Between Limestone Ruins

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Hannah's duck had been perfectly timed. She did not get shot. Small win for today! She let herself celebrate for two seconds and two seconds only.

"Oh, come on, Hannah. Admit you miss me. We both know it. No need to play games." The taunt was both insulting and laughable. How stupid was he? Why would she ever go back to him willingly? Unless...

"You're right," she confessed.

"I am?" Robert sounded genuinely confused. Gotcha.

Hannah stood up slowly from behind the hospital bed with her hands raised. Her breathing was shallow and panicked but she did her best to hide it as she walked slowly and deliberately around the bed to stand beside Ethan, moving her hips in as much of an exaggerated sultry lope as her poor bruised body would let her.

It was time to use his delusions against him.

"I never knew how good I had it with you. This new guy, he's... he's so dull.

He's nothing like you. Handsome, smart, popular, rich." Hannah let her scared whisper drop into a quiet sexy rural Canadian drawl, giving her just enough exotic country girl vibes for the controlling pampered city boy from her past.

Her hands dropped slowly to her sides, Ethan's gun arm following suit. Threat extinguished. Hannah let him believe he'd won for a second.

"So, you've seen the light, eh? You always loved those shitty rom-com movies. Always wanted a knight in shining armour... you planned this whole emergency contact thing for me?" 

Hannah struggled to keep her body still as her gag reflex caused her to throw up in her mouth a little. Organize a serial killer twin brother to kidnap her in order to win Ethan back? Holy shit this guy could be more of a monster than Robert.

"Such unnecessary drama my love. You'll be punished for that later." Gross, Hannah had it for men who thought they could be monsters with no repercussions. Besides, all her acting talent had been used up.

She moved so quickly Ethan didn't know she was going to hit him until her knee connected with his crotch. His natural pain reaction caused him to double straight into Hannah's right hook, which connected with his still-healing nose.  The sickening wet-crunch his nose made was just as, if not more, satisfying as the last time. With her other hand she other disarmed him in the distraction of his pain.

Hannah failed to catch the gun as she flung it from Ethan and she threw her body after it as it skittered across the floor.

Ethan was seconds behind her, reflexes slightly dulled by pain, landing on top of her as and rolling her over so he could straddle her stomach. He pushed the gun out of reach and delivered a stellar bitch slap to her already bruised face. Fuck this.

Hannah's vision cut out for the one millionth and second time as his hand came down hard on her throat and curled into a vice-like grip.

"You little cock-tease bitch," Ethan snarled. 

He yanked her head off the ground and slammed it down on the concrete. When Hannah's vision came back this time Ethan's wicked grimace was hair lengths from her tear-stained face.

"I'm going to kill you now, Hannah." He said as if it was fact, as if killing her was what he had planned since the beginning.

Someone banged on the door. "POLICE OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR."

Hannah had never felt so happy to hear Walker swear. Tears were streaming down her face. Save me. Save me. Please. Save. Me.

"No thanks," Ethan whispered, applying more pressure to Hannah's airway and rattling her headache around in her head.