Those Weekends In New England

Chapter Five

Even a horror story has a theme song.

"What's he like?"

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Thel, leave me alone. You too, Georgi!" The last thing Hannah wanted right now was an interrogation.

"Answer me, Hannah."

"Give me a break. No, if you insist, Georgi, I didn't tell him about Peter, but it doesn't matter. Another dance and I'll never see him again." Except maybe in concert if I'm stupid enough to go. And on TV, in magazines, and many, many times in my mind.

"Anybody with half a pair of eyes could see he was interested in you."

"Oh, come off it!" Hannah's explosion surprised her companions. "He's married. Everyone knows he's married. All he wants is a woman and a bed, in that order and preferably together. He wants entertainment for the night. If he can play games with me, I can play games with him."

The band, now back on stage, was gearing up for their next set, and they were staring at Hannah, pointing at her, and laughing.

"He will find out about Peter, Hannah. Right now." Georgi nervously glanced up at the stage.

The lead singer at the microphone was staring at her. His expression, his grin, said everything Hannah needed to know at that moment. Suddenly, she didn't have to ask what Georgi meant. The band members knew Georgi well. They knew Hannah and Peter from parties held at Georgi's house. She was married, and they well knew it. As the lead singer blew into his microphone before talking, the sudden awareness of what was about to happen made her flinch. She looked over at Denny's table, unable to see his expression.

"... embarrass one certain lady in our audience...."

"Stop them, Georgi. Stop them now."

Georgi shrugged helplessly and Hannah knew it was too late. The guy was already running his mouth, gearing up for his fun. If she or Georgi rushed the stage, they would look nothing less than idiotic. She squared her shoulders, trying to harden her resolve. She wouldn't give Denny Lorenzo the satisfaction of seeing her panic.

Ah, so that's the deal. Denny grinned at the pained expression he could now see on Hannah's face. A spotlight had been turned on her table. Her birthday is being announced. Beef it up, guys, she deserves every bit of embarrassment, and more. He laughed out loud, and Al's surprised glance questioned him.

"... she's a recluse, as I've come to know, and tonight's a rare night out for her...," he started whispering loudly, ominously, "a rare night away from—her husband...."

The real meaning of the desperate look on Hannah's face began to sink in for Denny. It wasn't really Hannah's birthday. His laughter died with abrupt violence. So she was married.

"... she may never be seen out of captivity again...."

He denied the words he was hearing as the audience laughed loudly at the band leader's joke. No name has been mentioned yet, Denny told himself. They could be talking about Georgi. Or Thel. Even in so short a time, he had felt so right with Hannah. Alive. Something he'd missed for far too long. He sat and waited, a cold chill skipping along the back of his neck as the stage musician dramatically cleared his throat.

"... and she's right here up in front. Stand and show yourself to the crowd, Hannah Jergen. This may be the last fun night of her life, guys, so don't let her down! She'll be back in the lion's den before long." The audience applauded, with some guys making suggestive catcalls.

Hannah shook her head, refusing to get out of her seat as she stared at the floor.

"Aw, come on."