36. Hannah
Hannah
M y phone ringing has everyone groaning around me.
"Turn it off," Noah grumbles, putting a pillow over his head.
"Darlin', can you grab that?" Austin asks sleepily, and Charlie grunts, pulling me closer.
Yesterday's trip to the beach was unexpected but more than a little fun.
I mean, there was sand everywhere , which made for an uncomfortable ride home, but one shower and deep soak in my tub later, and we were right as rain.
"Here you go, reinita ," Enzo, who is up and getting ready for his seven am class, hands me my ringing phone. "It's the lawyer."
I shoot upright, grabbing my phone from Enzo's hand. He never calls this early.
"Hello?" I answer, my voice a little raspy from sleep.
"Hannah—oh, dammit, I'm sorry. I've been up all night and I didn't realize how early it was."
"Oh, that's okay…is everything alright?" My heart is still pounding from the burst of adrenaline that hit me when I realized Brody was calling.
"Well, that depends on how you feel about what I'm going to ask you. I've just been informed that the prosecution is requesting a lie detector test."
"A lie detector?" I ask, my brows shooting up, and my alphas stir around me. I can feel their eyes on my face, watching my reactions. Concern radiates off them in waves. "I thought…didn't I read something about them not being admissible in court?"
"Usually, yes." Brody sighs. "But since the prosecution is the one requesting it, if we agree, meaning both parties would find it beneficial, then the judge will view it as evidence.
This could be good for you, Hannah. A chance to answer the questions and nobody can accuse you of lying or manipulating. "
This could be it. This could be what helps the judge see that I'm not some lying, manipulative monster.
"Okay," I nod, confident in my decision. "This can only go well for me. I have nothing to hide."
"Okay great." The sound of clicking fills the background on Brody's end of the line.
"They tried to tell me they'd use a polygraph company they have on retainer for things like this, but I don't trust it.
We'll be going to a private polygraph company.
Can you make it today, or is that too short of notice? "
"Hold on," putting him on speaker, I open up my schedule for work on my phone. "All my clients are in the morning, so I'll be able to make it after one."
"Okay…" more clicking, "how about two-thirty? The office is downtown."
"I can come with you, reinita ," Enzo says, "my last class today gets out at one. We can meet back here and head over."
"Okay, two-thirty works," I tell Brody, still on speaker phone. "Enzo's going to come with me."
"Good. I'll text you the address."
"Thanks Brody, I'll see you later."
"Okay, and…Hannah?"
"Yeah?"
"It's going to be okay, alright? We know the truth, and soon they will too."
"Thanks, Brody." I hang up the phone, and am immediately snagged by Noah with an arm around my waist as he drags me down against him.
"You okay?" He asks, his voice partially muffled by the pillow.
"I think it'll be good," I suppress a shiver when I feel Charlie run his fingers down my back, and then Austin is crawling to lay between my legs, using my stomach as a pillow.
Running my fingers through Austin's ginger hair, I giggle when he wraps his arms around my thigh.
"All I can do is tell the truth, right?"
"Right," Austin hums. "Now, sleep, darlin'." Smiling to myself, I obey my alpha and drift back into a deep sleep until I have to get ready for work.
"You ready, preciosa ?" Enzo slips his hand in mine as we approach the building that Brody sent me the address to. We're fifteen minutes early, which should give us some time to get sorted before I actually take the polygraph.
"Ready to have this over with." I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I've never done a polygraph before."
"I have," Enzo supplies, squeezing my hand.
"The trick to not triggering a false positive is to stay calm.
They're going to ask you a baseline question like your name and age, and use that to determine the truthfulness of your answers.
They also might ask you questions with obvious answers, like 'are the lights on'? "
He opens the door for me, and I see Brody and two other suits standing in the lobby.
"Hannah," Brody gives me a warm smile. "You remember Niles and Peter Herman?" I mean, kind of.
"Yes," I nod at the other lawyers, my nerves suddenly spiking. My pulse is racing and why am I so fucking nervous all of a sudden?
What if the lie detector says I'm lying when I'm not? What if this loses me the case? I mean, my step-sisters have to know I never manipulated Nana into anything…right? But if they did, why would they risk a lie detector test? Unless it's rigged somehow?
My mouth is dry as Enzo reaches out his free hand and introduces himself before looking at me with concern. "Hannah?" He asks, his voice swimming in my ears. Everything is a little fuzzy, and my vision pulses slightly.
Oh, fuck.
Am I having a panic attack?
"I…I have to use the restroom." My voice sounds like it's underwater as I turn, walking down a hall that I now realize probably is not the restroom. Considering I've never been here and have no idea where anything is.
Less than ten seconds later, a hand closes around my arm, and I look up to see Enzo, his jaw tense as he leads me somewhere.
He pulls me into what must be a single occupancy bathroom and locks the door behind us. "Hannah," his voice is still murky. "Hannah, look at me baby."
I blink up at him, and it's then that I realize my breath is coming in quick pants, and my heart is racing a million miles a minute. " Reinita, take slow breaths for me. Tell me what you see."
But I can't. I can't, and I don't know why. I start gasping for breath, my hands coming up to my throat. I can't get enough air, I can't fucking breath .
Enzo's eyes widen in panic, and I think he curses before turning me and facing me towards the wall. A sharp smack of not-quite-pain clears my fog, making my pussy clench with need.
Oh.
I let out a shuddering breath as my hands instinctively find the wall, bracing myself as he smooths his hand over the sting, which wasn't really all that bad because of the layer of protection my jeans provide.
"More, please," I manage to choke out, my heart still racing.
Another sting hits me, not enough to hurt, but enough to distract me from my thoughts careening out of control. His hand soothes over it again, and he leans forward, pushing my hair aside to kiss my neck. "Do you need more, reinita ?"
"One more," I whisper, my mind finally clearing, "please."
The last sharp smack has me perfuming hard, and Enzo groans. "Fuck, are you okay, Hannah?"
"I am now," I turn to face him, noting how blown his pupils are. It looks like that was just as hot for him as it was for me.
I'd love to try that again sometime with less clothes and zero panic attacks.
"You smell needy, reinita ," Enzo rumbles, hands skating up my sides.
"I am," I admit, "but we need to go. The polygraph—"
"Will be in a room full of other alphas that I don't want smelling my omega's need." Enzo growls, and my eyes widen. I've never seen him this territorial. He's usually so…calm.
Before I can say anything else, he's dropping to his knees and unbuttoning my jeans. "Don't worry, I'll make this quick," He promises before yanking them and my underwear down to my knees. "Now be my good girl and let me clean up this pussy."
He licks up my slick, groaning like it's the best thing he's ever tasted as his hands grip my ass cheeks. "Oh, gods, Enzo!" I cry out, my hands burying in his hair, holding him to me.
He assaults my clit with his tongue, licking and sucking and sending shockwaves through my body.
Even his teeth gently scrape over my sensitive flesh, and it's like I'm on fire.
It doesn't take long at all for him to send me over the edge, and I come undone, pussy clenching around nothing as he licks me through my orgasm, my body shaking with the aftershocks.
Grinning, he stands up, only wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before lifting my underwear and jeans back onto me and buttoning them. He stands, taking my waist with one hand and the back of my head in the other, and kisses me like he's claiming me. Like he can't live without me.
"There." He pulls back, breathing hard. "Told you I'd make it quick."
"What about your face—"
"Let them smell it," he growls, apparently feeling possessive. "You're mine, and everyone will know."
Well then.
That shouldn't turn me on so much, but fuck, it does.
We walk hand-in-hand back to the lobby where the lawyers are waiting for us.
Between being shocked out of my panic attack and the subsequent orgasm, I'm feeling way more relaxed than I would have thought.
That is, until my cheeks heat as their noses twitch, the evidence of what we've done as clear as anything.
Brody clears his throat. "Ah…if you guys are ready…"
"Please, lead the way." Enzo grins, his voice pleasant.
The Herman brothers shoot me dirty looks before we all go up to the front desk and speak to the receptionist.
"Ah, here you guys are." A woman, a beta in her forties, comes out from an office holding a clipboard. "Right on time." She smiles. As a beta, she won't be able to scent the smell of sex all over Enzo and I, but she can tell something is off.
Regardless, she looks between all of us, raising her brow. "My name is Alicia Silvers, and I'll be conducting the polygraph today. I have the list of questions from both parties, so Ms. Beckham, if you wouldn't mind following me?"
"Of course," I nod, and Enzo takes my hand.
"Is it alright if I sit in as well?"
"If he's sitting in, then we are as well," one of the brothers, Peter, I think, jumps in, scowling at us.
"I am not a lawyer, Mr. Herman," Enzo says cooly. "I am Hannah's alpha. Legally, I am allowed to be with her."