Chapter 43
43
FIONA
The next morning, the doorbell rang. I was in the kitchen doctoring my second cup of coffee and expected Dottie to singsong a hello and barge right in. My mouth watered at what she might bring for breakfast. I’d thrown on cutoff jeans and a t-shirt, having learned it was safest to always be dressed in this house. Dax was in the shower, so it wasn’t him at the door, but if it had been, he wouldn’t have rang the bell. He’d have picked the lock and snuck in.
For the first time, I actually answered the door.
There, standing on the steps, was Hannah, and the way they were holding hands, her boyfriend Jack. I recognized Hannah from her DMV photo I pulled during my search. She was prettier in person. Everyone was prettier than their license photo .
Petite, curvy, dark hair, bright eyes. She wore pale pink sweatpants, a white long-sleeved pullover, and her blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.
Beside her was a big guy who gave Dax a run for the most serious person in the world. He wasn’t smiling. He exuded grumpiness, which only made Hannah seem even more sunshiny. That made sense because she grew up in this town of rainbows and unicorns.
Although, I knew her parents, so I had lots and lots of questions. The easiest answer: she was adopted.
“Where’s Dax?” Jack asked. He wore faded jeans, a Colorado Avalanche t-shirt, and sneakers. His hair was messed up, like he had bedhead.
They were both tan in October, which indicated a recent beach vacation. And Dax had pulled them from it.
Hannah swatted him in the chest. “Seriously?” she huffed. “Hi, I’m Hannah. This big oaf is Jack.”
“Fiona.” God, dressed like it was laundry day for my first meeting with Hannah was not what I wanted. I tucked my unruly bits of hair behind my ears. “Dax is in the shower.”
Neither looked surprised that Dax was naked in my house.
I stepped back to let them in and kept my eyes on Hannah as she moved into the living room. I whispered under my breath, “Can you hear me?”
Nothing. No response from her. Not even a twitch. Shit. Did she not have bionic hearing, too? My stomach was in knots, and I was more nervous now than when the guy held up the convenience store.
“Um, want some coffee?” I asked them.
“Make lots. We were on the red eye,” Jack said.
I headed to the kitchen, and they followed. Grabbing mugs, I poured them each a cup, then started a new pot.
“I’m sorry you had to leave your vacation early,” I told them, trying to make small talk.
“Heard you’re in the FBI,” Jack said. So much for small talk.
I nodded. “That’s right.”
“What are you doing in Coal Springs? Working on a case?”
I flicked my gaze to Hannah. She was why I was here. These past few months I’d been so eager to meet her, to talk with her and now I was nervous. What if she didn’t have bat hearing? What if she was normal? What if she didn’t believe me? What if–
“Hey,” Dax said, coming into the kitchen. Jeans and shirt on. Feet bare. Hair damp.
The guys gave each other a bro hug. “Thanks for coming back.”
“Fiona was about to tell us why she’s in Coal Springs,” Jack said to Dax, although it was aimed at me.
“To meet Hannah,” Dax answered for me. “They both had radiation for brain tumors at the same time.”
Oh my God.
I could hear a bighorn ram fart two counties over with how quiet the kitchen got. I’d practiced what to say to Hannah when we met, how I’d say it, but never imagined Dax blurting it out for me.
Hannah looked to me. Then she looked to Jack. Jack looked to Hannah, then to me. Dax looked at all of us.
“You… you had gamma knife radiation, too?” Hannah asked, ringing her hands in front of her. Her expression was an odd mix of apprehension and hopeful. “In May?”
I nodded. “You’re okay?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Yes.”
“You got the letter about the maintenance issue?” she asked, then bit her lip.
I nodded again.
“Did you–” She cleared her throat. “Do you–”
I nodded yet again. I was afraid to speak.
“Oh my God,” Hannah breathed. She reached out and grabbed Jack’s hand.
“What?” Dax asked, glancing between all of us, clearly lost. “ What?”
“You’ve got bionic hearing?”
“You can lift heavy things, too?”
Hannah and I spoke at the same time.
“What?” I asked, my mouth dropping open.
“What?” Hannah asked back, her eyes wide.
“WHAT?” Dax shouted. “You have bionic hearing?”
“It made you really strong?” I asked Hannah, ignoring Dax. I hadn’t expected that.
She nodded, then flexed her bicep like in a strongman competition. It looked a little silly since she was a tiny thing.
Jack grinned, appearing proud of her newfound feat. He was the only one who wasn’t freaking out. “Like the Hulk.”
Holy shit. I believed her, because I wanted her to believe I could hear freakishly well.
“WHAT IS GOING ON?” Dax shouted even louder. “I thought we were going to talk about the Fentanyl trafficking.”
“Fentanyl trafficking?” Hannah asked, eyes wide. “We’ve been gone for four days. What else could happen?”
“Elise got appendicitis,” Dax said. “I’ve been running the bookstore.”
Hannah’s eyes bugged out of her head. “You don’t know how–wait.” She threw her head back and laughed. “I bet they loved you with that handsome face and growly personality.”
Dax rolled his eyes, and I could’ve sworn he was blushing.
“You have no idea,” I added, trying not to smirk.
“Hey, I thought I had the growly personality,” Jack said to Hannah.
She went up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “You’ve got all the growl I want.”
Seemingly content, Jack leaned against the counter. “Now I see why you called us back early.” He smirked at Dax. “How’s that break going?”
“Break from what?” I countered .
Dax ignored Jack and stared at me. Ignored my questions, too. “Bionic hearing? Because of the radiation?”
I nodded. So did Hannah. “We got letters telling us there was a maintenance issue with the radiation machine during the time we had our treatments. I got crazy hearing, and it seems Hannah can lift heavy stuff.”
I couldn’t tell by the expression on his face if he thought I was messing with him or if he was freaked out.
“I know you’re really strong,” Dax said to Hannah. “I thought it was from Pilates or something. Not radiation .”
Hannah shook her head as if disappointed. “Have you ever known me to exercise?”
Dax took a moment to consider that, then looked to me.
“Show me.”
“Show you what?” I frowned.
“Your bionic hearing.”
“Oh, this is gonna be fun,” Jack added.