entry to the final part of the building.
As soon as they got past that last secure door, Dylan knew they were in trouble. Strobe lights flashed a warning to all inside. The officers spread out, searching the space quickly, opening door after door, only to find small observation rooms empty. The perverted occupants hadn't been gone for long. Half-full tumblers of amber alcohol and lit cigars had been left behind in their rush to escape.
"Hannah! I'm coming, baby! Where are you?" Dylan couldn't keep quiet any longer.
Through the walls, he heard the pop of several gunshots, raising the stakes of the dangerous situation. Fear gripped him. His hope of finding her alive was almost extinguished by the time they got to the last in a long row of private booths. When they pushed into the dark room, time stood still. For a brief second, he worried he was imagining seeing Hannah crumpled to the floor. Only when she stirred, moaning in pain, did he allow relief to flood through his body.
She's alive. Thank God.
Dylan rushed to her side, not caring that the officer he was with was cussing him out for not letting him secure the room first. A cocktail of contrasting emotions coursed through Dylan as his relief at finding her alive was drowned out with rage.
Hannah's beautiful face was swollen, a bruise darkening her left cheek where he was sure Davenport had backhanded her. Her bottom lip was cracked and puffed up as if she'd bitten it.
Only the shallow rise and fall of her naked chest calmed him. She was alive. That was what mattered. He saw goosebumps forming across her naked body and knew she was chilled. Dylan took his bulletproof vest off and quickly pulled his oversized sweatshirt off over his head, draping it over her petite body. He hoped it would warm her but was also glad to be able to cover her from prying eyes as the compact rooms filled with over a dozen law enforcement officers.
Through the glass, Dylan saw officers from several agencies swarming into the viewing area, rushing to aid the five traumatized women in need of rescuing. Despite having no official authority whatsoever, Lukus Mitchell stood in the middle of the display room, barking orders. It was clear from the rage rolling off his boss that Jake Davenport hadn't been found yet. "God damn it! Somebody had better tell me how the fuck he got past us—and fast!" Mitchell yelled.
Derek tried to calm him down. "We found a secret tunnel into the basement from the building next door. It's how so many assholes got in and out without being seen by our recon. They're tracking him. We'll get him."
Lukus turned to his friend, enraged. "We'd better get him. We've cut off his ability to go to any of his normal haunts now. He was insane before. Now he'll be desperate and bat-shit crazy."
The sound of a pained moan drew Dylan's attention back to Hannah. Her chills had turned into all-out shivers. Dylan sat on the floor, his back against the glass wall. He pulled Hannah into his lap and cradled her while he wrapped the sweatshirt around her as best he could.
Pulling her close, he spoke softly in her ear. "I'm so sorry, Hannah. You're safe now. Jake Davenport won't hurt you again. It's over."
Only he knew it wasn't over. Angry voices shouted around him. No one had captured the prick yet.
He could hear Lukus behind him interrogating Mohammed, Davenport's number two. From the sound of things, Lukus was trying to beat the whereabouts of Jake Davenport out of the man and the police seemed to be looking the other way, allowing the civilian to do what they couldn't do in an official capacity. A small smile crept to Dylan's face as he silently cheered his boss on.
As he brushed the back of his fingers gently across her cheek, Hannah's eyes popped open; fear radiating from her as she regained consciousness. Dylan forced a smile in hopes of calming her. "Hi there. You're safe now. I've got you."
The sounds of violence still filled the air around them, making it impossible for Hannah to feel safe. Dylan cradled her closer to his chest, hugging her so he could speak softly in her ear. "You were so brave, baby. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but it's over now."
He felt her body tighten with anxiety, and realized that from her position she could see through the two-way mirror, into