“Then what’s the problem?” Daniel frowned.
“The magic here has nothing to do with us,” she retorted. “Out of all those ten thousand voices screaming in my ears, I couldn’t pick up anything from the Minoans. Not here and not anywhere along the way either. Nothing in Japan. Nothing from the Amur River. Nothing at all!” Cassie sighed. “Guys, we’re at a dead end. I don’t know what to try next.”
She turned to Daniel apprehensively. “You once told us that your old man isn’t known for being patient. If we don’t come up with a solid lead soon, I hate to think what he might do to Hannah and Erik.”
The scion swallowed hard. “I wish I could say your fears are groundless. But they’re not.”
“It would seem we’ve reached an impasse.” Griffin’s tone was bleak.
The group sat in a huddle, listlessly staring at the waves lapping the shore until Olga broke the silence.
“Perhaps all is not lost.” She treated them to an unexpected smile. “There may be a way.”
Chapter 31—Making a Love Connection
Hannah woke on high alert. She sat upright in bed because she thought she’d heard a sound at her door. Given Mother Rachel’s recent attack, her central nervous system was still hyper-reactive. She checked her alarm clock. It was three in the morning. Maybe she’d been dreaming.
She whipped her head around at the sound of a gentle tapping. No, she hadn’t been dreaming. Somebody really was outside her room. Scanning her surroundings wildly for a weapon, she focused on the table lamp next to her bed. It had a heavy metal base. Maybe it would do in a pinch. She unplugged it and crept up beside the door.
“Hannah, let me in!” the voice outside insisted.
It didn’t sound like Joshua, so she relaxed. “Wait,” she commanded. Setting the lamp down on the floor, she went to fetch the key she’d stolen from the matron.
After she unlocked the door, she took the precaution of raising the lamp like a baseball bat in the event she needed to quell another adversary.
The open door revealed Erik silhouetted against the hall light.
He noted her battle stance and chuckled. “Expecting somebody else?”
She hastily dropped the lamp and gestured him inside before closing the door. “Sorry about that. I thought maybe...”
The paladin shrugged. “After the Mother Rachel incident, I’m the last person who would accuse you of overreacting.”
“Why are you here so late?” She returned the lamp to the table, plugged it in and switched it on.
“I was up and about doing recon in Metcalf’s office when it hit me.” Erik seemed abashed about something. “I’m sorry I didn’t think of this sooner. I should have.”
“Thought of what?”
“This.” He held forward a cell phone.
She stared at it. “What do you want me to do with that?”
He sighed. “Given what you’ve just been through, I thought you might need to hear a friendly voice.”
“A friendly voice?” she echoed. “Whose?”
The paladin rolled his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. How about a really annoying teenager with spiky hair who’d give his right arm to talk to you?”
Hannah flounced down on the bed in disbelief. “Zach?” She smiled as the notion sank in. “You want me to call Zachary?”
“It’s not an order,” Erik demurred. “I just figured the two of you might want to reconnect for a few minutes. Catch up on the news and all that jazz.”
She didn’t need any further urging. Hannah dialed the familiar cell phone number. She prayed he would pick up despite the late hour but even hearing his voice mail greeting would be a blessing.
“Hello?” A groggy voice answered. “Whoever this is, it better be good. Do you know what time—”
“Zach,” Hannah cut in.
There was a sharp intake of breath. Apparently, Zachary recognized her voice even if it had only uttered one syllable. “Hannah?” he asked in disbelief. “Hannah, please let it be you.”
“It’s me, Zach. I’m using Erik’s cell phone, so we can chat for a little while.”
“Are you OK? I know Daniel said you were alright, but I didn’t believe him. You know people can lie about stuff like that. Is somebody holding a gun to your head now? That can happen too. Give me a code if that’s true. Tell me your noise itches.”
Hannah smiled to herself at his babble. “I’m fine, Zach, really. Erik is right here if you want to ask him.”
“No, that’s OK. Why would I want to talk to him when I can talk to you?”
“I won’t tell him you said that,” she teased.
“Tell me what?” Erik asked suspiciously.
“Nothing,” Hannah countered innocently. “Zach says hi.”
Erik grunted a response and headed for the door. “I’ll give you two some privacy. Tap on the wall when you’re finished, and I’ll come get the phone.” As a final warning, he added, “And don’t run down the battery. I just charged it.”
“We won’t be long,” she reassured him and waited until he’d left the room before turning her attention back to Zachary.
“Erik left. He says we shouldn’t stay on the line for very long.”
“Uh huh. I get it,” Zach concurred.
An awkward silence opened between them.
“So, how are you?” Hannah began.
“I’m fine. Worried about you though.” He gave a brief sigh. “I wish I could be there to protect you but, according to Erik, you know how to take care of yourself. Word on the street is that you really cleaned that old lady’s clock bigtime.”
Hannah scowled with puzzlement. “What word? What street? Mother Rachel wasn’t holding a clock. She was holding a butcher knife. Even if she had brought a clock, I’m sure I would have refused to clean it for her!”
Zach burst out laughing.
“Are you making fun of me?” she accused, feeling offended by his reaction.
“Nope.” He was still chuckling. “I forgot how much I miss listening to the way your mind works.”
“Oh, I see. This is more slang I don’t understand.” She felt abashed but hastened to reassure him. “I’ll work on it some more.
