But right now, there was a more pressing matter on her mind. She needed to get to Xavier and tell him Jed was searching for him and whatever he thought Xavier had. She wasn’t going to stand by and let the man she loved get hurt or walk into a trap unawares.
Sarah wrapped her arms around her wait. “No, he didn’t mention anyone else. That doesn’t mean someone else isn’t around watching or waiting. Just be careful, Hannah.”
Hannah nodded and threw open the office door before she lost her nerve. Before she could race off down the corridor, a man stepped in front of her, leveling a gun at her head.
Her feet froze to the spot. She had never been on the other end of a gun and had no idea how to react. It was like her breath had seized in her chest, and she couldn’t find her voice. She wanted to cry out, but all she could do was stare down the dark, dangerous barrel of the weapon pointed in her face.
And at the man on the other side of it.
Jed.
His nose was bloody and swollen, and his lips were stained with the same redness. But there was a maniacal grin on his face, as though he didn’t even notice his injury. The look in his eyes scared her almost as much as the gun he had pointed at her.
He slowly turned the gun to Sarah. “Put that phone down,” he ordered.
Hannah’s head was spinning. What the hell was going on? Why was Jed back, here of all places? Why didn’t he leave when he couldn’t find whatever he was searching for?
Hannah turned to Sarah, nodding at her to do as he said. They could work this out, as long as neither of them ended up with a bullet in their brain. Sarah slowly placed the phone back down on the desk, her hand visibly shaking, her face white.Hannah wished she could comfort her, but right now, she had to focus on getting them out of there alive. She couldn’t let her panic get the better of her, no matter how terrifying the situation was.
“Good girl,” Jed sneered, patronizing as always.
Hannah felt a flare of anger at his remark. But how he spoke to them was the least of her concerns right now. She needed to make sure she got both of them out of this mess without getting hurt. She would never be able to forgive herself if Sarah got injured because of her rashness.
“You, come with me,” Jed ordered Hannah, jerking the gun toward her.
Hannah stood her ground. “Where are you taking me?”
“That is no concern of yours,” he replied, flashing her a grin. “You just shut that pretty face and do as I say, you understand? Or someone’s going to get hurt.”
Fear rippled through Hannah at his demand. She wished she had a way to get by him without getting shot and find help. Even if she could get out in the hallway and yell at the top of her lungs it would be better than doing nothing. There were always people around this side of the lodge; someone would hear. But then they’d be put in harm’s way because of her, and Hannah couldn’t have that on her conscience.
She couldn’t believe this was happening again. More danger to the lodge and its guests. First the fire several months ago, and now this. This was supposed to be a safe place, where people could forget their worries and concentrate on healing and bettering themselves. Instead, it seemed to have turned into a place where danger followed and threatened their family and friends. Hannah wanted to jump on Jed and claw his eyes out for the evil and terror he’d brought to their peaceful doorstep.
But she pushed down her violent urge with a calming breath. “Fine. I’ll go with you,” she murmured. “Just leave Sarah and the others alone.”
“You don’t have a choice, bitch.” He laughed and pushed the tip of the gun right up to her forehead.”
Hannah’s lungs seized, and she started shaking. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to die here, not like this.
“Hannah—” Sarah attempted, but Jed turned the gun on her again, silencing her once more.
“I’m not letting a pair of bitches stand in the way of millions of dollars,” he told them. “Move, Hannah. Now.” He reached out and yanked her forward so fast she crashed into his chest.
She pushed back and tried to move away, but Jed pulled her back to him as he stalked out the door with her in tow.
As soon as they cleared the doorway, he grabbed her shoulder and shoved the gun in the small of her back, pushing her down the corridor. He was moving her at a rate faster than her feet could keep up, and she stumbled several times. As soon as she’d right herself, Jed would jam the gun in her spine again and keep shoving her forward.
She knew she needed to fight back, do something to try to get away, but with him constantly forcing the gun to her back, she couldn’t think straight. She wasn’t sure what she could do without getting her brains blown out.
Closing her eyes, she kept walking, counting her footsteps and praying that Xavier would somehow know where to find her. She wasn’t sure exactly how that was going to happen, but she had faith in him.
And faith in him seemed like the only thing she could hold on to right now without losing her mind entirely.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Xavier, can you hear me?”
Xavier’s eyes flickered open. What? Where was he again? He couldn’t even remember. All he could think about was the pulsing, throbbing pain at the back of his head and the blurriness of his vision. He felt hands on his shoulders, someone trying to shake him awake, and he managed to focus his gaze on the person in front of him.
