“All right, fine! Where’s the money!?”
Hannah heard a note of desperation in Ross’s voice and she did something she never thought she’d be able to do. She faced him squarely and smiled. “It’s back in your checking account, along with the money you deposited in my bank account. Write yourself a check, cash it at the bank, and get out of town! There’s nothing here for you.”
“I can’t wait until the bank opens. I’m in danger here. Mike said a lot of people are mad at me and he couldn’t be responsible for protecting me. Why do you think I drove all night to get here before anyone else was awake?”
Hannah just stared at him. There was no way she was going to invite him inside to hide until the bank opened. “Mike’s right,” she said coldly. “I guess you’ll just have to be careful. You got yourself into this mess and you’ll have to get yourself out. I can’t help you. And I don’t want to help you!”
“I’ve got to get that money!”
“Fine. You know where it is. Come back as soon as the bank opens and get it. I told you before. It’s in your account. I don’t want your money. You can’t make up for the way you treated me with any amount of money!”
A cold, hard expression crossed Ross’s face, an expression that Hannah had never seen before. Suddenly, she realized that everyone in town was still asleep and she was alone with a dangerous man.
“Don’t play games with me, Hannah! I can hurt you! And believe me, I will!”
Hannah took another step back as Ross moved toward her again. The sky was lightening and she could see the way his eyes had narrowed. He didn’t love her despite what he’d said. And she was suddenly afraid.
“What do you want, Hannah? Half the money?”
“No!” Hannah told him, matching his icy tone. “What I want is for you to get out of my life . . . permanently!”
He reached out for her and Hannah leaped back into the warm interior of the kitchen. She slammed the door in his face and turned the deadbolt. And then she somehow made her way to the stool at the work station. Her legs were shaking so violently, they collapsed the moment she reached a stool.
It might have been a matter of moments or much longer than that. Hannah had no way of knowing. She drifted in and out of fear so intense, she might have lost consciousness. Dimly, almost as if it were a dream, she was aware of the front door opening and the sound of footsteps heading toward the kitchen.
“Hannah?”
Lisa! Hannah began to breathe again. She hadn’t been aware that she had been holding her breath. She did her best to look up, but she couldn’t quite focus on Lisa’s face.
“Hannah! Are you all right?”
Lisa’s hand was on her shoulder and Hannah forced herself to concentrate. “No,” she said in a voice that was still shaking with fear.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“Call Mike.” Hannah forced out the words. “Call now! He’s back and he’s going to kill me!”
*
She had managed to drink several swallows of water by the time Mike rushed through the door. “Mike,” she said in a small voice. “He’s back.”
“Okay. Just relax, Hannah. Nobody’s going to hurt you as long as I’m around. You’re safe with me.”
“Yes,” Hannah said, and she could feel herself begin to relax. “I’m safe now. Sorry, Mike. I just . . . lost it for a minute or two. I’m better now that you’re here.”
“Good. You should be. I’m armed.”
He reached out to give her a little pat on the back and Hannah managed a smile. “Which arm will you use?”
Mike laughed. “You cracked a joke and I can tell that you’re better now. You had me scared, Hannah. Your face was so pale, I thought you were going to faint.”
“I might have,” Hannah admitted. “There was a kind of reddish haze over everything when I got back inside, and I put my head down. I don’t know how long it was before Lisa came in the front door.”
“You had a panic attack,” Mike decided, patting her back again. “I’m assuming you ran into Ross?”
Hannah nodded. “He knocked on the back door and I thought it was a delivery. I opened it without asking who was there. I should have known better.”
“Yes, you should have. And I’m having Lonnie install a peephole as soon as he gets to the station.” Mike pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Lonnie. Then he turned to Lisa. “Do you have any orange juice? She still looks a little rattled.”
“That’s from the loose screws in my head,” Hannah quipped. “I should have known better than to open the door, especially since I didn’t recognize the knock.”
“True, but we all make mistakes.” Mike watched Lisa pour a glass of orange juice and walk over to hand it to Hannah. “Can you hold this glass?” he asked her.
“Yes. I’m not shaking as much now.” Hannah grabbed the glass and took a big swallow of orange juice. “I’m feeling better, Mike.”
“That’s what all the ladies say around me. Drink more, Hannah. You need the sugar.”
“It’s the first time in my life that anyone’s told me I need sugar.” Hannah took another swallow. “He said he’d hurt me if I didn’t give him the money that was in the safe deposit box.”
Mike nodded. “That figures. Where’s the money?”
“Back in his bank account. Doug deposited it for me. And I put back the money Ross deposited in my account, too.”
“That must have made him mad, especially since the bank won’t be open today.”
Hannah just stared at Mike in shock. “It won’t?”
“No.”
“Why not? It’s not a bank holiday, is it?”
“No, but the wind was so strong, it blew in a couple of windows and there’s glass all over the floor and the counters. Doug and Cliff managed to get down there to board up the windows, but there was a lot of damage done. They’ve been working on it, but they don’t expect to open for business again until Monday morning.”
Hannah began to frown. “I didn’t know anything about the damage and I didn’t drive past the bank when I came in to work this morning. I told Ross he’d have to go there today if he wanted to get his money. And now he won’t be able to do that! He’s going to think that I was lying to him and he’s going to be even more furious with me!”
Hannah felt herself begin to shake with fear again, and she did her best to stop. Even though she knew she was safe now with Mike and Lisa here, she couldn’t help thinking about what might happen if she encountered Ross alone.
“You’re okay, Hannah,” Lisa said, sitting down on the other side of Hannah and giving her a hug. “You’re safe with both of us here, and maybe it’s a good thing that the bank is closed. Since he can’t get his money, Ross won’t be back before Monday.”
“But how will Ross know that the bank is closed today?” Hannah asked. “He could be standing outside the building right now, waiting for the bank to open.”
Mike shook his head. “Doug posted a sign on the door saying the bank won’t be open until Monday. Ross will see it and he’ll know he can’t get his money until then.”
“This could turn out to be good for you,” Lisa pointed out. “At least you won’t have to worry about Ross coming back to Lake Eden until Monday morning.”
“Not necessarily,” Mike pointed out. “Ross may decide to stay in the area until the bank opens on Monday.”
Hannah felt her anxiety begin to rise again. “Then I’m not safe anywhere in Lake Eden!”
Mike put his arm around her. “Yes, you are. It’s the best place you could possibly be. We’ll take care of you, Hannah. I promise.”
“I just want him gone!” Hannah said, and she felt tears coming to her eyes. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m afraid of him!”
“You’d be a fool if you weren’t afraid,” Lisa said.