The Mistaken (22 page)

“No, forget it. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
She stood her ground, her chin raised.

I reached into the pocket for Nick’s gun. “Do as I
ask, Hannah.”

She hopped back and nearly fell into the tub. I
reacted and grabbed her by the arms to steady her. She yelped out
in fright and twisted her arms away, but I held firm though I tried
my best not to hurt her. Fear swam in her eyes, and I lamented my
harsh tone. I softened my voice as I eased her down onto the edge
of the tub.

“Sit down, Hannah, please.”

She squirmed and tried to pull herself free. I
released my grip, reached for the washcloth on the towel rack, and
dampened it under running water, squeezing out the excess. I
crouched in front of her and pressed the cloth into her clenched
hand. She stared at me through her fear, her stubborn chin thrust
forward and her lips pursed in anger. I stared back, offering her
my apologies, my sorrow, my remorse. Tears welled up, but I wiped
them away before they could spill over. My throat tightened as I
searched for the right words.

“I know what you must be thinking and feeling,
Hannah, at least I can guess, but...I’m not the monster you think I
am. Not really.” I bowed my head once before finding the courage to
look back up. “My wife, Jillian, she was pregnant. She died in a
car crash, a preventable one caused by Erin Anderson and her
reckless disregard. Since then, I’ve been driven to madness…with
grief and anger. With loneliness. There’s no excuse for what I’ve
done, for what I…almost did. I realize that. Believe me, if I could
take it all back, I would, but…now… Well, now I have no other
choice than to rectify this.”

“You can’t rectify this!” she urged, her fist
striking hard against her leg.

“I have to at least try.”

“It won’t matter what you do! You can’t fix this.
And you can’t fix what you’ve done to
me!
”

“Perhaps…but I still need to try.” I was
uncomfortable looking into her eyes for very long. I softened my
voice. “Now please, clean up, change, and gather your things
quickly.”

She took a ragged breath as I stood up and towered
over her. As I turned to walk away, she released it. I looked back
over my shoulder as she stood up from the tub.

“No. I won’t do it.” She gave me a nervous shake of
her head, but stood there unwavering. “Look, I’m…sorry for your
loss and all. I can only imagine how…difficult it must be,
but…you’re crazy if you think I’m going anywhere with you. You
should just leave. I won’t say anything to anyone, I swear. I won’t
tell a soul, if you would just leave. Please. Just leave.”

She stood bravely in front of me, clutching the damp
rag and blanket beneath her chin. I walked up to face her,
determined to remove her from further jeopardy no matter what it
took.

“Hannah, I’m afraid this isn’t voluntary. If I have
to drag you out of here forcibly, I will, but I think you would be
more comfortable in the long run with a few of your own things, so
I strongly suggest you gather them. Now.”

Still, she remained rooted to the floor, unwilling
to cooperate. I didn’t want to frighten her any further, but I
needed her to understand that this was serious, that I didn’t have
time or the luxury of tolerating defiance in the face of danger. I
closed the distance between us, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled
her back into the closet. I shoved her toward the long rack of
clothing and released her.

“I’m not going to ask you again. Change and gather
your things. And wash the blood from your face. Do it now, or I
promise, you will not like the alternative.”

She studied me with narrowed eyes, her teeth
clenched and visible between parted lips. She snorted a belligerent
huff and reached for her overnight bag, never breaking her gaze on
me.

“A little privacy,” she snapped.

With a tip of my head, I left the bathroom. I paced
the bedroom floor and checked my watch every sixty seconds. After
five minutes had scraped by, I called out, “Come on, we have to
hurry.”

I heard her mumble a reply through the wall, and not
a very nice one by the tone, but I couldn’t blame her. I hurried
her along one more time, but she kept silent, though I could hear
the water running in the sink. When she emerged after another five
long minutes, her appearance clean of blood and a packed bag in
hand, she stood before me, trying valiantly to appear courageous,
but I saw the lingering fear as she trembled.

“I’m not going along with this willingly,” she
explained, “but if you expect any cooperation from me whatsoever, I
need some kind of explanation as to why it is so important, so
urgent for me to leave with you. You owe me at least that
much.”

I acknowledged the fairness of her request with a
nod. “I agree, but…it won’t matter. You’ll never understand.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

“Right. Okay, um…well… I owe someone. In trade, that
is. You might call it a debt, of sorts, and a rather large one, at
that. And you—or Erin rather—were to be the payment of that debt,
what I was trading. Now, with the current circumstances such as
they are, I can’t pay my end with the terms as they were agreed
upon. But I assure you, my
friend
will not look favorably on
this, and as he likely has associates nearby, he will certainly try
to intervene to ensure repayment. At any cost.

“Hannah, this man, he’s violent and extremely
dangerous. Don’t give me that look. I know what you’re thinking.
But what I’ve done, as bad as it was, is nothing compared to what
this man will do should he get his hands on you. My brother and I
have both experienced his abuse first hand. He holds absolutely no
regard for human life whatsoever. Therefore, I can’t guarantee your
freedom, let alone your safety, if I were to leave you here alone.
I need time to renegotiate a new settlement, one that doesn’t
include you, or anyone else for that matter. Though, at the moment,
you might disagree, I am not the scariest monster out there. Not by
half. And I don’t want you further abused as an innocent caught up
in my mistake. I can’t undo what I’ve already done, but at this
point, I have to try for a better outcome. You see my predicament,
Hannah? This is very serious.”

She nodded, but barely. “So then…what exactly were
you trading me for?” she asked.

I sighed. “My brother, his freedom, maybe even his
life.”

With her chin now tucked close to her chest, she
looked frightened as she stood before me, mulling over my
explanation. She nodded again, like it somehow made sense to
her.

“
Tell me your name,” she
ordered.

“Hannah, we don’t have time for—”

“We have time for your goddamn name. Now tell
me.”

“It’s Tyler. Tyler Karras.”

“Tyler?”

“Yes, but my friends call me Ty.”

She narrowed her eyes again and tilted her head to
the side.

“Hmm. So tell me...
Tyler
,” she said,
emphasizing the use of my full name, “how did you plan on using
me—or Erin rather—in trade, as repayment for your debt? Because
your explanation makes absolutely no sense. You cannot trade one
person to pay for another.”

She contemplated me while waiting for my response.
She might be ignorant of the terrible things that happened in this
world, but then again, I had been, too, at least before all this
started. Now I had wisdom I wish I’d never gained. I hoped I could
keep that from her, as well. But she wasn’t making it easy. I
placed my hands on my hips and sighed.

“That’s a long story, and we don’t have the time at
the moment. So let’s just say that I’ve made a serious mistake.
Now, let’s get out of here. I’ll try to explain it all to you
later. I promise.”

“And why should I trust you?”

I paused and looked hard into her eyes. “Because
right now, I’m the only one standing between you and certain harm.
Good enough reason for you?”

She peered at me suspiciously. “For now.”

Since she seemed to have no other questions, I
picked up the folder containing the investigator’s report and
motioned for Hannah to lead the way. She gasped as she limped
downstairs, scanning the horrific scene of her blood spread across
the carpeted steps and hardwood floor of the foyer.

“Shit!” I cursed again. I took Hannah’s arm above
the elbow, felt her muscles tighten beneath my grip, and led her
through the gore. “Where are your car keys and your purse?” I
asked, glancing back over my shoulder at the unsettling mess.

Hannah directed me over to the built-in kitchen
desk. I shoved her purse into her arms and grabbed the car
keys.

“Give me your phone,” I demanded. She rooted through
her purse then handed it to me. I slipped it into my jacket pocket.
“Where’s the garage?”

Hannah silently indicated the way. She was spooked
by all the blood, her face as grey as the stormy sky.

“I’m sorry, Hannah, but we need to take your car. I
have my brother’s and they’ll recognize it for sure. No one knows
about you, at least not yet, so they won’t know your car. It’ll be
safer, for now anyway.” I opened the door to the garage and stopped
in my tracks. “Brilliant. You couldn’t drive something a little
less flashy?”

She cracked a slight smile, brittle as it was, then
shook her hair from her face as she raised her chin. “It’s Beck’s.
His pride and joy. I thought a little retribution was in
order.”

I matched her weak grin with one of my own. “Right.
Good for you. And by the way…your husband? He’s a real prick.”

She threw me hard look. “Hmm. What is it they say?
It takes one to know one?” Her mouth twisted and she turned back
away.

I pressed my lips together and sighed. “Throw your
stuff in the back. I’ll drive.”

Chapter
Twenty
-
Three

Tyler

The main thoroughfare through Hannah’s neighborhood
was lined with expensive custom-built houses, each dressed to
perfection with lush landscaping. Dream homes by any standard.
Certainly by mine.

“Nice neighborhood,” I commented, mentally
tabulating the astronomical cost of such gentrified living.

“Hmm, yes...very nice,” Hannah said absently as she
stared out the windshield.

I glanced in her direction and raised my brow,
questioning her noticeable bitterness. She glanced back with a
dismissive shrug.

“I hate it here.” Her eyes swept over me. “Now more
than ever.” She turned away and stared out her side window.

“Right.” I shifted in my seat and tried to ignore
her remark. “So, why is that? That you hate it here? I mean, most
people would give their right arm to live in a place like
this.”

She folded her arms over her chest with a loud sigh.
“You know, all things considered, I’m really not up for polite chit
chat, so…if you don’t mind…”

“Hey, I’m sorry. I know this is uncomfortable for
you. It is for me, as well, but…we’re going to be spending a great
deal of time together over the next few days.”

“So?” she said as she turned back to me. “What’s
your point?”

“So…we might as well make the best of it.”

She chuckled, but it was bitter. “The best of it?
Really? Are you kidding me? How the hell am I supposed to make the
best of
this
?” She held her hands out.

“Well, you might start by being civil.”

She barked another sarcastic laugh. “Civil? You’re
telling
me
to be civil? The man who nearly
raped
me?”

“But I didn’t. Did I?”

“Only because I stopped you.”

“You couldn’t have stopped me if I was truly intent
on doing it. I stopped myself.”

“Because
I
made you see reason! If I had just
laid there and taken it, you would have done it. Admit it. You were
completely out of control.”

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the wheel. But
she was right; I was out of control. I had no excuse. Though I’d
like to think I would have stopped on my own, I could never be
certain of that. The thought of how close I had come to destroying
us both was devastating. But that was difficult to admit out loud.
I sighed instead.

“I am deeply ashamed of what I’ve done, but…you know
I thought you were someone else.”

“Oh, well, there’s an excuse.”

“All right, Hannah, I get it, I’m sorry. It’s just…
Look, my point is, ignoring each other or arguing all the time,
it’s only going to make things even more difficult than they
already are. I’m only trying to make this, I don’t know, not
so…uncomfortable. It’s not like I expect us to be friends or
anything, but—”

“Oh gee, you think?”

“…
but a little tolerance would be
nice,” I finished.

“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say.”

“None of this is easy for me! I realize my
mistake—”

“Mistake? Is that all this is to you? A
mistake?”

“No, that’s not what I—”

“Like something you can simply apologize for and
move on?”

“Oh for God’s sake, Hannah, I’m sorry. I misspoke.
What I meant was—”

“‘
Oh, ma’am, I’m so deeply sorry
I kicked your door down. I didn’t mean to smash you in the face
with a gun. And oh, that part where I almost raped you? My bad
.
It was all a big mistake.’
That what you meant?”

“Would you stop? Please. Give me one moment to
think.”

“Oh, so
now
you want to think.”

“Godammit! Can’t you see I’m trying here? I know I
don’t deserve it, but just…bear with me; cut me a little slack,
okay?”

She shook her head and turned away, holding silent
for long pause. “Fine. Whatever.”

I sighed and waited a moment then asked again. “So,
tell me. Why do you hate it here?”

She peered back at me with narrowed eyes. “Why are
you so interested?”