Chapter 10
Hannah
I sold a lot of pieces that night.
More than ever before.
I glanced around the gallery, proud when I saw all the empty spaces. It wasn’t in my plans to stay later, but I figured since the inspiration hit, it was best for me to put up the new paintings from clients who were still waitlisted. My mind worked quickly, trying to come up with a theme for the next few weeks…one that would stand out as I walked to the backroom while typing different taglines on my phone to promote on social media.
I shouldn’t have been so focused on my phone.
I should have paid attention.
A soft chime from the door broke through the silence of the gallery and I turned on my heel, walking back to the open space. I didn’t see anyone, but an uncomfortable feeling settled at the pit of my stomach as I walked to the door.
My heart beat heavily as I approached, but it was too late.
A heavy hand covered my mouth, the action muffling a scream that tore from my throat as a strong arm pulled me back into the gallery as if I was nothing but a ragdoll.
The person held me tight, firm against his hard chest and everything around me blurred as he kept me from moving.
I couldn’t see much with my eyes full of tears.
“I don’t plan on hurting you…but don’t you dare fucking scream. Do you understand?”
My heart dropped.
Did no one see him walk in? Did no one notice something was terribly wrong?
“I asked if you understand,” he said, his voice near my ear.
I nodded as best I could, agreeing, but this man was a fool if he thought I wasn’t going to put up a fight. When I had the chance, I would scream. This was New York fucking City. Someone had to hear me.
“We’re going to the office, and you will open up the safe for me, hm? You will give me the laptop.” He shoved me in the direction of the office, his grip around me suffocating. But not for long.
He guided me through the desk and as we approached, his grip around my waist loosened, and I elbowed him and screamed, running toward the door as fast I could.
He muttered a curse, and for a brief second, I thought I would get away.
I was close…so damn close to the door, but I wasn’t fast enough.
His strong grip around my ankle forced me to a sudden stop and I fell to the wooden floor, tasting blood as my face collided against it. The man forced to turn around, this time as he straddled me. He looked down on me, breathing heavily and for a moment…just a brief moment, there was nothing more than our heavy breathing.
“Don’t do this,” I whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Then don’t make this difficult.”
He forced me to my feet and dragged me to the safe.
Don’t make me do this.
Please.
“Enter the code. Now.”
I didn’t want to do this to Nathan…but my mind told me to do what I needed to stay alive. My trembling hands entered the code to the safe and when it opened, he looked through it, tossing the money to the side and heading straight to a stack of documents.
“The money is there. What—”
The man glared. “Shut the fuck up and get me the laptop.”
My chest rose and fell with every breath, my adrenaline rising as I saw his attention focused on the documents he was shoving into a bag. But I couldn’t give up.
I took the opportunity and quietly, grabbed my phone, and slid my trembling fingers over the screen. I dialed 911 and began screaming once again.
The man turned around, his eyes wide with disbelief as he wrestled the phone out of my hand and shoved me out of the way. I landed on the desk with a thud, crying out in pain when the corner of the desk dug into my abdomen.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He hissed, tossing me to the ground. “Are you fucking serious? This wasn’t supposed to be this fucking hard!”
He towered over me, his eyes hard and full of resentment.
“They are going to be here any moment, so you better leave.” I barely wheezed out the words and he knelt next to me, his knee pressing into my injured ribcage, but I didn’t wince, holding his gaze. He knew it was over. He knew his little rampage was done.
The man ran a calloused thumb over my injured lip, and though there was something oddly tender in the action, I refused to cry.
“I should have known you were going to put up a fight. You always do.”
I swallowed thickly, watching as he shoved the laptop into the bag.
The last sound I heard as he walked away, was the soft chiming of the door as it closed and then…silence.
***
I held up an ice pack to my lip. I’d held it long enough that I could barely feel it as I watched the police officers and EMS assessing the damage to the gallery and myself. I kept replaying everything in my head, his voice, the way he hadn’t actually tried to hurt me unless I tried to escape.
Something is wrong.
Now that the police had gathered outside the gallery, there were several bystanders, trying to see what happened but I didn’t need them anymore. I needed them when the man was throwing me around like he owned the place. I closed my eyes, setting the ice pack on the floor. The tremble in my hands wouldn’t stop, not even when the police officers reassured me that the place was empty, it sure as hell didn’t disappear when I had to tell them what happened over and over.
“Where is she?”
My head snapped up at the sound of the voice. Desperate and angry and worried.
Derek.
Nathan and Derek pushed through the crowd of officers, following behind the sweet police woman who had helped me when she arrived, and Derek…well, he nearly shoved her out of the way to get to me. He knelt in front of me, taking my face in his hands, his eyes scanning over the bruise was surely had formed on my lip and my cheekbone from when I hit the ground.
“Fuck,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”
For the first time, I felt the adrenaline wane and a sense of despair invaded me. I gave him a small nod but avoided his gaze, looking instead at Nathan who watched me cautiously.
“Does she still need to be here?” He asked, directing his question to the officer.
The woman smiled. “No. We’ve got her statement. We would like to talk to you, though.”
Nathan nodded, taking the keys out of his pocket before handing them to Derek. “Take her home.”
Derek took the keys and took my trembling hands in his. He helped me to my feet, placing an arm around my waist and with no other word, guided me out of the gallery into the silence of the night.
***
Derek
The city lights were blurry as I drove back to her house. She hadn’t said a single word since we left the gallery, hadn’t said a word when we picked up the girls from Evie’s…and didn’t say a word as I carried our daughters into the house. I locked the door, double checking—triple checking—before I placed our sleeping girls in the cribs.
When I was done, I found her in her bedroom, quietly standing in front of a mirror with her fingers tracing the bruise forming on her cheekbone. My hands balled into fists, and even then, they still shook. Fury flooded my veins like never before.
I’d kill them.
Whoever the fuck touched her…I would end them.
No one had a right to her.
No one had a right to her body.
But in front of her, I had to keep it together. I cleared my throat, approaching her though I was sure she could see my reflection in the mirror. She met my eyes through the mirror, so fucking dim with emptiness, I could barely handle it. I could take her anger…I could take her resentment, but this emptiness was too much to bear.
“Did he…” I fumbled with the words, letting out a humorless laugh when I spoke again. “Did he touch you?”
Realization flashed in her eyes, and she shook her head. Her tongue slid out, licking her bottom lip and though the action caused a fire to burn within, I fought it.
“Are you hurt somewhere else?”
Her delicate throat moved, and she gave me a single nod, her trembling hand reaching behind to the zipper of her dress. Understanding, I moved her hair over her shoulder and found the zipper, sliding it down her back until it exposed her skin.
Fuck.
Don’t do this.
She didn’t move though, and I took it as a sign for me to slide the soft material down her arms, until it exposed her beautiful lace covered breasts, and further down, until I could see the black and blue forming underneath her ribs. The dress pooled at her feet and she stepped out of it, but despite her being nearly naked in front of me, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the bruise.
It shouldn’t be there.
Not on her.
Not on her perfect, delicate body.
And then I heard it, the quiet sob, the quiet tears that she had been holding in since I’d seen her. My anger disappeared as I saw her cover her face with her hands and her shoulders shaking as sob after sob left her body.
Fuck it.
I turned her around and pulled her into my arms. I didn’t give a flying fuck that this violated all the rules she’d set in place. I needed her in my arms. I needed to remind her she was safe…safe in my arms, safe with me. She cried, burying her face in my neck and her hands gripped my shirt, holding on to it as if afraid I would disappear.
“It’s over, Hannah,” I whispered into her ear. “It’s over. You’re safe. I’m here.”
I lost count of how many times I said.
All I knew was that every time I did, I meant it.
I ran my hand up and down her back, giving her the safety she needed, hoping she could feel it with me there. Her eyes peered up at me and I wiped the tears off her face.
“I was so scared.”
I let out a small laugh. “Me too.”
I fought the anger, fought the fucking pain as I recalled the second Nathan had answered the phone. I needed Hannah alive. It didn’t matter if she was with me or not…I just needed to know she was okay.
“I’m staying with you tonight, okay?” I didn’t miss the relief in her eyes when I said the words. She leaned into my hand and took a deep breath. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Even in her brokenness, there was nothing in the world more perfect than her.
I put distance between us, opening a random drawer and to my luck, was able to find a t-shirt for her quickly. I helped her put it on despite wanting to have her naked in my arms once more, but it wasn’t the time for that. She turned around and crawled into bed, and it wasn’t until then that I changed into the extra clothes I’d taken from Evie’s house.
My head felt like it was about to explode, and my veins felt like they were on fire, but I couldn’t let her see it. I allowed it all to disappear when I saw her laying on the bed, her beautiful eyes set on me.
Waiting.
Don’t think.
I climbed into bed with her, and she didn’t hesitate to inch closer to me, seeking my warmth. And I held her. For the first time in over a year, I held her in my arms until her breathing evened out and exhaustion took over.
And I promised…no one would ever lay a hand on her again.