Palatial Intimacy

XXXI- The Problem

May 5, 2030

"Hannibal, what the fuck?" Will wrapped his arms around Molly, stroking back her hair to make sure she was okay. She was breathing, and her pulse was strong; she was just out cold. Will propped her up against the bricks of the fireplace. His heart was racing. "What happened?"

"You were asleep. I heard someone knocking on the door, and I got up to see who it was. It was her." Hannibal's face was impassive. "She got up in my face, started accusing me of doing something to you. She called me a murderer, a psychopath, said I was manipulating you."

"Fuck. Hannibal, you might have just really fucked us over." He stood, moving close to Hannibal and speaking in a low hiss.

"She will be fine. It wasn't that rough."

"No, you've completely fucked up any chance of us seeming innocent. We could have explained this away, maybe, but not anymore. She's totally going to know that we're guilty of something."

"Will, you didn't hear the way she was speaking to me. She threatened to call the police."

Will exhaled. They definitely couldn't have that, but this wasn't any better. They couldn't just let her go, not after all of this. She was going to wake up and find out the entire truth, and the minute she broke free she was going to run to the FBI. What reason did they have to not believe her? After all the suspicions placed towards Hannibal?

"We can bribe her. Tempt her with freedom and safety as long as she stays quiet for a short amount of time. At this point, it's not even twelve hours. Small price to pay for the safety of you and your child."

"Don't bring Walter into this. He's a fucking kid." Will bared his teeth. "Hannibal, I refuse to let you hurt my wife or her kid. If you even think about touching her--"

"You'll have to save that sentiment for later," Hannibal said calmly, nodding towards the fireplace. "I'll let you handle this, then. But don't let her out."

She was stirring, her eyelids fluttering as she began to wake. Will grit his teeth, letting out a loud sigh. "Oh, Molly," he said, kneeling right in front of her. "Why did you have to come over here? Fuck."

It took a minute for her to finally open her eyes and get a sense of her surroundings. Once she did, she gasped at the sight of Will's face and the realization of what was happening. She tried to scramble away, but her restraints made it difficult. Will reached for her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Molly. Hey, hey. It's alright." Will removed the gag from her mouth.

"What the fuck. What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She shouted, looking past him to see Hannibal standing over them both. "Is this where you've been this whole time? Where your head's been?"

"Molly, how did you know I was here? What made you come over here?"

She looked seconds away from spitting in his face. "I put a tracker in your car. I was sick of you running away on me without telling me where you were going."

"When? Where is it?" Hannibal leaned forward, and Will could sense the panic rushing through him. He tried his best to hide it, but Will knew everything now.

"Fuck you."

"Molly," Will said, "where is it? When did you put it in?"

She frowned, betrayal flickering in her expression as she realized that the two were on the same side. "It...it was only a few days ago. Like, this week. It's under the front passenger seat."

"Does anyone else have access to the location?"

"I don't think so. I mean, it's just an Airtag, on my phone--"