to the cup on the floor, “and some stuff to bandage your foot again, the cut opened during. . . earlier.” He paused, looking embarrassed, and then continued, “And also this.” He opened his hand to show her the safety pin nestled in his palm. “For your shirt, if you’ll let me.”

  Hannah nodded, and Jackie moved closer, helping her sit up before kneeling beside her on the mattress and carefully pulling the broken strap over her shoulder. His fingers were nimble as he fixed the pin in place, and he moved in front of her again when he’d finished, giving her a small smile.

  “Thank you,” Hannah said softly, staring intently at him and hoping he knew she was referring to more than just the safety pin.

  Jackie nodded, a quick bob of his head, and replied, just as softly, “You’re welcome.”

  He handed her the cup of water before taking her foot into his lap, and she sipped it, watching as he cleaned and bandaged her heel once more.

  “Does it hurt?” he asked, glancing up at her.

  “Everything hurts,” she sighed, swallowing another cool sip of water.

  Jackie lowered his eyes to her foot again, giving a tiny shake of his head as he focused on securing the bandage in place.

  “You shouldn’t have tried to run,” he said quietly. He could feel her staring at him and he kept his gaze lowered to her foot, even though the bandage was in place and secure.

  “What am I supposed to do?” she said after a minute. “Just sit around and wait for him to – to –”

  “To what?” Jackie asked, raising his eyes to her face.

  She held his gaze for a moment, her eyebrows knitted together and her eyes steadily brightening with tears before she whispered, “I just want to go home.”

  Unable to bear the way she was looking at him, he looked away, carefully removing her foot from his lap so he could stand.

  “I’ll make you something to eat,” he murmured, taking the now empty water cup from her and hurrying up the stairs.

  Hannah sighed, starting to raise her hand to her face, and winced when it caught on the handcuff. She closed her eyes and brought her other hand up, running her fingers through her hair and trying to maintain a sense of calm. It was getting harder to do. Things had gone from bad to worse, and the fear that had been lodged inside of her since she first woke up in this place was beginning to increase.

  Eddie’s threats continued to loop through her mind. Before yesterday afternoon, part of her had continued to think he was all talk, but after he shouted at her, calling her a bitch and shoving her to the floor, and how he touched her as they struggled in the living room, the pressure of his hand on her hip and the way his fingers slipped just under the waist of her jeans as he held her down, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

  Just thinking about it made her skin crawl, made her press her knees together and wrap her free arm around her middle.

  A moment later she heard the sound of the basement door opening.

  “Could I maybe –” she started, opening her eyes as she turned her head, but the words died in her throat when she saw Eddie at the top of the stairs. He pushed the door shut behind him with a quiet click and descended towards her, his gaze lifting to her face when his shoes scuffed against the concrete floor. She eyed him warily, shifting a little as she tried to pull her legs in closer to her body.

  Her heart beat faster as he drew closer, and then she felt a nauseatingly strong sense of unease when he lowered himself to sit on the mattress, far too close for comfort.

  Shifting again, she tried to get as far away from him as she could, not that it was really possible with so little room to move, and then froze when he turned his head to look at her.

  “Talked to your daddy yesterday,” he said quietly. “Saw him too. He’s not looking too good.”

  Hannah felt an intense surge of longing at the mention of her father, and hated the thought of what he must be doing to himself over all of this, but she remained silent, waiting to see where Eddie was going with this.

  “Think he’s in trouble at work too,” Eddie continued, and shook his head. “No, he’s not doing too good at all.”

  Hannah bit her lip, suddenly missing her dad so much it hurt, but she still kept silent, willing away the tears that tried to rise.

  “Got a temper on him too. Bit violent.” He paused, raising his eyebrows. “Bet you know all about that.”

  Hannah frowned, anger rising within her. “My dad loves me; he would never hurt me.”

  “Not even when you deserve it? Because I’m sure – I know you deserve it sometimes.”

  Hannah’s frown deepened into a scowl. “He’s not like you. He doesn’t –”

  Eddie turned fully towards her, startling her and cutting off her words, and shifted forward, edging into her space.

  “Your dad is not as perfect as you think he is.”

  She remembered him saying that before, but there was a new edge to his voice now, an insistence to his words, as though he thought he could sway her opinion by repeating his.

  “My dad,” Hannah said firmly, “is a better man than you’ll ever be.”

  A heavy silence followed these words. Eddie stared at her, his eyes hard, and Hannah felt herself tense as his jaw tightened.

  The basement door creaked open suddenly and she jumped, unable to stop the tiny gasp that escaped her. Eddie looked at her a moment longer, smirking, and then turned his head towards the stairs.

  Jackie was at the top, a plate in one hand, the water cup in the other, his expression wary as he stared down at the two of them.

  “What’re you doing?” he asked bluntly.

  “Talking,” Eddie replied, just as bluntly, as he pushed to his feet.

  Hannah breathed a quiet relieved sigh as he moved away from her, though she was so tense she could feel herself trembling.

  Jackie seemed uncertain as well, a light frown creasing his brow as he came down the stairs, and he set the plate and cup on the floor, making sure they were within Hannah’s reach.

  Eddie waited until Jackie straightened before he spoke. “Time for you to take a turn.”

  “What –” Jackie began, and then stopped when he saw the syringe in Eddie’s hand.

  Hannah gave a startled gasp but Jackie didn’t look at her, raising his eyes instead to Eddie’s face.

  “What – why?” he asked in disbelief. “She’s not –”

  “Either you do it,” Edd
ie said, talking over him, “or I will.” He raised an eyebrow, extending the needle to Jackie.

  Jackie shook his head, a flutter of panic rising in him. “No, Eddie, we don’t –”

  “Fine,” Eddie snapped, pushing Jackie to the side as he stepped forward.

  Hannah shook her head as he approached, tears streaming down her face as she pressed her back to the heater.

  “No, no, please. I don’t – I won’t –”

  Her eyes were wide and terrified as her gaze flicked to Jackie, and he turned away as Eddie dropped to his knees on the mattress.

  The sounds of their struggles filled the basement, her tearful pleas and his irritated demands for her to hold still, and Jackie closed his eyes, running his hands through his hair. It was when he heard a loud smack followed by a sharp cry of pain that he opened his eyes.

  “Stop!” he shouted, whirling around. “Stop. I’ll do it.”

  Eddie was on top of Hannah, straddling her legs as he held her free arm against the mattress, and when he looked up at Jackie, the cap of the needle was in his teeth.

  Hannah was breathing hard and looked utterly drained. Jackie wondered how she had any fight left in her, but there was ferocity and determination in her eyes that told him she wasn’t ready to give up yet.

  It made him hate himself.

  Eddie pushed to his feet and extended the needle once more. Jackie looked at it for a moment, and then took a breath and reached forward. He turned towards Hannah, and she watched as he lowered himself on the mattress beside her legs. The fire had gone from her eyes, and all he could see was desperation as she stared at him.

  “Jackie,” she whispered, shaking her head as fresh tears fell from her eyes, “don’t do this. Please. Pl – please.”

  His chest hurt as the last word hitched in her throat, and when her eyes flicked just once to Eddie, he knew exactly why she was so scared.

  Jackie leaned towards her, reaching across her body to cover her hand with his, ready to hold it down if he had to, but to reassure her more than anything.