Hannah walked with her head down, Finn back in his usual spot behind her and today she was glad that he couldn’t see her face. For the hundredth time, she glanced at the sandals buckled on her feet. She’d didn’t know how, she didn’t know why. All she knew was that she’d woken up early that morning and they’d been there waiting for her.
It seemed so out of character for him. And then after she’d awoken after the few hours of fitful sleep she’d managed, he’d kneeled next to her and wrapped her rope-burned wrists so gently it astounded her. Who was this man? And why was it so easy for him tie her up in knots? Literally, and figuratively, a snide inner voice whispered and Hannah rolled her eyes.
But then her gaze dropped to the shoes once more and confusion filled her, confusion and something else. Gratitude, maybe?
“Thank you,” The words were out of Hannah’s mouth before she could stop them and she wasn’t sure who was more surprised by them, her or Finn. She cast a look behind her to find him staring at her, his gray-eyed gaze shifting like mercury in the bright morning sunlight.
Finn was silent for so long she was sure he wouldn’t say anything. Maybe he hadn’t even heard her words. But finally, he spoke, and when he did his tone was gruff, “For what?”
“For what?” Hannah repeated, looking back at him once more, “For the shoes, of course. And this,” She nodded to her bandaged wrists and nearly missed the embarrassed shrug of his broad shoulders.
“It was nothing. You would have just slowed me down. Couldn’t have that.”
“Uh huh,” Hannah whispered, peering at him like a riddle she couldn’t quite solve. Hell, it might as well have been written in a different language altogether. “Don’t get me wrong. I understand the irony of thanking my kidnapper for solving the problem that he created in the first place,” Finn stiffened at her words as she continued, “but still, thank you nonetheless. And my feet are especially grateful.”
Finn’s expression softened somewhat and finally he gave another shrug and a sigh. “You’re welcome. Just don’t get used to it,” His voice hardened once more, “Don’t expect any kindness from me. You’re a prisoner of war, princess, even if you don’t seem to realize it.”
Hannah tilted her head, trying to understand him, his motives, but even she couldn’t puzzle out his convoluted actions, so at odds with his words.
“Whatever you say, Mr. Finn.”
“It’s not Mr. Finn,” he growled, just like she knew he would, “It’s Finn. Finn Walker. Finn is my first name.”
“Alright then, Mr. Walker. Whatever you say.” Hannah turned back around but not before she saw his jaw tense and his expression darken. It was one thing to poke a caged bear to see how it would react, but there was nothing caged about Finn Walker, nothing controlled. On the surface, he looked calm but underneath she could sense a storm raging, a storm that could just as easily destroy her if accidentally unleashed.
But even still, she couldn’t stop herself from asking aloud the questions that were burning inside her.
“Where are you taking me, exactly? What is your plan? What are you going to do with me? Why do you want to hurt my sister?” They all fell out in a rush and she held her breath waiting for his answers. She was surprised when he spoke.
“We are going to meet up with the rest of the M60’s, or what’s left of them after that fucking catastrophe at the Roadburner’s clubhouse,” Finn’s voice filled with a terrible rage but then he took a deep breath and continued, “My plan, well as to that you’ll just have to wait and see but just know that Jackrabbit, and Hatchet, and all those back stabbing bastards will get exactly what they deserve. And you?” He paused and she could practically hear the gears in his mind turning over the answer before he spoke again, “You’re going to help me get my revenge. One way or another.”
“I really don’t think so.”
“One way or another, princess,” Finn said again as if he hadn’t even heard her.
“And my sister? Why do you want to hurt her?” Hannah bit her tongue before she could mention anything about Rachael’s newborn baby. She wasn’t about to give him any more information than he already had.
“Collateral damage.” Finn answered with a nonchalance that had her seeing red.
“She’s my sister, you…you asshole,” Hannah shouted with an uncharacteristic curse. “She’s not collateral damage or however you want to try and justify it. She’s an innocent human being–.”
“Innocent?” Finn shot back, his eyes wide in disbelief and suddenly he was standing right in front of her, toe to toe. “You really think she’s that innocent? Do you really think John Jackrabbit Dawes is innocent?” Finn practically spit out the man’s name and Hannah could feel his hatred, the animosity rolling off him in waves. “If she’s with that bastard, I can guarantee you she’s not innocent.”
“Then what about me?” Hannah tilted her head to the side as she watched him struggle to find an answer.
“You,” He paused again, his words stilted as he continued, “You were a mistake. But you can still be useful. One of the number one rules of war. Never give up an advantage.” He turned on the heel of his boots with a wave for her to follow him, “Let’s go. We’re wasting time.”
Her mind turned over his answer. Finn kept saying war, as if he truly believed they were in one. So, Jackrabbit had been right. He was soldier, through and through. Hannah’s brows furrowed as she thought. There had to be some way to use that information, some way to help her escape. Because the farther they got from her home, the less likely that outcome seemed.
They continued walking as she tried to riddle it out, the hot Texas sun beating down on them and Hannah was grateful when Finn suddenly stopped ahead of her.
“What…what is it? Why did we stop?” She started to ask but Finn’s strong hand over her mouth cut off her questions.
“Be quiet.” His voice was hot and hard against her ear and only then did she see why they had stopped. Just over the hill they were walking across sat a tiny, whitewashed farmhouse but there were no signs of the people who lived there. No lights on. No trucks in the dirt and gravel drive. No dogs barking in the yard.
“I think it’s empty. For the moment at least,” Finn said, coming to the same conclusion she just had. He dropped his hand from her mouth and wrapped his long fingers instead around her arm. “Let’s go.”
“Go…where?”
He cast her a sideways look that told her in no uncertain terms she’d just said something idiotic.
“The house, princess.” Finn snorted, “Unless you want to walk the rest of the way without food or water. Now, let’s go.”
He didn’t wait to hear her response, instead pulling her along with him up the rest of the small, grassy hill. His eyes never stopped moving, constantly scanning around them in a way that made Hannah feel downright jumpy.
Finn gestured for her to stop again, his touch still tingling against the skin of her upper arm. They stood there, completely silent, for a long moment until he was sure the place was empty and only then did he start walking once more. Hannah had no choice but to follow. It was either that, or be dragged behind him and she didn’t fancy that image in the slightest.
The quaint farmhouse looked so sweet and familiar that it nearly felt like she was home as they walked up onto the covered porch, it’s rocking chairs in place on either side of the door.
“What are you doing? Just going to knock and hope someone friendly opens the door and lets us in?” Hannah said, her voice edged with sarcasm that Finn either missed, or decided to ignore. He pulled something out of the small rucksack he carried with him and knelt in front of the locked door. A moment later it swung open and he shot her a grin that did something funny to her heartbeat.
“Lucky for you, I know how to pick locks.”
“Uh huh. Lucky. That’s exactly how I feel being made a part of your…your criminal endeavors.”
“Criminal endeavors?” Finn said on snort, shaking his head as he pulled her inside, quickly shutting the door behind them. “It’s just survival, Princess. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“But these people. You’re stealing from them!” Hannah tried to argue but he was already pulling her towards the small but well stocked kitchen. He dragged out a kitchen chair, plopping her in it like a rag doll.
“You. Sit there. Don’t move. Let’s make this quick and painless before farmer Joe comes back.” Finn didn’t waste any time, following his own words as he hurriedly searched through cupboards and the old, outdated refrigerator. Hannah didn’t waste the time either, scanning the kitchen and what she could see of the living room in search of a phone. But it was useless. The days of landlines were long gone.
Finn was suddenly in front of her, holding out a glass of water she hadn’t notice him pour. Gratefully, she took the glass. As soon as the cool liquid hit her parched throat she gulped the rest down, not caring about the excess that trickled down her chin. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was. Or hungry.
Her stomach grumbled, surly at the reminder of how little food she’d eaten in the last day and a half. Just a few small bites of jerky and some small sour apples Finn had picked up during their hike of what felt like the entire state of Texas.
Hannah held out the now empty glass, hoping for a refill. “Thank you–.” She cut off abruptly as Finn spun, the gun out of his holster and in his hand quicker than she could see. Her eyes widened as she finally noticed what Finn had. A middle aged woman in a worn flower print dress and behind her, a little girl no more than eight or nine watched Finn with blue eyes as wide as saucers.
Without thought, Hannah moved. She didn’t even realize what she was doing until she was out of the chair and on her feet but a moment later she was standing in front of the woman and her daughter, putting herself in the way of Finn’s aim. The dark barrel of his pistol was pointed straight at her chest.
***
Finn glared at Hannah in shock and frustration. Damn you, princess, get out of the fucking way. But he could tell by the way her shoulders were thrown back and that damned chin was stuck up in the air that she had no intention of moving out of the way. And her eyes, gleaming at him like emerald gemstones, full of a green fire that flashed and flickered with a fierceness that made him want to yell at her and kiss her all at the same time.
“Move, princess. You don’t know what you’re doing.” His words were hard and mean as he spoke, the gun still pointed straight ahead, straight at Hannah’s heart. If anything, her chin tilted up a little higher as impossible as it seemed.
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” Hannah said as she stared him down. Her gaze never left his as they clashed together. Hell, he was surprised there weren’t sparks shooting between them. “You are not going to hurt these people. I won’t let you.”
Finn stared at her, just stared, at this little sprite of a woman with her long dark hair falling around her in waves, her jeans and t-shirt dirty and rumpled from the rough days of travel. She had a smudge of dirt on her forehead, and another on the tip of her nose nearly disguising the freckles that he knew were there. He’d never seen anything fiercer, or more beautiful. But god damn it, was she messing up his plans.
In fact, from the first moment he’d mistaken Hannah for her sister, nothing had gone the way he’d wanted it to. This whole situation was proof enough of that.
He stared at her, unable to look away from her fiery gaze, paralyzed by the look she was shooting at him. Part horror and part guilt and all overlaid with something Finn was beginning to realize was all her. A calm, logical way of looking at the world as if everything was a puzzle piece and she just had to find the right way to make them all fit neatly together.
Well, she was going to learn that that wasn’t the way the real world worked. There was nothing neat or tidy about life, nothing that made sense. Nothing that was fair. It was just a matter of time before she figured that out.
“Get out of the way, princess,” Finn ground out the words through a jaw so tight he was surprised his teeth didn’t crack under the pressure. But she didn’t budge. Not that he expected her to.
“Not gonna happen.” She said just as firmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest as if she’d be able to stop him. Finn nearly snorted. Yeah, all five foot nothing of her. The top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest, but still she stood there. Unmoving. Unflinching. Not at all like the fearful, cowed and cooperative hostage he’d hoped she’d be.
The air between them crackled with a tension that made it hard for him to draw breath, made it hard for him to do anything at ll. With a groan, Finn knew he was defeated. For the first time in a long time, he’d been out strategized.
“Damn it!” Finn lunged, grabbing Hannah and turning her around so fast her back collided with his front and he pressed the muzzle of the handgun against her ribs just hard enough for her to know it was there, “We’re leaving. Now.”
“Don’t worry, ma’am. You and your daughter will be just fine,” Hannah said, trying to reassure the terrified looking people. Finn nearly rolled his eyes, “We borrowed some food, and some water. Thanks for that. We’ll just be going now– Oof!”
Hannah’s gratitude was cut off as Finn forced her outside at gunpoint. He’d had just about enough of his plans going awry and he knew exactly where the blame belonged. Right at the feet of one infuriating miss Hannah Donohue.
Finn was barely keeping his frustration in check as he pulled her along with him, not stopping until they were out of sight of the farmhouse and the two witnesses they had just left behind. He’d give it five minutes before there was fifty police cruisers rushing onto the scene. They needed to be long gone before that happened.
With an irritated glance at Hannah had pulled her up close and her eyes were wide on his.
“Please, don’t shoot me.” Hannah whispered and the words, said just as calmly as ever, tore through him. It was only then that he realized he still had the pistol pressed hard against her side.
With a disgusted sigh, he holstered the gun.
“I’m not going to shoot you. You’re my hostage remember?” Finn shook his head. At himself or at her he wasn’t sure, “A dead hostage is not a useful hostage.”
“Oh, well, that’s just great. Yeah, super reassuring.” Hannah turned to him then, her green eyes wide and wet with some turbulent emotion, “Just let me go. I can walk back to the farmhouse. You can disappear. I won’t tell the police anything, I promise. Let me go.”
Finn froze for a moment, whatever shred of a conscious he still had raising its head but a lifetime of being alone and betrayed beat it back down again. He forced his voice to harden.
“We need to keep moving. Not a fucking sound.” Finn turned her around, pushing her forward and a few moments later they were lost once more in the thick forest. The silence was heavy between them and after they were far enough away that he was sure it was safe, Finn spoke.
“I wouldn’t have shot them, you know.” Finn said, not even sure why he was trying to defend himself, but that didn’t stop him from opening his mouth again, “I wouldn’t have hurt them.”
Hannah glanced over at him, her eyes big and mysterious before turning back to the path in front of her without saying another word. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful for that or not.