Hidden Sins (5 page)

I heard a rumble of a diesel engine outside and glanced toward the street where a tow truck was pulling up to the curb, my blue truck attached behind. My heart started hammering as I thought about who called for the tow. Sliding off the bed, I ran down the hall and out the door as the tow truck driver was unhooking my truck. He wore a navy baseball cap and jeans. His thick fingers unhooked the chains as he flashed me a quick smile.

“You Hannah?” he asked.

“I am,” I said, nodding.

“Great. I’ll have you sign off on this,” he said, grabbing a clipboard from the truck seat.

I glanced at the paperwork and noticed Luke’s information in the billing section. Why was this stranger being so kind? I quickly signed my name, almost forgetting to sign my new last name. When I handed him back the clipboard, he handed me two business cards.

“This is a good mechanic I know. Trustworthy. And here’s my information if it needs a tow over there,” he replied. “The doors are unlocked so I’d make sure to lock it up before you head back inside.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

I watched the driver climb into his truck as I headed over to mine. Opening the driver’s side, there was an envelope on my seat. Ripping it open, a note and a Starbucks card fell out.

I noticed you didn’t take your coffee with you, and I wasn’t going to have that happen for a third time. I had to get it to you somehow. And here’s a little something to make your next coffee trip a little less eventful.

Best,

Luke

I shoved the note and gift card back in the envelope and couldn’t help but soften a little more toward Luke. I glanced at the Starbucks coffee cup and decided to take a leap of faith. I doubted very much he’d put something in it, and if he did, maybe I’d have a nice sleep for a change.

No. That was a horrible way to look at the world. I didn’t want to become that cynical person that wandered around, doubting everyone’s motives, and making snarky comments about people’s true intentions. There were bad people in the world, but there were more good people to outnumber the bad.

There had to be.

Taking a sip, I spit it out onto the street. Milk and sweetness had filled my mouth instead of black coffee. I glanced at the cup and noticed it was another new drink, which explained why it was still warm. He’d managed to get me a caramel macchiato, which happened to be my favorite drink but was far too expensive for my blood. I let out a sigh and took another sip, this time enjoying the magnificent flavor as it slipped down my throat. I’d only had Starbucks maybe ten times in my life. It had been when I’d accompanied one of our groups to run errands in the next town over. I’d manage to sneak away and grab something, and it was such a victory. How odd was that? Ever since I’d hit the state line into California, it felt like my old life wasn’t even real. The events too bizarre and horrifying to be anything other than imagined. But I knew that wasn’t the case. It was all very real.

I took another sip and felt the delicious flavor coat my mouth. At this point in my life, I needed some sort of positive sign that things were going to be okay, and for the moment, this latte was that sign.

I looked up the stairs and saw Nancy with her arms crossed as she shook her head at me, obviously disgusted by the kind gesture that was now sitting outside of her house. I climbed the stairs and smiled, holding my latte tightly.

“Don’t be fooled,” Nancy said, her glowering eyes taking me in. “There are always strings attached. Don’t you ever forget it.”

“So you offering your home isn’t out of the goodness of your heart?” I asked, walking by her. “Are there strings attached?”

Nancy remained silent, watching me walk down the hall to my room. I closed the door and decided not to unpack. I didn’t plan on being here long enough to need to. With exhaustion finally crashing down on me, I grabbed a book and slid under the covers, not making it even a chapter before my eyes closed. I drifted to sleep, ready to meet my nightmares once more.

Luke

I listened as the senator droned on and on about why his mistress needed a security detail. I wondered how the wife felt about that. My guess was that she or a friend did the threat sending, and it was probably completely harmless, just a good stress reliever.

These were my least favorite security tasks. From what I gathered, the senator’s mistress received some death threats, and not wanting to make the matter public, the senator was now doling out top dollar to keep her safe. That was where my firm, Fletcher Security, came in. This wasn’t what I had imagined when I built the company, but these were bread-and-butter cases. I had teams all over the world, protecting diplomats and other dignitaries, and my men were the best in the business. Their training and loyalty rivaled the most elite military forces in the world, but often on the domestic front, we were tapped in high-profile scandals before they became scandals.

I glanced across the lake and my thoughts drifted to Hannah. I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind; the way her eyes still managed to sparkle even though her life was quite possibly filled with more dark than light. After finding out where Hannah was now living, I had gotten some more items together before I left town and had a courier drop them off. Included in that packet was a disposable cell phone. It was an odd gift. That much I would admit, but in my line of work it was a must. I hadn’t had much time before I left my house, but I was able to gather from Google maps that she was living in a house that was barely standing, run by a woman who I could say the same for. The owner of the home was Nancy Lowel, and she had a past that would make even the most seasoned PI do a double take. Between being mysteriously widowed four times, all with large insurance payouts, and several stints in prison, I had no idea how she’d managed to get into the field of helping people. I doubt she did. My hope was that Hannah would watch her back, even at her new residence. My other hope was that I didn’t completely scare her off.

“Will you be able to start immediately?” the senator asked. His hair was graying slightly at the temple, and with the twinkle in his eyes, I got the distinct feeling that he actually enjoyed this little game of cat and mouse. Gwyneth the mistress sat next to him as the dutiful partner; her red hair in a loose bun and a strand of pearls around her neck. A person could almost mistake her for his wife, but the senator’s wife was in Hawaii with the children and her mother.

How handy.

“Kenneth will be the man assigned to Gwyneth. I’ll bring him in.” I stood up and walked through the study into the foyer and motioned for Kenneth to follow me. He’d already been advised of the situation. The sooner I could get through the introductions and instructions, the sooner I could do what I really wanted, which was to drive out to the address I’d found on Hannah’s papers.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Fletcher. I heard you were the best,” Gwyneth gushed, and I wondered if she was looking for victim number two. Kenneth hid a smile, realizing his hands were going to be quite full with this new assignment.

“That’s what we do,” I replied, not amused.

The senator showed me out, and I climbed into the rental car. Popping the address into the GPS, I set course to see if I could glimpse a piece of Hannah’s prior life. I had never done anything like this, but I’d never run across anyone like Hannah either.

I had spent my time disconnecting from the world, yet something about Hannah made me want to reconnect, reengage with the possibilities of…

Of anything, really.

I drove along the tree-lined drive imagining how different things would be if my parents were still alive. I certainly wouldn’t be in the business of saving and destroying lives. My phone buzzed and the car answered it.

“Hey, Mr. Bigwig,” my sister laughed into the phone. “Where are you at now, and since when did you start handing out my phone number to random strangers? I thought that kind of went against your protection policy,” she teased. “I guess I should be grateful for the heads up you sent via text but still.”

My heart pounded.

“Did she call? Is she in trouble?”

“Whoa, buddy. Calm down. No. She didn’t call, but what the hell was that all about?”

“Sorry. I doubt she’ll call. I just…” Uttering the words aloud would surely make me crazy so I kept them to myself. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the wheel tightly. I had to get this foolishness under control.

I couldn’t save everyone.

I couldn’t save my parents.

“Did you meet someone?” she laughed. “Oh, my god. You did. The poor girl. You’re totally going to scare her away. You finally meet someone and you already have security stalking her. If she hasn’t gone running yet, she will soon. Mark my words. Did you meet her at the club or through business or…”

“It’s not like that. I met her at a Starbucks, and I just thought she could use a hand.”

“Tell me more. It sounds promising.”

The sad part of my sister’s statement was that it probably did sound promising. I tended to only interact with clients and employees.

My sister was five years younger than me, but emotionally she seemed older than her years by far. I had raised her from the time of our parents’ deaths, but in many ways, it was her maturity that made us come out okay. We always joked that she’d keep us mentally strong and protected, and I’d keep us physically strong and protected. I took my part very seriously, as did she.

“There’s nothing to tell, dear sister. Listen, I got done with my client early and I’m going to go take some photographs of—”

“In the snow?” my sister teased. “So who was the client today that got you pissed?”

She knew me well. I absolutely loathed the men and women in these high profile infidelity scandals. Not everyone was cut out to be married, to be monogamous, but don’t pull some poor soul along with you for that ride. If you can’t handle the responsibility, don’t get married.

That was what irked me. So many people tossing emotions and feelings aside as if they meant nothing, but they meant everything. That was why we were human. Life’s already full of too much unexpected pain and misery. Why make someone’s heart bleed with that kind of carelessness? That was why I wasn’t going to be going down that path. Love was a distraction.

“Hello?” my sister queried.

“Sorry. Some senator. The usual.” My sister was the only one I revealed client information to, but it was for a good cause, which was to keep her out of my personal life. If I could distract her enough with this other stuff, she rarely bugged me about finding that special someone. “His wife’s in Hawaii with the kids.”

“There are kids?” my sister moaned into the phone. “What a creep.”

“Agreed.” I turned off onto a country road where I’d be driving for the next hour. “Listen, if that girl calls, would you let me know?”

“I will. But do you plan on telling me who she is?” she asked.

“I honestly don’t know.”

“Okay. So I know I don’t need to repeat how crazy that sounds so I’m just going to wish you safe travels and a happy picture taking afternoon. My paint should be dry anyway. Still on for dinner when you get back in town?”

“Always,” I said, and she hung up the phone.

As I traveled along the narrow, two-lane road I wondered if I was only drawn to Hannah because I wanted to protect her?

Hannah

I woke up with a start. The images continued to plow through my mind as I tried to steady my breathing. Hearing Tracy’s screams mixed with my own cries shook me to my core. No matter how many times the images and sounds replayed through my mind, it was always like I was there, witnessing my best friend’s death once again. My throat was dry and calling out for water as I calmed my breathing, promising myself that I was far away. I wiped away the dampness that had accumulated along my hairline as I shoved the quilt down. The sun was already appearing, and I quickly reached for my phone, praying I didn’t miss my allotted shower time. It was a little past seven o’clock so I was safe. I’d finally get my shower. I’d slept for over twelve hours and still felt as if I didn’t get a drop of sleep. Old habits die hard.