Chapter 21 #2
I slid my phone into my suit pocket as I began to read the report and review the photos taken by the coroner.
There weren’t many clues on her body. Her clothes appeared to be thrift-store, she was emaciated, and from the stages of healing, the coroner reported he believed she was abused over a long period of time.
Possibly a year or more. Whoever did that to her wanted to send a message and make her suffer.
Part of me hoped it was Kelly Johnson, so we could mark her off the list of potential suspects, if such a list existed, which it didn’t.
We were basically blind, and I closed my eyes, trying to stave off the headache that was pushing against the back of them.
For the next two hours, I read every word of the report, comparing it with the information we had.
I felt like I was digging in sand, trying to find a single grain and then losing it through my fingers.
By the time we landed, I was seriously frustrated, so imagine my surprise when the plane touched down at the small airport north of the city and I see James waiting next to my car.
As the pilot taxied the plane up to the hangar, I couldn’t wait for him to stop before I opened the door and let the stairs down. Stepping out, I jumped with the briefcase in one hand and the urn in the other as an overwhelming feeling of dread and doom overtook me.
James started walking to meet me, and the look on my face said I was right. Something’s wrong and part of my brain seemed to understand that, while the rest of it was raging. I stopped in front of James and pushed the urn into his arms.
“Why are you here?” I asked, and he glanced down briefly. “Fucking tell me what’s going on, James.”
“You know Hannah’s friend, Samuel?” I nodded, and James continued. “He’s in the hospital with a broken arm and a fractured cheekbone.”
“What the fuck happened?”
“Rhys, there’s more. Let’s take your car and I’ll explain,” James said, and I narrowed my eyes at him. Without asking why, I pulled my keys out but when I attempted to unlock the driver’s door, he stepped up and held out his hand. “Keys.”
Now, I knew something was seriously fucked-up as he got behind the wheel and I climbed into the passenger’s seat. He cranked the car and pulled away as his GPS directed him where to turn.
“Now, tell me what happened with Samuel,” I demanded.
“Someone broke into his house late last night before his boyfriend got home. They attacked him in his sleep, and when the boyfriend arrived, he found him. They expect him to make a full recovery, but it’s what he told his boyfriend that’s the problem.”
“Stop beating around the bush,” I yelled, and he exhaled before glancing at me then back to the road.
“When Samuel woke up this morning, he told the doctors that whoever attacked him said something to the effect of, ‘Now, you can’t get between me and her.’ The only female Samuel spends time with is Hannah, so we’re on the way to her office to see her.
I’ve had one of Lucian’s men on her car for the last two hours, just to be safe. ”
“How did you get involved?” I asked, wishing he would speed up.
I pulled my phone out while I waited for him to explain and dialed Hannah’s number. It went straight to voicemail, so I left a message, hoping she’d see it and call me back.
“Hey, baby. I’m back home in Atlanta and I’m on my way to you now. Call me back.”
Hanging up, I looked at James and waited for his response.
“Hannah gave Samuel your office number, in case of emergency, and when he called, Regan answered. She didn’t know what to do, so she called me since you were in the air, and now, I’m here.
Devlin, Lucian, and all their men, plus the Death Hounds, are ready if we need them, but I told them all to hold off until you and I get a handle on what’s going on. ”
“Did Samuel say who attacked him?”
“He said they were wearing a ski mask and gloves, but I’ve got a friend in Atlanta PD, so they’re giving us access to everything they collected in case our system can help identify the person.”
“Fuck, I knew something like this was going to happen. But who in the hell would want to hurt Samuel? And is he sure the man was referring to Hannah?”
“Listen, I have no clue, but when the only friend is hurt, seemingly to keep him away from her, that makes me think it’s all connected. And until we know one way or the other, we treat this like it is,” James reasoned, and I wanted to tear my hair out.
Trying Hannah’s number again, I listened to her sweet voice before hanging up without leaving a message and immediately sending her a text.
Me: I’m home, baby. I’m on the way to your office. See you soon.
We were only a few minutes out from her office when my phone rang, and when I saw it was Hannah, I exhaled the worry I’d been stewing in.
“Hey, baby. How are you?” I asked.
“Pardon me, but I found this phone in a trash can and wanted to get it back to its owner,” the woman said, and I snapped my head to James.
He glanced at me then back to the road as I placed the call on speaker so he could hear. “Can you tell me where you found it?”
“It’s in the breakroom trash can in my office building,” she replied, adding the address.
My stomach sank when she said where she was. It was Hannah’s office, and if her phone was in the trash, something was terribly wrong.
“Do you know Hannah Johnson?” I asked.
“Why, yes, I do. Is this her phone? We’ve been expecting her back from lunch for a few hours but figured she was taking the afternoon off. I can hold onto the phone until she comes back tomorrow.”
“If it’s okay, I’ll be by in a few minutes and can get it from you to take to her tonight.”
“That’s fine. See you in a bit.”
I looked at James as he stopped the car at a red light. “Hannah’s gone.”
“We don’t know that. Lucian’s man said her car is still in the lot. Maybe she’s somewhere in the building and that lady didn’t know,” James suggested, and I punched the ceiling of the car twice as I yelled.
Whoever was causing havoc in our lives had just made the biggest mistake of their lives. They touched Hannah, again, and this time, I was going to find her, find them, and string them up by the intestines as I broke every bone in their body. No one got to touch my woman and live.
Now, we just had to figure out who had her and where they took her.
It’s a fucking needle in a haystack, and my woman’s life, and sanity, was on the line.