Lukus with an order. "Fine. You two come with me." He stopped to lock eyes with Dylan. "I'll catch up with you and Ms. Martine at the hospital in a few hours."
Dylan knew that was as good as it would get. "We'll be there."
"See that you are."
Ten minutes later, they were wheeling out into the fresh air. Dylan had made Hannah close her eyes as they'd moved her through the horror house called 'Strictly Disciplined'. He didn't want her to see those sights ever again. He wished he had the power to erase them from her memory.
"Where are Mia and Lucy?" She had been quiet. He could tell it hurt her to talk, and he didn't even want to think about why that was.
The paramedics answered her. "They already went in an earlier transport. You'll be able to see them at the hospital." That seemed to appease her, because she closed her eyes again, still clutching Dylan's hand as they lifted her stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
Halfway to the hospital, he could tell she'd fallen into a fitful sleep; whether from exhaustion or stress he wasn't sure. He looked up at the paramedic riding in the back with them and asked the question he dreaded learning the answer to.
"Was she raped?"
Pity filled the man's eyes. "I'm not sure. They'll do a rape kit when we get to the hospital to collect and preserve any evidence we can."
"But—"
"Sorry, I know it must be hard, but you should let the results come back before you worry."
Dylan forced the question on his mind. "How about the other women we found in the basement? Were they..."
He knew the answer before it came back. He could see it in the medic's eyes. "Yes."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"Fuck." Fury coursed through his veins. They'd waited too long. They shouldn't have let her go in. He was never going to forgive himself for letting harm come to Hannah and her friends.
The next hour flew by in a whirl as doctors, nurses, radiologists, and police filtered in and out of the private room they had set up in the ER for Hannah. Through it all, Dylan never left her side. He was so proud of her as she answered questions. The only hint of her lingering fear was the tight grip she kept on his hand throughout. He didn't even complain that he was losing circulation in his fingers. He was just happy he was lending some comfort to her.
The tension in the room changed quickly when the doctor announced everyone would need to leave the room so he could perform a rape kit.
The fear in Hannah's eyes cut Dylan to the core. She protested. "He didn't rape me. I don't need a test."
The captain interjected. "You hit your head, hard. Lost consciousness. He could have raped you when you were knocked out. We need the test if we hope to gather proof to put him away." The guy was being a cold asshole.
Dylan shot him a look that said 'shut the fuck up' before reassuring Hannah. "It's okay, honey. Even if he didn't, they still need to do the test for evidence."
"Will you stay? Please?"
He answered "Sure," just as the doctor responded at the same time.
"No. I'll be as gentle as I can, but I have found it is less stressful for victims when just a nurse and patient advocate stay in the room. It could take up to an hour or so," the doctor said.
Dylan smiled a reassuring smile. "You heard the man. I promise I won't go far, and I'll be back in as soon as I can. Okay?"
She looked too emotional to answer with words, finally nodding slightly. Still, it took her a while to release the vice-like grip on his hand. Leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead, he tried to calm her. "Why don't I go get an update on how Mia and Lucy are doing?"
What an idiot he was. New tears formed in her eyes. "Oh God, I'd almost forgotten. It's all my fault. They wouldn't have met Jake Davenport if it wasn't for me."
"You can't blame yourself for any of this, Hannah. You're the victim. Don't forget that. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
He hated leaving her, but he wanted an update on whether they had tracked down Davenport. He knew without asking that the answer was 'no' when he caught sight of Lukus and Z having a heated discussion not far