Page 66 of Sultry Nights

Hanna's mom fussed a little bit. "We have leftovers at home. Why don't you stop by the house to have something to eat? I'm sorry I didn't have time to make anything else."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Mom. It's alright. I think I have something at home."

Quinn stood neared the bed. "I think you should come and stay with me. Your house is a construction zone and I have a big house all to myself. I'll take good care of you, I promise."

Her mom tittered a bit, and Hanna almost rolled her eyes. "Oh, honey, that sounds really nice. Quinn, you are such a sweet man."

Hanna's lips turned up in a smile and her eyes locked on Quinn's. His cheeks turned pink. He smiled. "See, your mom thinks it's a good idea."

There wasn't much to think about. Of course, she'd stay with Quinn. It would give them some time to really get to know each other.

Trey and Erin entered the room as Monique finished up the second wrist. They shook Quinn's hand, then her mom and dad's.

Erin stepped forward. "How are you, Hanna?"

"I'm good. My wrists are cut up from using the zip ties from trying to escape. My headache is gone and I have everyone around me."

"Good to hear. We have the women and Isaac in custody. They had gotten ahold of him at the hotel and they beat on him pretty good. We had to separate them at the jail because those women are hot mad."

Hanna smiled. "Isaac deserves to be beat on. I wanted to do it so many times and never had the guts."

Her father said. "I wanted to beat on him, too."

Her mom turned and stared at her father as if he'd grown a second head. Her dad shrugged. "What?"

Her mom shook her head and turned her attention back to Erin. "What happens now?"

Erin smiled. "They'll need to make bail. The DA is working on the charges right now. Kidnapping, bodily injury, and breaking and entering to name just a few of the charges. There will likely be others coming too. As for Isaac, catfishing is not explicitly a crime, unfortunately. But he took money under false pretenses, and the women want their money back. They’re pressing charges against him for a variety of things. As soon as they calm down and actually hire an attorney, we'll see what charges come to him. The DA is also working with them on their charges against him. He's working with the DAs in their respective cities because moving money across state lines under false pretenses can be criminal. That'll be up to them, though. For now, we wanted you to know you're safe. They are locked up."

Hanna smiled. "Thank you. I do feel better knowing they are locked up."

Trey nodded. "If it's any consolation, they are both sorry for kidnapping you. They let their rage and hurt cloud their logic. After they've had some time to calm down and get some rest, I think they'll be very embarrassed and sorry. That won't change the charges, though. And I think we can all agree, it was a good thing they hadn’t thought this through very well. They weren’t organized and prepared for…well, anything. In the police business, we like amateur criminals. They’re easy to catch."

Hanna chuckled. "Thank you."

They said their goodbyes and left, and Monique announced that she could be released. "I do hate to tell you, though. You do have to take care of things at the front desk." She glanced at Quinn who turned beet red.

"I'm sorry about my outburst."

Monique shrugged. "It's fine. We all know emotions were high."

Hanna turned to look at her mom. "I don't have my purse, Mom."

"I have it in the car, honey."

Quinn stood and held his hand out. "If you give me your keys, Allison, I'll go to your car and get Hanna's purse."

Her mom tittered again, and her dad shook his head as he stood. He pulled keys from his pocket and handed them to Quinn. "Thank you, son."

Quinn's eyes shot to hers and she smiled at him. That meant a lot to him right there.

34

Quinn and Hanna sat in the Florida Room at his house. Her bandages were now off, and while her wrists were red and scabbed over, she looked as beautiful as ever.

They had been having their morning coffee out here on the sectional, looking out over the fields and watching the horses graze. His phone chimed a text, and he pulled it from his pocket.

"How about dinner tonight?" Sid.

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