The Risks

May: Chapter 56

Hannah was a nervous wreck.

It was evening now, the sun nearly finished with its descent, and the group who had left early this morning to take Spencer to the Zone hadn't come back yet. The unease hung above us like smoke –a sign of a bigger problem.

Six hours. Seven, tops. There should be no reason that it would take longer than that.

But it had been twelve hours since they'd left.

The group had been small, consisting of only Tyson, Eli, and Chris. So when I noticed Hannah lingering by the glass doors after dinner, tying her fingers into knots, I didn't have to ask her why she was so anxious.

"I'm sure he's okay," I'd told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure they all are."

She'd nodded softly as I lead her to one of the tables. I'd told Parker I was just returning our dishes, but he knew the group was late and he knew why that would be a cause for concern for Hannah, so I didn't think he'd mind me spending some time with her while we waited.

We sat there together wordlessly, glancing now and then to the doors –through the glass and into the darkening evening. I wanted to ask her if she'd had a chance to talk to Chris yet, but now wasn't a very appropriate time. In fact, there might not have been a worse time to ask. So I kept my mouth shut, gently placing my hand on her forearm and whispering words of comfort every time her anxiety seemed to peak.

It was when Charlotte emerged silently from her office and made her way outside –her pace even and her expression as calm as ever- that we stood to follow her.

The gates were closing as we pushed through the doors, and there in the circle drive, was our missing vehicle. Although I should've been relieved, my heart sank when I saw it.

The front end was dented to hell –one of the headlights hanging by wires. The doors were riddled with bullet holes, making me think they had used them to shield themselves. But the most concerning thing was the front windshield. The whole thing was cracked, spider webbing inward to an impact point right where the bullet would have entered.

Right where the driver would have been sitting.

Hannah made a soft, terrified noise beside me, and I felt her hand grip mine. I squeezed it, mimicking the tightening in my chest that was making it difficult for me to breathe.

But then the front doors opened, and Tyson and Chris stepped out. I heard Hannah begin to cry softly, and stared after her as she released my hand and moved toward them. They were dirty and looked exhausted, but when Chris saw Hannah running for him, a smile nearly split his face in two.

I watched as Hannah crashed into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, watched as they spoke softly to each other.

"What happened out there?" Charlotte asked as they drew nearer.

"There was an ambush waiting for us," Chris said, his arm still around Hannah's shoulders. "About an hour south of the Zone."

"They got Eli," Tyson added solemnly. "And they took Spencer."

My jaw clenched. He'd been half dead, how the hell had he gotten away? More importantly, who would have taken him? And why?

"Any idea who set the ambush?" Charlotte asked.

The two guys shook their heads.

"Chris, Tyson, join me in my office." She glanced my way before turning back to them. "Just the two of you for now." I opened my mouth to object, but she interrupted. "I'll come by in the morning to fill you and Parker in."