Chapter 18 - Hannah’s Choice
“No!” Lauren shouted.
Hannah didn’t look back.
Daniel smiled.
“Come closer.”
Nolan kept her weapon trained on him but had no clean shot. Noah’s small body covered most of Daniel’s chest.
Hannah took one step.
Then another.
“You let Noah walk to my mom,” she said.
Daniel’s eyes never left her.
“You come to me first.”
“No.”
“You’re not in a position to negotiate.”
Hannah stopped.
“For nine years you told me I had no choices.”
Daniel’s smile faded.
“You were wrong.”
She pulled something from her pocket.
A tiny digital recorder.
Daniel went still.
Lauren stared.
Hannah held it up.
“You thought you took this from me at the quarry.”
Michael whispered, “The recording.”
Daniel’s face twisted.
“That’s fake.”
“No.”
Hannah pressed play.
Static filled the room.
Then Daniel’s younger voice.
Anthony saw too much. I had to shut him up.
Michael’s voice answered.
You hit him and left him in the road!
Then Robert’s voice.
Enough. Both of you. We fix this tonight.
The recording continued.
Daniel shouting.
Michael telling Hannah to run.
A struggle.
A scream.
Then Daniel saying one sentence that changed everything.
Keene will clean it up like he always does.
Nolan’s eyes sharpened.
Upstairs, Keene heard it too.
Hannah stopped the recorder.
“You want this?” she asked Daniel.
His gun shifted away from Noah by half an inch.
That was enough.
Nolan fired.
The bullet hit Daniel’s shoulder.
He screamed and released Noah.
Lauren ran forward.
So did Hannah.
Daniel grabbed Hannah by the hair with his good hand and dragged her toward the water tunnel.
Michael lunged.
Daniel fired wildly.
The bullet struck Michael high in the chest.
Lauren screamed.
Michael fell.
Daniel backed toward the open shaft where black quarry water churned below.
“Hannah!”
She drove her elbow into his ribs.
He lost balance.
For one second, Daniel hung at the edge.
Hannah grabbed his wrist.
Everyone froze.
Daniel stared up at her.
“Help me.”
Hannah’s face changed.
Nine years of terror.
Nine years stolen.
Noah crying behind her.
Lauren thought Hannah might let go.
Instead, Hannah screamed, “I am not you!”
She held on.
Nolan and Aaron pulled Daniel up and cuffed him.
The moment it was over, Hannah collapsed.
Lauren caught her.
Across the room, paramedics rushed toward Michael.
His shirt was turning red.
His eyes found Lauren.
“Emily?” he whispered.
“She’s safe.”
“Hannah?”
“Safe.”
He tried to smile.
Then his eyes closed.
May you like
The monitor went flat.
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