Chasing Spring(43)

Hannah didn’t deserve to be robbed.

She walked past the kitchen, glanced in, and froze when she saw Hannah’s purse sitting on the kitchen counter.

Fear gripped her heart as she held out her hand.

“WAIT,” she yelled. “Someone’s home!”

Donny ignored her and headed for the flat-screen TV hanging on the living room wall.

Elaine shook her head and ran after him, trying to get them to listen. “No. DONNY THEY’RE HOME. LET’S GO.”

Carl grabbed her neck and shoved her against the wall before edging past her to help Donny with the TV.

“Be useful and grab something,” Donny said, angling the TV away from the wall mount.

Elaine stepped forward and listened, trying to decide if she heard footsteps upstairs or not. The padded carpet made it impossible to tell.

“I’m going to check upstairs,” she said, trying to sound as if her heart wasn’t racing a hundred miles a minute.

The guys ignored her. She sprinted up the stairs and paused when the hallway bathroom light flipped off. The door opened and Hannah stepped out, still wiping her hands with a hand towel. She met Elaine’s gaze, tilted her head, and frowned.

“Elai—”

Elaine flew forward and pushed her hand over Hannah’s mouth, forcing her into silence.

“Don’t say a word,” she whispered, pleading with her friend to stay silent. “Do you understand?”

Hannah’s eyes widened as she tried to break out of Elaine’s grasp.

Elaine fought her and pushed them both back into the bathroom. She closed the door and kept the light off. The two of them stood in darkness as Elaine listened to determine whether the guys had heard them. Two long seconds passed in silence and then Elaine moved her hand away from Hannah’s mouth.

“Someone’s in my house?” Hannah whispered.

“Yes. Two men. Two very bad men.” Elaine paused and turned toward the door, listening for Donny and Carl. They were yelling at each other downstairs but she couldn’t make out their words. She turned back to Hannah and grabbed her arms. “Let them rob you. I’ll buy you a new TV. I’ll buy you a new house. Hannah, just please stay in here and don’t say a word.”

Hannah reached out and gripped Elaine’s arms in the darkness. “What are you doing, Elaine? Are you helping them?”

Elaine shook her head over and over again. “I’ll explain it all, I promise, just please—”

“ELAINE. Where are you?” Donny yelled from the foot of the stairs.

Hannah jumped and let out a little squeak. In the quiet bathroom it sounded as if she’d just yelled bloody murder, but Elaine had to hope Donny hadn’t heard. She put her hand up to Hannah’s mouth and pressed her index finger against her lips before turning for the door. She cracked it open and yelled down for him.

“Donny, I’m up here looking through jewelry.”

“Well f*ckin’ hurry up and get back down here,” he yelled.

Elaine swallowed and closed the door as quietly as possible. She turned back to Hannah and heard rustling in the darkness. Then she felt a cold chain brush her arm, and then another, and another. Hannah was holding out something for her to take and when Elaine reached for it, she felt a tangle of necklaces. Hannah was holding out her jewelry for Elaine to take and the realization cracked Elaine’s black heart in two.

“Take them,” Hannah said, forcing them out to her friend. “Take them. They should be worth a little.”

Elaine shook her head as the sadness in her gut shifted to her chest. She felt the tears stain her cheeks before she could stop them. She didn’t want to be this person. She didn’t want to steal from Hannah.

“Elaine,” Hannah whispered. “Take them. We’ll figure this out.”

Elaine wiped the tears from her cheeks as she tried to think of what to do. There had to be a way out. She didn’t want Hannah’s jewelry, she didn’t want Hannah’s TV. She wanted freedom; she wanted a new life.

“Elaine. We’ll figure it out,” Hannah repeated, tugging her friend into a tight hug and shoving the necklaces into her hand. The cold metal burned Elaine’s palm as she cried into Hannah’s hair. Hannah gripped her tighter, holding her up and soothing her.

“This isn’t you. I know this isn’t you right now,” Hannah assured her. “Now go.”

The more Hannah tried to soothe her, the more inconsolable Elaine became. She wanted Hannah to pull her out of the nightmare, to take her hand and drag her out of the darkness. She opened her mouth to plead for help, but it was too late. Donny had crested the top of the stairs before she could get the words out. Elaine heard his footsteps in the hallway and she lunged to lock the bathroom door just before Donny’s boot kicked it open. The door slammed against the wall, punching a hole in the drywall.

Elaine backed up, trying to conceal Hannah behind her as Donny stood silhouetted by the light from the hallway.

“You f*cking whore,” he yelled, bounding forward and shoving Elaine into the wall. She winced as sharp pain radiated through her shoulder.

“Was this your plan all along?” he asked, crowding over her. His spit flew into her eyes and his boot held down her chest, threatening to break her ribs. “Get yourself a little witness so you could pin the robbery on us and then slip away like a little rat?”