Page 36 of Unhinged

His lips flattened into a straight line and he used his free hand to untuck his shirt. Lifting the hem, he wrapped the fabric around the knob and pulled. The door swung open easily, and Luke shook his head when he saw the jammed mechanism. “Simple but effective. Maybe the police will be able to lift some prints.”

“Crap.” At his questioning glance, she elaborated, “I touched the handle when I came in.”

He shook his head. “Likely won’t matter anyway. If he went to this extent to jam it, he probably wore gloves. They can print you just in case to eliminate you, but I can’t begin to imagine how many people have touched this knob today alone.”

Disgusting. She instinctively wiped her palms on her skirt. Luke kept his back to the wall as he peeked inside and examined the hallway. Everything remained silent and still, and he pulled her inside.

Quickly peering into each room they passed, they made their way to Audrey’s office. She sank to her knees beside her and pressed a hand to her cheek.

“Audrey, honey, everything’s gonna be okay. Just hang in there. We’re going to get you some help.” Pressing two fingers to her neck, Hannah searched for a pulse. “Pulse is weak, but it’s there.”

“We need to get some pressure on that wound, stop the bleeding,” Luke commented from above her. “I’ll be right back.”

He jogged out of the room and returned less than a minute later, a roll of gauze in hand as well as a large square of tissue-like material. As he passed the thick material to her, she recognized it as a drape sheet to cover patients during an exam.

“Sorry.” He threw an apologetic look her way. “It was all I could find. All the cabinets were locked. Use that first—head wounds bleed like crazy.”

She nodded. The gauze would come in handy later, once the flow of blood had slowed enough. She applied the large square to Audrey’s forehead, pressing gently. The sound of approaching sirens floated up to them, and Luke pulled out his phone as it vibrated its soft rhythm.

“Stone.” He was silent for a beat as he listened to the person on the other end. “Thanks, Raúl, I’ll intercept them.”

Turning to her, he dropped to one knee. “They’re on their way up right now, and I have to go meet them at the elevators. Will you be okay here for a minute?”

She bit her lip. The thought of being alone made her heart stutter in her chest.

“I’ll stay right in the lobby so I can hear you if you need anything.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently. “I promise.”

“Okay.” The word came out whisper soft and Luke shot her a grim smile.

“She’s a fighter. Just keep talking to her.”

Standing, he strode from the room, leaving her alone with Audrey.

“Who did this to you?” she whispered. “He won’t get away with it. Luke and the police will find him.”

She realized in that moment just how much she believed him. There was something about Luke that she trusted. He was more than just a Marine, more than a security guard. This wasn’t just a job to him—he genuinely cared.

A commotion in the hallway drew her attention, and she reluctantly scooted away as the paramedics filed into the small office. Luke gestured for her to join him where he stood with two police officers, and she made her way to his side.

“Dr. Whitmore actually found her. Hannah, can you tell them what you told me?” He watched her intently as she relayed the details.

“He was average height, maybe a little taller than you.” She pointed to the older police officer before continuing. “But he wore a mask so I couldn’t see anything except his eyes. They were dark brown.”

So dark brown they were almost black. She shuddered and Luke settled a hand at her lower back. His thumb moved back and forth in gentle sweeps, and the silent support comforted her.

One patrolman looked her over. “Weren’t you recently involved in a murder?”

She stiffened and Luke shifted her a fraction closer, into the protective shelter of his body. “I was notified by the killer, that’s correct.”

“And do you think these incidents could be related?”

“I… I’m not sure. I can’t see why anyone would hurt Audrey when I was in the same building. If he wanted to hurt me, I think he would have.”

“We’d like to ask you a few more questions,” the officer stated. “Would you mind coming down to the station with us?”

She dropped her gaze to where the EMTs knelt by Audrey, checking her vitals. “Now? But…”

She wanted to help them catch the assailant, but she needed to be with Audrey more, to make sure she was okay.