Chapter 14
Hannah
A s hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep the negative feelings from creeping in.
It was less than ten minutes from the time I had one of the best, non-sex orgasms of my life to the time he was saying goodbye and walking out the door.
Even though Rhys thoroughly reassured me he was coming back, I still heard the little voice whispering in my ear.
With my house unpacked and all the boxes gone, I had nothing to do.
I’d spent all my free time the last few months reading about Sergey, and now that I’ve heard some of the horrors of his organization, I don’t want to know any more.
Looking around the house, I grew restless as I tried to find something to settle the nervous energy coursing through my veins.
My phone chimed, and I picked it up to see a message from an unknown number.
Unknown: This is James. I thought you may need my number just in case. And I’ll attach Devlin’s and Lucian’s so you’ll have them.
I saved the numbers under their names in my phone before responding.
Me: Thank you. I appreciate you coming by to talk with me today.
James: Thanks for having us.
I didn’t know how to respond without it feeling like I was trying to drag the conversation on, so I placed the phone down and exhaled.
There was something about all this I was missing, and the harder I tried to remember details, the less I could recall.
Remembering there were still some boxes from Granny in the little storage building in the back yard, I walked outside and opened the creaky door.
I hadn’t had a chance to finish going through all her stuff before our house sold, so I grabbed some heavy totes and piled everything inside to keep it protected.
One by one, I carried the five black totes inside, placing them next to the dining room table.
After closing the shed and locking the back door, I grabbed the bottle of cinnamon whiskey from the freezer and took a shot before returning it to its icy home.
I grabbed a large trash bag from under the sink for whatever I found that needed to be thrown away and walked into the dining room to get started.
Not sure if Rhys was watching me, I kept my music volume low and the selection on random as I went piece by piece, deciding what to do with the last remnants of someone’s life.
How sad that things we treasure in this life get discarded by our loved ones within a generation or two.
But Granny wasn’t one to keep a ton of sentimental stuff just for the memories, so it was mostly papers, books, random craft projects, and various other stuff. I’d taken care of her clothes and personal effects months ago.
“You never did win the sweepstakes with the balloons and giant cardboard checks,” I remarked to the empty room as I tossed another envelope from those people into the trash.
I found a needlepoint she had been working on during my last year of college.
She got sick before she could finish it, so I carefully placed it to the side.
It may not ever get finished, but it was something she created, so I couldn’t throw it away.
I was halfway through the second tote when I came across a shoebox I vaguely remembered from the top of her closet.
Opening it up, I found a few letters from various relatives of Granny’s, and it was fascinating reading about their lives.
Halfway through the stack, I found the letter my mother had sent after I was taken in by Granny.
Pissed at my mother for not giving a damn about me, I opened the letter to see what she had to say for herself.
Dear Momma,
I know you hate me for leaving Hannah for you to look after, but I’ve got big things in the works.
Once it all pays off, I’ll be back for her.
You’re probably angry at me for not telling you about her, but your stubborn attitude pushed me away too many times.
Now, I’m taking my future into my own hands, and one day, you’ll see I was right about everything.
XOXO
-Kelly
“What a bitch,” I said as I tucked the letter back into the envelope and placed it to the side to give to Devlin.
Beneath the letter from her were exactly seventeen white envelopes addressed to Granny with no senders and unreadable postmarks.
When I opened one, I found twenty-five one-hundred-dollar bills inside and my eyes grew wide.
There was no note and no indication of who sent it.
Stuffing the money back inside, I opened three more randomly and found all with the same contents.
In total, there was over forty thousand dollars stuffed into a box that Granny had kept hidden for years.
Who sent the money? And for what purpose?
Unsure what to do, I sent Rhys a text, hoping I wasn’t disturbing his business.
Me: I need to speak with you. It’s kind of important.
I placed my phone down and grabbed all the envelopes before standing from the table.
I took them to my office and slid them into the lockbox I kept important documents in before returning to the dining room.
There was no message from Rhys, and as I stood and continued to look through the tote, I kept glancing at the silent phone, wishing it would ring.
By the time I was finishing the fourth tote, I was getting angry with Rhys.
When the fifth was done, the sun was setting in the sky and my phone was still silent, I was unsure what to do next, so I dragged the two large bags of trash to the front door.
After repacking a single tote with items I wanted to keep and another with items to donate, I stretched my back and sighed into the empty house.
My stomach grumbled, and I decided it was time to stop watching my cell phone. It was pathetic and desperate for me to be upset over him not contacting me, and I silently chastised myself as I grabbed my purse and keys from the kitchen.
Unlocking the front door, I took a moment to drag the bags to the oversized can at the side of the house.
After securing the house, I got into my car, cranked it, and backed out of the driveway, determined to get something to eat.
I had no idea what I wanted, so I pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the interstate.
With no destination in mind, I let at least ten exits pass before I pulled off and turned into the first restaurant I saw.
It was some local barbeque place, and when I got out of the car, it smelled delicious.
Walking in, I requested a booth and followed the girl to a bar along the side of the building.
After ordering the house special and a tea, I reached into my purse to grab my phone, only to realize I’d left it at home.
For a moment, I was scared without it but soon realized I wasn’t chained to it.
It was liberating to enjoy a meal while I watched whatever sports was playing on the television behind the bar.
After paying my check, I walked back out to my car and stopped in my tracks as I saw a large man dressed in black pants, shirt, and boots standing next to my car.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I attempted to slip back inside without the hulking man seeing me.
“Hannah,” he said as he began to walk across the parking lot.
There wasn’t anyone outside to help me, and I had no doubt he would be able to stop anyone who tried. As he got closer, I felt nauseated, and just as he approached, he seemed to notice the worry written on my face.
Holding his hand up, he calmly explained, “I work with your brother, Lucian, and he asked me to keep an eye on you. I swear, I’m not threat.”
“Prove it,” I returned and kept glancing around him, hoping someone would intervene.
He unclipped a cell phone from his waist and dialed a number.
Listening for a moment, he spoke to whoever was on the other line.
“I’m with Hannah, and I need you to reassure her I’m not a threat.
” He placed the phone on the ground and took four giant steps back as he nodded to it. “Please speak to your brother.”
Keeping my eyes on him, I walked to the phone and squatted to pick it up. “Hello,” I said into the phone, and when I heard his voice, I calmed down instantly.
“Hannah, it’s Lucian. That’s Johnson and he works with me. He’s keeping an eye on you while Rhys is out on business. I swear you’re okay.” I lifted my eyes to the big man as Lucian asked, “Can you give him the phone back?”
“Okay,” I replied and carefully walked up to the man. “Here, and I’m sorry.”
“Safety first, Hannah,” he replied with a smile as he took the phone and placed it to his ear. “Okay, got it.” Looking at me, he asked, “Is there any place else you’d like to go?”
“No,” I managed to answer, and he nodded.
“I’ll follow you home and will stay until Rhys returns. Lucian asked for you to call him when you get back to your phone.”
Without answering, I walked to my car, got inside, and cranked it before resting my head on the steering wheel.
The fear was still coursing through me, and I realized at that moment that until they figured out who was pulling the strings, the real threat of danger was around every corner.
As much as I hated it, I was going to start carrying a gun for protection.
I drove back home, occasionally looking in the rear-view mirror to see Johnson behind me.
When I got to my driveway, I pulled in and noticed he’d parked on the curb in front of my house.
Glancing at him, I walked up the steps and unlocked the door before entering the house and closing and locking the door behind me.
Granny’s guns were hidden all over the house. I found the one she taught me to shoot with and tucked it into my purse. If I had to protect myself, I would do it without thinking. After securing the firearm, I grabbed my phone from the dining room table and sent a quick message to Lucian.
Me: I’m home. Sorry your friend had to watch me.
Walking into the bedroom, I quickly changed into something more comfortable before I heard my phone chime. Opening the message, I read Lucian’s response.
Lucian: I just want you safe.
Me: Thanks.
There were still no calls or texts from Rhys, and I shook my head, silently reprimanding myself for falling too far, too fast. Until he proved otherwise, Rhys had showed his true colors.
And according to Granny, I was to believe his actions over his sweet words.
He said he would call or contact me before dinner, but he was still radio silent.
Was he with another woman? Was he in danger?
Was he helping someone who was in trouble?
Or was he having second thoughts about getting tied up with someone like me?
Too many negative thoughts started to float through my mind, and I was powerless to stop them.
I felt the tears start to build in my eyes, so I went into the bedroom and closed the door behind me.
This was the one room I had no monitoring in, and at that moment, I was glad.
No one needed to see my ugly cry over my heart breaking.
Even though we were still basically nothing, I’d been falling for Rhys for months. But his promised words of love were bullshit.
Yet another reason not to trust anyone’s word. If I had taken Granny’s advice, I wouldn’t have been alone in my bed, with tears flowing and my heart shattering.
Damn, I really was pathetic.