Her voice was so vulnerable. "I didn't feel brave. I was scared shitless."
Lukus surprised even Dylan with his reply. "Total disclosure: so was I." He tried to reassure her. "We lost the feed when you got into the basement. Luckily, we had enough to get the police involved, but then we had to wait for them to get a search warrant. I'd never have forgiven myself if Davenport had gotten out of here with you."
Dylan felt her shivering in his arms as she started to wither. He pressed his boss. "Let's get a paramedic in here. I want to get her to the hospital and checked out."
Hannah had different ideas. "No, I just want to make sure Mia is okay, and then go home and see Connor."
"Sorry, but you need to be checked out." Dylan couldn't bring himself to ask the question he desperately wanted the answer to. As tears welled in her eyes, he bit his tongue.
Fuck, I'm going to kill Jake Davenport myself when we find him. If he raped her again, I'll never forgive myself.
Thankfully, a paramedic pressed his way into the fast-filling room. Hannah clung to Dylan as the medic started taking her vitals.
Lukus and Derek looked down at them from above, concern in their eyes. The men exchanged knowing looks as they listened to the SWAT team recapping for their captain how Davenport had somehow slipped through their fingers. They were sending teams to his office and home, but no one expected someone as smart as Davenport to return to a location he knew would be crawling with cops at any minute.
Luckily, Hannah seemed too overwhelmed to hear what was happening. Dylan knew she wouldn't relax until Davenport was dead or behind bars.
The captain in charge pressed into the room next. "Everyone out. I need to interview Ms. Martine. Now."
Dylan didn't even have to intervene. Derek had his back, stepping between the officer and Hannah. "No way. She's receiving medical attention and needs to go to the hospital. You can interview her there."
"Not possible. Every minute counts with—"
Derek luckily cut him off before Hannah could hear the news. "Now you're in a big hurry. We've been trying to get police support for the last week, and no one could give a shit about Jake Davenport then. We have hours of tape. Hundreds of photos. There is more than enough evidence for you and your team to review now, and you can interview Hannah when she's rested up and feeling better."
The officer looked like he was going to argue back until Lukus stepped up next to Dylan's brother. The two tall men made an intimidating pair. Still, it was comical to watch the police captain back down.
The officer answered Derek and Lukus with an order. "Fine. You two come with me." He stopped to lock eyes with Dylan. "I'll catch up with you and Ms. Martine at the hospital in a few hours."
Dylan knew that was as good as it would get. "We'll be there."
"See that you are."
Ten minutes later, they were wheeling out into the fresh air. Dylan had made Hannah close her eyes as they'd moved her through the horror house called 'Strictly Disciplined'. He didn't want her to see those sights ever again. He wished he had the power to erase them from her memory.
"Where are Mia and Lucy?" She had been quiet. He could tell it hurt her to talk, and he didn't even want to think about why that was.
The paramedics answered her. "They already went in an earlier transport. You'll be able to see them at the hospital." That seemed to appease her, because she closed her eyes again, still clutching Dylan's hand as they lifted her stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
Halfway to the hospital, he could tell she'd fallen into a fitful sleep; whether from exhaustion or stress he wasn't sure. He looked up at the paramedic riding in the back with them and asked the question he dreaded learning the answer to.
"Was she raped?"
Pity filled the man's eyes. "I'm not sure. They'll do a rape kit when we get to the hospital to collect and preserve any evidence we can."
"But—"
"Sorry, I know it must be hard, but you should let the results come back before you worry."
Dylan forced the question on his mind. "How about the other women we found in the basement? Were they..."
He knew the answer before it came back. He could see it in the medic's eyes. "Yes."
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"Fuck." Fury coursed through his veins. They'd waited too long. They shouldn't have let her go in. He was never going to forgive himself for letting harm come to Hannah and her friends.
The next hour flew by in a whirl as doctors, nurses, radiologists, and police filtered in and out of the private room they had set up in the ER for Hannah. Through it all, Dylan never left her side. He was so proud of her as she answered questions. The only hint of her lingering fear was the tight grip she kept on his hand throughout. He didn't even complain that he was losing circulation in his fingers. He was just happy he was lending some comfort to her.
The tension in the room changed quickly when the doctor announced everyone would need to leave the room so he could perform a rape kit.
The fear in Hannah's eyes cut Dylan to the core. She protested. "He didn't rape me. I don't need a test."
The captain interjected. "You hit your head, hard. Lost consciousness. He could have raped you when you were knocked out. We need the test if we hope to gather proof to put him away." The guy was being a cold asshole.
Dylan shot him a look that said 'shut the fuck up' before reassuring Hannah. "It's okay, honey. Even if he didn't, they still need to do the test for
