Page 72 of Driven By Impulse

Hanna darted one more quick look over her shoulder, then took the stairs two at a time to the first floor and headed toward the ambulance bay at the back entrance.

“Han, what’s going on?” Tori’s expression was worried, and Hanna quickly shook her head.

“Nothing. I…” She looked around again. Knowing that she had a traitor in her department was making her paranoid. That and knowing that she was being followed, that her house had been targeted, and that anyone who associated with her was at major risk of being harmed.

Right. Paranoid.

She pulled Tori into a nearby supply closet. “I think I know where Grace is being held.”

Tori’s eyes widened. “That’s great. What about the guys? Are you going to get her?”

Hanna bit her lip. “They want me to wait, at least until we know for sure. It’s true, we’d be exposed going up there, but I can’t wait, Tori. I…” Her voice hitched. “I couldn’t save Rose. But I can save Grace.”

Tori pulled Hanna in tight, the hug all-encompassing, and Hanna knew she’d chosen well all those years ago when she’d picked a best friend. “I understand that, Han. But it’s not safe for you to try some cowboy shit and pull up with no help.”

Hanna swallowed. “I know. I just feel like Ash is trying to freeze me out of this. He thinks he’s protecting me or something but…”

Tori gave Hanna an indulgent smile. “He doesn’t want to lose you, Hanna. That boy”—she shook her head—“that man has been in love with you for more than a decade. He walked away back then for you, Hanna. He may not be able to say as much, hell, he may not even know, but he’ll do anything to keep you safe.”

Hanna sighed, the air coming out shaky and harsh. “Treehouse, Tor?” she asked. She hadn’t meant to say a damn thing, hadn’t meant for anyone to ever know about what had happened in the safe house. It was supposed to be an escape, a way for them to get through the darkness together, and no one else would have ever needed to know their secret.

But in the stark light of the hospital fluorescents, dodging her babysitters, she was coming to realize that had never been an option. From her sordid, complicated past with Ash to the inexplicable and overwhelming draw she felt to Nicco, to the incredible dynamic they shared, like they could speak without ever saying a word, the nexus of their connection had been complex and intense and destined for something so much more from the moment she and Nicco had kissed on the balcony.

From so much earlier than that.

Tori squeezed her hand. “Treehouse.”

Hanna didn’t give herself a second to reconsider. “It’s not just Ash.”

Tori squeaked, her face breaking into an enormous grin. “I fucking knew it. They were like guard dogs at your house that night.”

The night everything had changed. The night Hanna’s whole life had been turned upside down.

Ash and Nicco having her back had been one of the very few things she’d been able to count on.

“Yeah… They’re… It’s complicated.”

Tori raised an eyebrow. “Is it? They clearly have feelings for you, and you clearly have feelings for them.”

“Feelings that will get them hurt, Tor,” Hanna bit out. “I know Ash is trying to white knight it to keep me safe, but the truth is, I’m the biggest danger to them. No one would be a target if it wasn’t for me.”

Tori shook her head. “That’s ridiculous.”

Hanna exhaled sharply. “Is it? My house was blown up, Tor. I’m being followed by members of the Iron Daggers.” She swallowed hard. “Grace Iverson’s finger was sent to me in a box.” She threw her hands in the air. “I can’t…I can’t be the one to drag them into my mess. I know I called them, I know I asked for help, but I feel like we’re so close to the finish line and…and I need to go it alone.”

“Well, that’s fuck-all stupid,” Tori replied. “I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourself, even if it is for love.”

“It’s not love,” Hanna shot back.

Tori didn’t reply, instead letting the silence grow thicker and more fraught between them. Hanna shook her head. It couldn’t be love. Too much had changed between her and Ash over the years, and she’d only gotten to know Nicco over the last week. Surely that was absurd, nothing more than the adrenaline beating through her body.

“Will you help me?” Hanna asked, instead of saying any of that. “Please.”

Tori crossed her arms. “Not if you’re going to walk into the lion’s den alone.”

“What if I just go for recon?” Hanna asked. “I’ll never step inside. As soon as I learn what I need to know, I’ll come right back down the mountain.”

Tori let out a low, long-suffering sigh. “What do you need?”