"What do you mean you can’t tell me?" Cora asked taken back. "I thought we were friends?" She was so tired of everyone and their secrets and she was the only one who never knew them.
"We are," Hannah quickly assured her. "I'm just...I can’t tell you." Hannah's eyes filled withunshed tears.
"Does Ben know?"
Hannah didn’t answer but nodded.
"You know you can tell me anything, Hannah." Cora wouldn't push her if Hannah didn't want to tell her, but she was worried about her friend. When she met her a month ago, she was scared and fragile. Now she was more vibrant, but from the time she left for Portland and now, there was a new shadow in her eyes. She didn’t likeit at all.
"You remember when I told you I was overseas when I met Ben again?"
Cora nodded her head. She feared if she said anything it would shatter the moment and obviously Hannah needed to get this off her chest.
"Ben rescued me from a trafficker," Hannah blurted out.
Out of all the things Cora could have suspected was wrong with her friend, that was not one of them. "Go on," Cora knewthere was more to the tale.
"I was kidnapped while I was on vacation in Paris. The man who kidnapped me did so for another person."
"Ben's and Liam's Commander?" Cora guessed.
"No, the man who kidnapped me decided to sell me instead of handing me over and..." Hannah took a shaky breath. "I was captive for a year and a half. Ben's Commander had dealings with the man who owned me. He cameto the house, I thought to take me back."
"That’s when I showed up." It made sense why Hannah had seemed so fragile when she met her. Cora couldn’t imagine the horrors of what Hannah had gone through and for so long. It just showed how strong of a person Hannah was.
"Yes,"
"Then something happened in Portland. Is that why you’re back early? Did their Commander come after you again?" Corafelt her anger rising for her friend. Poor Hannah had been through so much. To be kidnapped, then freed, then someone tried to kidnap you again.
"The man who arranged for my kidnapping was the Sheriff of our town. He made arrangements, so no one would suspect him."
"Was that who the Commander was taking you to?"
"I don’t know. There’s one more thing."
Cora didn’t think she could handlelistening to anymore but waited nonetheless.
"The Sheriff isn’t the reason we came back early. As I was meeting with my family Ben, got a call. The Commander was killed by the man Ben rescued me from."
Now the silent conversation between Hannah and Ben made sense. Why they looked worried when Cora said her window had been broken by a random teen. They didn’t think it was an accident or a teenat all. "You think this man that wants you back broke my window?" Cora asked feeling numb.
Hannah’s story was incredible and it showed the true bravery her friend went through. Cora couldn’t imagine being a captive little lone for that long. Cora didn’t understand why Hannah would think her broken window was anything more than just a teen. They lived in a low crime area. In the ten years, shehad lived in the house nothing had ever happened. Everyone was just being paranoid. After Ben’s ex-commander almost kidnapping Hannah, she figured anyone would be jumpy. His coincidental death wasn’t helped. She still didn’t understand how any of this could be connected to her. She only knew Ben because they were neighbors and she watched his house when he was out of town. If this person who hadkidnapped Hannah was after her then why would he break her window and not go after Ben’s house? It didn’t make sense.
"That's what I fear." Hannah slipped out of her seat and sat at Cora's feet and gripped her hands. "I am so sorry to bring my problems to your door. I always feared he would come after me but not endanger those around. I swear if I had known I would have stayed away from you."
“Hannah, get up.” Cora pulled her up to sit next to her on the couch. "I don’t regret our friendship, and I hope you don’t either. Bad shit happens to good people, and if I had known your story when I first met you, I would have still wanted to be your friend." Hannah couldn't hold the tears back anymore and sobbed in her arms. Cora held her and tried wracking her brain how to turn the conversationtoward something more pleasant.
"Okay, now that that is out of the way," Cora said clearing her throat. "If this guy is after you, I think you and Ben need to stay somewhere else. Just until this over.”
“I can’t leave. Ben says that he is setting up a base here in California, and I’m the only one who has ever seen him so I can ID him. We can’t leave. Even if we did, he would just follow I’msure. He needs to be stopped now.”
It was noble of Hannah to want to stay. Cora didn’t even want to contemplate what she had suffered at the hands of a trafficker. She had seen news specials on what happened to the victims, but she never thought she would meet a survivor. And that’s what Hannah was. A survivor. She wanted to take back control of her life. She was tired of running. She wantedto take a stand against her tormentor. “But you can stay in a safe house or something can’t you?” Hannah was not a fighter. It was written all over her. She was safer in a bunker while Ben and his team protected her.
“I suppose we could stay on base or with one of the guys, but I think Ben wants to stay close in case they come to the house. It’s you I’m worried about though. He obviously knowswhere I live especially if the commander was, in fact, taking me back to him. I don’t know why they would come after you. Or throw a brick through your window. These men are monsters, not juveniles.”
“Scare tactic,” Cora said more to herself. At Hannah’s confused looked Cora further explained. “In warfare, some will attack or spook those closest to their target to lure their target into a trap.”It was the only thing that made sense. If someone had been with the commander that day he tried to take Hannah with him, they would have seen Cora aiding her and would have put her on their radar. It was unlikely, but it could happen. When had she turned pessimistic? Growing up with two Marines for parents was finally rubbing off on her. They had taught her warfare and to always think outsidethe box. She never thought it would be helpful until now. Perhaps the broken window wasn’t such a coincidence. Could whoever be after Hannah be using her to get to Hannah or had Cora made herself a target when she helped Hannah?
“I had never thought of that. He did allow himself to be seen on the hospital security footage. Maybe he knew that we would find out it was him and come rushing back.I have to tell Ben.” Hannah stood up and started racing out of the room before she stopped and turned back to Cora. “If he is using you as a scare tactic I think you should think about staying with one of the guys or in a motel as well.”
