Page 37 of Desperation

Mark lent us the conference room at Cole Security to conduct our meeting and had Hastings stationed at the door in case Drake did something stupid. When I spoke to Mark the other night, I half expected to hear that Sheriff Wilder had paid him a visit, but it seemed Hank was trying to keep the whole incident hush, hush. He knew what his son was and didn’t want any negative attention on his family. He couldn’t explain the bruises on Hannah’s face away by calling her crazy this time.

When Drake strolled in, he put on one hell of a show. His eyes were misty when he took in his son, but when he reached for Hannah, I stepped in between them.

“Don’t touch her,” I spat in warning. He ignored me and looked to her.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. Can we just talk alone? I know we can make this work.”

“No,” she said in a shaky voice. I didn’t have to look at her to know she was crying. “That was your last chance. I won’t go through that again.”

“You won’t. I promise. I’ll never do it again,” he practically begged.

“You’re damn right you won’t.” Her voice rose, and anger flared with every word. “Because you’ll never have the chance. I’m done. I’m not coming back. Ever,” she seethed. “Your promises don’t mean shit. They’ve always been lies and will continue to be lies. That’s all you know how to do.” Everything she hadn’t been able to say before was spilling out. She turned her fury loose on him.

His facade of groveling lover was shredded. His face turned hard, his pride wounded by her rejection. “Who else do you think is going to want you?” he asked calmly. “You’re twenty-years-old, unwed, and have a baby. You didn’t even finish high school.”

“That’s enough,” I ground out. I wouldn’t sit there and let him degrade her like that. His cycle of abuse stopped now. “You came here to see your son, and you’ve already wasted five minutes of your time. The clock is ticking, so I suggest you do what you came here to do, or save us all the trouble and get the fuck out.” His eyes flashed to the door, at Hastings standing guard. He uncrossed his arms and took a step forward, preparing for Drake to make one wrong move.

Drake backed away, and Hannah brought Jameson’s car seat forward. He was wide-eyed and playing with the toys dangling from the handle of his carrier. Drake crouched down and unlatched him, gently lifting him in his arms.

“Whoa, look how big you’ve gotten, little man,” he crooned. His comment seemed innocuous, but it was a cheap shot at Hannah, a reminder he hadn’t seen his son in days. He hugged Jameson, talked to him, and played with him. When his time was up, Drake returned Jameson to his carrier and buckled him in.

“If you want any hope of seeing him in the future, you need to go to anger management,” Hannah declared. “I don’t want to keep him from you, but I need to know that he’ll be safe.”

Drake recoiled, and his face paled. “I would never hurt him. You have to know that.”

Hannah held up her hands to silence him. “I can’t trust that you won’t lose your cool around him. You have to get your anger under control, and then we can talk.”

His jaw ticced, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. He stormed down the hall to the front entrance, and I followed him, ensuring the next events unfolded as planned. As expected, there was an officer ready to take him into custody. Mark had a contact at the sheriff’s department, and we’d spoken with him prior to the meeting. All the photos from my phone were forwarded to them, but they wanted Hannah to come down and give a formal statement. I knew Drake wouldn’t stay in custody for long. He’d make bail and be out, but not without a protection order with his name on it. He turned to glare at me, anger and exasperation tightening his face as the officer came up to him and gripped his arm, reading him his rights.

Hannah came through the front door, wide-eyed as she watched them put him in the back of a cruiser. She knew I was contacting the police today, but she didn’t realize this would be happening now. I was afraid she’d somehow give our plan away if she knew, so I waited to tell her. A relieved sob broke loose from her throat, and she covered her mouth. She turned into me, and I wrapped my arm around her, taking the carrier from her shaking hands as the cruiser pulled away.

“We still have to go down to the station to give your statement.” She nodded in understanding, ready to get it over with.

We met with Officer Ramirez, Mark’s friend at the sheriff’s department and he took her official statement. A female officer led her into a private room to photograph her fading bruises. They were still visible enough to be used as proof, and combined with the ones I took at the cabin, it should be enough to make the charges stick. Jameson slept through it all, mercifully oblivious to everything happening around him.

By the time we were finished, it was nearly time for my shift to start, and I needed to get Hannah and the baby back to the cabin. Charlie was waiting for us at Cole Security and would take them back. She was familiar with the cabin, having been there with Mark several times over the years, and she agreed to stay up there for a couple days to keep Hannah company while I worked. It didn’t hurt that she was a complete badass, knew her way around a gun, and could bind and interrogate anyone who came onto the property without permission. I didn’t see why Mark found great pleasure in doing crap that annoyed her. She terrified me.

Surveillance at the warehouse was starting to feel like a waste of time. Nothing else had happened since the night I had my bell rung by the rifle-wielding biker who still hadn’t been identified. After my second night, I decided to catch a few hours of sleep at my mom’s house before heading back to the cabin. It was near dark when I finally pulled up, parking next to Charlie’s car. My pulse thrummed in my ears as I stepped onto the porch. I couldn’t wait to see Hannah and Jameson. I’d missed them while I was gone. Was this what it would be like if we were together? Would I look forward to coming home to them every day?

Charlie was playing on the floor with the baby, and Hannah was at the stove cooking when I came inside. Both their heads popped up when they heard the door shut, but they relaxed upon seeing it was me.

“Hey,” Hannah called, rewarding me with a big smile, and my heart nearly leaped into my throat. I watched her for a moment, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. When I finally looked away, Charlie was watching me curiously, then she smirked.

Busted.

As she was preparing to leave, Hannah extended an invitation to stay for dinner, but she declined. She missed her family and wanted to get home to sleep in her own bed. Grabbing her coat off the hook, she pulled me in for a hug, whispering, “I think she likes you too.” Without giving me a chance to respond, she was out the door and on her way.

“I have a surprise for you,” I told Hannah as she pulled a dish from the oven. She quirked a brow, her interest engaged. “Well, technically it’s for Jameson.”

“Is that so?” she asked playfully.

“Do you wanna see?”

“Well, duh.” She rolled her eyes and halfheartedly swatted me with a hand towel. I dashed out into the chilly night and retrieved the large cardboard box from the bed of my truck.

“Are your eyes closed?” I called from the door.

I heard an amused chuckle and then, “Sure.” I placed the box in front of her with the picture of the contents facing me and instructed her to open her eyes. When she looked down, I turned the box and she gasped, dropping down to her haunches to inspect it.

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