Page 27 of Saving Hanna
Parking close to them, I could see that there was no one in the car. This made me very uncomfortable since I had no idea where they were. Turning off the engine, I slowly got out of the car and headed toward the Old Stationhouse, which was now the main entrance into the ballpark. I knew that I would be searched making it a moot point to take it. The last thing I wanted was to put Hanna in any more danger.
Pulling on the glass door, it surprised me to find that the door was unlocked. I knew the lobby of the station well, having gone to many games as a young boy and many charity events since. So, even though it wasn’t very well lit other than the security lights, I knew my way around. Walking through the lobby area, I went through another set of double doors, which led to the Atrium. There was still no sign of Hanna and the two men that were with her.
There was only one other place that they could have gone that made sense. Walking toward the main concourse entrance, I heard a voice behind me. “No need to go any further.”
The accent was very distinct and I knew it was one of the men holding Hanna prisoner. Turning around with my hands held high, I began walking towards them, to get a better look at them and to reassure myself that no harm had come to her.
I was six feet away from them when the same man said, “That’s far enough.”
Holding my position with my hands still in the air, I felt confident that I could lower them without getting killed. Our eyes were like a magnet. Hanna’s on mine and mine on hers. Focusing only on her, I asked arrogantly, “So what kind of compromise did you have in mind?”
“Oh…mi amigo. There is no compromise. No one homes in on my territory. I think the only compromise here is whether you would like to die first or watch me put a bullet in thisputa’shead.”
My situation just went from bad to worse and there was no way I could let Albert know to send in the troops. When he raised his gun, I was thankful that I could at least see Hanna one last time. She didn’t even know how I felt. Raising my hands in the air, it was do or die. “Wait,” I pleaded. “Can I at least have one more word with the girl?”
Shrugging his shoulders, the man to her left pushed Hanna toward me while keeping the gun on us. As she walked toward me, I could tell how scared she really was. When she was within arm’s length, I reached out for her and pulled her close. God, she felt so good in my arms.
Kissing the top of her head, I released her so that she could see the sincerity when I spoke. “Kind of a mess we’re in.”
“Yeah,” she answered in a soft voice.
“If we don’t make it out of here, I need you to know something,” I confessed, placing my hand on her cheek. “I could never marry a woman I didn’t love. I don’t care if I have to wait until I’m an old man. Being a CEO of Elite Exchange means nothing if I can’t share it with the woman I love. It would mean nothing if I can’t share it with you, Hanna.”
“What are you trying to say, Aiden?” she questioned, looking up at me.
“I…”
Before I could get the words out, I heard a male voice in the distance somewhere behind the two men. “The park is closed.”
It was like a door had opened, willing me to walk through it. As the men turned to face the voice, I only had a split second to save Hanna. Grabbing her by the hand, I led her toward the door leading back to the lobby. I needed to get her away from what was soon to be a full-blown battle.
The sound of gunfire rang out and it was way too close to us. We needed to hurry. Ducking our heads, we finally made it to the door. Taking hold of the handle, I pulled the door open. Just as we got through the door, the glass shattered into a million pieces from a bullet that was meant for us. It was too close for comfort as we ran across the lobby and to the entrance doors.
I had never been so glad to see blue and red light in my life. Pulling open the door, I held up one hand while holding Hanna’s with the other. The cops weren’t willing to stand down and they continued to point their weapons at us. I was about to tell them who we were when a familiar voice sounded. “Hold your fire, that’s my son. For God’s sakes, put your weapons down.”
As angry as I was with my father, I had never been so glad to see him. The only reason he would be there was because of Albert. God, he was a good man.
