Page 30 of Her Righteous Protector

“They’re next to the elevators, you can’t miss them,” she said without looking up from the tabloid magazine she was reading.

“Hannah, we need to talk,” Max said to her as he followed her out into the hall.

Hanna nodded. “I know,” she mumbled. “Just give me a minute, okay? I’ll meet you in front of the elevators, then we can talk in the lobby.”

Max gave her a stiff nod.

As soon as she got to the safety of the bathroom, she went to the sink and ran cold water over her wrists, while avoiding looking at herself in the mirror.

I can’t do this. There’s no possible way I can do this. She looked up at the water-stained ceiling, trying to stop tears from falling.

I can’t lose him.

She’d just finally got him smiling again as she let him make home runs after buying him the T-ball set.

He smiled!

He laughed!

Zephyr’d giggled!

She threw back her head and silently screamed out Zephyr’s name.

I can’t let him go. I can’t!

Pain screamed through her hands and up her arms then burst through her soul.

“Hannah?”

She spun around at Max’s voice and saw him at the entryway of the woman’s restroom.

“Are you all right? I heard you cry out.”

“You look just like him,” she whispered.

Is he even real?

She looked down and saw that water had filled up the clogged sink and was now pouring onto the floor. She struggled to turn off the faucets when Max was suddenly there to help her. She saw blood in the water, and that was when she realized she’d dug her fingers so deeply into the porcelain of the sink that she had broken off a couple of her fingernails.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.” She watched numbly as Max bent down and picked up her purse sitting in a puddle of water. He held it away from himself as he put his arm around her waist and ushered her out the door toward the elevators.

“How’d you get here today?” he asked.

“Drove.”

“I took a cab,” Max said. “Why don’t we go together to wherever Zephyr is, okay?”

She nodded. It was like her brain was somewhere outside of her body. She was still trying to soak it all in. She knew. Ever since Elias had told her he was trying to track down another person for the reading of the will, she knew this was probably going to happen, but how was she going to survive?

They went outside. Even the weak Chicago sunlight hurt her eyes.

“Where are you parked?” Max asked.

Hannah had to think for a minute. “Up the block,” she answered.

He held onto her elbow as they walked down the crowded street to the paid parking lot. She pointed to her Honda.

“Are you okay to drive?” Max asked.