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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wolC6czY1
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq41vY8C8mp
Hanna spotted Rachel and went to try to get some answers. "What's going on?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJ3NYhPgCG
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vHnSARufT
"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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuMYoj7d2M
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IPKtCbhrb
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6XX75ka0R
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSSMVqdcDg
"No..." Hanna said softly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnhhyYslBvC
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNyjD8Pk8H
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."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8driYReDsY
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPZH0dXONw
Hanna swallowed hard. "And Ethan?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ip2uAnLH5
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgNdUaYSpX
"I don't know... I don't think they've found him yet," Rachel answered briefly before turning back to the group's conversation.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBFR72Mdyn
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYt3FnlFsf4
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezBaivuQaV
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhvZAgpfKE
A piece of information broke into her mind. "I hear Steve had to give the police an interview," Rachel gossiped to another woman.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwW4drqI85H
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzSb597xgc
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJafP4XT4h6
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1p4VKPK1x
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr24CuhggR4
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLQI6Pi1MQ
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcgEEt1AsP
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72oO9RvfJL
"What happened?" Hanna demanded loudly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM2Fh3RjQn
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9e4VVoDJ0V
"I know the rumour mill is—" Steve's protest was quickly cut off by Hanna.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bNbblrpgK
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWV251q9nX
"Cut it out. You were interviewed. What do you know?" Hanna pressed firmly, trying and failing to keep her voice level.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcKrp5bNvK
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eCshJiTMl
If Steve was shocked by Hanna's behaviour , he didn't show it. "I really don't know what happened," Steve admitted.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7FsUscnBG
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgwKFP1Xt6
"Then what did the police want to know?" Hanna insisted.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizIOciu1Uf
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj23nvm2ym
Steve sighed. "They just wanted to know how the kidnappers knew he was there."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uJ9dUwzlb
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuUHXObMxD
"Why did they think the kidnappers had that information in advance?" Hanna asked, not to be deterred from any relevant information.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbe0f1LRwQ
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIs7MbzQ9DL
"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?!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeT3tfe6zwg
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYkrkEIKGr
"I'm not going to leave him there!" Hanna wasn't slowing down.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURSmO2PC45
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuz5VYXaQ5
Steve continued following her. "Let the police handle this. There's nothing else you can do."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5em5kiuH2
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgxibohhOg
"That's where you're wrong." Hanna smirked.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbf94mpBV9H
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdMW0w0yJK
"What are you talking about?" Steve raised his voice.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwj1eudrJH
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1F7HyO2An6
"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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3FFPoBzSc
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEyHEFAQVQ
Steve stopped himself before he slammed into her. "Why?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsT7tCwr3h
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ421kkg550l
"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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrCIBL7qVK
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIuvIVlUkJ
"Oh." Steve replied, standing there. "Sure, I'll let Sarah know."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMShXHMXzN
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4cSuzusDY
"No, don't tell her. Just make up something," Hanna called back.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmoiExa1Pi
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymXxSZMCKk
"Uh, okay?" Steve answered as Hanna pushed open the door to the stairwell.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrE1Onx0il
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1kC1DCj3T
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4PCU2k3NR
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwqeWuSXKR
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUWGzF7XuB
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOKygXAgmY
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb16SzpWrqk
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbC3PbK9Yp
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kJrHKETqI
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnkEzuyben
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hg8HU7n02
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCRHyqZo1Q
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhm5HFtPFW2
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7whsdkgfiM
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLtWug8MmX
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQtTbA47sn
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.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tNKTFUkCG
111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vzYeiUtdW
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.
