Page 70 of Hannah and the Hitman
“Iteleportedto anadult store.” I put an emphasis on both because teleporting was the thing of sci-fi movies and I might read sexy romances, but I’d never been in an adult store. I ordered online where it was nice and discreet. “Why would I lie about this?”
“Good point. Okay, he kills people for a living.”
“Remember when I told you he could be a murderer, but you said it didn’t matter since he suffered through dinner at my parents’ house? Yeah, well, he reallyisa murderer.”
“But he suffered through your parents’ house,” shereminded with a shudder. “Name another murderer who’d do that.”
“I don’t know another murderer!”
Maybe Dax was one. Wait. So was Joey Brains. And Eyebrows. I seemed to know quite a few. I doubted any of them would last as long as Jack had.
I turned in my seat, bending my leg so I could face her. “Are you hearing yourself? Hekillspeople. He actually murdered someone during our dinner date the other night. In the restroom while the waiter brought out my salmon and his steak. I went back to see if he was okay and gave him a Pepto Bismol thinking he had stomach issues.”
She started to laugh, then bit her lip. “Sorry.” A snort came out before she could calm herself. “Jesus, Hannah. You wanted a second lease on life. You got one.”
I sighed, looked down at my fingers. I threw a man and he ended up dying. I was an accomplice killer. If I was into sports, I’d get the assist. “Be careful what you wish for, right?” We were quiet through one stop light. “I’ve been trying to keep myself alive, B, and he kills people. He doesn’t have any regard for life or death.”
She sobered. “Oh, sweetie. What are you going to do?”
“I can’t stay with my parents.”
“I’d rather be strangled by a mafia goon,” she replied.
I’d experienced both and one was a much faster way to go.
“I can’t stay with you,” I added.
“Why not? I thought that was why I came to get you.”
“Someone tried to kill me! I’m not putting you in danger.”
“You’re riding shotgun, girlfriend.”
“I know. I was going to have you drop me off at a hotel or something, but I realize now I don’t even have my purse.”
Instead of continuing straight through the next light–finally, it was green–she used her blinker and turned onto a side street.
“I know where you have to go,” she said.
I looked around. I was loosely familiar with Denver. Knew how to get to specific places like a mall, a sports arena or the airport, but it was pretty hard to get lost since the mountains went north to south on the west side of town. But I didn’t know what street we were on. “Where?”
“Back to Jack.”
“What?” I squawked. “Have you heardanythingI said?”
She nodded. “Yes. Especially the part where he’s a killer. He’ll protect you, Hannah.”
He would. He’d said he wouldn’t hurt me, no matter how much he yelled and fumed and he’d done a lot of both.
“The bad guy who came to the library, he said he was there for me because I was a distraction for Jack.”
“Which means this is a Jack problem. You only got caught up in it.”
“So I should stay away from him, not go back to him.”
She shook her head, as she turned once more so we were returning the way we came, one block parallel to Colfax. “I’m not saying you’re not in danger, but this is Jack’s problem to fix and part of that is making sure you stay safe. And alive.”
“You’ve never even met him and you’re taking me to him? A murderer?”