Hanna had been doing her best to keep her head down, to focus on her work, but the commotion in the office had gotten so loud that she couldn't ignore it any more. She got up and wandering over to where her coworkers were standing around. She picked up bits and pieces of conversation, too jumbled to figure out what was happening.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9Zwc7B53n
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qLsu62VMP
Hanna spotted Rachel and went to try to get some answers. "What's going on?"110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6euIPf4OAF
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxCj8U709y
"You didn't hear? Ethan and Jerry were attacked." Rachel's tone had a gleeful edge, like she was more entertained by the excitement than concerned.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhV1dgbqcR2
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHOE9lYILU
Hanna felt her stomach plunge to new depths. She hadn't been paranoid. She had been right all along. Her legs suddenly felt like jelly, barely able to hold her upright.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpUfzPs0F8
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGLhVZdYZi
"No..." Hanna said softly.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7kPKjrdoz
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwI8ITERCe
Rachel, completely oblivious to what was happening to her coworker, continued to gossip. "It's true! How crazy is that? Jerry's in the hospital right now."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRlFf0d64H
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9GhWvCrKP
Hanna swallowed hard. "And Ethan?"110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcuMcQ4no9
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLweqEScgPo
"I don't know... I don't think they've found him yet," Rachel answered briefly before turning back to the group's conversation.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPors22wj6
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqSoa6qmZF
Hanna's insides churned in terror. Her mouth felt impossibly dry. She felt like dread had frozen her entire body and she was stuck on another world , disconnected from the people and conversation going on around her. No one else appeared to notice the state she was in as they continued to talk amongst themselves.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmiqSRctbf
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTi1pgxftFB
A piece of information broke into her mind. "I hear Steve had to give the police an interview," Rachel gossiped to another woman.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDeysehDPs
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQ4U0Akrpd
Nobody noticed Hanna slipped away from the group. She found herself walking towards the door, her legs moving almost robotically . She wasn't quite sure why she was moving or where she was going.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPKQVwmTLT
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPbjM7qotH
As she passed the threshold of their shared office, she realized that her brain had somehow already made the decision for her, she was going to help him. Her mind raced to find a plan to catch up with this decision.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EPcCdBJPa
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRzyk72WYO
All she knew at the moment was that she needed to talk to Steve before she left, anything he knew, she needed to know as well . Hanna speed walked the short distance down the hall and barged into Steve's office, startling the short middle manager.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwykRHMaOhG
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6i6XvXrLEj
"What happened?" Hanna demanded loudly.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEWOttlO27
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwocSqkU1c
"I know the rumour mill is—" Steve's protest was quickly cut off by Hanna.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEccECHImeI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XzB7roNJa
"Cut it out. You were interviewed. What do you know?" Hanna pressed firmly, trying and failing to keep her voice level.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqitqqpC1l
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBU6WJrHOV
If Steve was shocked by Hanna's behaviour , he didn't show it. "I really don't know what happened," Steve admitted.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiURuHWrDZ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sPAqjhO3C
"Then what did the police want to know?" Hanna insisted.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgnBInyPon
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUphZ6bZvP
Steve sighed. "They just wanted to know how the kidnappers knew he was there."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2kPz7hgAU
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsO5sfAFG8
"Why did they think the kidnappers had that information in advance?" Hanna asked, not to be deterred from any relevant information.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe1Vj56DHD
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVDTc85GtR
"They said it seemed planned, professional—" Steve stopped talking abruptly as Hanna started walking quickly out the door and out into the empty office. He followed her after a moment's hesitation. "Where are you running off to?!"110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM19NiE9Itw
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLwIAkTs6s
"I'm not going to leave him there!" Hanna wasn't slowing down.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4nYH8IRU7
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFvZFK9Iae
Steve continued following her. "Let the police handle this. There's nothing else you can do."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8v3IvmRm8
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOaJNAwSNY
"That's where you're wrong." Hanna smirked.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCt1BNcv4vE
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxSbnEkQ2X
"What are you talking about?" Steve raised his voice.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0bacz66u4
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6JWWt6Ttt
"I'm going to be gone the rest of the day. Cover with Sarah for me." Hanna stopped, grabbing a black marker off someone's desk and stuffing it in her pocket.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ss7p6H0OM
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOnxgcZXdV
Steve stopped himself before he slammed into her. "Why?"110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUAP3w410R
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqr9BKgf9D
"I know who took him. I've got to talk to the police. It'll probably take a while." The half-truth came out of her mouth easily, almost instinctively. She continued her beeline for the exit.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oMXxFzcBi
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEsnAAFaVY
"Oh." Steve replied, standing there. "Sure, I'll let Sarah know."110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGfEqPcrrJ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvP2QCXEnl7
"No, don't tell her. Just make up something," Hanna called back.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1kuUHZw74
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DS2OJGRpd
"Uh, okay?" Steve answered as Hanna pushed open the door to the stairwell.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPq2rPgUEu
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡePUoKyWe3i
Hanna rushed down the stairs two at a time. She could only hope to arrive before they dissected him and not afterwards. She already knew where they'd likely taken him and she had a plan. More like a fifth of a plan, she admitted to herself, but it’s a start.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprgbjj7lmI
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKclDgNQoXV
She'd told him not to go, but it hadn't been enough. They knew he was Charax from the start, it was so obviously a setup. But he was just so confident in his cover, ignoring all her warnings. That man severely lacked self preservation instincts.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVIcBeCU3N
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡug1mYMRstu
As she raced towards her car, she cursed herself for not acting sooner. I can't believe I let this happen, she thought regretfully. No, I won't let it happen. There's still time.
Hanna knew Ethan might not be held at the laundromat, it might be just an old hideout now. What she did suspect, if they suddenly found another helpless Charax on their hands then they'd take her to the same place he was being held. So here she was, parking a block away from the laundromat. Preparing to do the one thing she always avoided, getting caught.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcIni0ms7H
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiktQioNgTH
Hanna knew she'd have limited tools at her disposal. Any weapons or drugs found on her could wreck her whole plan. She needed to look like the perfect, vulnerable, nonthreatening little target. If they were suspicious of her then they'd be on their guard and move the operation or stop her from implementing the second step of her plan... whatever that would be. At the moment, she really only had the 'find Ethan' part down.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6l0MDodJG
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06JeggrGmX
For the first part of that plan, she took out the marker she'd swiped from the office and took the top off with her teeth. She marked a small Charax symbol on the inside of her wrist, where she knew it would be found. It was a rush job and wouldn't fool anyone who knew what they were looking for but she had a feeling these weren't particularly bright criminals.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKNOs9WXTJ
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQCi2SBufK6
Hanna knew she should be thinking about what to do once she found him, but there were simply too many unknown variables to start planning ahead. She suspected Ethan was not going to be in good condition when she found him, but specifically what he'd be like and what they'd have done to him was a mystery to her. Even if they'd just thrown him in a room, she couldn't be sure how helpful he'd be in an escape attempt.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HnvhKGF1D
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqDZ7OseJS
She checked the time. The Trazinol will have worn off by now, if that what the only thing suppressing his symptoms then he'd be feeling the full force of the heat right now. Based on that, she wasn't sure how... sane he'd be. She was sure most of the stories about Charax heats were exaggerations. Or rather, she hoped they were exaggerations at least.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W7T5jWLD0
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzGuF4yOCpq
She had to consider the stories might be true. If it turned out he was less than... coherent and if it came down to *that*... well, she was thankful she was already on birth control. She wouldn't be scared off by a bit of rough sex. So when she found him, she'd just have to improvise.110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV392R43uN6
110Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaidKw7c44
Hanna waited until nightfall and got ready for her mission. She left anything that might make them suspicious in her car and set up her phone to send a message to Kayla in a day if she didn't turn it off. Then she took a deep breath and headed off towards the laundromat, ready to be captured by the Crimson Keys as a Charax ready to be processed.
