Chapter Twenty-Two
Vik
Hmm.
Not good.
Even though Hannah is running, I still take the time to set Muffin down gently. I’ve become rather fond of the kitten, and I wouldn’t want him hurt because of a reckless decision. The moment he’s free from my hands, I launch myself off the bed and give chase.
Hannah hasn’t made it far when I reach the door. She’s crossing the space between my room and hers. Frightened by what she saw, she probably stumbled before she could find her footing again.
It doesn’t matter. She won’t get far enough.
“Hannah,” I call, hoping she’ll stop long enough to let me explain.
“Stay away from me,” she shouts back.
Not going to happen.
I’ve worked too hard to get us here. I’m not letting it slip away now.
I catch up to her as she reaches her bedroom. She’s already slamming the door, probably trying to lock it, but I jam my forearm into the gap before it closes.
“Don’t come any closer.” She throws her weight against the door.
“Hannah, let me explain.”
Calm. That’s what I need to be, even with every nerve in my body screaming at me. She doesn’t yell. Instead, she backs away from the door, her fists clenched as she retreats toward the bed.
Got to admire her fighting spirit. She’s ready to make me earn every inch. God, she’s so fucking hot.
“You’re a fucking monster.” She says it with all the emotion someone might use to comment on the weather.
“I am.” There’s no point denying it.
Hannah has seen the worst of me. Not just through newspaper articles. She met him in that alley.
“But I can explain.”
“You’ve lost your mind if you think I’m going to sit here and listen to more of your bullshit.” Her eyes widen, confused by how calmly I’m taking this.
I step into the room, closing the distance between us without reaching for her. The shock of finding the mask has flooded her system. One wrong move...
“I’m leaving, Vik, and you’re not going to stop me.” She drives both fists into my chest.
“Yes, I am. I can’t let you go anywhere, Hannah.”
The police don’t even enter my mind. I need Hannah. Now more than ever. My crusade is almost over. I’m not ready to face whatever comes after without her.
She takes a few cautious steps back, skirting around the bed.
I let her. Maybe the distance will calm her enough to listen.
How stupid of me. The second she’s out of reach she spins and bolts for the glass doors leading to the backyard. I catch her just as she’s fumbling with the lock.
“Calm down, Hannah. I’m not going to hurt you.”
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her away. Her elbow slams into my thigh. The second catches me in the stomach, driving the air from my lungs. Still, I don’t let go.
We crash onto the bed together.
A few quick adjustments and I’m on top, one hand pinning her wrist before it reaches my face, the other holding her shoulder against the mattress.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she screams. “Let go of me.”
She keeps fighting, and I let her.
A punch. A kick. Another scratch.
If she needs to burn herself out first, so be it.
“Stop, Hannah.”
Her nails rake across my neck. The sting barely registers.
It’s nothing compared to the threat of losing her.
“Fuck you,” she spits. “I should’ve known something was wrong with you. The way you treated me that night when I was terrified. When I needed you. I thought he was going to kill me. YOU were going to kill me.”
“I would’ve never hurt you, Hannah.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” She doesn’t wait for an answer.
She curses, struggles and bucks beneath me until she finally realizes I’m not moving.
One last burst of resistance. Then she’s spent.
I stay where I am. I don’t know whether this is surrender... or whether she’s simply waiting for another chance to escape.
The fear is gone from her eyes. All that’s left is determination.
“Fine. Explain it then.” She isn’t asking because she wants answers. She’s saying whatever she thinks will get me off her.
“You told me about your past. I suppose it’s only fair I tell you mine.”
I tell her about the night that changed everything. About watching three men murder my mother. About the scar carved into my body. About the paramedics who thought I’d bleed to death before we reached the hospital.
With every detail, Hannah’s anger fades and compassion replaces it. She can’t help herself. It’s who she is.
I find myself wondering...
If I’d shown her this part of me sooner... Would she still have run?
“My father’s will to fight died shortly after the investigation began. Which left getting justice for my mother to me.”
I finish and climb off her. If she runs now... I won’t stop her. I’ve given her everything I have.
She doesn’t run.
Instead, she rises onto her knees and wraps her arms around me from behind.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Vik.”
“Don’t be. The past can’t be changed. But the future is still ours to decide.”
“I’ve found them,” I say softly.
“What are you going to do?”
She’s expecting me to say I’ll call the police.
That I’ll finally let someone else carry this burden. But I won’t lie to her again.
“I’m going to kill them, Hannah.”
“What?”
Instead of pulling away, her grip tightens.
“Vik, you can’t.”
“My whole life has led to this. I can’t walk away now.”
“Please, Vik, don’t do this.” Her voice trembles. “You’re just putting yourself in danger.”
“I’m not the one who should be scared, Hannah.”
It hurts hearing the fear in her voice. I’m grateful I can’t see her face. I don’t think I could bear it.
Not for her. Not for me. Not for everything we’ve become.
What’s done is done and I’ll see this through.
I can only hope she’ll forgive me when it’s over.