Page 53 of Evidence of Secrets

Hailey called Hank mid-morning on Saturday to tell him Laura was anxious to go home. Yesterday, before he and Logan left, he asked Hailey to call when Laura wanted to go home. When he told her why, Hailey smirked, then said to him that if he hurt Laura, the girls would make sure he never dated again. Ouch. He finally convinced her that wasn’t going to happen.

He had this one chance to make this right. It certainly wasn’t the ideal time, with Laura battered and hurting, but she wouldn’t be going into the bistro today or tomorrow. He had this small window to fix things. Make them right with her. It wasn’t the perfect time to have a talk with someone, nor did it often happen that you got a second chance to redeem yourself. He was no fool.

The drive to Danny and Hailey’s condo took about a half hour. They moved into this condo unit just after they got together. Hailey once told him she loved the hip bohemian neighborhood with its cafés, diverse shopping, and the local brewery. It was steeped in history, and the condo they lived in was a four-story renovated warehouse.

Hank parked on the street in front of the condo. Hailey answered the door and told him Laura was eating breakfast and she hadn’t told her Hank would be bringing her home, figuring Laura was too nice to refuse.

That hurt. While it was true, he didn’t want her ever to feel she was being taken advantage of.

Laura was washing a cup at the sink when he and Hailey walked into the kitchen. The scattered light filtered through the trees’ leaves outside the window, highlighting her whiskey-brown hair. From the back, she was favoring her left arm. But something had happened to her vitality. She looked small and withdrawn, but time would heal her physical state. He hoped to heal her mental state.

“Laura.” She jumped, then turned around. Hank’s stomach dropped. The bruises were more prominent than he remembered and vivid shades of black, blue, and purple.

She stared at him. A tear dropped from her eye, and he wanted to run over and wipe it.

“Laura, sweetie. Hank has volunteered to take you home. I have your suitcase packed. Your medication is in it.” Hailey rushed through what she said. Laura hadn’t said a word.

“I would be honored if you would let me drive you home,” said Hank.

She swallowed hard. “That’s fine,” she whispered.

Hank’s heart was breaking. The strong, confident woman he admired and loved looked beaten. No more. He would help her get her feet on the ground even if she never spoke to him again.

Laura moved slowly toward the bedroom. Hank followed her. When she attempted to pick up her small suitcase, he lost it.

“Don’t. I’m here to help.”

She nodded and walked toward the front door. Hank carried her suitcase. He really wanted to pick her up and carry her to the car but thought better of it. They had to talk first. He didn’t want to be that bully who insisted on doing things his own way.

They got to the car, and Hank could hear her heavy breathing. He opened the door, helped her in, secured the seat belt, and placed the suitcase in the back seat.

Laura didn’t say a word to him on the way over. He parked in front of her building and came around to help Laura out of the car and pick up her suitcase.

The front door was unlocked as usual, and no surprise, yellow tape was placed across the elevator. Laura groaned but headed towards the stairs.

Hank closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Anger he hadn’t felt in years bubbled up his gut.

He put the suitcase down and picked Laura up. She yelped.

“I can walk up the stairs.”

“I have no doubt you can, but you’re not going to.”

Laura said nothing more to him, just relaxed in his arms and rested her head on his chest. By the time he got to her apartment, he was huffing. Hank had no illusion that Laura could have made it up the stairs.

“Do you have your key?” he asked.

Laura shuffled through her pockets. “Damn, my keys were in my purse.” Tears formed and dripped down her cheek.

“Can you run down to the first floor and knock on my landlord’s door? He can let us in.”

“Sure, sweetheart. I’ll be right back.” Hank raced down the stairs. praying her landlord was in. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he wasn’t, but Hank didn’t want to pick her lock and leave her without a key.

Luckily the landlord was in and gave Hank a spare set of keys. He went up the three flights of stairs and saw Laura sitting on the floor.

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you into your home.” He reached down to grab her hand and pull her up.

He unlocked the door, and they walked into her apartment. Hank found it hard to breathe. It was stifling in here. What the hell?

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