Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I still can’t believe it.” Audrey paused in the act of packing up the last of her books and glanced across the room at Hannah, who was in the process of taking framed photos and diplomas off the wall.
“I know,” Hannah replied, moisture springing to her eyes.
Audrey immediately regretted bringing it up. Hannah was still covered in bruises, with scrapes torn into the flesh of her neck and wrists. Shadows filled her eyes, but she was determined to push through, to move forward.
Audrey had spent most of Saturday at Hannah’s house, and though she had heard the story from both Hannah and Luke, she still hadn’t come to grips with everything that had happened.
After surviving a harrowing kidnapping as a teen, Hannah had recently been targeted by the same killer who had returned after almost a decade.
He had killed two local women and attacked Audrey in the health center because she had interfered.
Hannah had been lured out of her home by someone she trusted—the man who had planned to carry out the murder he had been denied years ago. Thankfully, Luke and his guys from Vantage had shown up in time to rescue Hannah. The man had been killed that night, finally ending the horrific nightmare.
Looking back now, it all seemed so obvious to Audrey.
She shook her head, wondering why she hadn’t seen it before.
Maybe deep down they had all known and hadn’t wanted to believe it.
It just went to show that people were capable of all kinds of unspeakable evil, even those you thought you knew best.
She moved around the desk and pulled Hannah into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too,” Hannah replied.
Audrey knew it would be hard for Hannah to move on.
She wondered if Hannah would stay at the health center or if she would go somewhere else, too, leaving the bad memories behind.
She wouldn’t blame her one bit. Audrey glanced around the office she had used for the past seven years.
The walls were now almost bare, everything packed into the boxes they had brought in.
It was the first step in moving on and starting fresh.
Pulling away from Hannah, Audrey rested her hands on her shoulders. “What can I do to help?”
Hannah shook her head. “It’ll just take time, I think. Luke’s been amazing. Having him around has been really helpful.”
“You look happy,” Audrey offered, studying her.
Hannah smiled back, her features lit up bright by the joy shining within. “I am. I love him so much. Thank you for your advice.”
Audrey waved away her thanks and propped a hip against the edge of the desk. “You guys are meant to be together. I’m just glad things worked out.”
“Oh, it’s incredible. He’s…” Hannah trailed off and bit her lip.
Audrey suddenly realized why Hannah had veered from her train of thought, and she shook her head adamantly. “Hey, don’t you worry about me. You don’t have to hold back just because of my divorce with Scott. I’m better off without him, and you’re better with Luke. I want to hear everything.”
Hannah shot her a shy smile. “He’s taking another job close to home so he can commute.”
“Home?” Audrey lifted a brow and smirked at Hannah, who blushed profusely.
“We’re staying at my place right now since it’s a little bigger. But the plan is to fix up Luke’s little house and flip it. We’ll see how everything’s going by that point.” She lifted a shoulder. “Maybe then we’ll get a place together.”
Audrey smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”
God only knew where Luke’s work would take them. Ex-military, he now worked for a local security company that he and a friend had started, doing basic security coverage and private investigation work.
Vantage Security was based out of Miami, but the plan was to put an office on each coast in the near future.
In the meantime, Luke and the other ops would travel if needed.
He could be away for days or weeks, depending on the job, but Audrey had no doubts that he and Hannah would make it work.
They both deserved happiness, and she thanked God they had both come to their senses and found what was right in front of them.
She tipped her head toward the door. “Come on, let’s get outta here so you can get home to your man.”
Hannah sent a blazingly bright smile Audrey’s way before turning back to the box in front of her and loading the last few picture frames. Audrey grabbed her purse out of the closet and slung it over her shoulder.
“Seriously, Audrey?”
Audrey turned to meet Hannah’s wry gaze as she held up the small bromeliad that had taken up residence on the window ledge. “What?”
“When was the last time you watered this poor thing?”
“Um…” Audrey’s lips twitched in humor, and she bit back a smile. “Maybe it’s just sleeping.”
“It’s dead.” Hannah rolled her eyes and held the pathetic-looking, brown withered stalk over the trash can. “It’s a good thing you take care of people and not plants.”
The potted plant hit the bottom of the can with a solid thunk, and Audrey couldn’t help but compare it to her marriage: dull and lifeless.
The only time she had felt the smallest spark of anything lately was when she was with Carter.
He had made her feel… incredible. He had been an attentive lover, treating her as if she was beautiful and perfect.
Maybe if she had gotten out of the house before he had woken, she could have tried to contact him later.
Despite her initial discomfort, she really had enjoyed being with him.
She didn’t want a boyfriend, but maybe they could have dated casually, seen each other occasionally.
She almost felt bad for leaving the way she had—almost—but not after the things he had said.
The memory came flooding back, and anger infused her all over again. No, she was done with that arrogant idiot who thought the whole world revolved around him. She had had that once with Scott, and there was no way she would ever put herself in that same position again.
If she ever married again—and that was a huge if—it was going to be right. The right man, the right time. She wasn’t going to rush into anything ever again, no matter how good a man made her feel. An hour or two in bed wasn’t worth a lifetime of heartache.
She took another glance around the nearly bare office.
This was what her life had been reduced to.
It was easy to look at the space and see only an empty shell, but a spark of anticipation lit within her, and she now saw a whole new set of possibilities.
Though she was leaving this life behind, there were so many opportunities ahead of her.
She could go wherever she wanted, do whatever she wanted.
With a small smile, she shook her head and gathered the box on the desk. “All right, all right. No more plants. Now let’s go.”
Hannah followed her to the elevator, and they rode down to the lobby. Hannah glanced over as the door whooshed open. “When’s your last day?”
“I’m planning on staying through…” Audrey’s words trailed off as Hannah let out a squeal of glee and practically skipped across the tile floor to where Luke reclined in one of the visitor’s chairs.
Audrey watched with mild envy as he stood and opened his arms to her, accepting the box of memorabilia in one arm and his girlfriend in the other, pulling her tightly against him.
Audrey approached the duo, and Luke met her gaze over Hannah’s small frame, sending her a small nod. She never would have paired her petite friend with this giant of a man, but they were just so freaking cute together that she couldn’t help but smile.
Hannah stepped away, her hands on Luke’s chest. “I completely forgot my purse in my office. Can you please carry that out to Audrey’s car for her? I’ll meet you out there.”
“You sure?” Luke’s eyes clouded with concern.
Normally, walking to the parking garage next door wouldn’t have been a big deal, but with everything Hannah had been through in the past few weeks, Audrey doubted he wanted to let her out of his sight for even a second.
How she had managed to convince him to let her go to work without him watching over her was beyond her.
He took his duties very seriously and would do everything in his power to keep Hannah safe.
For that, Audrey was extremely grateful.
“It’s no problem,” she cut in. “I’ll just carry this one out and come back for that one.”
“No, no. Luke can take care of it. I’ll only be a minute anyway.” Hannah stretched up on her toes and planted a soft kiss on Luke’s mouth. “Everything will be fine, I promise.”
“If you’re sure.” He still looked uncertain, but he let her go, and together they watched Hannah stride back toward the elevators.
Audrey turned to Luke. “She’s happy. Thank you for taking care of her.”
Luke watched the elevator door close behind Hannah before turning to Audrey, his voice low and sincere when he spoke. “Thank you for bringing her back to me.”
Audrey waved it away, just as she had when Hannah had thanked her earlier. They deserved to be together, and she was just happy that everything had worked out. “I didn’t do anything.”
He shook his head. “I thought I’d lost her. I don’t know what you said to her, but… I owe you. Anything you need, it’s yours.”
Audrey studied him for a minute. “You saved my life, Luke. I would say we’re more than even.”
Her gaze was drawn toward the glass front doors, to a dark figure striding purposefully toward the building. Her heart slammed against her ribcage and her breath seemed to freeze in her lungs at the sight of Carter Cross, the one man she couldn’t seem to forget.