Page 33 of Erik's Redemption
She walked quickly, the tapping of her heels on the sidewalk loud. She felt it the entire way there—eyes on her. Was it because she was freaked out after the text? Or was there actually someone watching her at this very moment?
Her mind flicked back to whomever had pushed her into the water at Andi’s party. They’d never found out who it was. There were no cameras, and no one was around when Erik had found her.
She sped up her steps, and when she finally reached Brigid’s store, she all but fell inside.
The front desk was empty. Frowning, she walked further into the store. The entireplacewas empty. She paused…and a quiet voice came from the back storage room.
She crept closer, slowly pushing the door open to see Brigid standing with her back to her.
“Yes, I understand,” Brigid said quickly. “I just need to know when the money will hit my account.”
Money?
“Really? It can’t be sooner?” Brigid turned, her eyes widening when they caught Hannah’s. “Yes, that’s fine. Thank you. I’ve got to go.” She hung up and stepped toward Hannah. “Hey. Sorry, that was…” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Is everything okay?”
“Not really.”
Brigid’s eyes softened. “Oh, Han…”
Her friend opened her arms, and without a word, Hannah walked into them, immediately letting the silent tears fall.
CHAPTER 11
Erik’s jaw was tight as he drove home. The job in Vermont had taken a week. Too fucking long. It was the middle of the night, and all he wanted to do was see Hannah. Touch her. Know she was safe.
After the incident at Andi’s house, he hated being away from her. He still didn’t know what had happened that night, and he wanted to kick his own ass for telling Chandler she didn’t need protection at the party. He’d thought she’d be safe with his family.
As it was, Chandler had found nothing incriminating about Leo. The guy had grown up in Pheonix, gone to private schools, worked at a few different realty offices. He’d moved to Leavenworth two years ago.
He turned down his driveway, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Hannah’s G70 in the garage. He grabbed his bag from the back seat and headed inside.
He took one step into his bedroom before the bag hit the floor. The bed was empty.
Not only that, but it was still made, like Hannah had never gotten in.
What the fuck?
“Hannah?” he called as he moved into the connected bathroom. Empty.
Room by room, he searched the house, calling out to her. By the time he reached the kitchen, he was ready to lose his fucking mind. Panic had taken root inside him, spreading through his limbs.
He’d texted her throughout his trip, and she’d always texted back that she was okay. Their last communication had been the previous evening. Had something happened between then and now?
Fuck. Where was she?
He pulled out his phone and tried her number. When she didn’t answer, he texted her.
Erik: Hannah. Where are you?
He didn’t wait for a response, instead, calling Chandler. His friend answered on the fourth ring.
“Hunter, I was sleeping, man—”
“Where is she?”
“What?”
“Hannah. Where the fuck is she? Your guy should have been watching her. She should be safe, but she’s not in my house.” Every word was a hard fucking line, but the panic was eating at him.
