I was out of the office building and soaring down the roads of the city like a bat out of hell. My heart was thumping in my ears and my breathing continuously hitched. Someone had tried to kill Hannah. While I had been able to handle the potential hit out on my life with grace, the thought of someone wanting to cause Hannah harm was too much for my heart to handle.

I had been at the office, sorting through the drama of the stock crisis and, without knowing, I had been a fraction of a second away from losing my wife.

My hands gripped the wheel until my knuckles turned white. Whoever tried to do that wasn’t going to get away with it. Even if I had to track them down myself, they would see the light of justice. My thoughts turned dark as I thought about the savory fantasy of finding them myself and dealing them justice on the streets.

I shook my head. No, I couldn’t think like that. We were going to do everything the right way so we could make a difference.

Though I hated to admit it, I was currently regretting getting the FBI involved. I should have just taken Hannah and ran away to a remote island, signed the company over to a third party, and become a phantom majority shareholder. It would have given us peace.

It was too late. The damage was done. Now, I had to focus on assuring her safety.

I barely took the time to turn my car off before I was barging into the house. I ran up the stairs, not having the patience to wait for the elevator. I flung the door to our bedroom open and took in the scene of her sitting on the bed, knees hugged to her chest, and tears flowing down her cheeks. My chest ached at the sight.

Without a word, I moved over to her and pulled her into my lap. I cradled her and held her as tightly as I could. While I knew it wasn’t my fault, it felt that way. I should have been there to protect her myself. I was so frightened that the thought of ever letting her out of my sight again felt too much to bear.

With her still in my hold, I pulled out my phone and called Ed. The moment the other end picked up, I told him, "Someone has a hit out on Hannah, I’m sure of it. Someone tried to run her over."

"Are you at home?" Ed asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes," I replied.

"We’ll be there shortly to get information from you."

With that, we hung up. I picked up Hannah’s face and stared her in the eye. I could see the mixture of shock, fear, and sorrow swimming in her big beautiful eyes. It hurt me to see it. I longed to drink away her pain and carry her every burden. "They’re coming over to interview you. Are you okay to talk about it again?" I asked her tenderly.

She nodded and hugged my neck. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

We stayed just like that until her breathing eased and her tears dried. I followed her around like a protective dog as she pulled on a pair of pants and headed to the door. We moved downstairs to the dining room. I poured her a glass of wine and moved my chair so close to hers that they touched, and then draped an arm over her. She leaned into me and I kissed the side of her head.

We waited there until Ed and Marcus arrived, keeping to ourselves and our private thoughts. It was enough for me just to be able to hold her and comfort her; being there with her and knowing she was safe was the only comfort I needed.

Eventually, they walked in and sat across from us. My hold on her grew a little tighter.

"Thank you for talking with us right away, Hannah. I’m sure this isn’t an easy thing to do," Marcus greeted us as he settled in.

Ed positioned his hand with a pen in it over a pad, ready to document everything she said. "Can you tell us everything? Start from the beginning."

She sniffled, wiped her eyes, and repositioned herself in her chair. "Well, it started this morning. I started getting calls from all kinds of numbers. I knew I shouldn’t have ignored it, but it felt harmless, you know? I was in the house with the bodyguards and all... It didn’t feel like a big deal. They would breathe into the line, cuss at me, or just tell me to die, they hoped I died, whatever."

She sucked in a breath before continuing. "Lori and I had a day out with one of the guards. As we went to leave the shopping center, a car came out of nowhere and tried to run me down. A woman in the car yelled at me, and I recognized the voice from the phone calls."

"What shopping center?" Ed asked, scribbling away.

"I don’t know the name of it... The one with the French cafe uptown," she replied.

"I know the one," Marcus nodded, taking his own notes. "Where were you exactly in the center?"

"Uhm, across the intersection from the ice cream shop," Hannah answered.

"What kind of car was it?" Ed questioned. When she didn’t answer, he peered up at her, then sighed softly. "Can you tell me the color of the car? Was it a sedan, SUV, or truck?"

It took her a minute to answer. I could tell she was getting overwhelmed. I rubbed her arm encouragingly. "White sedan. It looked modern—it wasn’t old or anything."

They jotted away. "Around what time was this?" Ed asked.

She shrugged. "I-I don’t know. About an hour and a half ago?"

"Can I see those numbers that called you?" Marcus asked tenderly.

Hannah nodded and slid her phone across the table with the call log open. He jotted down each entry.

They finished their writing and looked at her. "Thank you for all the information. We’ll do our best to get an ID on them, check security cameras and all that. There’s no guarantee that we’ll find them, but we’ll do all we can. In the meantime, we will have to suggest that you lie low and take things easy, okay? Stay at home all you can. The bodyguards are a nice touch, too. Never go out alone, and, if you do, go to super public places; but make sure they aren’t overcrowded."

"Got it," Hannah muttered.

My teeth ground together and I shook my head. "That’s all we’re going to do?" I snapped. "Someone tried to kill her this afternoon and all you’re going to do is tell her to be careful and stay home? I could have deduced that, guys."

"What is it you want us to do?" Ed asked, raising his hands in a defensive manner. "Without knowing who it is, this is all we can offer."

"How about post a couple of your guys around? Why not? You did for Court. Or do you only care about felons?" I barked.

A hand was on my chest then. It took me a minute to rip my glare away from the agents across the table, knowing I was going to melt as soon as I looked at her. And I did. She gazed up at me with such tender eyes. "It’s okay," she said softly. "They’re doing all they can. I really think five bodyguards are plenty to keep us safe. I’ll just lie low."

I let out a breath and squeezed her to my side. She was right. I just felt like I was in a manic state, needing to do all I could to protect her. If I had it my way, I would have activated the local National Guard to guard her at all times. That thought was enough to prove to me that I may have been overreacting, though my heart told me there was no such thing when it came to the safety of my wife.

"Sorry for snapping," I sighed. "Tensions are just high right now. Thank you for all your help," I told the agents.

Marcus shot a little smile my way. "It’s all good, man. I think we would feel the same way if we were in your shoes. Anyway, we have to get to work. Please be careful, and don’t hesitate to call if anything suspicious happens. Try to record those calls if they happen again."

Hannah nodded and gave them a weak smile; I kissed the side of her head. I was proud of her for having the courage to talk about it so soon after. I had a strong and brave wife and I was forever lucky.

With that, they were gone. I buried my face in her neck and tried to compose myself.

I would do anything to keep her safe—anything at all.