HANNAH PUSHED THE shards of glass away with her feet. After shutting the bathroom door, she placed the bags on the counter and turned back toward Sarah, who was still lying in the bubbling tub, her eyes only half open, staring at nothing.
After pacing a few minutes, Hannah’s nervous energy needed another outlet, so now she kicked the glass, attempting to shove it into a sad resemblance of a pile. She succeeded with the bigger pieces, but not with the smaller ones. She brought up her hands and massaged her neck and shoulders, trying to ease the knots created by the tension of the past few hours. She rejected the temptation to put her ear to the door. Her imagination created enough horrifying scenarios without adding unknown sounds to the equation.
Worse than that, what if she heard nothing? Her training as a nurse had prepared her for stressful situations, and she had dealt with most, but this brought a whole new level to the equation. She had to consider the possibility that neither Ramsey, Leroy, nor Declan would be the first ones to the door. Despite the minimum threat she posed to anyone who meant her harm, she knew she’d defend herself and Sarah.
She looked down at the shards she’d kicked into the sad pile. A few of them were long enough to make a significant weapon. She glanced up at the bags on the counter. She thought for a moment and then opened one of the bags.
“Hannah?”
The soft mention of her name startled her, and she turned. She was surprised to see Sarah sitting up in the water, making eye contact with her.
“Sarah?” Hannah turned away from the counter and kneeled next to the bathtub. As she approached, Sarah leaned back.
“Better not to touch me, Hannah.” Her voice sounded clear and calm.
Hannah took a second to assess the change in her. She appeared completely lucid, as if her bubbling bathwater and reddened skin were all the results of a hard workout at the gym.
Sarah also seemed to assess her surroundings. She looked around the room and then leaned forward. After studying the floor for a moment, she looked back at Hannah. “Can you get my shoes, please?”
Hannah’s confusion must have shown on her face, because Sarah offered an explanation. “The glass, Hannah. I can’t walk on the glass.”
Hannah glanced at the floor, which was littered with the glass shards. “Sarah, where exactly do you think you are going?”
Sarah gazed at her as if that was all the explanation that was required, and Hannah understood that this was not a request. Sarah wanted shoes because she apparently intended to leave the room. That, or she planned on pacing the floor with Hannah.
“Sarah,” Hannah said, “It’s not a good idea for you to go anywhere right now.” She debated how much to tell Sarah, but decided she needed to be honest. “You could be in danger.”
Sarah managed to push herself up and sit on the edge of the tub. Water dripped down from her wet clothes and skin and pooled onto the floor, and steam rose from her skin as the cool air contacted her heated, wet body. She again looked over at Hannah.
“My shoes, please.” She looked again at the floor, then up at the counter and then back at Hannah. Hannah realized that Sarah was considering other options if Hannah didn’t retrieve her shoes.
Hannah made a quick decision and hoped it was the right one. “Okay. Just wait a second.” She stood and moved toward the door. “They’re out here. I’ll need to go get them.” She moved toward the door but hesitated as she reached for doorknob.
Sarah addressed Hannah’s obvious distress. “Don’t worry,” she said, “Nobody is out there. Just go quietly.”
Hannah didn’t take the time to think about how Sarah might know that, she just decided to open the door before her fear stopped her completely. She unlocked it and slowly turned the knob. She felt the door unlatch, and she pulled it inward. Her heart was pounding so hard she felt sure that if anyone were nearby, they would hear her. She got the door open far enough to be able to see into the room, and she saw the shoes on the floor by the end of the bed. The bedroom was empty, the bedroom door stood open, and Ramsey was gone. She opened it far enough to slip through, and she tiptoed across the carpet and grabbed the shoes. She froze when she heard a loud thud, as if something had slammed against a wall in the other room. The adrenaline surged through her, and she ran back into the bathroom, staying as silent as possible. She closed the door behind her and handed the shoes to Sarah, who swung her legs over the tub and quickly put them on.
Once they were on, Sarah stood, and the glass crunched beneath her feet. “Thank you.” She turned and looked at Hannah. “You can come with me, or you can stay here. It’s up to you.” She turned and reached for the knob.
“Whoa!’ Hannah cried. “What are you doing? You can’t go out there, Sarah. They’re looking for you.”
Hannah prayed Sarah would understand the seriousness of the situation and reconsider. If she walked out there and got killed, Hannah would be next—when Ramsey got a hold of her.
Sarah continued as if Hannah had been speaking Eudoran. She pulled back on the knob, opened the door, and stepped into the bedroom. She stilled for a moment, but then she walked confidently toward the open bedroom door. Hannah’s frayed nerves frayed more as she watched Sarah head for the doorway, her hair wet and clothes dripping water as she walked.
Deciding she couldn’t stand to sit and wait any longer, Hannah scanned the floor and the bags, grabbed what she needed and moved fast to catch up to Sarah. Her muscles twitched with fear as Sarah entered the hallway and approached the turn into the living area. That’s when Hannah heard the voices.
“You understand me?” said an angry male voice. There was a brief pause before the voice spoke again. “I’ll take care of these two.”
It was at that moment that Sarah, with Hannah behind her, turned the corner.