Chapter Twenty
Feeling as though she could walk on air, Hannah made her way down to Sarah’s office with a grin.
She was planning to talk to Sarah about the new addition they wanted to add to the lodge to be able to provide more people with the therapy they needed.
If there was anyone who would have some good ideas for how to best expand their therapy department, it would her.
And maybe Hannah wanted to share a little of her excitement with Sarah, too. She was so pleased that her brother had finally given his blessing for her to pursue a relationship with Xavier like she had wanted to for years.
Now that she’d spoken with her brother, his previous reactions made sense to her.
Of course he was worried about her getting involved with Xavier; he was Xavier’s best friend and knew that he was dealing with so much.
Because he was also Hannah’s brother, he wanted to keep her safe and didn’t want her to be dragged into Xavier’s issues.
Anyone would have been protective in a situation like that.
But now, after their chat and knowing the hard work Xavier was putting into therapy to face his nightmares and heal from his trauma, there was no reason for Lawson to try to stop them from being together. He could see how good they were together, how happy they made each other.
Hannah couldn’t wait to prove to her brother and everyone else, including herself, that the wait had been worth it now that they were finally together.
She had checked Sarah’s therapy schedule, and she didn’t have any appointments booked until Xavier’s, which wasn’t for another forty-five minutes, so she would likely be in her office writing up patient notes or sending emails.
She didn’t want to interrupt Sarah’s quiet work time, but she knew that her friend would want to know the good news since she had suspected that something was going on between Hannah and Xavier for a long time.
Hardly able to contain her excitement, Hannah lifted her hand and rapped on the door.
She listened for a moment, but there was no reply.
She frowned and knocked again, but there was still nothing.
Maybe she’d had a last-minute request for an emergency appointment.
Sometimes, with the problems they were dealing with, the guests in residence needed access to immediate care.
Sarah always obliged, as long as it didn’t interfere with another patient who needed her.
Hannah was about to chalk it up to that and try back later when a thought struck her. Normally, if she was with a patient, Sarah would have just called through the door to tell her that she’d be out in an hour or so. The silence wasn’t like her.
Hannah turned back to the door again, staring at it, suddenly feeling uneasiness rising up in her chest. She knocked again, a little louder this time, just in case Sarah was listening to music through headphones or something, but there was still no reply.
Pressing her ear to the door, she couldn’t hear anything.
She was pretty sure the office was empty.
Which meant it wouldn’t be a big deal at all if she just pushed the door open and checked to make sure everything was okay.
She should just leave it alone, but her instincts were telling her that something was wrong and she needed to check it out. She tried the handle, and it was unlocked. When she pushed the door open and stepped through, she gasped at what she saw.
The office was completely and utterly trashed.
Paintings hung askew on the walls, one of the chairs had been ripped open, and white stuffing overflowed like a twisted version of a snowscape.
Pens were scattered all over the floor, and papers had been knocked to the ground.
The desk drawers were torn open where someone had clearly been searching through them and the computer that usually sat on the desk was upside down next to it.
“Oh my God,” Hannah gasped out loud, a cold grip of terror taking hold of her.
Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
Who would have done this? One of the clients could have just freaked out and gone on a destruction spree, but that didn’t sound or feel right.
This seemed deliberate, like a weird sort of organized chaos.
Someone was looking for something. But what? And why here in Sarah’s office? And where was Sarah?
Hannah was just about to turn around and go in search of Xavier or Lawson for help, when she heard a noise.
“Hannah?” a tiny voice squeaked from underneath the desk.
Hannah dropped to her knees to look underneath it.
Sarah looked back at her, wide-eyed, trembling and clutching her knees to her chest.
“Sarah, what happened?” Hannah gaped at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m… I’m okay,” Sarah replied, her voice shaky.
Hannah rushed around the desk and offered her a hand to help her to her feet.
Sarah took it gratefully, grabbing on to the side of the desk for support as she tried to gather herself.
“You need something to drink? Do you need me to call River to check you over?” Hannah fussed over her urgently.
Sarah shook her head. “No, nothing like that,” she replied.
“I—I’m okay. Physically, I mean. I just…
” She cast her gaze around the office, taking in the extent of the damage for what seemed to be the first time.
She pressed her lips together, the distress written all over her face.
“I…” she began, but then, the tears fell down her cheeks, the shock clearly getting to her.
Hannah had never seen her so shaken up before and instantly pulled Sarah into a protective hug, hating that she had been through something so scary.
Once Sarah managed to catch her breath again, Hannah pulled back slightly and raised her eyebrows.
“What happened here?” she asked gently. She knew it was going to be hard for Sarah to talk about, but if the person who had done this was still loose in the building or on the property, it was important they figured it out before something else happened.
“Jed,” Sarah finally breathed.
Hannah’s heart dropped slightly. She knew there was something off with that guy. “What did he do?” she asked.
Sarah shook her head, clearly having a hard time going through the details again, even in her head.
“He…he came in here for an appointment,” she explained.
“And I thought everything was normal. But he walked in, and as soon as the door was shut, he locked it, and he just started trashing my office. Started going through my files, going through the desk, the computer, everything. He told me that if Xavier didn’t have it, then it had to be in here. ”
“It?” Hannah replied.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Sarah admitted with a shrug. “I have no idea what he meant. There’s nothing in here worth taking.” She trembled hard as she looked back up at Hannah. “I think Xavier might be in danger.”
Now the break-in to Xavier’s room made sense.
Jed was searching for whatever he thought Xavier had in his room.
Was that why Hannah had gotten such weird vibes from him right from the beginning?
Why others had seen him lurking around? Had he just turned up here because he thought Xavier had something he wanted?
Hannah tried to remember what Xavier was supposed to be doing right then.
He had been with Aaron, right? And then he was supposed to have an appointment with Sarah.
She needed to go find him. Now. Tell him she was right about Jed and he was the one who had been in his room and about him trashing Sarah’s office because he was searching for something he thought Xavier had.
None of this made sense to her, but hopefully Xavier would be able to make sense of it all. First, she had to find him.
“You call Lawson,” Hannah instructed Sarah, pulling herself together.
“Tell him what Jed did and that he’s looking for something but we don’t know what.
And then call Bailey and tell her what happened.
She’ll send people up or she’ll come herself.
I’ve got to find Xavier and tell him what’s going on. ”
“You sure?” Sarah asked. “Jed could be somewhere close watching and waiting to see what we’ll do. He could even be listening in right now.”
“After this,” Hannah replied, looking around the room at all the destruction.
“I doubt he’s still around since he didn’t find what he was looking for.
Plus, he’s got to know that you’ll report him.
But we can’t wait around either way. The guys need to know what’s going on and everyone needs to be on the lookout now. ”
“How can we be sure that it’s just him?” Sarah replied nervously.
Hannah frowned. “Did he say anything that might make you think otherwise?” she asked, her heart sinking.
How many of them were there around here?
How many of these guys had managed to infiltrate the sanctuary?
She mentally flicked through all the people she had registered at the lodge in the last few weeks, trying to remember if any of them had given her a strange feeling the same way Jed had, but she couldn’t think of anyone else.
She would need to go through the files, see if there was anything suspicious in there.
But right now, there was a more pressing matter on her mind. She needed to get to Xavier and tell him Jed was searching for him and whatever he thought Xavier had. She wasn’t going to stand by and let the man she loved get hurt or walk into a trap unawares.
Sarah wrapped her arms around her wait. “No, he didn’t mention anyone else. That doesn’t mean someone else isn’t around watching or waiting. Just be careful, Hannah.”
Hannah nodded and threw open the office door before she lost her nerve. Before she could race off down the corridor, a man stepped in front of her, leveling a gun at her head.
Her feet froze to the spot. She had never been on the other end of a gun and had no idea how to react.
It was like her breath had seized in her chest, and she couldn’t find her voice.
She wanted to cry out, but all she could do was stare down the dark, dangerous barrel of the weapon pointed in her face.
And at the man on the other side of it.
Jed.
His nose was bloody and swollen, and his lips were stained with the same redness. But there was a maniacal grin on his face, as though he didn’t even notice his injury. The look in his eyes scared her almost as much as the gun he had pointed at her.
He slowly turned the gun to Sarah. “Put that phone down,” he ordered.
Hannah’s head was spinning. What the hell was going on? Why was Jed back, here of all places? Why didn’t he leave when he couldn’t find whatever he was searching for?
Hannah turned to Sarah, nodding at her to do as he said.
They could work this out, as long as neither of them ended up with a bullet in their brain.
Sarah slowly placed the phone back down on the desk, her hand visibly shaking, her face white.
Hannah wished she could comfort her, but right now, she had to focus on getting them out of there alive.
She couldn’t let her panic get the better of her, no matter how terrifying the situation was.
“Good girl,” Jed sneered, patronizing as always.
Hannah felt a flare of anger at his remark. But how he spoke to them was the least of her concerns right now. She needed to make sure she got both of them out of this mess without getting hurt. She would never be able to forgive herself if Sarah got injured because of her rashness.
“You, come with me,” Jed ordered Hannah, jerking the gun toward her.
Hannah stood her ground. “Where are you taking me?”
“That is no concern of yours,” he replied, flashing her a grin. “You just shut that pretty face and do as I say, you understand? Or someone’s going to get hurt.”
Fear rippled through Hannah at his demand.
She wished she had a way to get by him without getting shot and find help.
Even if she could get out in the hallway and yell at the top of her lungs it would be better than doing nothing.
There were always people around this side of the lodge; someone would hear.
But then they’d be put in harm’s way because of her, and Hannah couldn’t have that on her conscience.
She couldn’t believe this was happening again.
More danger to the lodge and its guests.
First the fire several months ago, and now this.
This was supposed to be a safe place, where people could forget their worries and concentrate on healing and bettering themselves.
Instead, it seemed to have turned into a place where danger followed and threatened their family and friends.
Hannah wanted to jump on Jed and claw his eyes out for the evil and terror he’d brought to their peaceful doorstep.
But she pushed down her violent urge with a calming breath. “Fine. I’ll go with you,” she murmured. “Just leave Sarah and the others alone.”
“You don’t have a choice, bitch.” He laughed and pushed the tip of the gun right up to her forehead.”
Hannah’s lungs seized, and she started shaking. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to die here, not like this.
“Hannah—” Sarah attempted, but Jed turned the gun on her again, silencing her once more.
“I’m not letting a pair of bitches stand in the way of millions of dollars,” he told them. “Move, Hannah. Now.” He reached out and yanked her forward so fast she crashed into his chest.
She pushed back and tried to move away, but Jed pulled her back to him as he stalked out the door with her in tow.
As soon as they cleared the doorway, he grabbed her shoulder and shoved the gun in the small of her back, pushing her down the corridor.
He was moving her at a rate faster than her feet could keep up, and she stumbled several times.
As soon as she’d right herself, Jed would jam the gun in her spine again and keep shoving her forward.
She knew she needed to fight back, do something to try to get away, but with him constantly forcing the gun to her back, she couldn’t think straight. She wasn’t sure what she could do without getting her brains blown out.
Closing her eyes, she kept walking, counting her footsteps and praying that Xavier would somehow know where to find her. She wasn’t sure exactly how that was going to happen, but she had faith in him.
And faith in him seemed like the only thing she could hold on to right now without losing her mind entirely.