10. Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Hannah
J ake’s face is pale as he tells me and Ols what happened. His words come out in a low, tense voice, and I can see fear and fury written all over him. He keeps running a hand through his hair, messing it up even more than usual.
My brother paces the room, his jaw tight and his arms crossed. Normally he’s the calm one, the steady anchor when things go wrong. But now his movements are sharp and frantic as if he’s barely holding it together.
“So we’re just supposed to wait?” he snaps, spinning around to face Jake. “The police put a car outside and that’s it? We sit here hoping this lunatic doesn’t come near her?”
“Ols,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, but he doesn’t let me finish.
“No, Hannah. Come on! You’re pregnant. If the police won’t do more we need to.”
Jake steps forward with his hands raised as if he’s trying to calm a cornered animal. “I get it, Oliver. Believe me, I do. But they told me not to engage with Grant. They said it could make things worse.”
Ols lets out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. “Worse? How much worse can it get? He’s already threatening her. Do you think I’m just going to stand here and hope he doesn’t follow through?”
“Ols,” I say again, more firmly this time, stepping between him and Jake. “Look at me.”
He stops pacing, turning to face me with fire blazing in his eyes.
“I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. But we can’t just go charging in without a plan. We have to trust the police to handle this.”
“Trust the police?” Oliver’s voice rises, and I can hear the frustration in it. “That’s your plan? Sit back and hope they catch him before he does anything?”
I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “What’s your plan, then? Are you going to confront him yourself? Do you want Jake to face off with him? Get into a fight and end up hurt—or worse? How does that help anyone?”
His shoulders sag slightly but the fire in his eyes doesn’t dim. “I just… I can’t do nothing. You’re my baby sister and that’s my niece.”
Hearing the crack in his voice feels like a punch to the gut. I reach out and take his hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’re not going to lose us Oliver. We’ll be careful. We’ll all stick together. But we’re not playing hero. That’s not how we protect each other.”
Oliver looks like he wants to argue but after a moment he gives a small, reluctant nod.
I know I should be falling apart. I should be the one full of fear. Of course I’m scared but I trust the police’s instructions. I have to because there’s no alternative.
Jake, who has been standing stiffly by the counter, shifts uncomfortably. “Maybe I should go… I should just leave Fellside,” he says, his voice hesitant.
“What?” I whip around to face him, the word coming out sharper than I intended.
He raises his hands, almost defensively. “Just hear me out. Maybe me staying here isn't a good idea after all. If Grant’s after me maybe the best thing I can do is leave. Keep him focused on me and away from you.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” I say, crossing my arms.
“Hanny-bee—”
“No! Seriously.” I step closer, forcing him to meet my eyes. “You think leaving will magically make things better? That he’ll just forget about me because you’re not here?”
Jake opens his mouth to reply but hesitates. “Maybe he won’t have a reason to go after you if I’m out of the picture.”
I laugh, though there’s no humour in it. “He already knows about me. And he knows about the baby. He made it clear that I am one of the targets. If he can’t find you he’ll use me to get you to come out of hiding.”
“What if I don’t hide?”
“Oh my God. I just told Ols. Nobody here will play the hero. It will only end with one of you getting hurt!” They’re driving me nuts. Can’t they see that I need them? I need Jake with me.
Jake flinches at my words, leaning back against the counter as he runs a hand over his face. “Rather me than you! I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“And I don’t want you to leave because you think that’s the answer, because it isn’t!” I reply. “We’re in this together. You leaving doesn’t change that. It just makes it worse.”
Ols cuts in, his voice sharp. “She’s right. You leaving doesn’t fix this. If anything, it’ll make him less predictable.”
Jake looks at the two of us, his jaw tight. “So… we just wait?” He looks as panicked as a deer caught in a trap.
“We’ll stick to the plan,” I say. “The police know what they’re doing. They’ll keep an eye on things and we’ll stay vigilant. But you’re not leaving and you’re not confronting him. End of discussion.”
Jake stares at me for a long moment with an unreadable expression. Finally he exhales and nods, though his shoulders are still tense. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
“Thank you,” I say, relief washing over me as I curl up in his arms. His heart is racing and I can’t blame him but I need him to calm down. I need him to find strength so I can fall apart just for a little while. “We’ll get through this, Jake. Together.”
Oliver mutters something under his breath and I glance at him sharply. He throws up his hands. “What? I’m just saying this plan isn’t foolproof.”
“No plan is,” I reply. “But it’s better than charging in blind.”
Jake straightens, his eyes are still clouded with worry. “I’m not going to let him hurt you, Hanny-bee. Or the baby. You know that, right?”
“I know. And I trust you. But we have to be smart about this.”
He pulls me tightly against him and I can feel his heartbeat slowly return to a more normal pace. Oliver clears his throat, and we both turn to look at him.
“Right,” he says, his tone brisk. “What’s the next step? Do we need to beef up security here? Cameras, alarms, whatever we can get our hands on?”
“We have the system the police has installed at our house and we both have a panic alarm. Ols, you’re one of the people on the call list when the alarm goes off. Maybe we should get them to help us by alarming your office as well,” Jake suggests.
“Give me the detective’s details and I’ll sort it,” my brother says, already pulling out his phone. “There’s no way I’m letting Grant get anywhere near you.”
I smile faintly, grateful for his protective nature even if it borders on being overbearing. Jake watches him for a moment before looking back at me.
“I’ll feel better once we’ve got eyes everywhere,” he admits. “Maybe I’ll talk to the police again and see if there’s anything else they can do.”
“Good,” I say. “But no more talk about leaving, okay?”
Jake gives a weak smile. “Okay.”
As Oliver starts barking orders into his phone, I reach up and touch Jake’s cheek, drawing his gaze back to me. “We’ve got this,” I whisper. “All of us. Together.”
He leans into my touch, his eyes briefly closing. “I hope you’re right,” he murmurs.
“I have to be,” I reply, my voice steady. “We don’t have another choice.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he whispers.
“Take me home. Let’s lock out the world for a while and just be us. I need a moment of happiness in this nightmare.”
“I can give you that!” Jake places a soft kiss on my forehead.
We say goodbye to Ols and head to the car. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking over my shoulder, and I catch Jake doing the same a few times but that is exactly why we need to get away from it for a while and just be us for a few hours. Jake and Hanny-bee and the little princess.