to be another way."
Lukus looked up at Dylan, finally showing his anger. "Do you honestly think I'd send an innocent woman in there if I thought there was another way?"
"This is bullshit. You'd never let Tiffany or Brianna go inside there. Derek would never let Rachel near that lunatic. So why is it okay to send Hannah in?"
Hannah could tell Lukus was struggling to hold a tight rein on his emotions as he replied. "I didn't put Hannah in danger. She was already in danger. And she made her situation worse by choosing to take the journal. Like it or not, she is already a target. All I'm trying to do is capitalize on it."
Lukus reached for the iPad he had brought in with him. Within a minute, he was pushing the tablet across the table for Hannah to view. The picture of the woman being tortured on screen gutted her. Hannah threw her hands up to cover her ears, trying to shut out the woman's screams as the man on screen used a thick cane on her ass and legs, leaving instant welts. The cameraman zoomed in on several weeping droplets of blood. The woman begged for her tormentor to stop as the deviant methodically struck her again and again until she whimpered in defeat.
Both men stared at Hannah, waiting for her decision. She looked between them and back to the screen. She weighed her options, wishing she could go back in time and never talk to Jake Davenport—knowing that was impossible. She wanted to pack up and run away, but to where? She was broke, and starting over cost money. And could she spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, waiting for Jake to catch up to her and Connor?
She closed her eyes, thinking until her head was throbbing. By the time she opened them again, she knew she only had one option that would get her life back. She looked at Dylan as she asked for more information. "If I do this, how will you keep me safe?"
Lukus answered her as Dylan became more agitated. "You'll be wired for sound and we'll rig up a small camera so you can capture evidence. We'll be listening in the entire time, and as soon as we get some evidence we can take to the police, we'll call them in."
Dylan was shaking his head, trying to convince her to say 'no' even as she gave her answer. "I'll go in, but only if you promise to come in and get me if he starts to hurt me."
Lukus nodded, quickly adding, “Of course. That’s why you’ll be wired.”
Hannah hesitated before adding, “Fine, but if…” Could she even say the words? She had to, or she couldn’t agree to go undercover. “If anything happens to me, you have to promise me you’ll take care of Connor. I won’t go in without knowing he’ll be taken care of if something happens to me.”
"I’ll protect Connor with my life, but honestly… don't do this, Hannah. We'll find another way." Dylan kneeled in front of her, taking her wringing hands in his own.
"Why do you care so much?" She wasn't used to anyone caring about her safety.
He seemed confused by her question. "I just do. I wish you'd reconsider. I have a bad feeling about this."
Hannah shuddered, worried that his words were a premonition of things to come.
Chapter Eight
Dylan
Dylan paced the small apartment like a caged animal. The investigation was moving from bad to worse. The only positive thing that had happened that day was that he'd finally got to talk with Hannah. Unfortunately, he felt worse instead of better, knowing he had completely failed to keep her safe and that, if his boss got his way, he would have to stand by and watch her go into danger yet again.
Hannah had been so upset after watching the video of Lucy and the live feed from the warehouse, they'd sent her to take a hot shower. Lukus had gone out to make calls from the car. Derek was still next door, leaving Dylan to wrestle with his guilt alone.
He spent the time doing the only action he could think of to help. He paced around Hannah's apartment, collecting up photo albums and frames, knick-knacks that looked important—anything he thought she might want to take with her if she had to leave in a hurry.
I'm going to help her be ready to leave at a moment's notice if things go wrong inside that