Hannah followed the guys with her eyes until they disappeared into the dusk. She let out a shaky breath. Her heart was hammering like crazy.

"Hannah?" A tinny voice piped up from the direction of the passenger's seat. "You still there?"

She grabbed her cell phone. "Yeah, I'm still here," she replied softly.

"If I ever get my hands on those bastards." His voice trembled. "Are they gone?"

"Yes, they're gone."

"We're almost there, sis," she heard Ben shout in the background. "Hold on just a little longer."

Hannah put the gun down. The grip had turned all sweaty in her hand. "I'll see you soon. Gotta go. My battery is almost dead."

"All right."

"And Josh?" She sighed. "Thank you so much."

She hung up just before the battery died and sagged back in her seat. After five minutes, the headlights of Ben's car appeared in her rearview mirror. Hannah unlocked the door and staggered outside. Ben parked next to the Datsun, and he and Josh got out.

"Hi," Hannah said timidly.

Ben got to her first, hugging her tightly. "Hey sweetie," he whispered in her hair. "That was quite a night, huh?" Now that she felt safe, Hannah started to shiver uncontrollably. She could feel Josh rubbing her back to calm her down. For a while, the three of them were just standing there, comforting each other. Ben was the first to pull away from their group hug to get the jerry can. "Let's feed your car, shall we?"

Hannah turned around to face Josh. "Thanks for your pep-talk on the phone. I really don't know what I would have done without my helpline."

He smiled. "I'm sure you would have been just as brave." He noticed the way she rubbed her hands over each other, silently taking them in his. "You cold?"

"Yeah. Stress, I guess." Hannah felt her hands warm up against his palms. She fought the urge to press her body closer to his. She didn't need to. Him holding her hands was enough to warm her up inside. Hannah looked at Ben, catching the glance her brother shot at her hands safely tucked away in Josh's hands. She sighed. "God, I'm exhausted."

"You should sit down." Josh pulled her toward the Datsun's passenger seat.

"But ... I have to drive."

Josh shook his head. "No, I'm driving. You're too stressed and tired." He helped her into the seat, but didn't let go of her hands straight away. "I'll drive safely," he added with a grin. "Trust me."




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